For the third time in twenty minutes, I crept into the bedroom where my tiny son was napping. I stared at him, dark lashes against soft cheeks, little rosebud lips, petite fingers curled into a fist. Was he breathing? Of course he was… but I touched his back just to make sure. Then I touched him again, giving him a little shake so that he stirred. With a sigh of relief, I left the room, but I knew I’d be back. This constant hovering was more than ... Read More about When Motherhood is Dark
6 Collections of Humorous & Authentic Real-Life Love Stories
While over-the-top sentimentality and gushy romantic novels aren't my cup of tea, I do love real-life love stories. They're unique, authentic, and often humorous. They display God's endless creativity mixed with the realities of life in a fallen world. They give hope that true love should be highly esteemed. If you're single, real-life love stories can reassure you that God works through all different kinds of circumstances. Don't read with an ... Read More about 6 Collections of Humorous & Authentic Real-Life Love Stories
How A Woman’s Every Day Shapes An Eternal Legacy
There are days the book's title overwhelms me: Only One Life: How A Woman's Every Day Shapes An Eternal Legacy. With three, soon to be four, little ones ages six and under, my “typical” days don’t often look impressive. My head knows what I’m doing is valuable, even if I’m not accomplishing anything beyond the most mundane basics of life, but my heart sometimes fears I’m only leaving a legacy of being overwhelmed by piles of ... Read More about How A Woman’s Every Day Shapes An Eternal Legacy
How to Plant Seeds of Christmas Anticipation
Anticipation has always been my favorite part of Christmas. Even as a small child, I remember Christmas morning being vaguely disappointing, regardless of how wonderful the gifts were. The season was over. There was nothing more to look forward to, no further excitement, no more whispered secrets and suddenly-closed doors and rustling paper. As I grew up, I developed more appreciation for the New Year and “blank slate” that follows Christmas. ... Read More about How to Plant Seeds of Christmas Anticipation
Investing in Hospitality as a Family
Our home wasn't fancy, and there were ten of us. My mom loves decorating, but despite her best efforts, there was always a pair of barn boots somewhere they shouldn't be. My dad is incredibly organized, but he has a back condition that requires him to lie flat at intervals several times a day. It would have been easy for them to push off hospitality until they were “better organized” or “had it all together.” Instead, they opened their home -- ... Read More about Investing in Hospitality as a Family
Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline
Forget meditating (I can’t remember what I’m looking for in the fridge, much less what I read three days ago), fasting (I’ve been pregnant or nursing or both for the past six years), or silence (does that even exist anymore? I’ve forgotten). As much as I miss spiritual disciplines, I just . . . can’t. Not right now. I’m trying to survive. I have three children ages five and under, and life is a bit of a blur. Spiritual disciplines as the ... Read More about Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline
how to catch your breath when you can’t stop running
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) I’m no stranger to hard work. As the oldest, Type-A child growing up on a farm with seven siblings, I learned early that self-discipline and diligence are fundamental to accomplishing goals. I know projects don’t accomplish themselves. I’m a self-starter who enjoys checking things off a list and I don’t mind ... Read More about how to catch your breath when you can’t stop running
Do You Need A Mentor-In-A-Box?
You will always hear me advocating for a real-life mentor: someone who knows you, who sees you on a regular basis, who can cheer you on in your struggles, and call you out on your sins. A mentorship is a relationship, and a good one takes time and trust to develop. I have been blessed to have several mentors in different life seasons, and I am deeply grateful for their investment in my life. But what if you simply can’t find anyone who fills ... Read More about Do You Need A Mentor-In-A-Box?
Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart
I have long wanted to be the parent who doesn’t just dole out punishments when my children disobey. My goal isn’t to produce a little army of “yes men” who blindly obey anyone in authority. I want to raise confident, competent adults who have the inner strength to honor God regardless of what the rest of the world does. I don’t believe in automatic “first-time obedience no matter what” (except to God), but being a permissive parent who is afraid ... Read More about Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart
The Circle of Homemaking
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question most children hear at some point during their growing-up years. My plan wasn’t much, by some standards. I just wanted to be a wife, a stay-at-home mother, and by extension, a full-time homemaker. Making a home isn’t just the “career” I happened to fall into, however. As a young woman, I was deeply influenced by Edith Schaeffer’s books, especially The Hidden Art of Homemaking. I ... Read More about The Circle of Homemaking
Beyond the Hope Chest: Preparing for Marriage (Or Not)
I sat looking glumly at my overflowing hope chest. Once the darling storehouse of my dreams – or at least the place where I stored things for my dream life someday – it seemed to mock me now. How many years had some of those items slept in the chest? I was 27, and after a rough breakup, marriage seemed further away than ever. With a sigh, I closed the chest and turned away. If only I could have seen into the future, for two short years later I ... Read More about Beyond the Hope Chest: Preparing for Marriage (Or Not)
Giving Grace to My Parents
My parents were not perfect parents. I am not a perfect parent. Every day that I parent, I am humbled as I face my own failures. Every day that I parent, I am more able to grant grace to my own parents for what I so often perceived as their failures. I was raised in a very conservative home. Like many (if not all) of you, I don’t agree with every decision my parents made. They made a lot of rules for our family. Some of those rules ... Read More about Giving Grace to My Parents
