That Moment When I Surrendered My Fear
The story of how God met me in my deepest fear and showed me how to trust him.
Are You Struggling To Find Your Fire For The New Year?
How is it possible that we’re already two days into a new year? Wasn’t is just February two months ago? I don’t think I’m ready for this! I typically love this time of year. I love the excitement of making plans for my “best year ever.” I’m a sucker for a blank...
When Compassion Trumps Advice, and Blame is Counterproductive
…we’ve forgotten how to empathize, and to sit quietly, helplessly, in someone else’s pain.
We’ve forgotten the power of empathy and compassion and are bent on being problem solvers.
Is It OK To Cry, Even If I Claim To Trust God?
Hi friend! I'm so glad you came by, we have so much to talk about... **********sips coffee, breathes deep, and begins the conversation************* I’m very blessed to be part of a small group of Christian blogging moms. We meet in a private facebook group and we talk...
Are Some Of Us Called To Be Ordinary?
What I’m wondering today is this: could it be that my “extraordinary thing” that I’m supposed to do for God is not something that looks extraordinary at all but in truth looks rather ordinary?
Don’t Be SAD: Take Steps Now To Avoid The Winter Blues
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Autumn is fading into winter and it's the season for gratitude and joy as we share Thanksgiving and Christmas with loved ones. It truly is a wonderful time. Pretty soon it will be a new year; time to polish off those New...
Why We’re Not Opposed To Giving Our Children Christmas Gifts
@ evgenyatamanenko Dollar Photo Club NOTE: This post is not addressing those parents who do not have the financial means to buy gifts. That is a different topic entirely. This is about choosing not to give any gifts with the intent of teaching our...
When You Can’t Find Your Christmas Spirit
I love Christmas. I love the lights, the music, the sweet treats, and the extra time spent with loved ones. It’s the time of year that snow is welcome and hot chocolate covers a multitude of sorrows. When the Christmas spirit hits me, I’m ready to jump in and enjoy...
Let Us Live Like Daughters Of The King
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit...
How You Can Be A Blessing To A Tired Mom
This post is part of a blog series on a topic that is weighing heavy on my heart. As I look around I’m seeing busy people all around me, and fewer meaningful, mutually edifying relationships. I’ve personally been hurt by our culture’s lack of community, and I know...
Not Just Heaven, But God Himself
One of my Bible readings this week was from Philippians 1:19-26. In these verses, Paul is deliberating which is better; to live, and therefore continue to share the gospel, or to die, which means to finally be with Christ. When we think about those verses, I know...
What Grace Means To Me; A Fallible Mom
What does grace mean to you? God’s unmerited favor. That’s what it means to me. It means that even though I’m weak, and I mess up, He still loves me, and makes things work out for my good. When we offer grace to each other I think of it in terms of not being too hard...
Oh, These Baby Birds, This Beautiful Girl, And My Tender Mama-Heart
My daughter and I are simultaneously learning what it feels like to have to sit back and let our little ones learn to fly. She’s almost 16. And this week she’s been nursing two baby Robins. They fell from a tree in our front yard one day when it was really...
The Abundant Blessings Of Fellowship: Are You Too Busy To Claim Them?
Are you too busy for a girls' night out? Can't take time to catch up on the phone? When was the last time you had lunch with a trusted friend? Are you skipping Ladies' Bible study because you've been told recently that you need to prune activities from your busy...
He Wants Me To Love Him
We finally did it! We overcame the many obstacles and got family pictures taken! Such a burden lifted. I'm the queen of procrastination when it comes to family photos! But it's done, and our friend did a fantastic job capturing this little group of people I'm blessed...
Learning To Embrace Seasons Of Solitude
“I feel so isolated”. That’s what I said to a friend of mine several years ago while visiting for a few minutes after church. Little did I know that even deeper isolation was on my horizon. It wasn’t the first time in my life I had felt alone and...
Even Through the Heavy Grey, Beauty Still Blooms
I was going to begin this post by apologizing for not updating my Healthier You series last Friday. I was going to say that I had had a difficult week which left me in no mood to write. And that would have been okay, I’m sure. I would have shared how I’ve been doing...
When I Prayed For A Richer Prayer Life
Do you ever feel like you’re really just talking to yourself when you pray? Sometimes I feel like my prayers are just getting lost in the atmosphere. Not because I don’t get the answers I want, I feel that way before ever giving Him time to answer. It feels like maybe...
A Blogger’s Prayer
Have you ever written or created something that was really just for you, and you were a little bit nervous to share it with anyone? You thought maybe it was special to you but others might not get it or worse, they'd think you're a little ... weird? That's how I felt...
It’s Like We’re Sleepwalking; Slow Down To Connect With Loved Ones
There we sat, sipping our sweet teas and waiting for our food to arrive. Going to a restaurant is usually a special time for our family. It's one way we can slow down and connect with each other. It gives mom a break and it’s a time for us to all relax and enjoy...
The Three Little Words That Are Poisoning My Soul
I have to tell you, right from the start; I really don’t want to write this article. I don’t want to have to admit that I struggle so much with this. It reminds me of a quote from Abraham Lincoln that I heard many years ago. “Better to remain silent and be...
Do Your Kids Know You’re an Ordinary Person?
How do your children perceive you? Do you remember discovering things about your parents that as a younger child you never really understood or considered a reality? I’m not talking about deep, dark secrets, I mean ordinary aspects of their humanness. Were you...
Giving our Children Roots And Wings
Late last night I posted the following on my business Facebook page: “I just wanted to check in and say I haven't forgotten all of you. I've been pretty quiet lately due to some pressing family matters. We've been away from home a lot lately, visiting with my...
Finding Beauty In This Darkness
Around this time last year I made a commitment to learn all I can about fighting depression. It’s not a glamorous subject and not one I would have chosen. (I still find myself asking God “Are you sure?”) But this is the road I’m on. I have to do what I can to learn to...
Mom (and Dad) Relax, This Parenting Thing Takes A While
Recently in a mentoring group I participate in a desperate mom asked for prayers. She feels like she has lost the joy of parenting and has become a grouchy old lady. She shared, “I am trying to raise godly men, but they are more like wild men lately!” Oh, how I can...
When Your Kids Declare “It’s Not Fair!”
“It’s not fair!” Is this what your children declare every time they don’t like a decision you’ve made? Somehow, children learn early on that by playing the “fair” card, they can stop an issue in its tracks and turn things around in their favor. Or at least they think...
When You Need Community
A guest post from my friend Nancy Backues. Please be sure and read about her below and connect with her on her website. Thanks Nancy! I know people will be blessed by this message! I held a feverish, crying infant in one arm and the phone in the other....
It’s So Good To See You Smile
Have you ever taken notice of the first time your child smiles, after many days of sickness or sorrow? If you’re a mom (or a dad) you know how painful it is to see your children hurting. Whether they are sick, were treated badly by a friend, or have experienced...
But How Will I Lead Them?
Recently I began reading through “The Story; The Bible As One Continuing Story Of God And His People.” Today’s reading took me to the part of the story where the Israelites are about to enter the beautiful and abundant land that God had promised them. Moses, who had...
Refreshed by an Unfair God
Yesterday I woke up feeling kind of blah. I'm not sure if that’s a word, but that’s how I felt. I was tired and emotionally drained. Truth be told, I didn’t really feel like going to church. I felt like crawling back into bed. It didn’t help when both of our kids...
Let’s Make it a Great Year
Just after Thanksgiving, the question “What do you love most about this time of year?” was asked on facebook. Here’s how I responded: “For me, it's the overall joyful atmosphere. It's a time that we get to begin again. We celebrate new life because of Christ,...
Stepping up to Offer my Small Gift
You’re probably familiar with John 6: 5-15 .It’s the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. A large crowd had gathered around Jesus to hear him teach. Knowing they were hungry, Jesus asked Philip “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He was only testing...
Are You Addicted to Facebook?
If this sounds familiar, you might be addicted to Facebook. Maybe you’ve already realized that, and you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to spend a lot less time there (and on other social media). And you will. Stating tomorrow. It’s too late today...
Does God Really Love Me?
Does God actually like me? I mean does he enjoy my presence? Does He smile when He thinks of me or watches me go through my day? Does He love me with an affectionate love? Maybe it’s an obligatory love, one that forgives because of the nature of who He is but not a...
I Will Meditate on His Unfailing love (Psalm 48:9)
When the darkness starts creeping in and the father of lies tries to tell you that you are not loved, meditate on these truths. Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his...
When All You Can Do Is Pray
Maybe you’ve been there. Life has thrown you a cruel twist that has taken you by surprise and is threatening to destroy you. You get through your days the best you can, just trying to keep everything together and hold on to some level of normalcy and hope. Your...
An All-Natural, Completely Safe, Highly Effective Antidepressant
If you’re depressed, or you’ve experienced depression in the past, I have a question for you: Are you exercising regularly? If so, then I applaud you and encourage you to keep it up. You’re doing one of the most important things you can do for yourself in this fight...
Isolation is Not Your Friend
The depressed person feels like this is what helps them cope, it almost feels like a security blanket, a hiding away from the world and all of its trouble.
But isolation is anything but healthy, especially for a person who is depressed.
Insist on Solitude
When was the last time you spent a good chunk of quality time… with yourself?
I can hear some of you saying “Ha ha, wouldn’t that be nice! I’d love a few minutes to myself, but it just isn’t going to happen. At least not until my youngest child is 18!”
Freedom Requires Action
I want you to win this battle. I want you to turn around and help the person climbing the mountain behind you to win their battle. If you want that too then you must choose to take up your weapons, put on your armor, show up at the battle, and do the hard stuff. …
Don’t Panic; This is Not Your New Normal
The world stops turning and your thoughts start spinning. All of your memories from past depressions flash before you, but so clearly that you recognize that these are memories of things you’ve overcome. It’s more vague than that. You’re just transported back to that very place where there is only darkness, and because it’s so dark, you believe that you are there to stay.
I Wish I Was a Mom Like That
Do you pale in comparison when you look at other moms? Stop it! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Live your strengths, thank God for them. Be thankful for the strengths of those around you but stop trying to be someone els. It would be a boring and ineffective world if we all had the same strengths.
Keep a Tight Reign on Your Thought Life (Fighting Depression)
There we sat, in the emergency room, awaiting a CT scan for our preschooler. He had taken a hard fall on the garage floor about two hours earlier. Initial signs looked OK, but the doctors wanted to scan, just to be sure what we were dealing with. They were pretty sure he had a mild concussion.
Is Your Example Really Enough?
Do you feel comfortable leaving your kids’ faith to whatever they happen to find for themselves or see in your example? I don’t. Let’s commit to using every opportunity we have to “Tell of all his wonderful acts” (1 Chronicles 16:9a)
When My World Went Black
I was terrified that I would never be well again. I fully believed that I had arrived at a place from which there was no escape.
What is Depression?
Depression is complicated. There is no way we can really answer the question “What is depression?” in one article. I’ll share much more as we go along on the quest for weapons against this dark and debilitating illness
It’s Time to Fight!
I’ve always been a little bit on the sassy side, willing to say what I think, fight for what I want, and stand up for what I believe. Hopefully I’ve matured a little and have learned to apply that trait more appropriately.
“Train Up A Child…” It’s Not What You Think
I could write a whole article on the devastating misconceptions in this teaching; e.g., the idea that bringing a child to church is what God had in mind when
Just Sit There and be Quiet
I wonder: Can I get to a point where I can be still before God even before I’m totally spent? Can I learn to be still even when things are going my way and I have plenty to say?
What Makes Home Schooling Worth it for Me?
While I don’t usually take lightly to someone else making my decisions for me, I insist on being in a position that allows me to let God make my decisions for me.
My Biggest Home Schooling Challenge (and How God is Using it)
When I give God what I have, He gives me what I need.
My Favorite thing about Home Schooling
Today's question is # 3 from the book, and reads; What is your favorite thing about homeschooling? Here's my answer Freedom. It’s just one word but it means so much! Homeschooling gives us freedom in so many ways, from the small things like taking a day off...
Homeschooling: God Will Equip You
This is my answer to question # 1 in my upcoming homeschooling book. The question reads; If you could tell us one thing about homeschooling that would be encouraging or reassuring, what would it be? Homeschooling is really just part of parenting. If God...
God Will Equip You
Homeschooling is really just part of parenting. If God has placed it on your heart to homeschool your children, He will give you everything you need to do it well. There really is only one thing you have to do in order to be successful at home...
My Project List for 2012
Last week I posted my list of personal goals for 2012. Some of the goals on my list needed a list of their own! I’ve bee working on filling in the details of those lists and getting them ready to share with you.
My Goals for 2012
Last week I promised to post my goals/plans/intentions for 2012. I know I’m a little behind the times, it being January 9th already, but here they are.
Which Path Will You Choose?
In that one moment of decision, he changed his own life by doing the thing that was difficult, the thing that was unfamiliar, instead of going the way he had always known, instead of going the easy way.
What Would You Wish You Could Say?
Are you mad at your husband today? Or maybe your kids are driving you crazy? Is it easier to tell them all the ways they are letting you down than to tell them why you’d give your life for them?
Homeschooling; My Approach to Education
Here's my answer to question #2 from my upcoming book. The question reads, in part; "Do you use a particular educational philosophy or approach?" I guess most people would call our approach eclectic. I don’t use the term eclectic to say that we buy materials...
My Approach to Education
Here's my answer to question #2 from my upcoming book. The question reads, in part; "Do you use a particular educational philosophy or approach?" I guess most people would call our approach eclectic. I don’t use the term eclectic to say that we buy materials from...
What if I Don’t Raise the Next President?
I’ve heard it said many times before, in an honorable effort to validate a mom’s choice to stay at home or to home school, “What you’re doing is very important. After all, you may be raising the next president.” Or maybe they say the next astronaut, or the next Billy...
Pure… Gut-Wrenching… Joy
That’s what my children bring to my life. As I sit on the couch listening to my little boy talking away, with his sweet little two-year old vocabulary, and only getting two out of ten words right, and his precious little expressions that only a toddler...
This is Why I Homeschool
Every once in a while, someone asks me why we homeschool. I have to admit, after homeschooling for almost eight years, I still don’t have a well-defined answer to that question. I’m sometimes tempted to ask; “Do you want the political answer, the spiritual answer, the...