I remember oh so well. At the age of four, Peanut wanted what he wanted— and he was ready to test every limit to see if he could get it. Lying on the floor in protest? Worth a try. Yelling and stomping? Also worth testing. He just wanted to make sure that our boundaries were firm and that he could trust me to be consistent. But Peanut isn’t the ...
Encouragement
Walking Together Through 2025
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 ...
Unwrapping Joy: Choosing Contentment over Comparison
How easy it is to get wrapped up in the holiday comparisons. I struggle every year. My house isn’t beautiful enough. Did you see her tree?The gifts I've chosen won't be what people want. They will think I don't listen to them well enough to know what they want and like. Other families have better traditions than we do. They ...
Discovering Life Lessons from The Prince of Egypt: The Musical {Giveaway}
This weekend I had the opportunity to preview the new The Prince of Egypt: The Musical. Choreography. Amazing.Singing. Breathtaking.Visual Effect. Stunning. This live performance by the West End's Dominion Theatre in London was powerful. Yet, it left me pondering if there was more than mere entertainment—perhaps a deeper lesson that ...
Will You Choose Joy?
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 ...
Need Some Superpowers?
How many times in your parenting or teaching journey have you felt like you couldn't parent or teach one moment longer? You count down the minutes until bedtime or parent-pickup time. Man, I have. More than once I've wondered where my strength to take one more step would come from. I Can, Because He Did This weekend God reminded me ...
Can You Help for a Moment?
My Be Intentional Planner informed me that it is now August. While I am so sad to see summer in the rearview mirror, I am excited for this school year and what God has before us. This year we will launch two to high school. One to middle school. And after 11 years, this will be our final voyage in elementary school. Oh, how I wish I could ...
Do You Feel Invisible Right Now?
He sees you. He sees the disappointments you had over the plans of celebrating Easter with your family. He sees you doing the dishes for the umpteenth time. He sees you folding laundry when you want to be reading a book. He sees you wipe those tears when you wish someone would wipe yours. He sees you as beautiful even if you don't ...
How to “Grow” a Child
I am in "spring" mode. Over half of my garden is planted. The flower pots around the house overflow with little flowers. I anxiously await the joy that will come from the juicy produce and gorgeous display of color. Raising Seeds A friend posted this verse (pictures above) on Facebook. It immediately caused me to think about the work ...
From Need to Ministry {giveaway}
Eleven years ago our family had a need. To my great surprise, God took this need and turned it into a world-wide ministry. But I realize that many of you don't know the background of this "need" or the many levels of support our ministry provides. Today I share in hopes that you will utilize all that we offer and join us in praying for the ...