Did you know it’s awfully hard to bless someone you’re jealous of? When you’re wishing for somebody else’s stuff—their lifestyle, their looks, their money or talents—it’s easy to see that person as competition. Which means—admit it—you’d rather see them kicked down than built up. The envy weed blossoms in ways we least expect. “Mom, Cyrus …
Last weekend I took my girls on an all-female retreat with about 200 other moms and daughters ages 5 to 75. There were tall girls, short girls, blonde girls, brunette girls, spunky girls, quiet girls, and everything in between girls. And you know what? They were all amazing. I just wonder if they know it. …
Let me tell you the kind of mom I am. Last week I dropped my girls off at school and realized I hadn’t bothered to listen to a weather report. “Mom, I’m cold,” my eight-year-old complained when I peeled her jacket off and hung it on her hook. “You’re cold? Hmmm…. I guess it is …
A few weeks ago I shared some heartfelt pleas to boy mommas about ways you can help me raise my girls right. I believe we’re all in this together—whether parenting boys or girls, we’re on the same team, and we share the same calling to usher up the next generation of Christians, teaching them to …
Can we talk? Yes, you, the exhausted mom whose living room is filled with trucks and footballs and rock collections. And you, the lady whose sons are outgrowing their basketball shoes and sprouting peach fuzz on their chins. All of you boy moms who wash blue and red T-shirts, stinky socks, and muddy fingerprints day …
When I was a freshman in college, I lived in a tiny dorm room three hundred miles from home. My mom and I had a standing telephone date every Saturday morning at ten. This was in the Jurassic period, prior to unlimited talk and text plans, when phone companies had the audacity to charge thirty-five …
I honestly didn’t think he’d do it. My dog is feisty, and naughty, and stubborn. But he’s not dumb. Or at least I didn’t think so. Until last week. I was standing in the doorway of our front porch talking to a friend. She’d stopped by to deliver a special treat—homemade gelato, I love her!—and …
Easter is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it—the victorious worship songs, the heart-wrenching passion plays, and even the somber reflection of Good Friday, reminding us that our greatest healing was only made possible through the valley of deepest sorrow. Jesus is our risen King, and Easter is a chance to shout God’s truth …
“And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12, NLT) I’ve decided to punish my kids more often. It’s good for them. It’s good for me, too, and their dad, and even the …
Yesterday I used my grocery store’s online order service for the first time. It was magical. I mean, seriously—I clicked a few buttons the night before, and somebody else wheeled through the aisles while I slept. Somebody who wasn’t dragging along two children begging for Cheetos and complaining the dairy section is too cold. Then …
