I read too much. Don’t misunderstand—reading is powerful and beautiful and a gift that I am so thankful for, I don’t even have words to explain it. But I still read too much at times. I know this because two years ago, I was reading everything I could get my hands on about parenting. We had a struggling adopted child, and I was researching and reading parenting theories left and right. I was 100% willing to change everything about my ... Read More about To the Mom Who is Trying So Hard to Just Get it Right
Motherhood
When Motherhood is Dark
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
When Your Confidence as a Mom Is Shaken
Every mom knows the feeling. Things are going well, and then suddenly, something happens that throws your world into a parenting whirlwind. Maybe someone criticizes your parenting choice, or your normal routine does not work leaving you clueless as to how to care for your child, and you lose your momfidence, my word for “confidence in mothering instincts.” The first time it seriously happened to me, and I mean seriously -- like as in ... Read More about When Your Confidence as a Mom Is Shaken
how to make your life story God’s battle cry
Today I have the privilege of introducing you to one of my personal heroes, Jordyn Glaser. Jordyn is married to my cousin Brian. Together, they are saying yes to the hard things God calls them to, stepping out in faith without waiting to see how God will provide. Brian and Jordyn’s story has had a poignant impact on our family through the years. And now, Jordyn is sharing their moving testimony in her new book, Battle Cry. Here’s a glimpse ... Read More about how to make your life story God’s battle cry
You Brought Me So Much Joy, Little One (a story of miscarriage)
Gilia. That’s the name I chose for the little one we lost, the baby who passed from my womb before we had announced her presence. It's Hebrew, pronounced Ghee-lee-yah, and means Eternal Joy. She was too small to know for sure her gender, but my husband said from the moment I showed him the second line on the test, “This one is another girl.” He had a perfect record on our other three, so following his lead, I decided ... Read More about You Brought Me So Much Joy, Little One (a story of miscarriage)
Mercy Womb
"And her offspring will crush the head of the serpent…" (Genesis 3:15) The opening three chapters of Genesis are known to most of us for their purpose in describing the origin of life, and establishing the character of God as creator. The depth of these few chapters; however, is as unending as God is eternal. Though a passage of prose, the poetic quality of the Hebrew reading of the Bereshit (beginning) is much more beautiful than we gather ... Read More about Mercy Womb
Sowing Seeds of Prayer for Our Children
I first started praying for my son Aviel (and any brothers or sisters yet to come) when I was twenty, seven full years before he was born. (Aviel, pronounced ah-vee-EL, is a Hebrew name meaning "My father is God.") Honestly, I wish I had started sooner! In my early single days, it simply never occurred to me to pray for my children. After all, I didn't know if God would bless me with a husband. Praying for my children seemed totally ... Read More about Sowing Seeds of Prayer for Our Children
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
Where are the Spiritual Mothers? A Titus 2 Vision for Friendship
"I just need some help." This wasn't the first time total and utter exhaustion had settled in. Being pregnant with number three made for many challenges while chasing a toddler and spending countless hours on the city bus getting my bigger one to school. "Can you call someone to come over?" my husband asked. My mind went blank. All of my close friends were in the trenches, just like me. Besides that, as much as an extra set of hands ... Read More about Where are the Spiritual Mothers? A Titus 2 Vision for Friendship
best parenting books hand-picked by moms like you
I gave up on parenting books years before I became a mother. While many of my friends were devouring them in stacks, I found myself wandering a maze of conflicting opinions and parenting style wars that ranged from mild eye-rolling to outright heated controversy between people in my circles. And the older I got, the less I wanted to do with any kind of mommy wars--or the books that inspired them. And when I finally picked up a book on ... Read More about best parenting books hand-picked by moms like you
books on motherhood that have challenged me
Now I know why my mom never really finished books when we were growing up. Because now I have those same stacks of half-finished books everywhere -- by the bed, near the couch, on my desk beneath my Bible. Each one is supposed to inspire me just by sitting there, right? Can I absorb traits of excellent motherhood via visual osmosis? Maybe not quite. But they are a reminder of the truths hidden inside the covers, even if I don't get to stick ... Read More about books on motherhood that have challenged me
books for when motherhood becomes a full-time job
When my eldest children grew out of naptimes and into kindergarten, I hit what I call "full-time motherhood". Truth is, when they nap, you get a break; when they don't nap, you don't. I was facing more than twelve hours a day caring for children whose needs and desires were maturing beyond food and clean pants. I needed to grow, too, in order to learn to parent them well. I headed to the nonfiction shelf for some answers. I'd been skipping ... Read More about books for when motherhood becomes a full-time job
