Uninvited Diagnosis

  She was tiny, frail and unable to meet any of her developmental milestones.  I knew her biological mom had used every drug imaginable during her pregnancy.  Nevertheless, the neurologist’s diagnosis cut through me.  Our adopted daughter would struggle through life with brain damage. Two years later, another uninvited diagnosis forced its way into my world. It came from a high-risk pregnancy doctor that rushed into the room after a longer than normal ultrasound. He dug the ultrasound wand into my swollen belly while still chewing his half eaten lunch, “Absent bladder…hernia…heart on the wrong side.  Most likely Trisomy 18. The …

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40 Weeks of Growing Trust

The test stick turns pink, and suddenly your whole world changes. Within days you may start to feel your body change, and new thoughts cross your mind that you never considered before.  How will life change professionally, intimately, financially, and physically? With the passing of each day on the calendar, you may feel like time is running out to get a firm hold on the coming addition to your family and the changes to your world.  Forty weeks will pass faster than you think, and the urge to be in control may grow right along with the size of your …

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Parenting out of the Pit of Addiction

It hadn’t been long since she arrived at the shelter, this young mother of four whose face showed years of experience beyond her age. With her eyes down, we worked on a felt scarf and ate cookies.  Sorting colored beads, we picked through the bowl together. She began to share pieces of her story with every bead she chose. Spousal abuse led to despondence, to single substance abuse, to more substances, to corrupt companions, to more violence, to total loss in the pit of addiction. As she whispered the names of separated children through quivering lips she said, “I’ve done …

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5 Things Successful Moms Do Right

Over the years I have observed and interviewed numerous moms whose children have grown into godly adults, all of who serve the Lord, whether as a stay-at-home mom, in full time ministry or in a secular vocation. While this is not a scientifically based observation, I was able to narrow their success down to twenty common traits. Here are the first five of those twenty. #1 She gets into her child’s WORLD “You will always be your child’s favorite toy.” — Vicki Lansky One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is your time. For your little ones, …

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Seven Insider Tips for Pioneer Parents

By Featured Guest: Mary E. DeMuth Adapted from Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006) Some of us grew up in stable, Christ-loving homes. Others did not. What happens when people from difficult upbringings want to raise their children in a Christian home? How do we pioneer a new path for our children? Pioneer Parents are parents who don’t want to duplicate the homes they were raised in. They share many common traits, the most common being fear. They ask themselves questions like: Will the hurtful words my parents said to me fly out of my mouth in …

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It’s Scary Being a Mom

Babies don’t come with instruction manuals and mommas don’t automatically know what to do. Are you surprised by that? I remember the day I first brought my newborn baby boy home. I was so awed by that sweet little bundle of humanity that I could barely speak. But my over-joyed heart quickly transformed into an overwhelmed flood of fear when I realized the responsibility that came with that 7 pound 14 ounce treasure of pure pleasure. All I could think is, “What am I going to do with him now?” “What if something goes wrong?” “What if he cries and I don’t …

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