A few years ago, one of my dearest friends in life, Leigh Anne, lost her battle with colon cancer. When she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, where many people would make up their bucket list, Leigh Anne’s words were much different. She declared her greatest hope to be that when the journey was over, however it would end, she would be able to say that she had no spiritual regrets. A very different narrative plays out in three of the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all share the account of the Rich Young Ruler. If you recall he …
Even Moms Need More Sleep
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 2:2 ESV She’s here, she’s there, she’s everywhere. You’re the mom, which means you are always on the go: groceries, diapers, and carlines are a part of your everyday world and somewhere in the chaos of it all we’ve bought into the lie that we’ve got to be some kind of supermom. You know, faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than…oh, who are we kidding, we’re not super mom, nor should …
Who Else Wants Clear Direction?
I blew it. Days of swimming through murky teenage “stuff” paired with this new stage of parenting resulted in my not-so-pretty meltdown. Late the same evening I found myself on the edge of my teen’s bed. His now huge 6 foot, 15 year-old frame had his back turned towards me as my quivering words spilled out, “I’m so sorry. I blew it. My words were awful. Will you forgive me?” Parenting is hard. We stumble through one developmental stage, look back on that point in time with confidence as we emerge, then find ourselves knee-deep in doubt …
What did I do before Facebook?
As a Women’s Ministry Director for nearly a decade, I’ve watched big trends in the lives of women over the last ten years. Communication and technology are in over-drive when it comes to the pace of change. It has been so fast that we’ve have barely had time to stop and learn, much less reflect on how it’s impacting our lives. Social media and our technology habits have changed women personally, as wives and as moms. Family life is different now. It often takes a crisis, power outage, vacation, illness, honest friend, or the Holy Spirit to slow us down …
Girlfriends, Curfews and Grades…Oh My! Parenting Today’s Teenager!
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18 NLT Moms of teenagers, buckle up, all the bumps and bruises you went through in the baby, child, and adolescent stage start to prepare you for the adventure of parenting today’s teenager. I’m not trying to scare you at all, just speaking the truth in love from one mom to another. So, let’s put on our safety harness and walk through some of this together, shall we? As the mom of two teenage boys it …
When Siblings Become Friends
From the day she was born, I promised. “Your sister is tiny now, but she’ll grow fast. Soon, not too long from now, she’ll be able to play with you. She’ll run and jump and share your puzzles and dolls. You’ll see.” “Really?” My firstborn, then just a couple weeks past her third birthday, gazed in tender awe at her new baby sister, the long-awaited stranger. “Yes, sweetheart. Someday, she’ll be your best friend.” Someday. It seemed so far off in those early months when we juggled two different stages under one roof. This one needed macaroni and potty training …
Teach Us To Make The Most Of Our Time Visual Verse
Time. We have a limited amount of it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Tomorrow will come and we will have 24 more hours to make the most of our time. What if, sweet moms, we purposed to make the most of that time by being fully present with our families. Fully aware. Fully involved. and fully ready to see what God would have us do with each of those minutes in that day for our kids and our families. It’s not a checklist, nor is it a “dream” of all the great things you will get done that day, but …
When Fear Captures Your Heart ~ (Four Ways to Fight Fear)
Has fear ever captured your heart? It has mine many times in the past and even recently. In 1989, I received a call that would forever change the course of my life. See, I had lived in fear through an abusive marriage and thought that after those days were over I would not live in fear any longer. Boy was I wrong. The call brought it all back. It returned in a more vicious way than before. No longer was it about me, but now it was concerning my children. The clutches reached out that day and captured my heart …
Preparing Your Kids To Be Mission Minded
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 NLT Missions trips will change your life. They will wreck you. You will never be able to look at poverty the same again. You will be compelled to do something about it. Your days of sitting by thinking there’s nothing that I can do to help will quickly be erased from your thought process…you will be determined to make a difference. One day. One child. One step at a time. That’s what has happened …
I Should (Not) Do That
I suffer from a common condition. It’s called “shoulditis”—otherwise known as I should do that disease. Symptoms flare up under the most ordinary circumstances. When my friend calls to say she’s taking a Zumba class, I think of how long it’s been since my Nikes hit the gym, and my own voice whispers in my head, I should do that. When I scroll through Facebook and see a dozen photos of cutesy craft projects other moms created with their children, I’m deflated. I should do that. When my parenting magazine plugs a recipe for brownies using hidden carrot puree, I …