Nine years ago marks one of the most difficult, yet most important Christmases in my life. It would become a Christmas that would change my life and how I celebrate the birth of Jesus. In October, we had found out we were having another baby. This baby would be our ninth child and we were just as excited as if it were our first. However, our excitement changed to sorrow when we found out two months later we would never see this baby come full term. We later found out I had a virus that attacked my sweet baby and …
Praying Cards
My little family has lived in three different states. Minnesota, California, Minnesota again, and Colorado. Every time we have moved it’s been hard to say goodbye to the friends we made and the places we’ve grown to love. So… getting Christmas cards at our home is a big deal. We love hearing from our friends and catching up with their family news. It’s so fun to look at the pictures and see how the kids have grown (not how the parents have aged!). Sadly, another Christmas approaches and we find we haven’t communicated with these special people in the …
Ways to Help Your Children Focus on Christ at CHRISTmas
Can you imagine if it was your birthday and a friend offered to give a birthday dinner in your honor? You pull your car up the driveway and there are lights with your husband’s name on them. Arriving at the front door, you’re greeted with a wreath welcoming a neighbor. When you get inside, the whole house is decorated with pictures of the host’s favorite musician. When the birthday cake is brought out, it has someone else’s name on it. Gifts are given to another person, not you. Happy birthday is sung with someone else’s name. As you leave, the …
Have a Merry Marriage & The TMI Monday Link Up!
A lot of work in decking the halls falls to Mom. A mother’s list is long when counting to Christmas, and it isn’t unheard of for there to be a casualty during the 12 (just 12?) days of Christmas. Does someone named “husband” feel like there’s no room for him in the inn this time of year? Honestly, would your husband say your marriage is very merry in December? Would you? While tackling gift lists, baking cookies, signing cards, and attending parties, a wife might feel like she only has time for her man when it’s time to hang the …
Preparing Your Child’s Heart for Christmas
by Debbie Taylor Williams I will never forget when I was a child and my Sunday School teacher challenged my class to memorize the Christmas story found in Luke 2:1-14. What seemed a daunting task became manageable as my mother helped me memorize one small section at a time. “And it came to pass” “in those days” “there went …
Happy Thanksgiving!
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His loving-kindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. -Psalm 100 Today I pray that you and your family will, “serve the LORD with gladness, and come before …
Grow Your Gratitude: Happy Thanks-Living! & The M.O.M. Initiative Monday Link Up!
The Typical 2 I’ve always heard that there are two ways to focus on thankfulness: Keep track of what I’m thankful for (i.e. in a gratitude journal) Share my gratitude with those for whom I’m thankful (i.e. by writing a thank-you note) A New (for Me) #3 But over the last month, I’ve discovered a new way — new for me, at least! — to focus on thankfulness. I’ve been asking people this question throughout the day: “What’s one thing you’re thankful for right now?” And I marvel at the diversity, the depth, the humor, and the honesty of each …
Carve a Pumpkin Day…and Point Your Children to Christ
Standing beside mama, I watched with wide eyes as she took a kitchen knife and cut a circle in the top of a bright orange pumpkin. Carefully, she lifted the top off and told me to look inside. Standing on tip toes, I peered into the pumpkin. “It’s yucky,” I announced. …
A Holiday-Ready Heart
Maybe November and December are your two favorite months of the year. Perhaps preparing for, living through, and cleaning up after the holidays don’t phase you in the least. You may have your Christmas shopping all done, your cards ready to mail, and your menus completely planned. If these are true for you, then The PURSE-onality Challenge “A Holiday-Ready Heart” is not designed for you. (But please join us anyhow and give us your best advice!) However, if you… dread dragging out the holiday decorations… wonder how what should be “the best of times” often ends up …
Flying with Mom – Airline Travel with Kids
It’s dark and quiet as hundreds around me sleep, now that the small passenger in row 35 has given in. His mother looks relieved, but cautious, slumped under a blanket beside him. Airline travel with small children is not easy, but it can be done well. Before the flight attendant closed the overhead bins, the elderly lady in row 35 found a way to move far from the little wiggling person making demands before we even pulled away from the gate. Early indications showed it would be a long overnight flight with this half sized, yet powerful, passenger. His mom, …