Purposeful Living
Creative ideas for enjoying your family in all seasons of the year, including spending time in nature, creative ways to celebrate holidays, and ways to teach your children the art of hospitality.
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4 Practical Ways to Overcome Perfectionism
Life-sized murals of Sesame Street characters adorned the colorful walls of our pediatrician’s office. Seven-year-old Bekah sat beneath the vibrant cartoons as if she were a part of the show. Meanwhile, the nurse took her blood pressure and did all the routine screenings that come with an annual physical. I watched her little face from the doorway of the examining room. She was poised and serious about getting it right. Our girl is a rule-follower, and while this is nothing short of delightful from a parenting perspective, we realize that it does have its challenges in life. I contemplated these things as the nurse gently asked our sweet girl, “Honey,…
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6 Creative Ideas to Help You Show Hospitality This Fall
It’s a clear evening overlooking Granite Creek. The sun has slipped behind the canyon walls, and alpenglow paints the West Ridge salmon. I’m not thinking about how to show hospitality this evening – not in the least. The year is 2001, and I’ve just entered the identity-searching decade of my twenties. This will be the decade when I stumble blindly in the relentless search for the woman I want to become. I’ll begin my teaching career in the public high school. I have no way of knowing these things now, of course. For now, I’m content with my three-month job of washing dishes in the lodge where the teachers come…
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8 Life-Changing Prayers for Your Kids
I recently wrote my kids’ names on the front of my prayer journal as a reminder to pray for them every day. Much to my frustration, I often stare at their names and draw a blank. If you’re like me, you want to pray powerful prayers for your kids, but sometimes you get stuck. How to Pray Life-Changing Prayers for Your Kids When I feel stuck, I pull out this list of eight life-changing prayers and pray from it. I originally wrote these Bible-based prayers at the start of a new school year, but now I pray them all year long. My hope is that these prayers will help you…
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10 Biblical Affirmations for Kids of All Ages
Not long ago, our family endured a moment that reminded me of the importance of speaking biblical affirmations over our kids. Join us in the backyard, and we’ll talk about teaching our kids to stand on their identities in Christ. Biblical Affirmations for Your Kids I’m not thinking about developing my daughter’s identity in Christ when it happens. It’s a balmy August evening, and rays of sinking sun shine white on the lawn as we finish dinner on the deck. Darrell offers to take the kids to the yard while I clean up. In no time, the hose is squirting water into the sky, and rainbows dance over the grass. …
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How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids (Do This Instead)
Not long ago, I decided I was done yelling at my kids. Ten minutes after I made my commitment, someone dumped a whole box of Lucky Charms on the kitchen floor in an attempt to pick out the marshmallows. If you can relate—if you want to learn how to stop yelling at your kids and feel like you’re failing— you’re in the right place. How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids Most of us want to parent with love and gentleness, but it’s so much easier said than done. The other day, my sweet daughter offered me a powerful example of what to do when I feel like yelling. Her…
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15 Attitudes That Cultivate Biblical Hospitality
Ten years ago, I was just learning what it meant to offer biblical hospitality. My husband and I lived in a little home at least a dozen miles from anything worthy of being called a town. Mostly, we kept company with the deer and coyotes that walked through our front yard on cool autumn nights. I’d been investing in the life of a younger woman for a few months, and I finally invited her to our modest little home to chat. As the evening wore on, I wanted to hear more about her life, about the struggles that had shaped her and the truths that defined her. I asked deep…
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Pray Big Prayers for Your Little Ones
How do we pray for our children when the wellspring of words runs dry? How do we faithfully lift them before the Lord with confidence that our prayers match the desires of His heart? When we’re not sure of how to pray, God’s Word enables us to stand in agreement with him and lift our children before his throne with confidence. As a parent, I long to pray for my kids with devoted faithfulness. I long to stand in agreement with my Savior and pray bold and powerful prayers for my kids. But sometimes I get stuck. Sometimes I can’t find the words. Paul’s words to the Colossian church offer…
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Opening Your Heart Is Just as Important as Opening Your Home
“Opening your heart is just as important as opening your home,” a friend reminds me as we chat on the phone. I stare out the window as stratus clouds linger low over the valley. This morning, I invited the neighbors to join our family for an evening of fishing at the creek. Now, as it threatens to rain, I wonder if I’ve made a mistake. I wanted our outing to be perfect. As I watch the clouds gather, my friend reminds me that hospitality isn’t about perfection. It’s about opening our hearts to others. I thank her, put down the phone, and begin packing for our evening at the creek.…
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How to be Hospitable With Less Stress: 10 Easy Ways
Snow still lingered in the spruce boughs when we went to her house for an Easter crafting party. Her idea was to help the kids make colorful bath bombs using a recipe from Pinterest and dozens of pastel plastic Easter eggs. She had no idea, but she was teaching me how to be hospitable on a very practical and imperfect level. We piled through the door in our winter boots, and she waved her arm in a welcoming gesture as the kids threw their coats in a pile on the floor. That afternoon, three moms began the patience-testing task of helping seven little ones measure perfect portions of corn starch,…
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Safe With God: When God’s Will Feels Risky
Throughout most of my adult life, I’ve held onto the maxim that declares, “The safest place in the world is the center of God’s will.” I take it to mean that whenever I’m walking in God’s will, I am also safe with God. A few months ago, our family walked through a tough loss. The loss led me to question much of what I believed about God. For the first time in many years, I didn’t feel safe with God. Following God had led me to a valley so dark that I felt anything but safe. Safe With God? As we navigated our loss, I was struck by the words…
