Among the greatest challenges in my life is the journey of parenting. My husband and I want to be loving, encouraging, and Christ-centered. We also know correction, training, and discipline are necessary. Tension rises when imbalances emerge among these various aspects of parenting. With a plan, the tension decreases. My friend, Shelly Wildman, has written…
parenting
Heart Matters in Early Motherhood
Are you a new mom or know someone who is in the early stages of motherhood? My friend and fellow Redbud Writers Guild member, Sarah Wilson, recently released a new book that ministers to the heart and soul of new moms. I’m excited to share her work and her thoughts today… “I decided to write…
The People in Your World: Decor or Story?
Once upon a time, I shared this plot with parents of teens… “We hope to encourage our sons and daughters to move beyond the ‘decoration’ mindset. Many teens place themselves in the center of universe. Everything revolves around them. Everyone is present to serve their purposes. People, things, places exist as decor in their own…
Smiles Compliments of my Neighbors
I am grateful for life. When I slow down, I observe the richness of life. May I introduce you to some of my neighbors and beautiful moments? These things spread a smile across my face… A neon pink and brilliant purple sunset The older gentleman walking his bulldog, he waves… they look exactly alike The…
Walking with Your Short-term Missionary
In the coming weeks, short-term mission teams will head out to partner with missionaries across the globe. If your son, daughter, grandchild, cousin or friend will be serving on a team, consider how you can walk alongside him or her in the coming weeks. As a short-term missionary, they will experience new cultures, close relationships…
Parenting: the Gift of Presence
Our children merely want to be with us. I need to go fishing … or shopping or walking in the park or playing in the yard. The parenting debate continues to rage about quality vs quantity. While I do not know how to quantify these numbers, I do know that our children need our presence…
Bread in the Freezer
I need a loaf of bread from the downstairs freezer. I walk down the stairs and notice the nightlight bulb is burned out. I turn around, head to the hall closet to get a new bulb. I pick up my son’s shoes by the front door on my way up. I drop the shoes in his…
Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas with Teenagers
Amidst the occasional chaos of the month of December, how will you spend time with your family? What does Christmas with teenagers look like in your home?? With college-age sons/daughters returning home, high school students frantically finishing assignments before Christmas break, and rehearsals for school concerts and theatre productions along with Christmas shopping, office parties,…
Putting it all out there
Without one verbal communication, I figured out that a family has at least one teenage daughter, the daughter’s interests, an elementary-aged son (and at least one of his interests), a dog, the district where they live, the parent’s work location, political leanings, and where they vacation. Where did I get this information?? From Facebook? LinkedIn?…
Hassle-free Home Life
Last night’s HomeFront gathering provided time to talk about family and parents with our high school students. Ruth’s decree to her mother-in-law Naomi gave us the basis for our discussion: “Where you do I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my…
