Stephanie Shott, Author at The Mom Initiative

Faith is Just a Trust Walk with God

I admit it. I have trust issues. When I’m faced with the difficulties of life, the thought have faith runs through my mind. Easier said than done, right? Or what about that sweet well-meaning friend who says in the midst of your struggle, “just have more faith.” That can be frustrating because it seems so simple to them, yet it is not easy for me to WALK OUT. As I was praying the other day, God showed me why I have a hard time with my faith. It’s not that I can’t see the actual physical form of God, it’s …

Meet a Life-Changer

We have some great opportunities coming up in 2017 but in order to step into those opportunities, we need your help. That’s why we’ve launched our first ever crowdfunding campaign so that we can reach moms and the children they are raising around the world and change the world one mom at a time. So, let me introduce you to a sweet world-changing momma today! Meet Ernestine! Ernestine mentors moms in prison and continues to mentor them when they get out. Ernestine pours into the lives of these precious moms who have struggled with a bad past and a bleak future – and she helps …

How to Teach Gratitude to Our Children

Some things I vowed I’d never say to my children. Like this one. “Don’t waste those waffles, girls. Did you know there are kids starving in Africa??” “What?” My younger daughter, age four at the time, looked up at me and crinkled her nose. “In Africa. And all sort of other places around the world. Even here in our own country! Not all kids get to eat as much as you do.” “But I don’t want waffles! I wanted cereal!” My seven-year-old whined. “Too bad. Eat the waffles. Some children are lucky if they get a bowl of rice—and that’s …

A Culture in Crisis, Children in Need, and Moms Who Need Help and Hope

I know you could be busy doing a million things, so THANK YOU for taking a minute to read this and considering the importance of what we are doing and how you can be part! Not long ago, I received a letter from a desperate mom. “Please help! I want to raise my children right but I don’t know what right is or what good mothering looks like. My mom was a drug addict and sold me to men for drug money. I’m scared and don’t know what to do.” A ministry leader in Cameroon, Africa wrote, “The moms here, they carry a …

Election Lessons: What Our Kids Can Learn From This Election

Presidential elections can show us just how divided our country can be, and vitriol from all camps has been served to us through the airways, on social media, and in conversation for months. As an adult, I have found this season to be difficult to tread through. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a child watching adults verbally bash the candidate they like the least, and the people who follow that candidate. My husband and I have chosen to have honest discussions with our children about the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, and about …

When I’m Told to Take Care of Myself: Thoughts on Biblical Self-Care

My house is a chaotic mess right now. There are couches stacked on each other, clothes and toys everywhere, and we can’t even get into our living room because the floors are being redone. All of this, coupled with my struggle with anxiety has made it very difficult for me to keep a clear head nowadays. My husband just came back from an extended work-related trip, after which we took a family vacation. It is in desperate times like these, I wonder, how in the world do other moms do it? I know I can’t be the only one struggling. …

Stories of Life-Change from The MOM Initiative

We are honored to serve moms and the children they are raising around the world. It’s what God called us to do when we launched The MOM Initiative in 2012. To minister to moms who know Christ and reach those who don’t. To make mentoring missional, impacting over a million moms and the children they are raising. We believe that if the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world, then the church that mentors those hands will win it. One. Mom. At. A. Time! if the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world, then the church that mentors …

Let’s Say Grace: Pizza Meatloaf

The glory of God’s grace is that He will not waste a moment of our lives. Let us pray: Father God we confess that we often do not understand what You are doing in the trials or hard times in our lives. And Lord there are times it is difficult to know that You are a God who can and does work miracles, but seems silent in our dark times. But God we know You and Your character. We know that You are a God who promises to work all things out for the good of those who love you. …

When You Feel Like a Failure

We all feel like we have failed at something at one time or another in our lives. And that can be hard to process. But, if we can remember that our identity lies in Christ and not in the things of this world, we really do ourselves a favor. Our identity is not in being the best at something, in our job, or in another person. Our identity lies squarely in who God says we are. We also need to acknowledge that these failure feelings are not from God. The devil would like to keep us in a state of …

Mirror, Mirror of the Word – Tips For Effective Bible Reading

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” How many times have we heard this line from the story Snow White? The Wicked Queen asks the magic mirror this question every day, and until the appearance of Snow White the reflection responds that she, the Wicked Queen, is the fairest. The only problem with this answer is that the mirror is only looking at outward appearance. It does not judge her evil heart, blackened with jealousy and cruelty. What would she have done if the mirror had pointed out her wicked ways? There is no such thing …

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