Guard what goes in & your heart will be better off... Homeschooling mothers, as a whole, are really good at guarding what our children see and hear. The books they read, who they spend time with, the movies they watch - all this and more is carefully considered and managed. But do we manage our own hearts with the same caution and tenacity? There is just too much garbage that is too readily available at too many moments throughout the day. How often are we seeing things that we'd guard our children from seeing? Not every choice is made wisely... Glancing at your phone while y ..read more

  A couple of months ago I found myself taking part in a live webinar that was aimed at helping Christians who do some (or all) of their ministry in the online space. The goal of this event was *supposed* to give lots of encouragement and helpful tips to the webinar attendees, specifically when they speak to people. Now this was meant to include all types of speaking - podcasting, interviews, going live on social media...pretty much any circumstance involving speaking or being part of a live event.  And it was touted as a way to be more comfortable in this role and in your own ski ..read more

     Want to see your prayer life grow & your faith increase? You're in the right place! In this course, expect to see your prayer life grow and your faith increase. Jan's diagnosis of heart failure plunged her into a lifestyle of living, breathing & praying the Word of God, and Psalm 91 has become a portion of the Bible that has changed her life. Jan is the founder of the online prayer retreat group "Praying Through the Storm" & she has been the host of several live multi-day prayer retreat events as well as a 17-week long study of Psalm 91. Come along on a j ..read more

Hey there, friends!  Today's blog post is difficult to share...because it's about a friend who is facing a tremendous struggle in her family & my heart is just so heavy for her.  Can I take a quick moment to share her story, and ask you to pray for her and her family? From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading this post! In the tapestry of life, there are moments when our paths intersect with the struggles of others, and we are presented with a profound opportunity to make a difference. In our journey through life's challenges, we discover the immense power of compassion ..read more

 Anybody else read 1 Samuel chapter 2 and see some commonalities in the way many people raise their children today? I don't think we can, or should, expect the world at large to apply God's Word to their parenting. But when those in the Church don't take the Bible seriously enough to allow it to influence the way they raise their children, well, there's a problem. A big one. The Lord is holy. The story of Eli's wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, reminds us of this truth with total clarity and unwavering certainty. God. Is. Holy.  When we allow our children to take God's holiness for g ..read more

  Ever written one of those beginning of the school year essays? You know the ones I'm referring to. The attempt to ease students back into the swing of things, coupled with the simultaneous attempt to ease teachers back into the chaos of things, which would somehow be achieved by requiring every-single-student to answer the same question they answe4red last year...and the year before...and so on, ad nauseam.  This blog post is basically my adult, non-student, never-going-back-to-school-because-I'm-north-of-fifty version answer to the question, "What did you do this summer?" Spoil ..read more

 Anybody else out there in the ginormous world of the internet feel like they could use some clear guidance? Maybe some extra insight into what is going on in the world around us and how to navigate all-things-crazy?  I don't want to speak for anyone else, but for me personally, time has somehow paused but also been on fast forward since spring of 2020. It's confusing and hard to try explaining with my words... and I am honestly wondering if anybody else has been feeling this way? Some sort of way?  I read a Bible verse recently that was helpful and reminded me that God is sti ..read more

  What words would I want to put down on paper (or on virtual paper via, say, a blog post) if I knew they would be my last and final words? What would the Lord want me to say? What words would matter most? People’s last words may be carefully chosen and well-listened to. Planned out and penned with intention and care and focus. I do not pretend to know when my very last opportunity to write, to speak, to share will be. God alone knows such things, and none of us will ever be able to answer the question of “How long?”. And so we probably need to weigh our words carefully and say the t ..read more

  Are things changing?  Does it seem like there is an almost palpable change taking place? And that it’s going to lead to more and more changes?  Sort of like we are all just waiting for the other shoe to drop… but the state of the world has changed so much since the spring of 2020, the second shoe dropping could turn out to be almost anything at all.  It feels like nothing would surprise us; the bottom has fallen out on the shock value. And yet, something heavy is hanging in the air.  Things have changed so much in recent years, and things will continue to chan ..read more

 Well, hey there! It's the very last day of May. And honestly, after the last couple of years I feel that it is more important than ever to recognize and celebrate as many milestones and opportunities as we possibly can. The end of a season - the end of a homeschool year - is worth celebrating. The start of a season - the beginning of a summer that doesn't feel quite as constricted & contained & confined as the last couple of summers have felt - this is also worth celebrating. If you've just finished up the homeschool year, I'm over here yelling "CONGRATS!!! Way To Go!!!" at the ..read more