In 1858 Abraham Lincoln began his most memorable speech with these words: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln, of course, was addressing a weakness he saw in America at the time. I believe the same weakness, lack of unity, threatens to destroy many families today. If you want a strong family, one that […]

True confession time. I cheat at Candy Land. I’ve been known to throw a game of Chutes and Ladders too. Especially when I land on that super-long curly slide that takes me alll the way back to the almost-beginning. Here’s the true confession part. I cheat so that I lose, not so that I win. […]

A few years ago a question popped into my head and has been churning around in it ever since. “What is the one thing that makes a family successful? ”  As a mother of 6 children my definition of successful parenting is that all my children are walking with the Lord Jesus as described in […]

Prayer. It’s one of the best and most impactful things that we can do for our children. No matter their age, their stage of life, or what is going on in their lives–we can pray for them. We can lift them and their needs up to our heavenly Father. But, where do we start? What […]

“How was school today” “Fine.” “Do you have any homework?” Grunt. “Is something wrong?” “Nope. I’m going to my room.” If you have a teenager, you may have had this conversation. Multiple times. Sometimes it can be hard, but learning how to connect with your teen doesn’t have to be a battle. They are beginning […]

It seems that many parents are concerned about winning their child’s heart, yet great measures need to be taken not to lose your child’s heart in the first place.  A child is born with the natural instinct to see his parents as “good” and to trust them. I am sure you have noticed that when a […]

As mothers in general, we have big dreams for our children. As Christian moms, we have an added desire to see our children come to the Lord. We hustle on Sunday mornings to get them up, feed, dressed, and out the door to church. We take them to Awana on Wednesday nights and attempt to […]

We just returned from the children’s hospital after yet another disappointing appointment with the ‘specialist’. We were feeling discouraged and hopeless…again. No answers. The only response was: ‘keep up the treatment but give her more’. Really?!?! I looked at my little girl and a question came to mind. I had to ask her. “Emily, do […]

When I think about how many weekends are left until my kids graduate from high school, I get a little teary and sentimental. Knowing that the days are long but the years are short makes me want to forge a strong family bond and to intentionally foster our relationships. I don’t want to look back with […]

If you turn on the news or scroll your Facebook feed, you cringe and wonder how a strong family can survive these turbulent times. With kids and adults bombarded by immoral behavior and ungodly world views, the family that desires to grow its roots deep in biblical values has mighty battle ahead of them. But […]

{Please note, this post does contain affiliate links and if you choose to purchase, I will make a commission which supports this blog.  Please visit the disclosure policy for more details.} A new day is breaking but the sun has not yet graced the sky. Bubs has been in time-out twice already for throwing toys, […]