Can we be real for a moment? I mean really real? Here are a few questions: Are you a hypocrite? Are you a hero? Are you maybe a bit of both in the eyes of your kids? If I am being honest, there are times I would like to hide away in a secret room,...
Discipline by Design
Well, I have decided to go there—the place few parents want to go when talking to other parents. You know what I’m talking about. Oh yes, the oft forbidden elephant in the room, “your way is wrong,” “this parenting book says differently” topic: Discipline. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with...
Rooted in Resolutions
For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. Jeremiah 17:8 The trees are coming...
Trinkets and The Treasure
This week, it was blistering cold outside, so we crafted ourselves silly indoors. We sang, we drank cocoa, we played games, and we made more paper plate angels than you could imagine—which was fitting given that we lit the fourth of the candles on our Advent wreath this week, which is also commonly referred...
Christmas: Peace in Division
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 As the day when we will celebrate the first coming of our great Savior draws all...
It Wasn’t His Child
“What part did Mary and Joseph have in God’s plan?” was the question posed in one of the children’s Bibles we read from one evening last week. The answer the editor provided was “God chose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’ parents on earth.” I love the simplicity of children’s Bibles, but the answer to...
Come, Let’s Adore Him!
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 Is there anything more amazing than coming to know Christ as your personal Savior? The answer is a resounding “no.” Nothing in all the world compares to the moment...
Look at the Fields!
“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35 I love this verse more than I can tell you. It’s becoming all the more meaningful to me as Thanksgiving draws near. As more and more stores attempt to minimize the holiday and reduce it to little more...
Beauty and the Busy
I’ve been a bit sidetracked the past few weeks. It started as I took my three children (ages 4 years, 2 years, and 6 months) for a “tour of Texas,” as I often like to call necessary road trips. We loaded our pint sized RV (commonly called a minivan) with as many clothes, snacks, and...
Getting to Know You: A Stonebriar Story
Stonebriar is a large church made up of many beautiful families, so it seems only fitting that we take the time to get to know one another better. And what better way than sharing some of the God-sized stories behind many of the familiar faces we see? I’m so appreciative of The Creek Family for accepting the...
I Pledge Allegiance
You may have heard there’s an election taking place. Not to worry, I won’t be taking a political stance here or turning this into a place for conservative versus liberal fodder, but it would be remiss of me to act as though we aren’t on the cusp of a sizable moment in our nation’s history—a moment that...
The Bigger Picture
She didn’t see. She didn’t hear. And she will never know the full scope of our days. And after much prayer and a few little tears, I’ve remembered that is more than okay. My child did not go to bed when my mother told him. Five different times. You read that right. Five different times. He got...