We Laughed: How a Spirit of Joy Transforms a Home
She might not remember it, but a lot of times she laughed when she replied ‘yes, they’re all mine’ (though she probably wished she could send a few of us back). She didn’t say it was easy and she didn’t say it was hard; she didn’t condemn their one-childness and she didn’t complain about us. She laughed.
I Bow My Work
Laborare est orare; orare est laborare. My Latin days come flooding into my memory: three years of verb tenses and vocabulary. Latin has a way of describing thoughts that make them instantly more profound. But in those years of high school translation, I never came...
I Bow My Waiting
There are so many seasons of waiting. When I was single, much of the waiting conversation revolved around finding a spouse. But after being married for six years, I’ve seen clearly that waiting is required of us in every single stage of life. Waiting is difficult because it requires trust. We can’t see the end game; we don’t know the outcome. We’re standing still (or so it feels like) until the next step if revealed to us.
The Ring, the Bling, and the Next Big Thing
I thought back to the days when I was single. It seemed as if contentment was that evasive virtue I only learned the hard way. When God got me to the place of dependence, in walked Mr. M! So there I was, weeks before getting engaged (though I did not know this), blessed beyond measure with a gift many girls long for, and discontent was knocking at my door again.
How to Encourage Your Husband in His Faith
I’ve been quite open about my own marriage on this blog. Josh and I come from two different spiritual backgrounds that made my road to understanding Scripture much easier than it was for him. I also have a four-year religion degree, when he spent his own college years studying engineering. I’m a reader; he’s learning to be. All of this stacks up to mean two very different ways of seeking God through the Word.
The Covenant That Kept Us
How do you talk about the goodness of marriage and still be honest about the hard? I ask this question at the eve of February 1st each year. As I re-read each year's blog post, written on our anniversary, I see the goodness I took away; I see the little steps to learn...
Ten Years with God
Ten years with God have taught me that the middle is what He’s most interested in. I am sure He loves the mountaintop moments, but we are formed in the valleys. We are formed in the dirt, made from dust and getting rather dusty in the making.
How to Do Family Devotions with Small Children
Josh was further convicted that some kind of structured worship time was ideal, even if it was only 2-3 times a week. I already go over verses and basic theology for kids during preschool (we use Memoria Press), so this would be a time for the girls to hear from us both and confirm what they learn in school and church.
Maybe “How Soon Will This Be Over?” is the Wrong Question
Since breaking my leg in a soccer game three weeks ago, followed by surgery a week later, I’ve had plenty of time to consider what faith looks like in a season of trial. We’re right in the middle of one.
Four Books to Deepen Your Faith this Summer
Each summer I like to read through a stack of books – mostly nonfiction, my preference – in order to give you some recommendations for your own beach days and poolside reading. It’s been a cold spring here in NoMi so we’ve spent NO time at the beach, sadly, but I’ve had plenty of evening hammock and fireside reading! Here are five books I recommend for deepening your faith these next few months in the sun.
Five Reasons to Believe You Are Eternally Secure
This post was written by Brant Cole. I recently read a story about a young boy living with a family that had adopted him. And the story began with the boy convulsing with sobs, choking out his words. “Don’t make me leave!” It was one of the saddest stories I’ve ever...
Your Parenting Method Won’t Save Your Kids – Grace Will
We’re Christians. We believe the message that it’s not by works of righteousness, but according to his mercy he has saved us, and we’ll all say amen to that. However, I know that I’m not the only one that’s bought into the lie that I have to parent by a certain method in order to get the right results in my kids.
Five Things That Gave Me Confidence to Marry Young
The age you get married doesn’t matter. What matters is your determination to make it work. If you both love the Lord, He is for you both, and He is for your marriage. At any age, you’ve got to be self-aware and aware of your significant other to see where you each truly stand.
When God Doesn’t Feel Like Enough
So many of us know what God has said about Himself, but we don’t believe it. We don’t believe Him. We wait to feel like God is enough before believing He actually is, and when the feelings don’t come, we assume God hasn’t either.
We Can’t Afford Vague Christianity
We live in the age of vague Christianity, a Christianity simultaneously enamored with ANY and ALL mention of God in the media, and put off by material that’s just too… biblical.
Ten Things I Learned in Five Years of Marriage
hen I look at our life together – and everything that has happened in that half-decade – it feels like so much longer. We’ve done this marriage thing for FIVE years?! It seems unbelievable.
Happy Couples Made Me Angry
The only part of the equation under my control was (and is) me. I wasn’t after something unrealistic. I just wanted to make better what I already had.
A letter to my 20-year-old self
I know so much of life looks black and white right now. At least, you wish it did. And when it doesn’t, you try to make it that way; it’s your way of making sense of the world. It would be so much easier if God just handed you the blueprint, wouldn’t it? It would be easier to follow “the plan”.
How Not to Host a Bible Study
I think we’ve all been in a bible study that was at best uncomfortable and at worst, not a “study” at all. I’ve been in a lot of studies over the years in many different formats. These varied from in-home studies to church-facilitated groups. I learned much about the Word in those groups and I made some lasting friendships, but I also learned how NOT to host a Bible study when it came Josh and my turn to facilitate one!
Amazon: 10 Things I Loved this Month
It was hard to choose my favorites from January and December, but these ten finds have made our life smoother (and more enjoyable!) in this frigid winter weather! Some of these I snagged as Christmas gifts, and others we added to our home during our monthly Goodwill clean-out. And one of them happens to be on my anniversary wish list!
Are you a disciple, or just a Christian?
They were baptized as babies. They grew up in the church. Grandma was a “front row Baptist” and they were right there with her on Sunday morning. Or they sat through youth group and Christian school and assumed, because they knew the FACTS of God, they knew God Himself.It’s an epidemic problem in America, where following Jesus has been distilled down to saying a prayer to “ask Him into your heart”.
To all the girls told they’re intimidating
You’ve been told you’re too much: Too much education, too much thought, too much boldness, too much confidence, too “together”.
How to Open Your Home with Small Children
When you’re a mom of young kids, leaving to disciple people in a foreign country probably isn’t on your agenda; your primary discipleship is to the little people under your roof. But you also have another mission field: The one outside your door.
How to Successfully Read Through the Bible in a Year
It’s the new year and if you’re like me, you’re starting a Bible reading plan! Apps like YouVersion make it so easy to pick a reading plan for the year – especially one for reading through the whole Bible. I love these, because reading through the entire Bible will help you see the big picture (or metanarrative) of the gospel, but it will also force you to read books you might otherwise skip over! I am entering my fourth year reading through the Bible (chronologically this time – my second time this way!) and it’s something I always encourage, even if it takes you longer than a year!