I’ve been thinking about my choices lately. Do they reflect what I say is important to me? What do they show as important to those around me? What examples are they setting for my kids? My choices, good or bad, will guide my kids in the choices they make, too. Choices Deal in Either Life or Death I was struck by something Richard Dahlstrom wrote in his book, The Map Is Not The Journey . On pages 83-84 he wrote: [While hiking the Alps] I learned . . . that nearly every choice I face deals in either life or

This started as some thoughts from Thanksgiving, but as I wrote them down, they kept expanding. I feel so grateful for what God has done in my life; it’s more than I asked for, more than I could have imagined, and more than I deserve. Thank you . . .  For my three little blessings, who make me laugh, think, wonder, learn, and cry. For the man I’ve grown alongside for more than 14 years, who keeps loving, respecting, encouraging, challenging, and teasing me—even when I don’t deserve it. For our parents, who keep offering us wisdom, insight, and encouragement

Have you ever felt like a change was coming, but you don’t know what or when? Like you’re just waiting for the next step? Our Family’s Recent Change Almost a month ago, our family moved an hour north to live in the community where my husband became a pastor back in March. This was an answer to many prayers and a long period of trusting that God was directing us somewhere, and waiting for His timing.  Looking back, we started feeling a change was coming more than 5 years ago. As time went on, we felt less and less settled

Have you ever felt like you’re in a season of waiting? Like you were in a holding pattern before a big change? That was me last fall, when I started doing Priscilla Shirer’s Elijah study with some women at my church. I felt like God was preparing our family for something , like a big change was just around the corner. Like he was preparing us to leave this church family we’d been part of for more than 10 years. Then, during week two, we started studying examples of God’s preparation during separation, and I felt like it was exactly

Life is busy. Especially as a mom–whether you work, stay at home, homeschool. No matter how you spend your days, it’s busy. Being busy in itself isn’t bad. But the way we approach it can twist it into something harmful for our families and our souls. I recently finished reading a really helpful quick read: Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung . In it, DeYoung pointed out three dangers of being busy. Danger 1: Being Busy Can Ruin Our Joy God wants us to be joyful, no matter what else is going on in our lives. James 1:2-3 Count it all

Becoming a mom has helped me understand things about God better than anything else. The relationship between a child and parent parallels the relationship between us and God in all sorts of ways. For example: Just like a baby or toddler doesn’t have the capability to grasp concepts the way adults do, I don’t have the capacity to grasp so much of God and His creation. Because I love my kids, sometimes I let them struggle through things that are hard for them. I see the bigger context of what’s going on than my kids are able to see, just

I originally posted this on my previous blog, My Life Commentary , when my grandpa passed away two years ago. I recently decided to revisit it as I thought about his birthday coming up, and it was a heartwarming reminder of the man he was and who I want to be, too. I pray God will help me take on some of these attributes my grandpa was known for during his 106 years of life. While I’m glad my grandpa is home and no longer confined to his failing body, I’ll miss him and fondly remember the time I was

A Different Perspective on a Bad Day Imagine this: you’re driving down the road and get a flat tire. This means you’re late to pick up your kids from their grandparents’ house, so they need to bring them to their friends’ house for dinner. By the time you get there, they’re jumping off the walls from the ice cream they had for dessert. You’re frustrated, tired, and ready to be done with the day. By the time you get them loaded in the car, drive home, and get them to bed, it’s an hour past bedtime and they collapse.  It’s

I’m sorry… For those times I said something careless and hurtful. For those times I seemed judgemental and superior. For those times I was trying to be funny and instead was immature, and rude. For those times I jumped on the bandwagon and escalated the situation. For those times I didn’t think about how the words I was saying would hurt, divide, and isolate someone else. For those times I wasn’t a good friend. For those times I was too wrapped up in myself.  For those times I said something I regretted right away, but was too proud to apologize

Have you noticed the times when circumstances ended up being just perfect in your life? It’s easy to think, “Wow, what a good stroke of luck!” or “What an amazing coincidence!”  But I don’t believe in coincidences or luck. Rather, when circumstances work out just perfectly, it’s an opportunity to see God at work. And as a parent, it’s also an opportunity to point out how God is masterfully coordinating all of life’s pieces.  It’s a habit my mom and grandpa encouraged for as long as I can remember: pointing out situations and telling stories of when things happened just