When your husband is discouraged or feeling defeated, how can you encourage his spiritual life? I couldn’t say when I first noticed. We were in the midst of so many trials at the time that it’s hard to tell when it really began. Troubles in the church. Hardships at home. Challenges at work. So much was swirling about us that I didn’t notice how heavy it was on his soul. But then one day I watched as he walked by with his shoulders slumped over and his stride too slow. As if burdened ... continue reading...
The Fruit of the Spirit in Unlikely Places
When the fruit of the spirit shows up when you most need it, it kind of makes you want to offer it more, too. Have you ever been inside a store and heard a baby or a child crying, seemingly completely losing their mind? Of course you have - I know I have! And I often wonder…if your child can’t behave, why don’t you simply take them out of the store? Choose to shop another day. So simple. So easy. And it was that simple and easy. Until I was that mom with that baby crying her eyes ... continue reading...
All-Time Favorite Christmas Books You’ll Be Sure to Love
I’m the kind of person who puts off decorating for Christmas until the very last minute. (And if we’re going “over the river and through the woods” to my parents’ house, I usually end up deciding that the nativity scene is the one and only decor box we’re going to unpack for the year.) But we have more Christmas books than there are days of Advent. And I’m always sad that we never have time to read them all between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So this year, I got out the box of Christmas ... continue reading...
We Have Nothing to Grumble About
If there’s ever a day to put grumbling aside, it’s Thanksgiving Day. I’d done what I could to get the food ready to be cooked later that afternoon. This included peeling potatoes, prepping the turkey, and making desserts. I always try to do as much as I can the few days before Thanksgiving because we have a special tradition on Thanksgiving Day. Since moving to Little Rock in 2010, we always spend the first half of Thanksgiving Day at our church, serving the community. We go to an ... continue reading...
Strong-Hearted Women {And the Men Who Love Them}
A husband who chooses to love a strong-hearted woman is a treasure indeed. I’m not sure what started it. But I suspect it had something to do with this one book I'd read a few years back. I’m not saying the author intended to communicate this message, but it’s certainly what I concluded. If I wanted to be a good wife - a biblical wife? Then I needed to tone it down a bit. Okay, a lot. I needed to swallow it, hold it back, and keep it down. I was far too intense for my own good. ... continue reading...
Pray for Your Children (and let ’em know it!)
If you want to pray for your children—or anyone else—there are plenty of ways to do that. I'll never forget the story that our daughter came home with after her first week at a new school. “Mom," six-year-old Hillary said, "I think my new teacher is a Christian.” We'd just moved to town and didn't know anyone. I was intrigued. “How can you tell?” I asked. “I can tell because she prays,” Hillary explained. “Almost every day she says, ‘Oh God, help me get through this day.’ Some days, ... continue reading...
How Training Your Child Can Bring New Peace into Your Home
Child training can do wonders for your children and your home! Don't underestimate the peace it can bring. Like dumpin' bugs out of a jar. That's how their daddy often described it. Our little ones were prone to scatter and wander at will. Each of them with his or her own agenda, heading out in a different direction of their very own. So full of fun. Free-wheeling. Independent. And chaotic. On the days that I wasn't trying to make anything happen or get anything done - it wasn't ... continue reading...
How to Find Beauty When Life Stinks
Finding beauty in the hard sometimes takes work. “This stinks!” I didn’t try to say it pretty or fancy or nice, be discerning or careful or wise. It was just my mom and me, which sometimes makes me feel like I can vent like a teenager again. So I just came right out and said it. For over a month now, my dad had been in the hospital, much of that time in the ICU. This particular night was tough, really tough. We had been praying and asking God for healing and just when things looked like ... continue reading...
Why Prayer is the Most Powerful Thing We Can Do for Our Children
It is very common that prayer for children is overlooked simply because we feel unequipped with how and what to pray. “I know God loves my kids,” the young father said, “and I trust Him to work in their lives. So I don’t see why I need to do it.” The man was talking about prayer. And I’d heard his logic before: If God is all-powerful, and if He loves us, then why should we pray? Doesn’t He know what’s best? Won’t He just do it? I’ve been writing and speaking about prayer for 25 years, ... continue reading...
7 Verses You Can Cling to When in a Difficult Marriage {& Free Printable}
Are you in a difficult marriage and struggling to hold on? Be encouraged today. I'm just trying to hold on . . . and she left it there. My friend was in the middle of a difficult marriage and I knew what she meant. Sometimes it's simply a matter of holding on and holding tight. Remember what's good, what's right, and what's true. I was pretty sure I knew what she meant. She was holding on to her marriage and wasn't about to give up. Maybe that's where you are too. Or maybe ... continue reading...
100 Ways to Love: A True Story of Hope for Every Marriage
*The following is a true story of love, hope, and marriage (and be sure and watch the mini-movie at the end!) What bride doesn’t start out with a heart full of hope and love? That's how her letter to me began. She wrote that might have been how it was on her wedding day, but then marriage turned out so much harder than she imagined. First, there were her health challenges. Seemed she was sick more often than she was well. And he was under such heavy financial pressures. Whether it ... continue reading...
How to Strengthen Your Mom Heart with this Encouraging Devotional
I never expected mom life to be quite so hard. Or quite so lonely. Did you? Not that I didn't have any friends at all. Because I did. I do. But what I longed for was more than just another mom-friend---what I wanted was someone a little older, a little wiser (okay, a lot wiser), who could come alongside me. And help me figure some of this mom-stuff out. Encourage. Inspire. And kindly hold my hand along the beautiful, challenging, motherhood way. A Desperate, Bold ... continue reading...