As Christians our hearts are supposed to be at peace, and we are to be a light to others for God in this dark world; we are to live abundant and joyful lives free of fear. If you are living this way, then you have great faith and are living as Christ’s example to the world. We all need to learn the tools to live close to Christ, and we can find these answers in the Bible. But what about all of us who are saved, yet struggle to walk in peace and joy on a daily basis? When the …
Life as a mom is a busy one with days full of demanding timetables and sometimes difficult trials. My mother struggled with severe up & down mood swings all of her life. It wasn’t until her later years that they diagnosed her bouts with depression as Bipolar Disorder. More women struggle with this then we realize. It’s a common thread in women we meet on a daily basis. Bipolar Disorder is a ‘silent secret’ in churches. Whether it is a disease within ourselves or in someone we know & love; how should we look at and help those from …
Recently we heard from a MOM Group leader who shared that the young mom she mentored in jail showed up at her church when she got out of jail. She hasn’t received Christ yet, but God is working on her and the MOM Group she was part of in jail was where she discovered how much God loves her and her children and wants her to become a mom they can be proud of. Oh, you know that made my heart smile big time! MOM Groups are where lives are changed and families strengthened. It’s the heart of TMI. To …
Kids seem born with an innate knowledge of how to push their mommies’ buttons. Especially when teenagers or kids of any age know they are wrong, they take pleasure in seeing just how many buttons it takes to send mom over the deep end. And when we put on the gloves and enter the ring with them it may feel good for a little, but in the end we all lose. We not only lose our cool, but we lose a teaching moment. We lose the opportunity to show an example of how adults ought handle difficult people and situations. …
Tension fills the room each time Mary and her husband Andy come around. Mary’s non-stop disdain of her husband makes everyone uncomfortable. Inwardly, all around silently cringe with embarrassment and sadness for him. Even when away from his wife he isn’t protected. Mary’s mouth drips cutting remarks which harm her husband as well as his reputation to anyone who will listen. Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of …
If you believe in the power of prayer join grandparents throughout the world in making National Grandparents Day on September 11, 2016 a Day of Prayer for our grandchildren. Today our nations as well as other nations are under attack like never before educationally, socially, financially and spiritually. Christianity is under assault and parents and grandparents are involved in a tug of war for the hearts and minds of their children. A Spiritual Battle for the Souls of Our Grandchildren Our grandchildren live in a desperate moral and spiritual climate while navigating in a world hostile to truth. Many years …
If your like me, for many reasons summer is my favorite time of the year. I get to spend uninterrupted time with my kiddos. I get to hit the beach with my family and take other mini vacations. And, I get to sleep in on some of those extra special days. As a former high school and middle school teacher, I really needed my summers to rest both mentally and physically. For me, summer has always been a time for rejuvenation, rest and a whole lot of fun! It’s been a time away from work to think, pray and spend time with …
I forgot her water bottle. The first day of kindergarten, I had my daughter’s backpack stocked, her school supplied labeled, her lunch bag filled with her favorite food plus a special note using only words she could read—but! I forgot the bleeping water bottle. I am a terrible mother. All summer long, I thought about this day, the first experience of navigating math and music and recess without Mom, without my steady presence to help her make choices and pull her socks up and open her yogurt lid. And here is it, kindergarten. We have officially grown. My baby must …
Yes, you read that right! Sometimes local language and geographical accents collide to create a wonderful and beautiful, albeit confusing, story. We had just moved to the beautiful Rocky Mountain foothills of Colorado from the Piney Woods of East Texas. And this is how our story unfolded… As school began that fall, our oldest daughter, Kylie, was beginning kindergarten. On the second day of school, I had this discussion with her about some school supplies she was still lacking.. This is what I heard: Kylie: Mom, I need some praying paint. Me: You do? Why? Kylie: For school…my teacher says I …
I was lying beside him in the top bunk, scratching his bony back as I tucked him in on a warm summer night. The school year was looming just ahead, but we weren’t talking about that yet. For now, we were still savoring the lavish gift of summer. Soon we’d trade flip flops for tennis shoes and swimsuits for school bags. We’d embrace reading minutes and math homework and lunch packing, but in that quiet moment on the top bunk, I longed to know if the school-free months we’d shared had been all my seven-year-old had hoped they would be. It had …
