It had been a rough season for our family. Between aging parents, financial struggles, moving, and setting up a new business, my husband, Roger, and I were burned out, as in, crispy like bacon that had been left in the oven ten minutes too long. But the hits just kept on coming. More stress. More drama. More of everything I didn’t need—or want. As I became more and more overwhelmed with all that was going on in our life, I kept cutting things out to make room for all the tasks that had to get ... [keep reading]
How will your child change the world someday?
February was Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. From the beginning God has used people from all backgrounds to do heroic things that have changed the course of our country and the world. Share these stories and many more with your child today. JOHN M. PERKINS (1930-present) The son of a Mississippi sharecropper, John Perkins grew up in extreme poverty. His mother died ... [keep reading]
What burritos, donkeys, and cake can (indirectly) teach us about Jesus
Have you ever seen a video demonstrating the size of the planet earth next to the size of our sun? And then the size of our sun next to some of the supergiant stars or even a black hole? You can’t help but become mesmerized by the magnitude of God’s cosmic creations or awestruck by His incredible power, majesty, eternality, creativity, and overall awesomeness. When the Bible Infographics Team first formed, we were equally stunned by one of those videos. We decided collectively that we wanted ... [keep reading]
Is motherhood a thankless endeavor? Here’s how God answers that question.
The truth about motherhood as a profession is that it can be a bit of a thankless one, especially when our kids are very young. In a traditional workplace, the boss passes out “employee of the month” awards. Or she dangles a Christmas bonus in front of our noses to motivate us. My toddlers have dangled a variety of objects in my face at times, but most of them have been slimy, and none have remotely resembled dollar bills (unless they’ve been digging through my purse again). Or maybe, if we ... [keep reading]
How to find the biblical middle ground between self-care and self-denial.
Of the messages being trumpeted the loudest in our culture (and not just in the arena of motherhood), there are few more insistent than that of the alluring siren of self-care. She’s a marketing genius. And she has saturated practically every form of media from advertising to radio. I can’t walk into a coffee shop, turn on the TV, open a magazine, stand in line at the grocery store, or scroll through more than three social media posts without being inundated with suggestions like ... [keep reading]
Mama, who are you following? Why Christ is the only role model worth emulating.
I have a weekly bit I do on my Instagram account called “Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday.” I invite readers, “Ask me anything, and I’ll answer as many questions as I can.” I don’t spend a significant portion of most days on social media (hello: ten kids), but I budget up to two hours (spread throughout the day) to answering questions each Wednesday. I have been asked everything from what products I use on my hair and my best tips for potty training to my thoughts on different Christian ... [keep reading]
Is the weight of your words crushing your kids or affirming their worth?
I doubt anyone will be surprised that, as a mama of ten, I have heard quite the smorgasbord of comments about my crew when we’re out and about. A few of the top contenders will sound familiar to anyone with more than one child close in age: “Are they all yours?” “You know what causes that, right?” “Same dad?” And the ubiquitous-to-the-point-of-groan-worthy, “Bless your heart, your hands are FULL.” Very few of them bother me. Sure, they’re intrusive, and depending on the ... [keep reading]
You can do more as a mom…with Christ’s strength.
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]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- …
- 49
- Next Page »
