As a kid I learned the canon song "Rejoice in the Lord Always." "Rejoice, rejoice and again I say rejoice" the lyrics cried out with very little meaning to a young child. But reading the command to rejoice in Philippians 4 as an adult opens up new meaning. Stealing Joy While further researching what this phrase means, I stumbled upon a ...
How to Engage Your Child in Meaningful Conversation
As mommas we spend much of our days talking to our kids. We tell them to come to the table, to clean up their toys, get dressed, and so on. There are so many opportunities throughout the day to communicate instructions. But what about conversations? Not the one-sided commands that we have to issue. I’m talking about the ...
What is Worship?
A few days ago, I started my quiet time needing God to show up in a big way. We are in a brutal parenting stretch, and I needed truth to get me through the new day. God led me to Isaiah 25:1. Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name,for in perfect faithfulness you have done ...
How to Teach My Child to Pray
As parents and teachers, we know that teaching children to pray is one of our most important duties. But for many of us, prayer is difficult in our own lives and the idea of teaching it to our children feels like one more to-do on our very long list. But what if we choose to see prayer as a beautiful invitation to connect and communicate with ...
How to Teach a Child about Sadness
Teaching children about emotions is an important part of preschool and elementary learning; thus, it is a large part of the ABCJesusLovesMe Preschool Curriculum. While emotions, like joy and excitement, are fun to teach, covering a negative-feeling emotion like sadness can be intimidating. But by naming the emotion and talking about the feelings ...
The Most Popular Podcast Episode Is…
Did you know that the Parenting to Impress Podcast offers 37 episodes of encouragement and biblical parenting tips? If you haven't taken a moment to listen, I believe you are missing out. But don't just take my word for it. What Others Are Saying An anonymous listener left this review: Parenting to Impress is a great parenting ...
My Summer Plans
I frequently share short phrases of advice. Here are some of my favorites. The fifth phrase is becoming more meaningful as our children are now all taller than me. I am the shortest in our family now! I am realizing that time truly flies and that I must seize each moment or it will vanish before my eyes. Because of this, I am going to ...
How to Give Even When Money is Tight, Part 3
70% of people are living paycheck to paycheck. 2/3 of people don't have a written plan for spending. The majority of people are not ready for an emergency over $1000. With money so tight, how can one even think about giving or tithing? In the final episode of this fantastic series on "Hope in Christian Finances," we dive into tithing and ...
How to Work Yourself Out of a Job
I am going to come right out and say it. Raising and releasing spiritual leaders is what God calls parents to do. While there are millions of blogs, books, and podcasts on the raising portion, very little is shared on releasing. Maybe because it is the most gut-wrenching part of our jobs. From Dependent to Independent If you follow me ...
Teaching Money Management to Kids, Part 2
"Impress [financial wisdom] on your children. Talk about [money management] when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie [monetary self-control] as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write [financial stewardship] on the doorframes of your houses and on your ...