Her slumped shoulders and darkened eyes said it all. Her social media posts send flares of warning to the skies begging someone to provide hope and help. She is the epidemy of yet another absolutely, positively overwhelmed and exhausted mom. It's not a new look. I've seen the haunting images at church. At ...
Mommyhood
Gratitude: Your Key to Beating Burnout
Some research shows an astounding 93% of mothers feel burned out today. By definition, "burnout is an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion." 93% of moms are burned out. Can you relate? I know exactly how you feel. I’ve experienced that overwhelming exhaustion from rushing between activities. I’ve felt drained from the endless ...
How to Avoid the “Shoulds” and Fully Enjoy this Holiday Season
If you’re an intentional person, chances are you’ve already started planning the perfect Christmas activities for your family—the ones that will help your children or grandchildren fall in love with baby Jesus, make good choices, and someday reflect back on your efforts with deep appreciation. But if you’re a procrastinator, you have plans to pull ...
How to Know God’s Will for Your Life
Updated from 2018 post. As I dove into the fourth week of the Priscilla Shirer Discerning the Voice of God study, it was like a light bulb switched on in my mind. Suddenly, I realized I've been going about things all wrong. For the past three weeks, Priscilla has been guiding the reader to recognize when God is speaking to them. She ...
Finding Hope and Praying with Purpose This Election Season
No matter which political side you lean towards, we can all agree that our world feels chaotic. As the upcoming presidential election approaches, it seems many are filled with apprehension, bracing for heated debates, negative ads, and the inevitable flood of social media posts. The question looms: What will the next few months bring, and how will ...
What’s a Christian to Do with the Enneagram?
I find the brain fascinating. How God created each person beautifully unique, yet with similar traits, is humbling and amazing. That's probably why I have enjoyed learning about personalities. It has helped me understand myself, work with others, and better parent my kids. My favorite personality resource is the Enneagram. This guide became ...
How Chores Can Help Reduce Child Anxiety
Growing up on a farm, work was a significant part of my life. Whether it was loading livestock into the trailer, preserving vegetables from the garden, or cutting thistles when the grass was waist-high, there was always something to be done. It took everyone working together to stay on top of it. However, I believe that working together has many ...
How to Create and Use a Prayer Journal to Deepen Your Faith
If I were asked what has had the biggest impact on my spiritual life, I would say, without hesitation, my prayer journal. However, it's important to know that my experience with prayer journals hasn't always been great. Each time I purchased or received a prayer journal, excitement overflowed as I imagined that this journal would suddenly ...
Letting Go with Love: The Journey of Biblical Parenting
Updated and reposted 2020. Parenting in the Franz house is emotionally arduous right now. Bubs, at 16, is embracing new responsibilities such as driving to school and starting a part-time job. It's as if he's spreading his wings to prepare for flight right before my eyes. I find myself wondering: When did the little boy who was the ...
Are You Losing to Gain?
I woke up this morning thinking about the quote, "In order to gain something, you must be willing to lose something." I don't know the original source but wonder if it's a modern take on Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." I understand the biblical call to deny myself ...