Mom – Never Give Up!

I know. I’m there too! Worn out. Exhausted. Each day, this thing called parenting seems to be getting harder. That’s not how we thought it was going to go. Mom – don’t give up. Don’t quit praying; you might be the only one praying for your kids. Don’t quit believing; the Lord says He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Hang on to this promise today; His promise: “Thus says the LORD, “Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears;   For your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD, “And they will return from the land of the enemy. …

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Planning Family Fun During the School Year

“And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor – it is the gift of God” Ecclesiastes 3:13 NKJV The beginning of a new school year always scares me.  I like summer. I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, the lack of homework, and my children sleeping in. As summer draws to an end, the panic begins to rise. I dread the schedules, the rules, the expectations that come with a new school year. Not because they don’t all lead to good habits and things in my children’s future, but because it seems to …

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When Your Child’s Path Looks Bumpy

On the night before he began kindergarten, my youngest son, Joshua, announced he’d “rather go to jail” than go to school. His big brother mumbled something sarcastic about the prison bars in the principal’s office, while his sisters attempted to soothe Joshua’s anxieties by pointing out the perks of being a kindergartener. “Did you know that when you lose a tooth at school you get to bring it home in a tiny treasure box?” my daughter Hannah asked. Joshua grinned and poked his finger in his mouth to check for loose teeth. But when it was time to brush those …

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Back to School!

Each year, when summer comes and school lets out, it makes me reflect on my childhood summers. You know…those summers that seemed to last forever? I think about all the wonderful days I experienced growing up. We all had so much fun. Forced to be outsiders, we actually got exercise by running around playing tag, kick ball, or roller skating. We circled the neighborhood subdivision on our bikes until dark and the bugs hit our teeth, or Mom rang the bell to come home. Our parents never worried about us. Because a high level of trust in one’s neighbor existed, …

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A Backup Plan for Moms

“She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet” Proverbs 31:21 (NKJV) Have you ever felt like your household would fall apart if you were gone for just a couple of days? Moms tend to be the glue that holds the fabric of the family together and keeps everything going according to plan. So, if you’ve ever been on a retreat, a weekend with the girls, had to have surgery and were out of commission for a week or so, you know how chaotic and confusing things can be at home. It …

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Bite Your Tongue

  My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, James 1:19 NIV Sometimes it is better for everyone involved if you just bite your tongue. Oh, I know, it’s not easy to do and believe me, this is something that I struggle with as a mom, wife…and well, as a person, but hear me on this- there is strength in not saying everything that comes to your mind. There is strength in not saying everything that comes to your mind. Bite Your Tongue. Click To …

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Mama, Don’t Rush Your Babies Growing Up

Do you remember the old song by Willie Nelson called “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys?” In it the song says over and over why they shouldn’t let their babies grow up to be a cowboy. It gives lots of reasons why the cowboy life isn’t a good one and tells mamas to let them be “doctors and lawyers and such”. What I’ve always wanted to scream is mama, don’t let your babies grow up…and then reality hit me, and I realized that no matter what you do they are gonna grow up. So, instead of …

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Helping Your Child Grow Through Trials

James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Mark Twain once said, “Good judgment is the result of experience . . . and experience is often the result of bad judgment.” Isn’t it true that a lot of what we have learned has come from mistakes we have made and difficulties we have endured? I can look back at times in my life and see the growth I’ve personally …

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Hold On Loosely, Don’t Give Up Hope

Moms of teenagers and adult children, oh how I would love to pull up a chair beside you, pour a cup of coffee and commiserate over this new season of parenting you’re in. It’s not an easy transition by any means but I’m hoping that as we sit and visit that you and I both will learn a little bit about how to hold on loosely in this season when you feel like giving up hope. Chances are if you are a child of the 80’s, you’ll remember a song from the band 38 special called, “Hold On Loosely.” In …

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Raising Children with a Faith Goal in Mind

Motherhood can be overwhelming at times. It’s easy to get pulled into the day-to-day details, taking care of tiny needs to the point of distraction, while pushing off the big picture that seems so far ahead of us. Before we know it, our babies have grown from 4 to 14 in the blink of an eye, and it suddenly hits us that the things we hoped to have accomplished may not have even been addressed. This is especially true of doing our part in building their faith. Just like everything else of any value in life, it takes preparation and …

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