Making Your Home a Haven {Week 2 – Music}

Join me in making your home a haven for our families. Together we'll make our homes a haven of peace, joy, tranquility, and fun for all who enter. #WomenLivingWell #homemaking #friendship #makingyourhomeahaven

Music.

It has a strange effect on people.  Certain songs can flood our minds with good memories.  Others can touch a painful and tender place deep inside of us where we’ve been hurt and bring tears.  Others make us lift our hands in worship while other songs just make us all want to boogie! lol!

Edith Shaefer says “There is a charm in making music together which not only stimulates interest and creativity, but which breaks through whining and fussing and clears the atmosphere.”

Music changes the atmosphere of our homes.

In our home, soft piano music plays 24/7.  Yes, even in the middle of the night we have music going.  We can’t hear it in our bedrooms but I like coming down the stairs in the morning to a serene atmosphere.

6 things I absolutely love in my home:

1. Vaccuum cleaner lines on freshly vaccuumed carpet.

2. The sound of the dishwasher running at the end of the day – signaling the kitchen is clean and closed.

3. Warm towels fresh out of the dryer.

4. The way the house is sparkling clean ALL at once right before guests arrive.

5. A flickering candle on my kitchen counter.

6. Soft music playing in the background.

I simply enjoy these gifts in life.

But…

They are momentary.

Soon the kids will come running into the room and wrestle around and the vaccuum cleaner lines will be gone.

The dishwasher will stop running and need emptied – that’s not so fun!

The towels – they’ll be cold and wet soon. And most likely, left laying on the floor somewhere.

After the guests leave, the house will need cleaned all over again.

It’s the cycle of life.

But…

My candle keeps on burning and my soft music…keeps on playing.

Morning, noon and night they serve me. My candle serves me with a flickering warm light, a pleasant scent, and a reminder to turn to God as my source of strength and help.

My music serves me with a soothing sound.

They don’t make messes, they don’t need managed, they just simply bless me and my family.

This week’s challenge:

Keep your candles burning, your prayers going and add soft music in your home.

Choose worship, classical, jazz or another form of peaceful music that the family enjoys. Focus on using peaceful words and maintaining peaceful relationships.

Work on gentleness and self-control this week.

Now we can’t have our candles burning and our music going and not pause to take a look at our own hearts.  Our homes should be different than those who do not have the mercy, grace and help of the Lord.  As we go to Him in prayer, may we take the time to see if there is anything in our lives that is displeasing to God, that we need to repent of.

Here are 4 ways to pursue gentleness and self-control this week:

These four tips will help remind you to pursue peace in your home as you strive to make your home a haven for your family.  #WomenLivingWell #homemaking #friendship #makingyourhomeahaven 

So let’s begin. Light your candle, crank up your music and continue praying over your home. Every time the glimmer of the candle catches your eye – pray for peace. Peace with each other and peace within your soul.

Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

**Chime In**

Are you taking the challenge this week?

What kind of music is playing in your house?

Have you been lighting your candle?

How has God worked in your home through this challenge?

If you are a blogger and are writing about this- please leave a link to your blog post in the comment section so we can visit you!!

Thank you all so much for your accountability. I so appreciate you joining me on this journey!!! We are in it together!

Walk with the King,

35 Comments

  1. This is my 5th year joining you with Making your home a haven challenge . It blesses me & my family every year.! I have found a new love for piano music through you, it truly does change the atmosphere in our home. I will put it on while we are doing school during the day, I also love listening to it while I cook. I have worship music playing on a radio in our home 24/7 as well, and burn my candle daily

  2. This is my second year doing the challenge. It is blessing me once again. In the midst of being mommy, wife, working— I can look at my candle and know that God is with me every step of the way.
    I started the music last week and I’ve noticed my children humming along.
    Thank you so much for this challenge. God Bless you!

  3. Absolutely LOVE your posts! You have transformed how I view my role as a Wife…what a blessing it has been this 1st year of marriage!! My husband and I were 35 and 42 when we married for the first and only time. The Lord’s timing is perfect!

  4. I love this challenge, it comes at my most favorite time of year. I am really glad you moved it to October because September was a busy transition month for us with schoola nd other activities beginning. This month is the perfect time to slow it down. I will be burning my candle and playing either worship or classical music this week. Thank you for empowering me with knowleedge that I can control the atmosphere if my home! As a wife and mother, it is comforting to know I can help set the tone for those I love. Blessings!

  5. http://www.mommymommymommywhat.blogspot.com/2014/10/taking-challenge.html?m=1
    I have been doing what I can on these challenges. The candle isn’t lit every day and when it is my children enjoy finding creative excuses to blow it out, but I do pray every time I see that flicker.
    As for music I will be trying it on a trial size basis. I have a hearing problem that often makes me irritated when there is more than a few things making noise no matter how soft. I do love music though, and gentleness and self control are things I have been lacking in. So the challenge is a welcome one.

  6. Courtney, what music do you love to play in your home??

    Also, we recently discovered a very gifted pianist named John Albert Thomas http://johnalbertthomas.com. Beautiful and peaceful. If anyone needs a suggestion, try Mr Thomas. 🙂

    Lastly, I know you play piano. Have you ever considered recording a CD? 🙂

    His
    Shari

    1. Hi Shari – Right now a piano CD by David Nevue is playing but I also love George Winston’s December piano CD – it’s the best!

      And no I won’t be recording a piano CD 😉 – I’m definitely not good enough. I just like to play for worship and fun.

      I can’t wait to check out John Thomas – thanks for the link!
      Courtney

      1. I love George Winston! I play Autumn in the fall, December in the winter, etc… I will check out David Nevue. Thank you Courtney for all you do. We are away from the home so my candle burns, then gets blown out, then burns again. But I always pray and thank God for my many blessings.

  7. I’ve been taking the challenge! It’s been nice to stop and pray for peace in the home every time I see my candle. It’s not always lit since we have 5 cats that like to run around and jump on the table (although they are not allowed, but do it anyway 😉 ), so I get nervous having it lit all day. It still reminds me to pray for peace when it’s unlit though.

    I like to play the Christian station on Pandora during the day. My husband just came home from a men’s retreat with our church and loved the singers there called the Gutierrez Brothers. He bought 3 of their CD’s and started playing them last night. I am so thankful that he finally found Christian music he likes (he does not care for the “mainstream” Christian music), so we will be playing their CD’s in our home this week for the challenge!

  8. I am very excited to turn a new page in my life where I can find peace in
    my home and with my children. I struggle with yelling at the boys because I feel that is the only way I can get a response from them. I also find that it is hard to keep up with daily chores because it feels useless and I feel lazy. I don’t know where to start sometimes but I keep trying. I want to be a wonderful mother and wife while maintaining a peaceful nicely kept home. I am using this challenge to rejuvenate my desires and to find my way in this bustling life that I love. Mom of 4 boys 14, 11, 7, 4..boy dog Pitt lab mix and a wife to an awsome man

  9. Hi Courtney,

    This is my first year following this challenge and I’m really looking forward to it! I’m truly blessed to be a wife to a wonderful man and a mother to my 2 amazing children! I know these challenges will be a blessing to me and to them. I love the candle on my counter. It’s been sitting there for months and now I finally have it light with a purpose! I can’t wait to start the music challenge. I can relate with the things that you enjoy in life. They are all things that I enjoy as well. But life pops up and we only have those pleasures for the moment. I can’t wait to work on this … I need encouragment in this area.
    Thank you so much and Happy Thanksgiving ( from Canada) :))))
    Lindsay)

  10. I Love this weeks challenge! and I Love Music! I’m an 80’s girl but have always also played soft music at home to change the mood, I think its the best way to calm little ones (and yourself) my two are 11 & 15 now but they still enjoy quiet time with soft music – my favorite is the little women soundtrack (Thomas Newman) I have been lighting my candle everyday & Night I really liked your reminder “Every time the glimmer of the candle catches your eye-Pray for Peace. Peace with each other and Peace within your soul.” I even took a picture for myself, I shared it on Instagram and my Facebook page to hopefully inspire a mom that might be struggling today. Thank you for always inspiring me.

  11. I have kept my candle glowing and must say I love the effect. It soothes and relaxes me the minute I get home and light it. I also light it in the morning as I am getting ready for my day.
    In the morning I turn on UP worship. At night I enjoy some smooth jazz as I read my bible.
    I am home alone most of the week but pray for peace in the family as they all come home.
    I look forward to this weeks challenge of remembering that Yelling at a bud won’t make it bloom.
    I am going to use this at work too! I have been praying for a better way to communicate with colleagues.

  12. I have been burning a candle in my kitchen and playing David Nevue’s CD. I read your book “Women Living Well” not long ago and loved the idea of the candle burning. I love the soft sounds of the piano playing in the background. I recently purchased David Nevue’s latest CD and love it. Our home is a relaxing safe haven. Thank you for sharing the 4 Ways to Pursue Peace in Our Homes. I have printed it out and plan to frame it and hang on the wall. It will be a daily reminder not only for me, but for my family as well. I have typed it in smaller printed and taped it to the inside of my Bible. These words are very important to me. I love your enthusiasm for the Lord! It really shows through your videos! You inspire me to become a better wife, better mother, better friend, better Christian, and a better child of God! Thank you for sharing! 🙂

  13. I have not been following this series, but may give your challenges a try. Off and on I have played music in my home, but it is inevitable that there are some who complain about it. I play classical and piano to set a mood of peacefulness, but when the complaining begins it ruins the mood – teenagers 🙂 They don’t listen to rock or pop; only Christian and gospel (their choice), but they feel the sound is a distraction too them. Perhaps it is too loud. I am going to try again with the piano and classical, and I think I’ll light a candle or plug in the Scentsy again…haven’t done that in a long time.

    I did want to mention that #3 on your list of 4 ways to pursue peace in our homes reminds me of a quote I heard once from Sonya Shaeffer from the Simply Charlotte Mason website. She said that her husband once told her (paraphrasing here) that she could choose to be a thermostat or a thermometer. A thermostat controls or sets the temperature in the home; a thermometer reflects the temperature in the home. I pray I can be a wise woman and set the tone in my home rather than allowing my mood to change based on the moods of others.

  14. Excellent blog on peace in our homes! It so blesses us and others that may need to seek refuge even if only for an hour. I have candles on my dining room table that are on a timer so every evening at dusk we have the flickering glow automatically then they auto shut off. For the aroma therapy, we use the scentsy and scentsy like plug ins 24/7. As for the music, I have been playing pet therapy music in our home for about 5-6 years now. This music is hymns and classical music all done with a harp. It has been proven in univeristy studies to help stressed and sick animals and people so I started using it to help with several situations with pets in our home. The atmosphere for all 2 and 4 leg creatures is so peaceful that the cd plays 24/7. Visitors comment on the peacefulness of the home and the music.

  15. Hi Courtney,

    I am taking this challenge…it’s my first year with it too! I caught on to it late in the series last year and was so happy to join from the beginning this time.

    I’ve been lighting my candles (one scented and one unscented that stays on through dinner time and the evening). Last week it was such a comfort to see the flame and remember that I can just pray and be pulled even closer to our Lord throughout my day.

    Today I played some music during the dinner hour as this is a time of day which I tend to get very tense. I’m sure all mommas can relate 😉 Dinner needs preparing, house straightening up a bit and kids settled into their seats at the table…somehow our kids always seem to get extra rammy just after my husband comes home from work and that makes it all the more hard to keep a peaceful atmosphere. SO, today while I had the music and our candle going, by the time my husband was in the door and kids were running round in circles, I exited and too a time out in our bedroom for 15 minutes or so. I was disappointed. Felt like I failed and hope that tomorrow I can be easier on myself and everyone else too.

    Thank you for this series, it’s a great source of hope from our Lord!

  16. I put some latin jazz on yesterday and children really enjoy having the music going while we were eating dinner and getting homework done for the day. My oldest daughter said I should do this more often!

  17. this is my 1st time doing this. I was wondering about the music. I love worship music but I tend to go more upbeat. I also live alone. My 2 children are grown and have families of their own, but after work each day I want to come home to a haven as well. I’m a CNA and so I would love to come into a soothing comfortable home and since cold weather is coming and I suffer from seasonal depression I was hoping you could help me with my haven. thank you, Lori

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