What happened when I stopped being "on fire" for God...

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What happened when I stopped being "on fire" for God...

I came to slowly know Christ just over a decade ago. He came to me in the darkest period in my marriage and let me know that despite having failed in every way imaginable, I was still loved. He humbled me and brought me into his fold where I have safely and confidently resided ever since. Since my marriage to Christ, we’ve been in a sweet honeymoon period—for literally a decade.

Jesus saved me from myself and let me know I was loved without fail when I was absolutely unlovable. He changed my heart, my mind, my priorities, my perspective, my marriage, my parenting—literally almost every ounce of me has been made new in Christ (except my potty-mouth, but He’s still working).

I have passionately loved Him for it and pursued Him with fervor—most of the time. Some of the time, I have not. Some of the time, I am overly confident that I can handle things on my own. Some of the time, I feel like everything is going fine, and I don’t need Him quite as much. Some of the time, I forget just how sinful I truly am.

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Favorite Books for the Joyful Mama

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Favorite Books for the Joyful Mama

I absolutely LOVE books. I love a book that leads me to the Cross, reminds me of God's abundant grace, convicts me of unrecognized sin, and helps me love my husband or children better. God's Word is always my go-to for all of those things, but there’s something special about hearing experiences and lessons from other people who are walking this same journey of faith. Their words feel like a warm cup of coffee with a trusted friend—comforting, challenging, and motivating. (By the way, here’s my very favorite note-taking Bible. I’m an ESV girl through and through.)

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of Christian books, but only a few have left such a deep imprint on my life that I still talk about them years later. I prayed hard about which ones to share here, and I narrowed it down to six books (and one journal) that I truly believe every Mama could benefit from. These books have been lifelines to me in different seasons, and I want to give you a quick rundown of why I love them so much.

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Restoring + Redeeming Your Marriage

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Restoring + Redeeming Your Marriage

I love my husband. We've been married for over 15 years and together nearly 25 at the ripe old age of 36. He's literally sewn into my existence. We are like peas and cornbread—absolutely inseparable. Except back when we were separable—back when we were making our own rules, following our own feelings, and generally doing life (including marriage) our own way.

Way back when, we were stuck together but we both had some strong moments of being ready for that to not be the case. I'll never forget those days. Those long nights of fights and tears—when he finally decided enough was enough. Those are raw, unshakeable memories for two reasons. Obviously for the immense pain entrenched in them for both of us, but even more so for the unspeakable redemption and joy that came out of it all.

We often have a habit of looking at someone else's marriage and saying they have something we don't have. They're lucky. They don't fight, or their kids don't cause distress, or they don't have financial issues, or they haven't sinned against one another, or their husband does this one thing—or he DOESN'T do this one thing. But the fact of the matter is that almost every pristine-looking marriage that I know of has been on some seriously shaky ground. Loving is HARD work.

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3 Questions to Ask When You Want to Quit Homeschooling {Part 3}

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3 Questions to Ask When You Want to Quit Homeschooling {Part 3}

In part 1 and part 2 of this series (definitely go back and read those first if you haven't) we tackled the big question of evaluating our REASON for homeschooling in the first place and then used some worksheets to curate a homeschool vision. 

Our big question # 2 is this: Are you being REALISTIC with your expectations for homeschooling based on your personality, the abilities of your child, the availability of your husband, and the number of hours in the day? In other words, are your expectations appropriate or even reasonable?

Hear me first on this, mama: When you homeschool, you are NOT a "stay at home mom". You are a work from home mom. You are a TEACHER who works at home- degree or not. You are wholly responsible for your child's education (which is BOTH terrifying and a huge honor.) 

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It's OK to be a Mess {joy in the hard days}

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It's OK to be a Mess {joy in the hard days}

It’s ok to have brokenness, unfinishedness, and to be out of control. Messy floors, broken fences, unhung doors—not having the time, energy, money, or mental fortitude to fix every little thing. It’s ok.

Jesus was born into a mess because the gist of all of us is just that—mess. We ARE ALL A MESS. His presence in that mess was the greatest gift—the greatest joy. He walked right into complete disarray, stink, and brokenness and made it all new.

But the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people." —Luke 2:10

We don’t need to fix the mess, perfect the mess, or even hate the mess.
We simply need to invite Jesus INTO the mess—so that all of our messiness doesn’t matter anymore. Because He is the only mattering thing.

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5 Ways to Grow in Respect for Your Husband {and maybe heal your marriage}

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5 Ways to Grow in Respect for Your Husband {and maybe heal your marriage}

Confession: I have not always respected my husband, treated him in a respectful way, or even thought he was someone who I ought to respect.

I'm going to assume that my husband and I are not the only ones who have ever struggled in their marriage, had deep valleys to drudge through, or huge learning curves to overcome when it comes to pursuing Biblical marriage? I'm going to assume we aren't the only one who've hit rock bottom, maybe signed some divorce papers (and then burned them in the fire)? If you have walked through some seriously rocky times in your marriage, I hope that some of the lessons we've learned together can be an encouragement to you.

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The Secret to Beating Fear {once and for all}

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The Secret to Beating Fear {once and for all}

I know fear. I know earth-shattering, mind-spinning, gut-busting fear that comes in the blink of an eye, that overruns you with anxiety for everyone you know. I know what it means to have every single "worst nightmare" scenario race through your mind every time your husband leaves the house or your child is out of your sight. I know what it feels like to have life going along with everyone being "ok" and then the next moment, they are gone. I know it well.

Unfortunately, sudden death is a persistent friend of mine. I've met him time and again, and despite giving him the full breadth of my thoughts about him in no uncertain terms, he keeps showing up. Sorrow and suffering, it turns out, don't take direction from us. When they show up unannounced, all that seems permanent and concrete and never-failing can begin to shiver and quake and flip the world right on its axis.

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How to Drop Mommy Guilt {once and for all}

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How to Drop Mommy Guilt {once and for all}

I should be able to accomplish more...Other moms do.
My house is always a mess...If I were more organized and more creative it would look better.
I want to do some fun crafts with the kids, but I don't ever have enough time. Maybe one day I'll get it together.
Look at all she's able to do with 5 kids AND homeschooling... I guess I'm just not made to do this.
I need a nap because the baby kept me up all night, but I should be able to keep going. I'm just being lazy.
She works AND has kids AND she still is able to workout every day. What am I doing wrong? I'll never look like that.
Her kids are always so healthy because they eat, like, perfectly. I'm probably screwing my kids up for life.

Any of this resonate for you? It does for me. This and a whole lot more. I bet you could add a few more of your own? Attacks and criticisms specifically designed to keep you worn down, discouraged, and distracted: designed just for YOU to have you walk through life weighed down by guilt and self-critical lies.

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One new habit {that's changing my mood}

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One new habit {that's changing my mood}

This is a new habit for ME... And it's definitely no big secret as I've heard about it and been told to do it many, many times before. But hearing about and thinking about it are very different than my actually DOING it. Others have planted these seeds of change in my mind on this topic over time, so I'm hoping I might plant a seed for you so that you'll reap a harvest of peace as well. <--- When the timing is just right ;).

Ready for it? 

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How to Give God's Grace to Yourself {and Everyone Else, Too}

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How to Give God's Grace to Yourself {and Everyone Else, Too}

Most of us are pretty familiar with John 10:10.... it's at the top of this page if you aren't so much :) But we often quote the second part of the verse without thinking too much on the first. The full verse says: 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (other versions say "to the full"). 

A psalmist describes the enemy as a lion on the prowl. And that, my friends, he is. And I'm beginning to think that the mark of the beast is a hashtag on one hand and a pinterest logo on the other. 

If you struggle with perfectionism (like I always have) then Face-Pin-Twit can add an extra-heavy dose of "not good enough" into your heart. Who we are as a wife, mother, friend, lover, homemaker, homeschooler all come into question, and there's room for improvement everywhere we look. 

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