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Is My Baby in Heaven?
Have you grieved the loss of a baby or small child? If so, you may have many unspoken or unresolved questions. Or you may have received answers from various sources that are neither biblical nor satisfactory, leaving you with a deeper hurt. Take heart. You can place your confidence in God's grace and goodness. When you get to heaven, your baby will be there.
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Legacy & Family
Author: Lucille Williams My father-in-law passed away this past year. Having served in World War II and following the times of his generation, “Dad,” Wally Williams wasn’t one for emotions or feelings. Men were taught to be men: one must never cry, don’t show weakness, suck it up, man up, and never put your guard down, were the theme of his generation. Some perpetuated that theme to the next generation. Growing up, my husband never heard, “I love you” or “I’m proud of you.” Even as an adult, hearing “I’m proud of you” from his dad didn’t happen. Until… Just before Wally passed, we traveled to see him knowing our…
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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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Memorial Day, A Powerful Teaching Moment
Memorial Day is coming! How many homes and Sunday school classes will make the most of this teaching moment? History is full of memorials. This is a cultural teaching moment opportunity to train our children in the importance of remembering. If we don’t intentionally plan to remember, we won’t. If we don’t preserve what we remember, we forget the most important details, the meaning of the event, the lessons learned, the victories won. The Bible is full of memorials. From Jacob to the calling of Moses in Exodus, to set His people free and continuing throughout the Bible, God sets up memorials. In Genesis 31:45 we see Jacob setting up…
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Pointing Children To Their Strengths
Today our guest poster is Lucille Williams, who has written a children’s book: “Turtle Finds His Talent” is a wonderful addition to your children’s library. Pointing Children To Their Strengths by Lucille Williams When I was in elementary school I can remember feeling extreme panic when the teacher asked the class to read out loud. We would start at one end of the classroom, and as it got closer to my turn, panic would set in. I had trouble reading as a kid, and I’d stop at “small” words as I saw “big” words coming up. During the pause, I’d try to figure out the “big” word. All this to…
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God is looking and listening
Children are our precious resources to raise to lead and be a light in the darkness of this world. As teachers and parents, we are tasked with raising them to honor God, and it is even more evident now how Satan is busier than ever! He is reaching into the hearts of our children. He is infiltrating our families, our schools, and our media. Whether a parent or a teacher, we are called to be careful how we walk, not as unwise but as wise. [Eph 5:15] As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he commanded them to “be imitators of God.” [Eph 5:1] That is the task before us. How…
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The Main Event…Lessons Learned and Embraced from the Ark
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been Noah and his family on the Ark? Do you think it might have been a bit noisy? Perhaps a bit smelly, hot, dark, and uncomfortable? Living on the ark for months would have been an experience and a memory no one would forget. Yet only Noah and his family were chosen to experience God’s saving grace during the main event of judgement that God poured out upon the earth and mankind. Noah’s experience must have been an adventure of a lifetime. Last week my husband and I, along with our two grandsons, had the opportunity to visit…
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The Power of Light…Seeking The Brightness”
Have you ever had to sit in the dark without lights for a few hours, perhaps overnight or a few days? Years ago, my husband and I were traveling from Texas to Delaware. This was a two-and-a half-day drive, so overnight stops were on the agenda. One stop was in Knoxville, Tennessee where we had stayed before and did not expect any surprises. Our hotel was booked for the night and there were a few restaurants close to our location. But as we approached the area, we noticed something was different and a bit strange. The streetlights were out, buildings were dark, and the whole area was in shrouded in…
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Renewed vows to my kids.
Please Welcome the words of my dear friend, Laney Wooten. Laney lives outside of Longview, Texas. She is wife to Jon and Mom to six energetic children, with a mosaic of special needs and talents. Her beautiful words are encouraging and full of promise for a bright, blessed year in this journey of parenting. Well, I’m about 15 years in to this mothering thing and I’ll admit, I’m getting burned out. I know I’m not the only one either. You, like me, probably feel like you’ve just loaded the billionth pile of laundry fully aware that you’ll see it right back in the same place tomorrow. Maybe you’re stuck in…
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Preparing kids for the Lemonade Stand; Parenting from a place of your Redemption
Our recent adventure in parenting involved trying to decide how our boys could have summer jobs despite their young ages. What began as a way for our kids to sell the flowers from their garden morphed into making homemade jellies and apple butter. Turns out that making jellies and apple butter is hard work, and it is not independently done by young kids! After several weeks of working in the kitchen, the boys created a nice stash of apple butter to take to market. We added fresh baked cookies and banana bread to our menu and carefully worked late into the evening on Friday night preparing for the Saturday morning market. …