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 …
When Thanksgiving Gets Stuck in Your Throat
Not everyone will have had a happy Thanksgiving…especially this year. Many are out of work, have issues relating to health, children, or family. Some are facing the holiday season for the first time as they mourn the loss of a loved one or as a divorcee. So, what happens to their thanksgiving and praise when their peace disintegrates into chaos? As I go through trial after trial, circumstance after circumstance, what happens to my praise and thanksgiving? What happens when my day is darkened with a multitude of problems? Do I still sing to Him anyway? You bet! When my …
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 …
5 Simple Ways To Approach Home Organization
While every parent has different levels of comfort in regards to home organization, when the house is in continual disarray, hearts tend to experience the same. Prov. 28:2b “…a man of understanding and knowledge will obtain order.” Recently, a pastor friend described to me the homes that he visits, where the lack of organization affects the family heavily. They can’t find the items they need for daily functioning and this causes punctuality problems. The tardiness then causes extra phone calls for parents to answer or return. The cycle continues resulting in additional work. Many times the family wants to change, …