“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” John 7:37-38 (NIV) As soon as we were old enough to understand fairy tales, we’re told to start looking for the one. Someday my prince will come. Someday I’ll find my love. As we got older, Prince Charming looked a bit different. Our teenage hearts thrilled when the latest vocal sensation sang about finding us and how our love …
The Treasure is in the Water ~ by Lynn Cowell
The Treasure is in the Water My husband and I had saved for a year to go snorkeling. With all the sacrifices we had made, I couldn’t believe we were finally on the white sandy shore. Confidently, I grabbed my gear and prepared to jump into the clear blue water. But it wasn’t like I had imagined. The mask felt funny once I got it on; how was I supposed to breathe? My heart fluttered as my anxiety grew. My mind screamed, Dive in! Get out there. This is an opportunity of a lifetime! But my feet stayed planted on dry …
Your Little is Not Too Little
My heart breaks as I watch my girls struggle. Navigating the waters of school, some days the storms of rejection slam against their hearts. Often, I feel like I’m in the tsunami with them. Memories of my own turbulent teen years are not far gone, painful remembrances come to the surface: wanting the crowd’s acceptance, wishing for a boy’s affection. Yet my girls’ struggles also bring thankfulness to my heart. Thankfulness for amazing friends God sent to teach me His truth. I remember woman who helped me discover no man, be it a dad, boyfriend or even a husband one …
Keep Parts of Your Heart a Secret by Lynn Cowell
Keep Parts of Your Heart a Secret Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Snap Chat…(when does it end), it’s easy to follow each detail of your sometimes roller coaster life. Girl flirts with boy. Boy returns the favor. Girls spills her guts to said boy. Boy breaks up. Girl spills more – only this time it is pain. This scenario isn’t just girls; it could easily be reversed. Because you now have access to each other non-stop, the “getting-to-know” period is now on steroids. A girl and guy can literally know everything there is to know about each other in just …
The Struggle by Lynn Cowell
The Struggle Lynn Cowell “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (NIV) “Why can’t we just get past this?” The agitation in my voice revealed the frustration in my heart. I just wanted to fix this relationship problem and move on to happy. My mind and heart were weary from the extended battle. I’m a fixer at heart, especially when it comes to my kids. When I see one …
Just Try to Push Me Away by Lynn Cowell
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.“ Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) When our children were little, our discipline had a pattern. When they disobeyed, we disciplined them correct the behavior. Then when the punishment was over, we would take them in our arms, reassure them we loved them and life would get back to normal. But what happens as they get older? Sometimes even stronger or bigger than us? We stop. We still discipline. But those moments of loving kindness after the discipline …
How to Start an Advice Sharing, But Not Preaching, Conversation
There is a painful reoccurring story; you’ve probably heard it too. Good girl falls for bad guy. I can’t tell you how many times I have received prayer requests from moms, broken-hearted over their daughter’s new boyfriend. The type of guy she had always taught her girl not to go for. And her daughter agreed…for a long time; or at least it seemed like a long time to the girl. Then the waiting for the godly type of guy got too long…and she went for what was going for her. With two daughters now 18 and 16, not to mention a son who is …
Pain Blocker
As a mom, when my kids mess up, it pains me especially when my child experiences pain as a result of those mistakes. My emotions want to take over at times like these. Anger wants them to feel the full force of their choices, while sympathy wants to step in and take away all the consequences. Either way, my emotions try to become the driving force behind what happens next, which rarely ever turns out good! Before we have make decisions, we should look to Jesus and see how He handled difficult situations when He was on earth. Jesus didn’t …
Hurt or Healer?
How did this argument happen any way? Your child came home from school and minutes after the backpack hit the floor, the two of you are at each other. The raised voices and rude words seemed to come out of nowhere. What did I do? You wonder. The answer might be nothing. In fact, it’s quite possible it has nothing to do with you at all. So many times when I have been hurt by someone, especially members of my family, I have made it about me. What did I do? Why did they do that to me? I didn’t …
What Does the Future Hold?
Did any of you have a graduation this spring? The Cowells did! It is so hard to believe our middle daughter just graduated from high school. Millions of seniors all over the country, in both high school and college, recently counted down the days, maybe even hours until they had that diploma in hand. So, after just experiencing the big event, what are they hoping for in their future? The Barna Group sampled 602 teenagers. The question: What do you think your life will be like roughly 10 years from now, when you are a young adult, around age 25? The biggest …