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Can Christians be afraid?
Like any good social media user, I recently sat as a fly on the wall of an internet debate regarding how God treats fear. I “listened” as people passionately argued that fear is simply something we shouldn’t do. The conversation began because a popular Christian author suggested that it is okay to be afraid, going on to say that God will be with us in our emotions. The thread continued for quite some time, working to solidify the idea that as believers we simply aren’t supposed to be afraid, and when you are, you are out of line with scripture. I am sensitive to shame in the Christian culture…
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Motherhood is a Ministry
Recently, while visiting with a college student, listening to her explore her thoughts, hopes, and questions regarding career, ministry, and motherhood; I could tell that her aim was to get it right. When I pitched the idea that motherhood is a ministry she responded by saying that she had never thought of it that way. So here we are. Perhaps you too can be encouraged to know motherhood is in fact, a ministry. You can call it a job if you’d like, it certainly isn’t an idle pastime. In my own journey as Mom, I have organized my time in various ways. I have homeschooled, never left the house, worked…
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Fill Your Tank in the New Year
Of all the book titles I have encountered, Daniel Handlers, “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” has by far felt the most relatable to me. At times, on the more eventful days, it is painful to reflect on just how chaotic the day can be! Recently, in the midst of the chaos of the Christmas season once such day stood out to me. In the course of 24 hours I had attempted to cram every good and right thing in. In the spirit of fitting it all in, I woke up early determined to exercise, like a good girl. The only downside to this plan was that I had stayed up…
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Releasing “Mom Guilt”
Once upon a time I served as an educator. While serving a special needs family, the mom revealed to me that she felt like her daughter’s disability was a punishment for her own sins. This mom was steeped in deep grief, somehow allowing herself to believe that she was personally responsible for her child’s cognitive disability. I knew her to be a healthy mom in a healthy home environment. She was actually a wealthy mom with all the comforts this modern world offers. Despite having the American dream, she was unable to enjoy the rich blessings of her life due to this story of guilt she had written for self. …
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I would “kill” for what you have; tackling the strength of jealousy
Recently, one of my older boys had a headache. I swooped in with all my Mom might and offered comfort, medication and syrupy words of compassion. It only took seconds for me to meet the gaze of my preschool boy and watch him suddenly declare that his stomach hurt; he too was in need of Mom’s attention and affection. At one point or another, nearly all of us have stood by and witnessed someone else receive something we desperately long for ourselves. Whether it’s affection, praise, opportunities, promotions, relationships, the heart longs for so much and nearly always notices when someone else has the thing we want. The story of…
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Prepare for Academic Success this School Year with One Small Family Tradition that Yields Big Results
As we prepare for the school year, most schools kindly offer up a detailed list of the supplies our kids will need for classroom success. I appreciate my child being well prepared for the upcoming year, but I am also aware that many of my goals for them are not actually academic. Consider one simple part of your family routine that has big results for your student’s academic success; family meal time! While we are focusing on the academic career of our children, it can be easy to forget the integral role our family routines and home environments play in their overall stability and success. Family meal time is a…
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Strolling to the Finish Line, an invitation to slow down this summer
Summer time is a special time in our home, and by “special” one might say stressful. There is confusion somewhere in between the desire for me to be at home with my precious children which I balance with my work life (which I also love). I devote the majority of my time to my children, which essentially means that… I devote the majority of my time to my children! With little time to myself in the summer, I have struggled with feeling overwhelmed. I found myself giving myself a pep talk that sounds like this, “You’ve got this! Run your race well.” After a few minutes, I was stopped by…
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The impact of your story, and why you should tell it
In isolation, the human experience can begin to feel unique. In the spaces of silence, we can begin to feel ashamed by our struggles, and the silence will grow louder still. It’s not long before we believe that we are broken or undeserving of love because we are just so uniquely bad. The sacred act of telling our stories not only breaks the silence and connects people together, but it takes the name of Jesus far and wide. Rahab reminds us that stories of God spread among people and hearers are often moved to greater depths of faith, service and understanding of who God is. “I know that He Lord has…
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“I don’t like surprises! I just want to know when Jesus is going to come back.”
As bedtimes so often go, my four-year-old uses the last few minutes of the day in hopes that he can begin a conversation that will require me to linger just a little bit longer. Most recently, he began a line of questioning that started with curiosity about the new heaven and the new earth, and then morphed into an intense desire to understand Jesus’ triumphant return (Rev. 21:1, Matt. 24:42-44). He did not receive the news well when I explained that Jesus says we won’t know when he’s coming back. Worst case scenario, we wait. If you have parented any preschoolers recently, then you know that waiting is not one…
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What can I give the Lord when I have nothing left?
I grew up in a tradition that observed the season of Lent. Every year as a young person we were encouraged to sacrifice something in order to honor the sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross and to help us as believers to focus on the Lord as we prepared for Easter. I believe there are a vast number of ways that Lent is used and observed, but as a young person this is what I understood it to be. My most memorable “sacrifice” was soda. I remember because I was in the sixth grade and after my 40 days of soda sobriety, I can honestly say I have never…