While I’m an avid gardener now, I didn’t grow up with a love for gardening. Is that weird? You’d think that for someone who’s as into flowers and plants as I am, I would have been growing things my whole life, perhaps inspired by a talented gardener in my family, but that wasn’t the case. My gardening journey began with a few houseplants in that tiny condominium. And I can honestly tell you that I did not achieve success with them. I repotted them, watered ... [keep reading]
What taking your weakness to God really means
“Take your weakness to Jesus.” That’s easy to say. But what exactly does it mean? Taking our weakness to Jesus involves at least three things. 1. We must know that we are weak. Weakness, simply put is a lack of strength, the inability to act or produce an effect. To be weak is to be unable to do certain things or make things happen. We are all weak in one way or another. Unless we’re willing to admit that, we can’t begin to deal with our weakness. The one who cannot confess their ... [keep reading]
This hard truth will help you see a greater harvest
“What happened here?” Jess slows the car on a dusty gravel road. We are passing a vineyard in the heart of Italy and there are thousands of ripe grape clusters lying on the ground below the vines, row after row. He stops the car so we can take a closer look. “Maybe they’re coming through later to gather them,” I say, and bend down to pick up a cluster. The grapes are perfect, plump, and full of juice. We garden and live on a farm and the idea of these grapes withering in the sun is hard to ... [keep reading]
This spring, cultivate the good gifts of your holistic garden
When I first began gardening, I grew vegetables. Is lettuce a vegetable? Well, let’s just say I was trying to grow food, although not very successfully. I was a half-hearted gardener who wilted in the summer heat faster than my lettuces in their Beatrix Potter rows. And yet even in those days, the few cherry tomatoes and the handful of fresh basil I harvested for a big pasta salad seemed made of sheer joy and wonder. Even a modest harvest can fill us up with a delicious pride. I found more ... [keep reading]
How to help your child win the battle for self-control
Just like our kids, we parents face temptations every day in our battle for self-control. And no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to eradicate our unhelpful behavior until Jesus changes our hearts. Sheer willpower will take us only so far. We might think, "Look! I did it! I have finally overcome my issues with self-control" . . . only to find ourselves falling down the slippery slope all over again. As you seek to help your child grow in self-control, ... [keep reading]
8 essential foods you should be storing at home right now
A well-stocked pantry in your dry storage, fridge, and freezer will not only be a blessing during hardships or emergencies, it will help reduce the temptation to spend more during each shopping trip on those items you tend to add to your cart whether you need them or not. When you are intentional about having extra supplies on hand, you can breeze right by those items and shelves and only buy from the planned list you have in hand. EIGHT FOODS TO STORE AT ... [keep reading]
Letting God lead: The reward found in faithful parenthood
When it comes to being the spiritual leader of my home, I like to think of myself less like an expert and more like a guide. I love to be outside and to explore the outdoors. Because of my highly spontaneous personality, I often say to my kids, “Let’s go on an adventure!” We stuff a backpack full of snacks and head out to explore a trail we’ve never been to. As we hike, I feel like it’s my job to point out all the amazing things happening around us. My kids like to move fast, ... [keep reading]
How Stories Shape Your Child and Reveal the Perfect Storyteller
We were driving down the highway when my son shut his book, looked up at me in the rearview mirror and asked, “Mom, why do all stories end the same? Why do they always have a good ending?” “Do you remember the parts of the gospel, bud? Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation and how that’s the story God is writing for all of us? Well, authors, regardless of if they love God or not, usually can’t help but follow that same pattern, because it’s inherent in all humans. It’s written on our ... [keep reading]
Made by God: Helping your child celebrate who they are
On January 1, 2019, I started a yearlong painting challenge. My first piece was of a paperwhite bulb in a favorite geometric-patterned planter sitting on the kitchen counter. I added a shadow to mimic other artists and captioned it “A Paperwhite Waiting to Bloom.” All year, every single day, I painted. I set up a desk in my office to keep all my supplies out, and each afternoon, as I quieted my mind, I chose a subject to sketch and paint. Some paintings told stories about the day—a ... [keep reading]
How to Listen When God Is Speaking
No one would describe me as Pentecostal. Especially as a college student, I pursued a faith that was very logical, very reasoned, very explainable. Everything fit in a tidy faith-box. So you can imagine my surprise when, in a moment of deep skepticism and eye-rolling-judgement, I first heard the voice of God. *** I was in a very early-aughts musical worship chapel (I had, you see, put off attending chapel nearly all semester and was making up chapel credits wherever I could get ... [keep reading]
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