“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 When we moved into a new house last year, I picked out the ultimate junk drawer in the kitchen. It was deep and wide, just like the song, and I had visions of junk dancing in my head. It was in a perfect spot to catch random school supplies, warranties, pens that were low on ink, and the occasional quarter. I loved that drawer until the day a bag of pastel, foam letters exploded inside it (or shall I say that a “certain triplet” dumped …
Pure Possibilities
Ephesians 5:3 states, “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” “Mom, is it even possible for me to grow up being sexually pure?” was the question my 13 year old son asked me that stopped me in my tracks. As we sat and talked, I was reminded of the real battle each of our sons and daughters have every day. The sexually tempting billboards along the roads, the relentless commercials flashing sensuality on TV, the constant drumming of sex …
eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Questions About Kids and Technology
I first heard the term “Generation M” while reading the 2006 Time magazine article “The Multitasking Generation.” The explosion in technology, I soon discovered, brought with it dozens–even hundreds!–of new questions I needed to be asking as a parent. It’s easy to mistake kids’ technological sophistication for maturity. Parents and teachers often back way off because they feel like kids are so far ahead of them. But kids have no idea the kind of firepower they’re playing around with. Adult guidance and wisdom are not obsolete. Kids need us now more than ever. As part of an ongoing series called “eBabies …
5 Myths About Mentors – Myth #2 Mentors Are Old Women Who Meet With Young Women at Church
“The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to bediscreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” Titus 2:3-5 Mentoring. It’s what we are called to. We, meaning the church. But could it be that our affinity for attending ‘church’ in big buildings with convenient classrooms has confused what biblical mentoring is at its best? When I was a young mom, a whirlwind of activity …
An Interview With Suzie Eller About Moms Together
Hi sweet moms, Steph here. I’m super excited to share with you an interview with someone who has become near and dear to my heart. Suzie Eller. I ‘met’ her a couple years ago through cyberspace when we were both new grandmas and not long after that I was blessed meet her in real life at She Speaks. Suzie’s love for God and her passion to minister to the hearts of women drew me to her. She radiates with the love of Jesus and she truly is inspiring. Suzie Eller is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and writer. She’s published five books, and …
It Can Be A Lonely World
Motherhood can be lonely. Can’t it? I mean, who counts the places that they’ve nursed a baby? (raising a sheepish hand.) Who cheers for their toddler going potty and makes a phone call to Daddy while he’s working just to brag on it? (the other hand…) While we know other people travel these roads, it can seem like not another soul is on the same journey that we are as parents. Parenting came seem to be a lonely job. But can I interject that being the mother of a special needs child is even more lonely? Those feelings of “Our …
5 Myths About Mentors – Myth #1-Mentors Are Perfect Parents
Recently, I’ve talked to women who really desire to be mentors and others who desire to have a mentor and have found that there are several factors that have prevented them from stepping into the Titus 2 model. Today, I’m starting a 5 part series entitled 5 Myths About Mentors to help debunk any notions that might hinder women from taking the life-changing Titus 2 journey together. Today, I’m going to examine the myth that mentors are perfect people. So, here we go… Have you ever been intimidated by another mother because you thought she had the perfect kids, the …
Making “Taking Care of Mom” a Top Priority
If we were sitting at my kitchen table enjoying cups of tea together, while passing fresh banana bread I’d say, “Repeat after me: I am the only mother my child has!” You’d probably look at me like I’m nuts and quickly set down your tea, wondering if you should even take a bite of my banana bread–who knows what I put in it? Normally, I try not to be overly pushy. I like to listen and ask questions. But not today. Today, I’d turn bossy. Here’s why: I have a naturally chaotic personality. We’ve paid vast late fees because “staying …
In my weakness…
I was a new mom trying to nurse my daughter and she wasn’t latching on. On the verge of tears, I wasn’t helping the situation by getting discouraged. My husband Mike tried to encourage me, while I tried to remember what the nurse told us… It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated, was it? God, please help, I prayed. Pleeease help this to work… How could something so natural be so hard? Worry started to set in and I wondered how things would turn out. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t do this? Here I’d been a mom …
It’s Not Often We’re Missed
Awhile back Facebook, in its infinite wisdom, recommended I reconnect with a friend I hadn’t heard from in quite some time. It turned out my friend’s family had experienced some tough times. When she thanked me for my prayers, her comment caught me off guard. She said, “It’s not often we’re missed.” My heart broke for my friend, not just because of her difficult circumstances, but because she seemed alone in her struggles. I was reminded of Philippians 2:4, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.” How important that …