As the school year begins, many of us church-going-folks are signing up for small groups, Sunday School classes, and Bible studies. How are you feeling about all that? Excited? Ready to dig in and learn? Or are you feeling overwhelmed? Discouraged? Maybe even disinterested? I’ve been there. If that’s how you feel, this episode of Expect Something Beautiful is *just* … Read More
What if We Expected God to Do Something Beautiful?
On June 23, 2013, Nik Wallenda set out to cross the Little Colorado River Gorge near Grand Canyon National Park on a tightrope. My husband and I were watching it from home. I was sitting on the couch in my bathrobe. The camera panned out to reveal the breathtaking depth of the canyon and the daunting length of the wire … Read More
The Importance of Wisely Timed Words
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 It was one of those afternoons with a thousand commitments. The kids and I loaded the van with the snacks and bags and strollers we’d need in order to make the most out of our trip into town. The first stop would be to … Read More
Your Suffering Is Not the End of the Story
Our pastor was dying of cancer. On weekdays, we’d receive updates about his treatments and his suffering. We’d beg God to heal and sustain him. Of course, we trusted God’s sovereignty and knew that He would do everything in love, but we also lamented that things were not as they should be. In the dark days leading up to our … Read More
Help for the Child Who Can’t Fall Asleep at Night
You’ve tucked your child in bed. An hour later, you hear those familiar little footsteps… What you do next could have a big impact on our child’s heart. Last year, our 7 year old son went through a long season in which he couldn’t fall asleep at night. He would try, honest. Yet every night, when the old farmhouse was … Read More
YOUR SEASON OF LIFE DOES NOT DISQUALIFY YOU TO SERVE THE BODY
Three years ago, I felt called to start a Women’s Ministry at our local church. I dog-eared a stack of Susan Hunt’s books and studied the material on the Committee on Discipleship Ministries website. I prayed and talked with other women about it. I presented a thoughtful proposal to our elders: they were enthused and supportive. Everything was moving forward… … Read More
You and Your Child Can Share the Gospel in India this Fall
We want to share the good news about Jesus, but we are so self-indulgent. Every morning, we gather at the breakfast table and thank God for our opportunity to learn and to develop our gifts for Him. We ask Him to use us in His world. Little by little, we want to learn how to love God and how to … Read More
Getting Your Hands on the Good Life: with Instructions for a Hilarious Party Game and the Most Important Daily Discipline of Your Life.
Have you ever played the Cooking Mitt Game at a party? The gist is that each person takes a turn unwrapping a gift that is hidden under layers and layers of wrapping paper. To make things interesting, when it is your turn, you don cooking mitts. Each contestant clumsily gropes at the wrapping paper through the thick mitts – sometimes … Read More
What Should We Memorize Next? An Annual Cycle of Poems, Hymns, and Scripture.
Our Morning Time is beautiful and dangerous… Every day after breakfast, the children and I gather around the table for “Morning Time”. We light a candle and sing the Doxology. Before you get any visions of sublime halos on our little homeschooling heads, let me give you a glimpse of how it really goes. This will pretty much sum it … Read More
When Your Child Doesn’t Love You
Is there anything worse for a mother than to feel like her child doesn’t love her? I think it’s one of the big silent aches of motherhood. We don’t talk about it often because it feels so personal, so humiliating. But it’s not the end of the world. I promise. In fact, it’s an invitation to hope, to look for … Read More
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