Children need to see the world as a good and safe place. This statement has always been a cornerstone of my parenting philosophy. Since my husband and I brought home our first baby, over sixteen years ago, this belief has shaped our actions and has acted as a filter. Mistakes aplenty have been made, but this is something I believe we got right.
Sadly, the world isn’t always a good and safe place. I know that, and so do my kids, but their exposure to the news and to adult problems was delayed and gradual. Thankfully, as kids mature, and a parent’s ability to control information declines, kid’s coping mechanisms also increase- particularly with loving guidance and Biblical teaching in the ways of God.
Read moreI found this writing prompt on Holly's blog and thought that the first question, in particular, would be a good way to share the mission and purpose of this blog. The other questions were good, too, so I went ahead and answered them.
Why Do I Write What I Write?
I want my writing to encourage people to let go of worry, and to trust in God and his amazing grace.
Read moreThe point is not to find a place for God in our story but to receive the good news that God has found a place for us in His- Michael Horton.
It’s a shift in thinking that makes all the difference. Who is the story about? The gospel, which encompasses the stories of creation, the fall, redemption, and renewal, is God’s story, and we are invited into it. As Christians, we must approach our life, the world, God, and others through this lens. When we turn it around, trying to find a place for God in our story, we’re missing the point. When we make God’s story about us, we have religion.
Read moreAn unfailing trust in the wisdom of God acknowledges that our existence, our history, every part of how God made us is used for his glory and good.
Have you ever heard the story of The Cracked Pot? I'm writing about how if relates to trusting in the wisdom of God and how he made us over at Pressing in and Pressing On. Please, click here to go read!
Read moreOnce again, it's time for "What I Learned", a link-up with Emily @ Chatting at the Sky, where we look back on the past month and share the little treasures we gathered along the way. Sometimes silly, always fun. If you want to join in, link up here.
1. I'm learning an old truth, in a new language, and gaining a tighter grip on what it means to trust God with all my heart, to live small. This seems to be a lifelong lesson for me, for many of us. The metaphors of Tuesdays, cities and benches, stairwells and stages, which Emily uses in her new book, Simply Tuesday, offered a fresh perspective I needed, at just the right time.
Read moreEvery Wife’s Choice: Loving Beyond the Mood of the Moment, by Sarah Fairchild is a book for imperfect wives who want to have good marriages. Sarah addresses the question of what to do when our best efforts aren’t good enough, by using a familiar passage from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 as an outline for this refreshingly honest look at love and marriage. .
Sarah’s approach to this well known scripture passage goes beyond the clichés and gets deep, using Greek word study to better understand what God has to say about loving our spouses well.
Read moreEverybody has insecurities, those areas of life where we want to hold on a little tighter and maintain control, when really, God is in control- whether we acknowledge it or not. I may think I'm trusting God with all heart- but when I feel threatened in one of these places of insecurity, when I start feeling more stressed than normal, because I want control, this is a an indication that I may have elevated a good thing into a god thing, an idol. Anything that we elevate in importance over God can become an idol.
For me, it's home, my kid's happiness, and financial security (all good things) that tend to occupy a place in my heart that can easily slip into idolatry. All three were threatened earlier this summer, after a single phone call.
I wrote a guest post for my friend Holly, one day after that call. In it, I was reminding myself, as much as anyone else, about trusting God in situations of uncertainty- and I outlined 10 practical ways to deal with stress.
You can read that post here.
p.s. I followed the advice I gave, and with lots of prayer and help from the Holy Spirit, I got through a scary time just fine. God really was in control. The house sale is happening, and it's expected to close next week!
Read more“But love, in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will; the state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to have about other people.” – C.S. Lewis
The quote above is from C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity. (affiliate link) The command from Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31) is clear, leaving no room for argument. It’s a basic tenant of Christianity. Even people outside the faith know about this rule…and yes, they’re watching, to see how we do (or do not) follow through on it. It sounds simple, but what does it really mean to love your neighbor as yourself?
Read moreFear grips tightly. I struggle daily to throw off the chains of fear. I pray. I focus my mind on that which is true and of good report. I meditate on scriptures, which remind me to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and my faith is made stronger. Fear is replaced with peace. Sometimes.
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