If you’ve got two X chromosomes, you can be a mother. The standards are so low-key that fully 50 percent of the world’s population aces the qualification test before they’ve even taken one breath outside their own mothers’ bellies. But the physical ability to bear children does little to lessen the pang of panicked inadequacy almost every new mother feels upon being handed a tiny mewling infant to take home mere hours after forceful eviction from her body. We buckle their fragile, twiglike ... [keep reading]
Are the kids’ spaces in your home a source of angst or inspiration?
I have learned how to adjust our spaces over the years. I’ve also learned how to adjust my perspective on our kids’ spaces and my hopes for them. Our children are now ten and twelve, and what they need in a creative space is different from what it was in the earlier years. At every age, I want them to feel they belong in our family areas and to know they have a personal area that encourages them, gives them comfort, and shines a light on their personalities. I believe that every home with ... [keep reading]
Is it time to rethink your definition of worship?
In the year of COVID, like so much of the world, church was shut down. I understood why it had to happen—we were in a pandemic, after all—but I missed so much of it. The preaching and teaching, the fellowship, communion, but most of all, I missed the worship. I missed standing shoulder to shoulder with other people who love God and lifting my hands and my heart in praise. I missed that intimacy with God, even amid hundreds of other people. So as with every other situation in 2020, it was a ... [keep reading]
Help your child develop a hunger for the things of God.
There is so much in the world to divert our children’s attention away from the things of God, but when we do our part to teach, instruct, discipline, and train our children in the ways of God . . . when we read them stories from God’s Word, when we teach them how to pray and have faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He’ll do, when we help them get plugged in with godly friends, when we show them that walking with God brings joy and fulfillment, not boredom and ... [keep reading]
A colorful way for your daughter to start the New Year
Join us for insightful and inspiring articles from Christian Mommy and download these free coloring pages from The Power of a Praying Girl by Stormie Omartian. As your little girl adds her creative touches to these beautifully designed pages, she'll be reminded that she can pray to God anytime, anyplace, and about anything. This is a great way to encourage her to pray beyond dinner and bedtime routines. We hope you have a wonderful year! Let us equip you for the awesome responsibility of ... [keep reading]
Why the “bittersweet” part of the Christmas story is actually the sweetest part of all.
Dark chocolate is the most frustrating candy ever made. It’s sweet at first, but it leaves a bitter taste that I just don’t care for. At first glance, Christmas is a holiday that seems all sweet—fun times with loved ones, special music, pretty lights, good food, lots of presents…what’s not to love? Even the biblical story of Christmas seems sweet to us—the new baby, the angels singing, and the star shining all paint a lovely picture. Yet all that sweetness leaves a hint of bitterness. The ... [keep reading]
This Christmas, don’t forget how valuable your gifts are to God.
“Whatever our gifts—whether big or small, seemingly important or barely noticed, on display or done in secret—may we offer them generously to a loving Father who receives our offering with a smile. He takes great delight in us being exactly who he made us to be.” Colossians 3:17 I turned on the radio, and the Christmas carol “Little Drummer Boy” was playing. I’m particularly fond of Justin Bieber’s snappy rendition, but this one by For King and Country captured my attention as I drove home on ... [keep reading]
The gift of God’s grace is free, but it doesn’t come without a cost.
In these excerpts from the devotional Knowing and Enjoying God by Tim Challies, Tim examines three impactful quotes about the amazing gift of God's grace reminding all of us to not get too discouraged or overconfident and to keep pressing forward in knowing God more. *** "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you beyond the the need of God's Grace."Jerry Bridges There can be a subtle danger inherent in a ... [keep reading]
Where in the Bible does the Christmas story truly begin?
Santa Claus, Rudolph, Jack Frost, the Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge—all of these stories have become part of our modern celebration of Christmas. But most people, even those who don’t go to church regularly, could probably tell you that none of these is the real story of Christmas. Everyone knows that the Christmas story started 2000 years ago with the birth of Jesus, right? Actually, no! The story of Christmas actually starts at the beginning of the first book of the Bible, at the very beginning of ... [keep reading]
Do you need a second helping of God’s abundant peace this Thanksgiving?
We need to compose our lives in such a way that we both give and receive, learning to do both with grace, seeing both as parts of a single pattern rather than as antithetical alternatives. Mary Catherine Bateson *** Transitioning into the “spirit of the season” can be tough for many of us. We are nudged by retailers and well-meaning fundraisers to be in the holiday mindset long before we feel ready or willing. It can seem as though someone is always tugging on our heart strings, purse ... [keep reading]
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