Creating a successful marriage takes some intention and specific qualities that are essential for strengthening it. I have known more broken marriages amongst my friends than I ever expected. Digging deep into the issues, the root cause is always selfish desires, in one form or another. It's our own selfish desires that tend to wreck a communion we entered into with vows to care for and love another person. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your ... continue reading...
How to Speak a Kind and Beautiful Word to Your Child Every Single Day
It's amazing how a beautiful word spoken to your child each day can build their hearts up and make your love known to them. For starters, I figured my daughter already knew. I consider all our daughters quite beautiful, so I would’ve thought it'd be apparent to them too. Surely, they could see that much just by looking into the mirror? Besides, I’d read somewhere that you should be careful about focusing too much on a girl’s appearance because it can lead her "to feel insecure or make ... continue reading...
Amazing Missionary Adventures Your Children Should Know
Missionary stories are inspiring and challenging for adults and children alike and these titles can help grow your child's faith. I grew up in Alaska. The short summers there have days that never end. And if it wasn’t raining, and the mosquitoes weren’t too bad, we would be out until well past a reasonable bedtime. But when winter came, it was dark and cold. The evenings were long, and perfect for reading books by the dozen. My siblings and I spent hours almost every night, curled up ... continue reading...
Be the Gray Hair (When Mentors are Sparse)
The Christian community is hungry for mentors yet few of them exist. Would you consider being one in your community? If you sat across from me right now, you’d probably smile and wonder why I, a woman who can count only one or two gray hairs on my head, feels the liberty to tell you to “be the gray hair” that you want. Admittedly, I lack gray hair (I hear it may be due to my voracious consumption of broccoli—it keeps you young, apparently). But, I don’t lack the desire to have women with ... continue reading...
Marriage 101: What Every Married Couple Needs to Know
Sure, everyone gets married with hopes of the best future. But don't be surprised when life and marriage collide. My husband is a licensed professional counselor and a pastor, so he performs a lot of premarital counseling for couples. I’m always giving him helpful advice about things he should discuss with engaged couples. My newest idea is that he should add one hour of counseling just to talk about dirty socks. First, he should look at the guy and say, “Do you intend to take your ... continue reading...
How You Can Support Your Teen Having a Hard Day
Your teen is continuing to learn how to handle stress and conflict on top of having overactive emotions. A parent who reacts when their teenager snaps a comeback will only escalate the situation. As a parent to a teenager, we can de-escalate a highly emotional situation, and sometimes the best solution isn't to offer a solution. Here are some ways you can support your teen when they're having a hard day. Pray for your teen. Our children will never stop needing our prayers. The teen years ... continue reading...
15+ Quality Audiobooks Your Children Will Enjoy and Grow From
Quality audiobooks can be a treasure for your children to go on adventures and grow their imagination! “Is there a new Boxcar Children? Please check!” Natalie excitedly requests when daily “room time” rolls around. Her love for Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny is in full evidence as she interacts with them throughout the day, explaining to me how Violet is borrowing a specific clothing item or Benny is going to sleep on the couch. When I comment on her imaginary friends, she hastily and ... continue reading...
Do You Want to Bring More Romance Into Your Everyday Marriage?
I'd say it started with a phone call from my friend, Phylicia, although in some ways, it started long before that. She rang me up to tell me about this creative idea to cultivate more romance in her marriage. She was determined to put more passion and playfulness back into their relationship---finding herself discontent with the current state of their five-year marriage. In her words, it was "more like a meeting between two coworkers than two lovers in the kitchen." So my friend decided to ... continue reading...
Is There True Freedom and Healing for a Marriage Wounded by Sexual Sin?
Can your marriage experience freedom from sexual sin? Absolutely! It began so subtly and slowly that the distance in his eyes caught her off guard when they said goodbye heading their separate ways to work Monday morning. What had changed? And when did this happen? She couldn’t quite put her finger on “it,” but the truth was unmistakable. The troubled places in her heart were never wrong and this morning confirmed it: There was something deeply serious brewing between them. Was she the ... continue reading...
The Ten Best Books on Christian Sexuality
In a culture dominated by sexual discussion, it can be difficult to find a biblical approach to sexuality in modern books and media. Until recently, very few books shared both the facts about sex and a Christian perspective on the topic. Biblical sexuality must be “rightly handled”. Even within the Christian writing community, we must use discernment when choosing which books we read on this topic! In my experience counseling girls through sexual sin and shame, I continually find myself ... continue reading...
How To Squeeze In Organizing When There’s No Time
How can you find organizing time when there seems to be no time? We were all sitting on the couch watching the end of the Kansas City Royals baseball game on Memorial Day. It was 10:00 PM and our son, who had moved into an apartment a few weeks prior, was going to leave soon. My organizing focus for the month in Organized Life Academy is the garage. One part of the garage I'd been wanting to organize was the cubbies that hold everyone's shoes. But who has time to organize? How do you get ... continue reading...
What More Can You Ask For In A Husband and Father? {& Peanut Butter Butterfinger Pie}
How can you bless your children's father for being that amazing dad? As soon as I saw him interact with his younger brothers and sisters, I knew, I just knew, that one day he was going to be a great dad. Wait, I take that back. I knew that one day he was going to be an amazing dad to any future kids he had. I was just hoping they would also be mine. But back up. I wasn't even married to him or engaged for that matter. I had only known my now-husband for about a month then, ... continue reading...