Rosilind Jukic's Blog, page 74

Dear Mom, Schooling at Home During Coronavirus

Dear mom, If youre reading this, you have probably found yourself schooling at home during coronavirus. I want to acknowledge that this isnt homeschool for you. There is a huge difference! My family and I made the choice to homeschool, whereas you didnt get that luxury. But here we are, the better part of the [...]

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10 Bible Verses for Chronic Illness – Free Download

Living with chronic illness is a roller coaster of ups and downs; and so often a small thing like a little cold can send you into a crash or flare up. It can be discouraging and even depressing. Thats why today I want to give you 10 Bible verses for chronic illness that will encourage [...]

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Easter Notebooking Pages – Free Printable

Easter is one of the worlds greatest holidays. For Christians, it is our greatest holiday. It is the holiday that is the very foundation of our faith. Jesus died but He rose again on the 3rd day. Never in all of human history has someone raised themself from the dead. But that is exactly [...]

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Do You Have a Keto Plan for COVID-19?

Knock-knock! Its my virtual visit to your home asking you if you have a keto plan for COVID-19! Heres why. Ive seen a lot of posts in keto and fasting groups about how stress-eating is getting to my fellow ketonians and they are reaching for the chips and cookiesand all things carbbage. I know its [...]

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What Do We Do When We Can’t Go to Church?

The majority, if not all, of the Christians around the world cant go to church. Most people cant remember an Easter Sunday when their church had to cancel services. Its about to be the weirdest Easter Sunday! Pastors are doing all they can to find ways to keep their congregations encouraged Gospel singers are broadcasting [...]

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3 Ways We Move From Anxiety to Rest

How do we move from anxiety to rest? What steps do we need to take to calm our anxious heart to the point that, despite the circumstances surrounding us at the moment; despite the fact that we still dont have clear answers to our questions, our heart is at a state of perfect peace? How [...]

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The Pain of Christian Comparison

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For many years I had a mental image of what a mature Christian ought to look like and act like: a person who attended every church meeting they possibly could, who adhered strictly to spiritual disciplines, sang out boldly during worship, always raising their hands, dancing, kneeling, and clapping.  Oh - there were many other standards; the list was very long!
Many a wonderful person was measured against this image of mine and found severely wanting, and in my mind I would rate them on my scale of spiritual maturity: ranging from "very spiritual" to "spiritually poor".  
It wasn't until those close to me came under this same scrutiny, that I realized how very dangerous this is not only to the individual who is under the microscope of spiritual observation, it is also harmful to the body.

I began to realize how very often I had judged and rated someone's level of spirituality based on my own expectations and lengthy checklist of what it meant to be a good, solid Christian.  Naturally, these elements were things that could be witnessed from the outside.
I took a good, hard look at myself in the mirror of God's Word, in the form of Paul's admonition: 
"For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."

And when we measure the depth of another person's spiritual life, isn't that exactly what we are doing? "commending ourselves"?  Imagining ourselves to be better spiritually than they?  Because more often than not, we find them coming up short based on our own level of supposed spiritual maturity.

This is spiritual arrogance, and is a greater problem than the one whom we are criticizing.  It is, in fact, judging.  And Jesus warned that there will come a time when we will be judged by the same standards that we judged others.

Jesus went on to illustrate this in the story about the Pharisee and the Publican.  The Pharisee commended himself for all his spiritual disciplines and then pointed out the lousy state of the publican.  Oh sure, we'd never actually voice such things, yet if we are honest we have all thought such things - and God knows our thoughts.

And yet we fail to realize two things:
1. Even Jesus didn't meet the standard religious requirements of His day.  The religious leaders criticized Him soundly for His lack of piety and devotion to certain spiritual disciplines - while managing to completely miss the fact that underneath his lack of supposed (and publicly presented) piety was a spiritual depth they could never understand.

2. A person's spiritual condition cannot ever be measured by outward displays of spiritual discipline and maturity.  God looks at the heart of man - not at how often he raises his hands during one worship service or how many chapters a day he reads out of his Bible.  To place expectations upon a person to outwardly display their level of spiritual maturity is placing upon them requirements that God has never asked of us.  He never expects us to prove how spiritual we are.

The moment we feel the need to prove our spiritual devotion in the form of spiritual discipline, attendance, worship or any other display of spirituality is the moment we have lapsed into religiosity and have failed to see God as a loving, grace-filled Father who loves us and knows the intentions of our heart!  

Will we fail?  

Absolutely.  We are human.  

But that is what grace is all about.  It looks beyond what man can see into the depths of his heart, realizing that despite all good intentions and the deep love we have for the Father we still fall.

If we are secure in knowing that God is pleased with us - not based upon what we do or don't do, but based upon the fact that He is our Father and we are His child - then that is all that matters.  He wont love us any more if we fast 2 days a week instead of once a month.  Having personal devotions for 2 hours a day instead of 1 will not make Him accept us any more than He already has!

Yes, God has called us to "be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect", but the perfection is not based upon performance - but the blood of Jesus!

When we set ourselves free from the burden of proving that we have met the "standard" for a mature Christian we will set those around us free as well.  

And there is no greater freedom than the joy of knowing that if God is pleased with us, then that is all that matters!

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Dear Lonely Missionary

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Dear Lonely Missionary,

We live in a unique life. We have adopted a homeland that fits like a too-small glove; like a new pair of tight shoes.  We try so hard to learn the culture, language, customs - but sometimes it never seems like its enough to make our new home feel like home.

I understand the awkwardness those first years when you know full-well that people are amused by you: by your attempts to fit in, by your language blunders, and by your over-all appearance of being foreign and standing out. I understand the loneliness this brings when people forget to translate and you feel left out; when you feel constantly reminded that you don't belong.

There are 6 things the lonely missionary must remember  Today I am over at Missional Call writing to lonely missionaries. You can read the rest of the article here.


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Create Pinable Images {Write Blog Posts People Will Read} + A Little R & R Linky Party #58

I'll confess, this is an area where I am not always strong.

I think I make passable images, but a good image doesn't always mean that it is well configured for Pinterest.

Why is that so important? Well, I don't know about you, but Pinterest drives my blog 4 times more traffic than any other source!  So, investing in Pinterest is a wise investment! 

So let's look at images for a moment.

Why are images important?People are visual. I call Pinterest "A Visual Favorites Folder", because that's exactly how I view it. I can pin recipes and then search for what I want visually.
Being able to visually determine what an article is about is a helpful way to decide whether or not you want to invest your time in reading it or not. 
This is why a quality, attractive main image is so important.
If you are not investing time in a quality main image, I would encourage you do start doing that today!
Believe me, it will help engage readership so much more!

There are 4 things you need to know about making an image:
1. Make sure it is a quality image
Blurry, out-of-focus images simply will not do. Make sure that it sharp and centered well. You don't have to invest a ton of money in professional photos or equipment. I use my point-and-shoot a lot. Even your iPhone can take good images as long as the resolution is high and the photo is centered well.

2. Edit your image
I don't care how expensive your equipment is, you still need to edit your photo.  You don't need photoshop, or another expensive editing program. I use Pickmonkey.

Pickmonkey can used for free, or you can pay to access they're "Royale" features - and believe me, it is worth it! Pickmonkey Royale is not expensive: only $2.99 a month - but the images you will make are amazing and you can use fonts from your hard drive (which means you can download awesome fonts and use them to edit your images!) Which brings me to point 3...

3. Add text to your image
Seriously. Do this! Put the title in large, bold, colorful font on your image. An image speaks 1,000 words, and an image with text speaks 10,000 words. I'm not kidding!

Watch out for these 3 mistakes (all of which I've made):
Don't use thin fonts - they wont be readable at linky parties and on social media where your image is reduced to a thumbnail.Don't use fonts that are too light for the same reasonDon't use "distracting" fonts - these make be cute for Memes, but they aren't that great on blog images
4. Make sure it's legal
This may be last, but it certainly not least. This is a very serious point!  And one that I unknowingly violated when I started out.

It is illegal to Google an image and then use it in your post. Images are copyrighted, just like written content, and are considered the personal property of the owner. Some bloggers have been sued for illegal images. To avoid this, you can do three things:Take your own pictures and edit them to make them appealingUse a free program to make your own graphicsUse royalty-free, relevant imagesSunu at Clothed in Scarlet has a board dedicated to free images here.

Be sure to read their policy. Some sites require attribution and remember you are always responsible for the images you use.


Do you need some inspiration? I often Google my topic and click to view images to see what other people are doing to make awesome images. Just be sure that you do not completely copy the image, rather use it as inspiration for your own idea!

I did that with this post 12 Days of Christmas Family Fun. This is one of the best images I think I've ever made!

How do you make your awesome image a pinable image? Now that you have an awesome image you need to do these two things to make it pinable:

1. Make it a long image.  Pinterest science shows that long images get more pins. So, if you've created a landscape image for your blog, invest a few more minutes in creating a portrait image, too and embed it someplace in your post and ask people to pin it!

2. Rename your image. Please....pretty please-with-a-cherry-on-top.... do this!!  You do not want your super-awesome image floating around Pinterest with a description of IMG_3289. Seriously - there is literally nothing there to inspire me to repin that!

Here is an example of what I mean: Recently I became a contributor of the Blessed at Home team over at WholeHearted Home. I contributed my first post last Thursday: Easy Banana Triple-Berry Trifle. And when you pin the main image in that post, this is what pops up in the description:

"Easy Banana Triple-Berry Trifle. A perfect summer desert. You HAVE to try this!" That is the name I gave my image on my hard drive before I uploaded it to my post. If your image has the name IMG_3289 and you give it a different title text and alt text, it will not help you on Pinterest. You  have to first rename the image on your hard drive and then upload that image to your blog post.


Here are a few more articles on this topic that you may want to refer to:

Preparing a Pinteresting Pinnable Image by WholeHearted Home

5 Design Tools for Creating Pinnable Images by Tailwind Blog



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 And now for the party!!!!
Here are the "rules"

1. Link up as many posts as you'd like (even giveaways!)
2. Link up old posts you wish would have received more attention!
3. Link back here by posting my button in your post or sidebar - or with a link
4. Visit the post just before yours
Do you host a linky party? Stop by here and link it up!
The party runs through next Tuesday evening!
So have FUN!

Click here to receive a weekly reminder about this party!





An InLinkz Link-up


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7 Ways To Unpack Your Quiet Time

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman, / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some time ago, I read an article at Jenni's blog "Live Called": 3 Common Misconceptions About Studying the Bible.  I felt so encouraged and inspired by what she shared, and I strongly encourage every mother to stop by and read her post, because I am certain it will speak to your heart and encourage you!

Many new mothers have confided in me their guilt or frustration about not getting the time like before for devotions.  I have been through this, too.  I have felt both guilt and frustration. While I get up pretty early in the morning to spend time with the Lord, it doesn't always happen the way I had planned.  Some mornings the boys wake up extra early and my time with the Lord occurs to the tune of Postman Pat, Veggie Tales, or Thomas and Friends.  Yea, really deep.

This would often leave me feeling like I hadn't really connected with God.

And yet, while reading Jenni's blog post I was inspired to think outside of the box.  And as mothers we have to exercise this ability quite regularly - to think outside the box, that is.  Because we all know that with little ones nothing - nothing at all - is ever guaranteed to work out the way we planned.  Right?

To place upon yourself the expectation to spend an hour alone with the Lord each morning (or evening - or at any time of the day) is setting yourself up for disappointment.  It's not likely to happen - at least not on a regular basis.  In fact, I'll guarantee you that there will be days when you wont get any quiet time with the Lord.  At all.  (Tweet)

And yet we all know how important it is that we maintain a growing and active relationship with Jesus Christ.  Neglecting our relationship with Him is not an option.  It's not healthy and it opens the door for the enemy to bring defeat into our lives.  

As mothers of small children we have a golden opportunity at our fingertips to put into immediate practice what we should have been doing all along. 


Remove the time slots & engage with God all day long. (Tweet)

There are 7 ways you can unpack our quiet time
1. Have devotions with your kids.  Maybe they wont be deep and super thought-provoking, but after you've read them a Bible story, and as you go about your day, meditate on it and ask the Lord to show you something new in that story that you've never seen before or how you might apply it to your life.

2. Memorize a passage of scripture.   Memorizing passages of scripture is not only a good discipline, it also helps to keep individual verses within their proper context. Write the verses down on 3 X 5 cards and keep them with you.  Work on those verses while vacuuming, doing the dishes and ironing.  While you memorize them, think deeply about them, meditate on them and ask the Lord how you can put them to work in your life.  It is ideal to pick a passage relevant to your life right now. 

3. Listen to the Bible or sermons on mp3 or podcast while the children nap and you are preparing dinner.  If you are afraid of waking them, record them onto an mp3 player or iPod.

4. Join Good Morning Girls.  I have found Good Morning Girls particularly helpful because each day we read and meditate on only 1-3 verses.  Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) doesn't take much time and taking only a few verses at a time allows you to meditate deeply on the passage without forgetting what you read the day before.  It is excellent for putting familiar passages and verses into their proper context and yet the short amount of time it takes to do the study each day is perfect for moms with small children.  

5. Connect with other moms for accountability.  Again, you can insert Good Morning Girls here or perhaps a ladies Bible study at your church.  This small step can mean so much - especially if you can find other moms who are experiencing the same challenges you are.

6. Replace a cartoon with a worship DVD.  Fill your home with praise and worship.  My kids love it when I put on a Gaither Homecoming DVD. They sing along with all of the songs and it gives me a break from listening to cartoons.  I can't tell you how many times I found myself reduced to tears as I sang along with the songs and the message of the lyrics spoke to my present situation - or my heart just soared in worship to God.  Often times I'll just pause for a minute or two, lift my hands and just worship.  My kids think I'm nuts - but it puts my focus back where it ought to be.  Vertical!

7. Pray while you are doing housework.  I blogged about this in my article Where Are You Investing.  I think God loves it when we communicate with Him throughout the day, allowing Him to be part of everything we do. 

Unpacking our quiet with the Lord is what He wants for all of us to do. Yes, it is good and healthy to have time alone with the Lord; Jesus told us to do this in Matthew 6 and He modeled that for us in His own life.  However, He doesn't want to just fill a time slot in your day 


He wants to fill your whole day!  (Tweet)  Don't forget to link up:A Little R & R Wednesdays - a linky party weekly link up

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