Summer is upon us! Which means pool days, vacations, VBS, and lots of ice cream. It also means lots of our schedule and routines are all out of wack. And that's slightly delightful. But in the midst of all this disruption, one practice we should safeguard is spending time daily in the Bible and in prayer. Why is a daily practice (of any length) so important for our lives? How can neglecting our spiritual formation actually be harmful to our families? And does a personal devotional p...
Do you ever feel that your house is nothing but bad diaper smells, legos under the table and clutter? Is it even possible to have a "pretty house" during the season of motherhood? Or is it just frivolous to desire?And if not, how does one decorate sensibly without breaking the bank?Join me for a two part series with Rebecca Gallop, the creator of A Daily Something and a homeschool mom to five living in West Virginia, about seeking out loveliness from a gospel perspective.In this episode we co...
"You must do something to make the world more beautiful." -- Miss RumphiusGod, the ultimate designer and cultivator, created the world with unmistakable beauty. Everywhere we look we see evidence of God’s glory in what he has formed. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1-2 As moms who are made in the image of God, how can we bring beauty and creativity into our domains and spheres of influence? At at the core, wha...
What is it about green growing things that is so appealing? Why do we tend to feel so alive and at peace in a beautifully cared for garden? What deep eternal truths does God have to teach us through the process of tending the ground? In the midst of plant decapitating toddlers, is their hope for our plants? Listen in for loads of gardening tips with kids of all ages and reflections on the God who has given it to us all with the dearest Chelsea Svendsen.
It's growing season! The weather is turning warming and it is time to get out into the dirt with out kids.During this two part conversation, I chat with Chelsea Svendsen -- homeschool mom to four, almost five kids, a student of horticulture, greenhouse gardener, manger of the account, Life In the Yellow House -- all about Gardening.In the first half of our conversation (posted today) we discuss various methods for preparing our soil and easy, non intimidating ways to get started with ga...
If there's one thing that drives me to prayer, it's my kids! It can be so hard to know how best to love and to parent them! Especially in the area of discipline. Join for part three of our conversation with Kim Seville on discipline. Today Kim goes through and addresses a number of frequently asked questions --what if we are running late? What if my child "doesn't hear" me? Are timeouts effective? Should I give my kids a countdown?And finally, we'll briefly consider a bad example of disc...
Some cultural streams seem to suggest that children may not need discipline, but just redirection. Redirection can be a glorious and wonderful thing. But are there times that a child needs to be corrected in his or her ways?When do you know if a child needs correction? How exactly does a parent discipline in a loving and effective way? What are the various stages of development? When should a parent discipline? When should a parent let some things slip?Join for part two of a three part conver...
What is corrective discipline and why do kids need it? What's the difference between formative and corrective training?Why is it harmful to our kids and to our own hearts to withhold training? How does training our kids also train us to see God’s authority rightly?How is neglecting discipline an act of sin on our part? Is there any encouragement for the mom who feels like all she does all day is correct sinful behavior?Tune in for this encouraging conversation with Kim Seville –counseling lea...
Did you know that the paschal, or Easter Greeting, "Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed," likely dates back to the earliest days of the Christian church? The marvel of the resurrection of Christ has been capturing the hearts and minds of Christians since the first disciples discovered in wonder that the stone had been rolled away.Holy Week, or Great Week as it is known in some traditions, is worth celebrating and observing! On the episode today we will discuss the history of Holy Week observa...
In James 1:27 we read:"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. "But the reality is that adoption usually doesn’t involve “Annie” style storylines. All kids will struggle at points during their development, but children who have been through the foster care system often have nuanced challenges.In light of this, how can the church better come alongside and c...
Winter months can be a little dark, and “blah.” Most of us love Christmas, but when it comes around to late February and early March we are desperate for some tulips to start blooming. What do we do with these gloomy months of waiting? And how does the waiting help prepare us for the glories of Spring? What is the connection between waiting and rejoicing? Why is waiting such a big part of the individual Christian’s life and the life of the church across the ages?In particular, how c...
And Happy Valentine’s Day – A Day of love! But beyond a day filled with cute cards, I love any reminder –in my calendar or otherwise, to show tenderness and affection to the people that I love most. Today we are going to start a three part series on creating an atmosphere of affection within our homes.We will consider how to daily choose to practice love, recognize that we are always either moving closer to one another or further apart, and think through some simple rhythms to show tende...
Welcome to the month of love! A full episode on cultivating an atmosphere of affection is coming next week.But, today in preparation for Valentine's Day next week tune into this short bonus! We'll talk briefly about the history of Valentine's Day as well as chatting through a couple of easy ways to celebrate the day with small people."The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of ...
Attending church with little kids can feel a little bit like wrangling monkeys. But in the long view, faithful church participation is always worth it.The best way for us to find joy and contentment in our calling as moms --or any calling for that matter --is to grow in our fear of the Lord. And one of the primary tools God uses to build up his saints is the local church.As Eugene Peterson has argued, corporate worship “gives us our frame for life – it grounds us, centers us, and unifies us.”...
Pregnancy tends to be a mixed bag for most of us.From extreme fatigue, vomiting, swelling in the most uncomfortable places, off the charts hormonal swings, to that unavoidable weight gain, pregnancy can be a physical, emotional, and spiritual challenge for the majority of us.During a time when so many things feel out of whack, how do we think well about maintaining fitness during and after pregnancy? Is my body a trophy for my own glory or a vessel for His use?If Christ has primary ownership ...
Welcome to 2024! The start of the new year is also a helpful time for considering our ways and specifically how we spend our time.Scripture teaches us that our lives are like a midst, we are here today and gone tomorrow. How are we spending our time? What do our days look like? In what ways may God be calling us to re-evaluate our schedules? What things are most important to us? In essence what are our priorities and how will it look like to accomplish our goals in the new year?As D...
For many of us, motherhood is anything but easy. From blowouts, to tantrums, learning difficulties, health problems, constant noise, conflict inside and outside our homes --the possibilities for us to feel like we are in an impossible season are endless. Sometimes this feeling of “hard” can feel completely overwhelming.And the truth is that some of the demands of modern parenting that feel really hard are signs that something actually is wrong. When things are hard and overwhelming it i...
Advent, which officially begins this Sunday, December 3rd is a tradition that has been celebrated by Christians since the 5th century.Advent, understood rightly, is a time for Christians to look back at God’s work in bringing the infant Savior into the world and look forward to when Christ will return as the glorious King to judge the living and dead and make all things new, right, and beautiful. There are many different, valid and good ways to celebrate advent. In this episode I'll wha...
The Lord chose to reveal himself to us through a story --a story that actively shapes us the more we study and understand it. But it's not only the gospel narratives that we see in scripture that can shape us --all stories have a profound ability to cast us in their image. The question is, what kind of stories are we listening to? As moms, why should we be particularly thoughtful about the stories that are defining our family culture? Not in a way that is fearful, but in a way that ...
November is a time when many of us begin thinking more about service and giving. Our mailboxes begin to fill up with donation requests and full color gift catalogues and we often begin thinking about who we can bless others during the holiday season.To that end, how can we invite our kids into the process of giving and serving? In what ways might we provide our kids opportunities to practice serving and giving within their regular rhythms? How can we, without being burdensome and overwhelming...