Faith is not always my reflex. I wish it was. I wish you could tap on my fears with a soft hammer and faith would pop up involuntarily like a child’s leg does for the doctor. Just a little stimuli and boom - there’s my faith. Sometimes it works that way. In carefully practiced situations, when a friend is struggling with something a little more familiar, kids or marriage or work issues - I’m first in line to pray with and for them, believing in God’s ability to intervene and sustain. But ... continue reading...
Here Are the Most Beautiful Books to Help Your Family Celebrate Easter
What a great way to celebrate Easter with your children--and ultimately your whole family--then with reading great stories full of His truth!? Easter is one of my favorite holidays. The natural world is so full of resurrection and rebirth that it seems impossible to miss the real story despite the commercialization. Easter is a jubilant day for believers, a day of triumph over the absolute worst of everything that is in the world: sin, darkness, abandonment, and death. It's even the reason ... continue reading...
How to Be the Kind Wife You Really Want to Be
I never thought a total stranger would have such a strong influence on my marriage. But she sure did. Because it all started with this rather grumpy cashier who was clearly having a very bad day. She snapped at everyone going through her line and making it obvious she was wishing she was anywhere but there…and with us. If I was to be perfectly honest with you, I was feeling a bit snappish myself as I waited in this ridiculously long, slow line at our local grocery store. So I felt ... continue reading...
Why You Should Want More Than Feel-Good Faith
What if faith went deeper than just being a "beautiful daughter of God"? More than just a feel-good faith? Every year thousands of women gather together to listen to yet another speaker tell us who we are in Christ. These conferences, retreats, and conventions are well-intentioned. Some of them equip and educate women in the Word of God, or at least attempt to do so. Then the next year rolls around and we find ourselves once again seated at the women’s conference, learning once again ... continue reading...
20 Little Things to Make a Big Difference in Your Loving Marriage
A loving marriage isn't necessarily from all the big things you survive together...it's the little things that make the difference. I’ve never even met her. At least not in person. So you might find it strange that her announcement would fill my eyes with tears. Happy tears. Because that sweet girl is soon to be married and everyone around here is rejoicing with the news. A wedding! How lovely. How wonderful. The daughter of my close friend is engaged to be married and we ... continue reading...
How To Get Help When You Need It The Most
Don't be ashamed if you need to get help. We are not meant to struggle alone. A woman emailed me to schedule an organizing session a couple of weeks ago. She said she'd been following me on my email list for a few years and wished she'd reached out a long time ago. She needed help. I instantly loved her when I met her. You know how God says He loves a humble and contrite heart? {Psalm 34:18; Psalm 51:17} Her heart was tender and vulnerable. Hearts like that are easy to ... continue reading...
8 Picture Books About Friendship and Courage
Books can teach us some amazing life lessons. Here are some top-notch books that can teach your children about friendship and courage. Last summer, after a lovely visit with friends in North Carolina, I boarded a plane and prepared to take the kind of nap introverts take after socializing for more than a day. However, the nap was not meant to be. Instead, I was greeted by the white-haired lady seated next to me and we chatted all the way back to Texas. She was impressive. She had lived all ... continue reading...
How to Pass On the 10 Best Habits for Happy Children
The goal of parenting is not happy children, but to turn out a successful adult. That ‘s what our friend informed us as we all sat around the dinner table together. Two couples enjoying a fine meal and fine china. Two couples without children. And you know something? At first, it seemed to make sense. Our friend expounded on his theory. I mean, what makes a child happy? If you give a kid a piece of candy, then he’s happy. If you don’t, then he’s not. You can’t build a life around ... continue reading...
The Difference Between Burned Out and Tuckered Out
She was at the back dry erase board, intently reviewing the endings for seven different Spanish verb tenses. It was a crazy hard test I was about to administer. “I studied these for three hours last night,” she said. “Wow, I’m really proud of you for putting in the work to learn these,” I said. “Thank you,” she said. Then we talked about how learning comes quickly for some but takes a lot more effort for others. It doesn’t come easily for her, and I praised her for sticking with it ... continue reading...
How to Find Courage When All You Feel Is Fear
Strange to think such a significant season in my life could slip from memory. But wasn't until I got her phone call that I remembered what it was like. You wouldn't think you could forget such paralyzing fear, would you? But I hadn't thought about it in years. I never talked about that time with anyone - mostly because I was too embarrassed to say anything. After all, I was a grown woman. A wife and mother of two small children. It's not like I was simply a five-year-old who ... continue reading...
How to Receive Rest for Your Soul
Is your soul in need of rest but you aren't sure how to get to that place? I wonder if you made goals for 2020. We’re at the end of January, when the resistance of everyday life may cause us to start losing steam. Are you discouraged? Do you see other women on IG crushing it with their goals? And do you then compare yourself and berate yourself? Be honest. Oh friend, I know what it’s like. And so, I want to invite you to rest. Yes, at the start of your new year, I am indeed inviting ... continue reading...
Meal Planning Routines to Help You Be Consistent in the New Year
Would you think it strange if I said I think meal planning is in my blood? Every Friday morning, I sat at my parent’s kitchen counter while eating breakfast before school and watched my mom work through her grocery list. She would go through the pantry, freezer, and fridge, and if she came up blank on a dinner idea, she asked me if I had any suggestions and usually used the dinner idea I suggested to fill the gap in the week. And then I’d watch her as she filled out her little piece of paper, ... continue reading...