Some of your favorite posts . . .
When We Think It’s Impressive to Be Busy
* Friends, I'm in Book Launch Land. I'm feverishly working to prepare for the release of Heart Sisters: Be the Friend You Want to Have. I'll be re-posting some oldies (but hopefully you'll think they're goodies!) now and then so I can focus more on the upcoming...
For When You Wash Your Phone in the Washing Machine
Last week, I found myself with an unplanned hour and a house of beckoning chores demanding immediate attention. So like any woman with a house full o' kids and a husband that works long hours, I thought I would just cram as much as I possibly could into those precious...
Five Ways To Raise An Anxious Child
I know, I know . . . Who wants to raise an anxious child? Who would ever read such a post? Of course, none of us intentionally tries to raise a child prone to anxiety and stress. But many of us are. Myself included. I'm not preaching to you from the pulpit – I'm...
Church Shopping: On Finding a New Church
If you've been hurt by the church, then it's likely the thought of ever going back to church again is right up there with oh, say getting your teeth pulled (sorry, Honey.) (My husband's a dentist. I have to watch dental jokes and comparisons.). I need to confess I...
Why Christians Don’t Always Have to Agree
We sat contemplatively around the table, speaking softly about the struggles of marriage. I complimented her on her courage because for some reason, we feel shame when we admit our marriage is in trouble. I know because I've been there and felt it, too. I begin to...
Leaving a Church With Grace and How to Heal After
On Tuesday, we talked about being hurt by the church. The bottom line is this: Jesus was the only person who was ever without sin. The people who make up the church body are not Jesus. Therefore, we can conclude that those in the church body are going to sin. People...
When You’ve Been Hurt By The Church
Last week, I wrote about how we need to take the initiative to be involved with the church - we can't just wait until the church comes to us, we need to go to the church. You get out what you put-in. But what if you have been so wounded by the church you don't ever,...
41 Things I’ve Learned in 41 Years
(Please note: Wrinkle Reducer and Tooth Whitener feature utilized in above photo) So I wrote the post below last year on my 40th birthday...And since I'll be 41 on Saturday, I'm adding one more to the list... I'm not really sure how it all happened, this turning 40...
Because It Takes Courage to Plug-In To The Church
(The above photo is one of Sarah from five years ago. The sidewalks form a cross and she's walking towards it...Perfect, right?) I've been thinking a lot lately about how Jesus consistently tells us to "come" to Him over and over again in the Bible. He doesn't say,...
The Everyday Radical
So on Tuesday, we talked about this whole movement to be "radical" in our faith. You can read more about it here. This is Part Two... Here's the thing: we're not all called to Africa. We're not all called to sell everything, travel the country with an RV and proclaim...
Because Hearts CAN Be Changed
Last weekend, after we discussed what was happening to Christians in the Middle East during dinner, Spencer held back while the other two scurried upstairs to continue playing. Amid the clanking of dishes being put in the dishwasher and water streaming from the sink,...
For When The World Scares You and Makes You Sad
Hey, friends . . . what follows below is something I wrote on the fly the other night and posted to the Facebook page. Occasionally, I'll write "mini posts" over there so if you haven't connected with me on Facebook, click here and then click "Like." Yep, it's just...
5 Ways to Talk to Your Kids About Terrorism
I'm not sure how to even begin this post. I've started and re-started roughly ten times and I've come to the conclusion there's no graceful way to broach this subject so I'm just going to start right on in . . . The most recent news of the Christian holocaust taking...
Choosing Memories Over Martha
There’s popcorn all over the living room floor and, truth be told, it’s all over the kitchen floor, too. It’s everywhere. It’s Saturday and Saturdays are for movie nights around here. It’s when we snuggle and stop and just be family. There were, of course, a million...
Finding Your Beach Wherever You Go
The salt water hits my lungs and I exhale a deep breath of too many details, too many deadlines, and too many responsibilities. I walk on the sand and let my feet sink, burying callouses shaped over the past year, softening their thick layers. Slowly, slowly the...
Joy Unspeakable: Hope For The Mom With Sweet Potatoes In Her Hair
I had just seen "Mom's Night Out" and it was storming - the kind of storm that involves crazy electrical lightening and rain so intense you wonder if maybe God changed His mind and He's going to flood the earth again. (Joke. I know God doesn't revoke promises.) I...
For When You Feel Like You’re Doing It Wrong
My husband has an uncanny ability to memorize movie quotes. As in, he can see a movie once and memorize the script within two hours. I hear movie quotes at least once a day. For example, just last night, I told him I was incredibly exhausted. A few seconds later, he...
For When You Wonder If Prayer Really Matters
He came to me crying, blood dripping down his raw, skinned knee. I shifted into triage-mode by shuffling around the kitchen to retrieve the first aid kit and take care of the pain. The pain. I can't stand it when my babies are in pain. I found the kit, put him up on...
When Your Husband Needs You and You Miss the Message
To pin this post, simply hover over the image and select "Pin It!" It had been a long battle. He fought cancer with bouts of hope and despair for at least four years. My husband's friend and fellow dentist in the community lost his battle this past Sunday. It...
For the Mama-Who-Doesn’t-See-Her-Greatness…
I see you. Oh, yes I do. You look like me. You're doing your best but your minivan still smells. Your kids don't always listen (as in very rarely) and you often feel like that clanging gong mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13. There are far too many socks without mates in...
Raising Entitled Kids: A Disservice to Our Children
Now and then I feel the nudge to air my opinions and I do all I can to bargain with God and see if I can get out of it. "Oh, I must be needing to just vent a bit but of course, my blog is no place for that," I justify, thanking my lucky stars I came up with a good one...
10 Things I Have Learned (The Hard Way) Since Becoming A Wife
I'm an incredibly slow learner - as if you haven't caught on to that if you've spent more than five seconds here at Mommy on Fire. The marriage thing...that's another department in which I'm a little glacial in my movement. It's been a tough year for us. I haven't...