Parenting
I’m a mom. I’m in the trenches of this glorious assignment. Sometimes it’s my favorite, and lots of times I am totally and completely out of my league. But raising eternal people and introducing them to an eternal God is unquestionably eternal work, and there’s little else I want more desperately to get right. So gleaning from (bunches) of other moms, desperately pouring over scriptures, and praying a lot sure does matter. I think sometimes we own too much. Sometimes we own the wrong things. And sometimes we just need to be reminded that these efforts that seem minuscule actually do ripple into eternity. So here… let’s rally together and speak the truth in love.
Glamping, Storms and Promises
A few years ago, about a second before the kids were going back to school, my enneagram 7 husband says, “We should take a family trip. To South Dakota.” I looked at him blankly. Because… planning. In order to make it work we would need to leave in about a minute. OK,...
Curt Thompson City Care Seminar Reflections From a Mom
I just got back from spending a day listening to Curt Thompson. So much of what he had to say was for counseling professionals, but as a mom, I couldn’t help but consider my kids as I listened. So, here are a few of the points of reflection I’m still mulling over.
What I Learned From a Cold
I was quiet, so my kids were quiet. My voice was not loud, so when I said something my kids were looking at my face with rapt attention. Quiet does not mean unclear. We can listen and look intently into the face of the one who loves us too.
Cultivating Hearts in Real Life
Shaping loves isn’t always fancy. It can take lots of raw, unimpressive moments that cumulatively do foundational work.
A Few Favorite Phrases – For the Kids
We’ve developed a few favorite phrases that we say a lot. This is especially helpful when you have boys that don’t have capacity to listen to mom offer a sermon… My word capacity is not their word capacity.
Don’t Ever Think What You Do Is Ordinary
When we value strong character in our households, we contribute to having a lasting impact on not only our child, but also on the world around them.
6 Anchors For Mom Life
In my whole life, I have never been so simultaneously exhausted and filled to overflowing from the effort of raising my little people. So there are some anchors I cling to and would encourage you with, as Moms of eternal humans.
7 Things I Want My Daughter to Know
I wrote a post for my little men in 2014; that inspired this — a post for my daughter. There are days that I look at our world in all of it’s glories and all of it’s gore and I think, this world of ours desperately needs women — great women. Not instead of or...
The Gap
I am pregnant. (!!!!!!!!) Yes, that somewhat explains my silence — my sudden and irrefutable need for sleep has trumped, well, almost everything once my parenting duties are complete for the night. And not surprisingly it has also inspired some reflection and...
Brave Little Boys
I had an unexpected opportunity to address the subject of bravery at bath time the other night. My 4 year old (who does NOT like water in his eyes) asked to take a shower (while he might not have thought that one through, I saw it as progress); so I made a deal with...
5 Ways Preschoolers Impact Our Lives
A massive appreciation for Disney and other animated movies. I cried at Big Hero 6. In the theater. I wept along with my 2 year old who threw out his arms toward the big screen and yelled “NOOOOO!” And you guys, everyone in the world can sing “Let it Go.” ...
I Am With You
“Shhhhh. I’m here.” If you’ve been a parent for longer than labor you have absolutely showered your baby with this promise. Because it would take the apocalypse to come between the two of you if he showed the faintest of needs. So you know the fierce love behind...
Here’s Your Cape
There are some very real moments in life that are seriously blow your mind insanely deserving of credit for going above and beyond normal human capacities and into superhero status. Seriously. But usually no one notices and if they do the reaction is something...
7 Things I Want My Boys To Know
Let’s face it — our world desperately needs men. Real men. When life is what hangs in the balance, we need someone to uphold truth and beckon life when darkness threatens. There are men like this, and I want to make sure there continues to be. And I think most of...
Mom’s of Boys (MOB’s)
I am a Mom of boys (MOB). It’s straight crazy and I love it. Moms of girls - I don’t think I fully understand your days. Though I was a small girl once myself, I currently do not do dolls, quiet playtime (for more than 5 seconds), or meander through the zoo taking...
The Archer
I think my previously mentioned adoration for the Spartans is what induced my excitement over the thought that as a parent, I am an archer; a warrior. Parent for more than .5 seconds in this crazy world of ours and it doesn’t take long to embrace the warrior persona....
One Big Legacy Myth
If I “do life right,” parent brilliantly, and disciple intentionally; my kids and the people I care most about will take hold of what is good, true and right. Or alternatively; if I screw up on occasion, I will have doomed my kids and the people I influence to fail....
Leaving a Legacy — A View from 90
I love my Papaw. And he has made a mark on a tremendous number of people. After acknowledging a clear and certain call on his life, he went from being a brilliant mechanic to a passionate pastor. I’m pretty certain he has talked to more people about eternal stuff...
Leaving a Legacy – A View from 60
I cannot tell you how excited and honored I am to present these words from a brilliant man who also happens to be my Dad. He has been a critical player in 28 church plants, currently acts as the Executive Pastor at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, Tx, and...
Leaving a Legacy
The story you are a part of does not start and end with your birth and death; rather, you are part of a series of life impacts. Your decisions, priorities, values; your efforts — they go way beyond your own life. Your value as an individual is tremendous, but your...
Why We Need Boundaries With Social Media
I was on the hunt for a white v-neck t-shirt yesterday (I know, I’m crazy fashionable), and on my way to the Gap I had the privilege of passing by the Apple Store. Holy Black Friday on a random Saturday. I guess since the iPhone 6 has been released everyone on...
Crop Tops and Aging Gracefully
I have a love/hate relationship with fashion. I LOVE scoping out all the draping flowy fabrics that make me want to spin a circle in my own living room (yes, I’m 33, girls will always love to spin). Pinterest has made this fashion education experience even more...
Top 10 Life Changes of a New Parent
I’ve never been so happy or so surprised by how things change when we have kids. Moms, I hope you laugh. Because amidst the deep, profound, sacrificial love that doesn’t feel like a sacrifice, we enjoy our glass of wine and giggles because it’s so fun to know that...
The Easy Way or the Hard Way
When Roman trusted me, when he opened his hand and allowed me to work out the splinter, his trust was reinforced. And our relationship with God is the same way – when we open up our wounded hearts and allow him to work, our trust in him is reinforced.
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