Since Genesis 3, shame has been Satan’s primary weapon against the sons and daughters of God. The reason shame is so powerful? Because it speaks to the core of our identity. Shame is not only the sense that we’re not enough—but that we’re tragically different. Irreparably damaged. Unworthy of love. ...
Matthew and his parents entered my office and sat down on my couch. Matthew folded his arms and stared out my window. His parents both took a deep sigh as they looked at each other. Feeling the tension in the room, I said, “Thank you for coming in today. You...
I don’t have to tell you that because of COVID-19, our world has changed dramatically. Thanks to the vaccines, we’re beginning to get out into this new world to discover what comes next. And it’s a little scary. In our attempt to re-enter a more normal existence we shouldn’t forget...
When we talk about “purity culture” in the Church, it’s often followed by stories of hurt, anger, and regret. So, what is purity culture, and why are people so upset about it? How did something that set out to be so well meaning and helpful hurt so many? What is...
Bible verses about trusting God are not in short supply. As believers, we know the wisdom and truth behind placing our trust in God rather than ourselves. But when it comes to trusting him with our children, there’s often a tension there, and we can struggle with the release. In...
When I saw the uncontrollable shaking shoulders of my stepdaughter-in-law as she wept at our wedding, I knew the stepmom life was going to be harder than I thought. Since both my husband and I were widowed, I thought our situation would be less complicated, and perhaps it is in...
As I look through photos of raising our family on the road, I see nothing normal about it. Nothing screams abnormal like those first couple of years with Josie. For one thing, we visited forty-eight states in eighteen months, which must have set a world record! She napped in my...
I’m not sure how the Lord is leading you to pray for your children. But here’s what happens. Sometimes these prayers feel like a boomerang. And a boomerang, you throw it. And it gets further and further and further away. And sometimes we pray for these things. And it’s almost...
Questions parents often ask (or maybe just wonder about): How do I protect my child from all the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in this world?How do I help my child stand up for themself and others, while loving like Jesus? Let’s start with the way Jesus modeled this. Though Jesus...
Sometimes mamas need help and advice. But all the time, they need grace. Once upon a time, at Trader Joes, I allowed my three angels to push their own mini-carts. So—they decided to play bumper carts down the aisle of wine bottles. Smack in the middle of the horrific scene,...
Christian parenting in the 21st century can seem daunting—trying to keep up with the advancing technology is nearly impossible. So the question becomes: how do we parent well? Parenting well requires you to be intentional and patient, and it requires us to be engaged in our children’s life, walking with them...
Well, here’s the thing, from the time that our kids are old enough to carry on a conversation with us that doesn’t just involve whether or not they have a poopy diaper, or what color bowl they would like for their snack. From that age, until, basically we’re dead, conversations...
The college domino effect started a few years ago in our house. With five kids, we knew it loomed on the horizon since the days when they were little tykes, convinced that swimming in a plastic pool in the front yard was as close to paradise as one could get. ...
Choosing which type of formal education for our children hasn’t been easy. As a teacher, the cons of the different systems have typically spoken the loudest to me. However, now that we have three school-aged children, I feel like we’ve stepped into a good rhythm with solid expectations for our...
When others hear that we chose to switch from public school to homeschooling pre-COVID-19 (literally months before), I receive lots of questions. First, please understand that what I share and how I share it is not meant to cause anyone to feel like they need to do what we do,...
Months before we got married and years before we became parents, my husband and I sat down and discussed where we would send our hypothetical children to school. OK, technically, I sat my husband down and fired a series of questions at him from a “before you get married” book...
I sat in a student missions training seminar about 6 months ago. What we were facing that week consisted of sleeping on floors, engaging refugee families who didn’t speak much English, teaming up with unfamiliar people, and adhering to someone else’s schedule—which means late nights and early mornings. In our...
But when it came to finding that path for my kids, I knew a verse that was one of the earliest scripture memories for me. And it was something I held on to really tightly. But I kind of got a little, shall we say, off track myself in understanding...
Mom, will you play with me? Pause. Something happens when we become adults. We start to think about education, food, paying the bills, serving, and laundry. Oh, the laundry! Summer hits, and many of us don’t have the same luxury to toss caution to the wind and spend endless hours...
Set an example for your children in practicing these 8 things. This is a powerful idea and word picture for how we live our lives. You can think about this when you’re thinking about how we interact with our kids, how we interact with people, and then the difficult circumstances—and...
