Slowing Down Summer With Kids

Slowing Down Summer With Kids

Summer is a complicated season. I long for it to arrive and then I am ready for it to move on out. I welcome the slow mornings and sweet summer evenings; it’s the in-between part of the day (yes, the bulk of the day) that can be a struggle. If you are like me, the idea of outings to public places with your young kids is a bit overwhelming and, honestly, could go really well or be a total disaster. I am in a season where man on man defense is preferred and often required for outings to be enjoyable. If you are familiar with my family dynamic, you know that I am incredibly outnumbered at home. All that to say, I have to get creative! I have come up with some fun ideas for slowing things down at home, saving money, and keeping the day moving.

Marinate on This

Marinate on This

Summertime marks the time of year where we prefer to turn off our ovens and fire up the grill. Fresh vegetables and fruits abound, allowing us to savor them in their raw state or perhaps cooked over an open flame. It’s a no fuss season when it comes to cooking or meal planning, and we certainly prefer for our protein to be just as simple and flavorful as the produce we are enjoying.

Biblical Foundations for Emotional Health

Biblical Foundations for Emotional Health

God has masterfully crafted us as beings that are comprised of a physical body and a spiritual nature. Within those two components are various additional aspects such as our mind, spirit/soul, and emotional state.  In Hebrew thought, our very center of being in which everything (emotions, thoughts, behaviors, etc.) flows out from is our levav or lev (Heb. heart). It seems that when the Lord explains we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength, He connects our worship holistically (Deuteronomy 6:5). As part of our nature, God has given us the gift of feeling and expressing emotion to Him, others, and to ourselves. We see that God does not express Himself as a cold, marble statue that is unfeeling and robotic, but rather the Scriptures reveal His joy for us, His grief, His righteous anger, and His merciful compassion on us (Luke 15:10; Genesis 6:6; Romans 1:18; Matthew 9:36). As His image bearers, we too share in this ability, albeit not a perfect ability, to have and express emotion.

Emotional Health Matters

Emotional Health Matters

There I sat with my Bible in hand, but all I could do was cry to God that I needed help. I had a stack of Bible studies. I had the dedicated time to sit with God. I had all the journals to help track what I was learning. But I couldn’t get past the emotions it took for me to engage in that Bible study with God when, emotionally, I was a wreck.

Caring for Your Physical Body

Caring for Your Physical Body

How do we physically take care of our body well? That is a question many women find themselves thinking about often.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” A verse heard commonly. What does that mean exactly? 

A "Sure" Thing

A "Sure" Thing

It matters how we’re asked to be a part of something. There’s a difference between asking someone, “Hey, do you want to go into a packed Nicaraguan jail and share the Gospel?” versus asking, “Hey, did you hear about the informational meeting about the mission trip to Central America?” There’s a difference between asking someone, “Will you put your schedule on hold unexpectedly today, pick up some Braum’s, and sit in a median to eat breakfast with a homeless man?” versus asking, “Have you noticed the homeless people on the drive to church every Sunday?”

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