Women desire to live well. However, living well in this modern world is a challenge. The pace of life, along with the new front porch of social media, has changed the landscape of our lives. Women have been told for far too long that being on the go and accumulating more things will make their lives full. As a result, we grasp for the wrong things in life and come up empty. God created us to walk with him; to know him and to be loved by him. He is our living well and when we drink from the water he continually provides, it will change us. Our marriages, our parenting, and our homemaking will be transformed. Mommy-blogger Courtney Joseph is a cheerful realist. She tackles the challenge of holding onto vintage values in a modern world, starting with the keys to protecting our walk with God. No subject is off-limits as she moves on to marriage, parenting, and household management. Rooted in the Bible, her practical approach includes tons of tips that are perfect for busy moms, including: Simple Solutions for Studying God’s Word - How to Handle Marriage, Parenting, and Homemaking in a Digital Age - 10 Steps to Completing Your Husband - Dealing With Disappointed Expectations in Motherhood - Creating Routines that Bring Rest - Pursuing the Discipline and Diligence of the Proverbs 31 Woman There is nothing more important than fostering your faith, building your marriage, training your children, and creating a haven for your family. Women Living Well is a clear and personal guide to making the most of these precious responsibilities. Courtney Joseph is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Evangelism and Discipleship. Courtney is the founder of Women Living Well Ministries. She can be found writing about a woman's walk with God, marriage, parenting, and homemaking at WomenLivingWell.org. WOMEN LIVING WELL Finding Your Joy in God, Your Husband, Your Kids, and Your Home By COURTNEY JOSEPH Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2013 Women Living Well, LLC All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4002-0494-6 Contents Which Voice Are You Listening To?..........................................xiiiPart 1: Your Walk with the King............................................11. I Want the Spa, but I Need Solitude with God............................32. No Time for a Quiet Time................................................123. How Thirsty Am I?.......................................................244. The Effects of the Media Revolution.....................................365. Never Walk Alone........................................................45Part 2: Your Marriage......................................................536. The Time-Warp Wife......................................................547. Marriage in the Age of Media............................................698. Banishing Bitterness to Find Happily Ever After.........................809. The "Completing Him" Marriage Challenge, Week 1.........................9110. The "Completing Him" Marriage Challenge, Week 2........................102Part 3: Your Parenting.....................................................11311. The Influence of a Mother..............................................11412. Parenting in the Digital Age...........................................12213. Motherhood Mess-Ups....................................................13114. I'm Gonna Blow My Top!.................................................14115. Schools of Thought, Schools of Choice..................................150Part 4: Your Homemaking....................................................16116. Juggling Homemaking, Ministry, and Work................................16217. Making Your Home a Haven...............................................17218. Routines That Bring Rest...............................................18219. Media and Your Homemaking—Times Have Changed!..........................19220. Discipline and Diligence: The Proverbs 31 Woman........................197Conclusion: What Is Your Driving Force?....................................210Notes......................................................................215Acknowledgments............................................................218Index......................................................................221About the Author...........................................................226 CHAPTER 1 I WANT THE SPA, BUTI NEED SOLITUDEWITH GOD God pictures himself as a mountain spring of clean, cool,life-giving water. The way to glorify a fountain like this isto enjoy the water, and praise the water, and keep comingback to the water, and point other people to the water,and get strength for love from the water, and never, never,never prefer any drink in the world over this water. —John Piper, When I Don't Desire God I pulled back the curtain to unveil the breathtaking landscapeof New York City. As I peered out the window from my thirty-seventh-floorhotel room, I had fl