Fathers Day is SOON! Have you thought about what to get the man/men in your life and/or your kids’ lives? Here are a few of my favorite ideas that you can get LAST MINUTE but they’ll never know! Sock Subsciption. Trendy socks remain to be, well, pretty trendy. I got my husband a 3-month sock subscription for his birthday a couple of months back and he loved it. Buy it online, print it out and you’re good to go! Dollar Shave Club. I got this one for my husband a few years ago and he has continued with it. Blades, shave gels and other products. It’s a super inexpensive gift that keeps on giving ..read more

Focusing on what truly matters in life and avoiding distractions from minor details is a WIN in my book. I hosted a gathering where I got caught up in insignificant issues instead of seeing the importance of quality time together. Perfection is a tough cookie. Work at prioritizing the important aspects of your life, and don’t get sidetracked by fluff. Listen to "Distractions - What's Most Important" on Spreaker. This Week! Monday Story: Small group, cleaning, noticed the door was grungy, then I noticed a spot that was missed while painting. The lasgana was taking longer than it should. Tw ..read more

In Christianity, the poppy symbolizes not only the blood of Christ, but his resurrection and ascent to Heaven. Did you know that many scholars believe that Peter was talking about poppies when he said, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Peter 1:24. In early wars, Poppies often grew in battle-scarred fields. The bullets were thought to have churned up the soil, releasing long-dormant seeds to grow. In World War 1, battle surgeon, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, was m ..read more

It never fails to amaze me that God makes himself available to us every time we pray and reach out to him. He listens; he hears; he responds. We know that we can pour out our hearts to him, King David Psalms-style, and he delights in hearing from us. Conversation, though, happens both ways. We speak, but we also listen. I’ve found that listening to God can come in a lot of different forms, and not necessarily audible ones. The more I practice listening and being still with God, the more familiar he and his character become. One method of preparing yourself to listen to God and practicing his p ..read more

As a Mom, what have you chosen to store up in your heart? Have you chosen to store up resentment, unforgiveness, past hurts or like Mary the mother of Jesus have you chosen to store up God’s Word in your heart? Luke 2:19 – But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. Whatever we choose to hold onto, whether good or bad, remains with us as long as we are holding onto it. When we store things up in our hearts, they are with us wherever we go. We carry them with us, and no one can take them away from us. That’s great if what we choose to hold onto is the life-giving ..read more

Note: This episode deals with the loss of a family member, a child. If this is something that may be triggering or a topic you want to discuss at a future date with your kids, then you may want to pop in your ear buds or headphones to listen. A successful music career, a life that was certain and sure, and then a loss that made him question everything. Music artist and best-selling author Granger Smith joins AllMomDoes host Julie Lyles Carr to share what the hardest loss in his life taught him about faith and about the conversations we must have with our kids. Listen to "One of the Hardest ..read more

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to raise our children in the way they should go. Galatians 5:19-22 reminds us of the fruit we are to look for in our lives and hearts. Today we’ll talk about how to do the first when the second isn’t going the way we’d hoped. Listen to "Five Fixes for Unhealthy Tech" on Spreaker. Show Notes: Ways to listen: click the link in the profile search Gospel Tech in your favorite podcast service (Apple Podcast, Spotify) Follow Gospel Tech: Online | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter *Transcription can be found on most podcast platforms. This content is syndicated from all ..read more

Every night when I pray for my children, I tend to recite the same things. I struggle with putting the words together of exactly how I want to pray. Last year, one of my kids’ teachers blessed me with bible verses. I have kept them handy when I need a bit of help from time to time. Respect (for self, others, authority). “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands.” (from 1 Peter 2:17) Faithfulness “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on a tablet of their hearts.” (from Pr ..read more

Spring has sprung! Nothing can match the beauty of a sunny spring day in the Pacific Northwest. It’s our reward for lasting through all the gray winter days. I was telling my dentist how happy I am to stick my hands in the dirt again. She made a face and said, “Yuck, I hate having dirty hands,” (which is probably a good thing since she often has her hands in my mouth!). So, for those who aren’t gardeners, here’s a spring flower craft to make with your kids. Dirty hands aren’t necessary! What you’ll need: All pictures courtesy of Ann Kirsten Stiff decorative scrapbook paper Mini baking cups ..read more

Julie takes on the world of criticism, putting it under the microscope and showing us how it differs from helpful feedback. With a sprinkle of wisdom from her kids’ dance battles and wisdom from scripture, she champions the art of staying strong against naysayers. Her secret recipe? A dash of positivity, a pinch of focus, and a well-balanced mix of critique and applause. Listen to "Distractions - With Criticism" on Spreaker. This Week! Monday Story: I’m a writer and I had to make a decision a long time ago to not get distracted by criticism. Criticism is when someone is judging you for yo ..read more