How To Cultivate A Grateful Heart - A Gratitude Challenge Definition of gratitude: the state of being grateful: Thankfulness As I was having (yet another) discussion about patience with my 3-year-old the other day, things took an unsuspecting twist. Me: Baby girl, where is your patience right now? Baby girl: "In here," she said (pointing to her heart) Me: Right, our patience comes from our heart! Is it hard to be patient? Can we do it on our own? Her: It's hard Mommy, I want to ... continue reading...
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The 10 Best Christian Gift Ideas For Your Tween Girl
So you've got a special tween girl in your life too?? Awesome! Since you're here I am betting you long to see her growing in her faith :) Maybe you've noticed the things about her faith she's processing on her own? Or you hear the good questions she's coming up with? Perhaps you are looking for ways to embrace her independent spirit that's growing and taking form? Tween girls (ages 8-12) need help to learn how to continually redirect their hearts towards the Lord. We've found ... continue reading...
How to Cultivate a Thankful Heart – Gratitude Bible Study
As the season changes, I find myself looking ahead to the upcoming Holidays. I'm looking at the good and.... um, the hectic. Before we hit it head on, I believe fall is a great time for a refocus. My heart has been prompted lately to rethink gratitude. It's hard when you're feeling squeezed, stressed and stuck. When you can't just seem to get a break. I know because I'm there. I also know something else. God is faithful. When I look to Him with a heart of thanksgiving He changes my ... continue reading...
Why all the Hype About Essential Oils?
I stood in front of the "oils shelf" in my local retailer trying to remember what I was told over the years. What kind of oil was supposed to help what? Or was it a combination of two or three? Should I just go with something that smells good? What do I actually do with the oil? Is it effective if I use it here and there? And really - is this "worth it?" How much is this going to cost me? Our family lives on one income! As hard as I tried, I couldn't remember the details. I ... continue reading...
How to Wait on God: 10 Bible Verses to Help!
What then are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them…we must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly. - A.W. Tozer Did you catch that? "Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting" For our "spiritual perfecting" - our spiritual growth and sanctification. ... continue reading...
Intentional Bible Study for Overwhelmed Moms – FREE Monthly Printables!
10 pm and the house was finally quiet. I ran through the checklist in my overwhelmed mind. I grasped at anything that would make me feel accomplished that day ... What could I check off that would say all the busy was "worth it"? Could I find my value that day in how many things I had gotten done? The heart training, caretaking, homemaking & homeschooling left me feeling overwhelmed, disconnected and disheartened. Why? I knew it was what God had called me to do. What was I ... continue reading...
37 Practical Ways to Reclaim Joy in Your Christian Marriage
"Well that didn't go well" my oldest girl proclaimed. She was right. Sadly it was mostly Mom and Dad's attitude that was at fault. After nearly 20 years of marriage, that night we still managed to create what we now call the "s'more fiasco". A time that was supposed to be about enjoying our family, was instead spent snapping at each other, in front of our children none the less. And yes, it was all about .... s'mores. But not really. It ran deeper than s'mores. Now I see clearly that ... continue reading...
6 Ways to Help Godly Girls with Discouragement or Depression
“Mom, I really am OK!” I heard my daughter respond once again to my questioning of how she was doing. It had been a rough spring. In Florida during what should have been a fun-filled Spring Break, we discovered she had broken her right foot. Her left had been broken last fall. New X-Rays revealed a genetic abnormality. An extra bone that made her more susceptible to these kinds of breaks. In her second cast in less than a year, she returned to school in crutches and seven sets of class ... continue reading...
How to be Strong Enough to Stand for Purity in an Anything Goes Culture
In four months my daughter will get married. Her journey through adolescence was similar to other girls. Somedays she had to endure ridicule and name calling for not giving in. And others days she was praised and applauded for saying no. When I told her I was writing this post for moms trying to raise godly girls she shared a few thoughts with me on what we did that helped her stand for purity in an anything-goes culture. Jaclyn is very much like your daughter. Friendly, kind, and involved ... continue reading...
Raising Strong Girls: 88 Acts of Independence and Adventure
Recently, a friend told me I have six more summers with my daughter. Six. Six summers until we are outfitting my girl’s dorm room. Six summers until the world calls her an adult. Six summers until my girl no longer bounces around our house chomping on sour cream and chive potato chips. Six. Really, how can this be? I just delivered the girl once a schedule gave birth last week, and the doctors and nurses told my husband and I we could take our baby girl home from the hospital. We ... continue reading...
Raising Godly Girls: Do You See His Grace?
This may be the most cliche thing I can say as a Mom, but I’m going to say it anyway. I wouldn’t trade one day of raising my teen girls for anything. I'll take each mood swing, each time they talk back, each sweet conversation we have while driving from place to place. Each of these moments is a precious gift to me, and I’m hoping we can sit down for a moment and talk about why. God’s amazing, wonderful, complete and beautiful Grace. I am here today because I am loved with an ... continue reading...
How an Eating Disorder and a Horse Named “Raven” Changed My Life
Part of a Father's story while Raising Godly Girls... The horse named Raven is spectacular. A rather large girl, well over 1200 lbs. and covered in a shaggy long black winter coat of hair, tapering to huge hooves. She is a Percheron, complete with an elegant thundering gait and graceful black flowing mane. Her gentle eyes hide the most remarkable intuition I’ve ever experienced. She has a gaze that gently probes into one’s very soul if you let her. I met Raven in Anderson IN, at a very ... continue reading...
