There is no way we can raise children who love and follow Jesus if we’re not loving and following Him. Our children can’t follow us somewhere if we’re not going there ourselves. If we love Jesus, we’ll want to listen to Him. If we listen to Him, we’ll love Him even more. And if we truly love Him, that love will spill out onto our children, and draw them to […]
Read More →Category: Motherhood
If I was a perfect parent…
Hi there. This is Daniel posting today while Mama goes crazy helping Susannah plan her wedding. You’ll probably hear from me more often over the next few weeks 🙂 If I was a perfect parent… I could stay up late at night taking care of my babies and never get tired. I would never get impatient or lose my temper. Whenever they cried, I would instantly know what they needed. […]
Read More →Invest Now.
On Tuesday, we spent a little bit of time talking about “courtship”. It’s a challenging topic to talk about because of the different meanings people assign to the word. On another day we’ll discuss some of the pitfalls and common mistakes parents tend to make while overseeing a courtship. Because we’re human and sinners, we’re going to make mistakes. For today, let’s start preparing for the courtship years. Take the […]
Read More →So Easily Irritated . . .
“Love is not easily provoked . . . love bears all things.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4a and 7a) Some of us spent the past month studying our way through 1 Corinthians 13 together. We ran headlong into a lot of convicting words. Two little phrases really stood out to me. Love is not easily provoked. Love bears all things. We found that the word in verse four that describes love […]
Read More →New 30 Days Study Starts on Monday!
I’m a mother. I’ve been a mother of six children ages 10 and under. I’ve been a mother of four teenagers at once. I know how challenging it can be to keep my head above water. (And I know that many of you know even better than I do!) I also know how hard it can be to stay in the Word, right during the seasons of life when we […]
Read More →It’s OK to Feel Inadequate. In fact, it’s good.
Every parent should memorize this verse: ” ‘ My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV) Go into this day, with all its challenges and interruptions and unknowns, remembering that your weakness is the perfect frame to display Christ’s power. God knows we are weak, […]
Read More →Growth is Gradual
In his recent post on 5 Ways we Grow, Tim Challies gave me a good picture of the patience that is required when we’re looking for growth (in our own lives, or in the lives of our children). We are an impatient people accustomed to instant gratification. But fruit grows slowly. A fruit tree grows gradually and over many years of careful and deliberate cultivation. If you purchase a sapling […]
Read More →Are You Building Them Up?
“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” (Romans 14:19) Here’s a simple project to try. Fill a jar or mug with dry beans. Set two glasses next to the beans. Label one jar with a “+” and one with a “–“. Listen to yourself as you go through the day. Every time you say something positive or edifying to […]
Read More →What I Would Do Differently, Part 4
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, ESV) Isn’t it amazing that God entrusts newborn babies to people who have absolutely no experience raising children? I remember the panic mixed with joy that I felt when we finally brought our firstborn home from his weeklong stay in NICU. How could they possibly let me take this child home with me? Don’t they […]
Read More →A Perfect Father Whose Children Rebelled
God is the perfect Father. But His children still rebel. They rebelled in a perfect environment while they had perfect fellowship with Him. They rebelled in the wilderness, even after He opened up the Red Sea for them to walk through. Even after He gave them water out of the rock. Even after He gave them food every day. Even after He demolished city walls and conquered nations before them. […]
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