“How are you?” “I’m well rested, thank you!”…said no one ever! The reality is, most of us are living our lives, day after day, without enough rest. When I say most of us, I mean adults and kiddos alike. Over-scheduled and sleep deprived, we aren’t able to fully live out the abundant lives Jesus describes in John 10:10. We all want rest and need rest. We are made in the image of our Creator who weaved rest into the fabric of Creation. “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it h ..read more

Have you ever had a bad day? You overslept, didn’t get to take your shower, hit every red light on the way to work, only to see the check engine light come on in your car while driving there? As adults, hopefully we have the mental and spiritual capacity to drag ourselves from the deepest pit of “bad day” despair and not let it affect our attitude going into the office and poisoning everyone we come into contact with.  Have your kids ever had a bad day? Did they struggle putting their socks on just to spill their milk making their cereal, and get the orange gummies packed for lunch becaus ..read more

Many people ask me if the CMHC Ministry is my full-time job.  The answer to this question is… no.  I am a full-time health education professor in Christian higher education and have been working in this field for over twelve years.  My time in the classroom is what I would consider the “birthplace” for the CMHC Ministry.  There has been a dramatic shift in the culture of our youth and young adults in the last ten years.  I know this because I have very open and honest discussions in my courses.  Each passing year I always get what I would consider a “shock-stateme ..read more

It’s the time of year where summer is quickly coming to an end and the preparations for a new school year have begun.  For us moms this involves shopping for school uniforms, bookbags, school supplies, sneakers, and anything else needed for the start of a new year.  Our minds must begin to prepare and plan for pickups, drop-offs, sports, bedtimes, and school lunches.  Some of our children are starting new schools while others may be returning to the same school but in different classes.  No matter the circumstances, all of our children will likely be introduced to new peers ..read more

Have you ever heard the phrase it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks?  The older I get, the more I realize how much truth is found in this statement.  Many people believe it takes 21 days to form a new habit.  This idea came from a plastic surgeon by the name of Dr. Maxwell Maltz who stated it took a minimum of 21 days for his patients to get used to the visual changes in their appearance.  He took his theory a step further into writing a book about his observations of his own behaviors, reiterating the 21-day minimum for adoption.  People who read his book removed ..read more

As parents, specifically Christian parents, we are fully aware of the major cultural changes that are happening in America.  When I speak with moms at different ministry events, they often verbalize the anxiety they are feeling in trying to raise children in what they would consider “unsteady ground”.  I can understand the basis of these feelings when we live in a society where children are able to choose their own genders, promiscuous behaviors are being promoted, and drugs are being legalized.  There are major cultural shifts happening and we are called to stand firm in our fa ..read more

Disciplining children has become a hot topic with varying opinions and beliefs.  In the medical field there is currently a push against discipline as punishment and advocates for disciplining children in a “fair” manner.  What does this mean?  It means physicians recommend disciplining children in a way that the children themselves deem fair and acceptable.  Along with this “fair discipline” push, is the strictly positive reinforcement approach.  Positive reinforcement does not focus on the things children do wrong but instead rewards the behaviors parents want their c ..read more

When I was growing up my whole life was sports.  I traveled all over the country playing in major fastpitch softball tournaments.  I cannot count the number of hours I spent practicing and preparing for softball competitions.  Not only did I prepare offensively, but I prepared defensively.  Let us look at the difference between offense and defense: Offense – also known as attack…is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team. Defense – being under attack and making efforts to prevent the opposing team from scoring to achieve the win. Any given player or team’s succ ..read more

In 2019 it was reported that only 14% of Americans smoked cigarettes.  Which is down from roughly 21% a decade earlier.  We have had an enormous increase in knowledge and policy regarding cigarettes in the last thirty years.  The days are long gone where we choose a “smoking” or “non-smoking” section in a restaurant or smoke on a college campus.  The increase in knowledge and inconvenience of the habit have contributed to the reduction of Americans who smoke cigarettes.  Vaping Emerges A Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik created e-cigarettes in 2003 to quit smoking.&nbs ..read more

Happy Mother’s Day!  The Christian Moms Healthy Children Ministry (CMHC) would like to thank you for your commitment in raising healthy children to be future healthy vessels for Christ.  The job of a mom has no sick days or time off.  It is not an easy job, but what a blessing it is to be a mother.  Our days are filled trying to balance work and home life, doing an insurmountable amount of laundry, cooking, cleaning, and organizing the family calendar.  It is often a thankless job.  However, one day a year is dedicated to us moms.   We get cute cards and ..read more