Today I’m delighted to turn over my blog to my good writing bud Nicole O’Dell. I love her heart for tweens and teens. And my daughter adores her writing. Today she’s here to share a bit about a new series of books I’m excited to see…these books explore Hot Button issues. The ones we as parents can’t ignore and the ones …
How do we show love at home? I Corinthians 13
Now that Mother’s Day is over, and it’s back to real life…I wanted to share this version of I Corinthians 13 that Family Life emailed. It is spot on… If I live in a house that is spotless, perfectly in order, and people are not free to LIVE because my home is more important than my family, I have not …
Parenting Styles: there’s one for everybody
Recently, we had some friends over for dinner. They came with their clan that mixed with our clan and a glorious time was had by all…until one of the boys decided to send a chair down the stairs with our little angel on it. She survived without being battered or bruised, and his parents took him to task for his …
What I Didn’t Know by Rhonda Shrock
I always knew I wanted to be a mother. As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads. Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn’t know. This morning over my fresh-ground coffee, this mother of 22-1/2 years scratched out a list of …
He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey
As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much …
What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer
Becoming a mother is a complicated thing. Not only am I trying to negotiate a relationship with my child, I am trying to negotiate a relationship with myself as I attempt to determine how I mother, how I feel about mothering, how I want to mother and how I wish I was mothered. —?Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3 Sometimes …
She’s…My Everything by Suzanne Woods Fisher
“A mother is one who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.” –Cardinal Mermillod Just a few more months. My mother was hoping Dad would hang on long enough so they could celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in April. But on January 1st, as the sun rose on the new year, my …
Joy Comes from Perseverance by Sheila Walsh
One of the most important lessons I have learned in my own life is the joy that comes from perseverance. Eugene Peterson, borrowing a phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote his book “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction …Discipleship in an Instant Society.” He points to the Psalms as the way believers have always learned to pray what they live …
How would my parenting change?
On Friday I wrote about how I wondered about my legacy after the death of a young man from our church. The other direction my thoughts spiraled was to his parents. There was no warning that Saturday would be his last. No chance to say good-bye. My heart broke for them — not for the young man. And I began …
Teaching friendship
Me and my longest running friend Joanna Friendship is hard work. Distance can get in the way. A busy schedule. Simple drifting apart. I’ve been reminded of that this week as I’ve tried to help my oldest navigate a tricky situation. What a a challenge. I’ve been trying to remember what it was like as a tween or early teen. …
