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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7 Powerful Daily Prayers for Your Children
Every morning, I sit in front of my prayer list and ask God to show me how to pray for my kids. When we’re not sure how to pray, God’s Word enables us to stand in agreement with him and lift our children before his throne with confidence. Today, we’ll explore seven powerful daily prayers for your children or grandchildren. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for three devotional books to read with your kids. Daily Prayers for Your Children Praying these prayers for my kids has centered my focus and blessed my prayer life. God wants to work in the lives of the children you…
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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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How to Get Out of a Rut in Life: 4 Ways
I’m sitting along the creek, pondering how to get out of a rut in life, on a cloudy spring afternoon. I feel divided between life as a mother, a wife, a friend, a Bible study leader, a writer, and more. I am weary, and I’m not sure I’m doing a good job in any area of my life. Gazing at the creek, I remember the truth: Before I am a wife, a mother, a friend, or a writer, I am a child of God. I belong to Jesus, and he belongs to me, and this is what matters most in life. I chew on the words and gaze at a…
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Bible Verses About God’s Plan for Us: 15 Scriptures
Have you been thinking about how to discover your calling in life? Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses about God’s plan for us. We’ll also explore practical ways to discover God’s calling by embracing our current work. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you embrace God’s calling daily. Bible Verses About God’s Plan for Us Here are 15 Bible verses about God’s plan for us. 15 Bible Verses About God’s Plan for Us 1. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a…
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How to Surrender to God When Life Is Hard and Your Calling Feels Hidden
A subtle clacking sound echoes from the black clock on the wall, and I stare into the ashen hues of winter outside. I sit by the window awaiting the roaring engine of the school bus. My calling feels humble, quiet, and hidden in this season, and I’m wondering just how to surrender to God in these hard days of mothering little ones. Opening my Bible in search of encouragement, I find Jesus talking to a wealthy young man. Jesus says to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me”(Matthew 19:21).…
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25 Christmas Bible Verses for Inspiration and Hope
In a season saturated with commercialism and consumerism, it’s easy to lose the meaning of Christmas. Today, we’ll explore 25 Christmas Bible verses to help us turn to Christ this month. We’ll also apply these Scriptures by discussing meaningful Christmas traditions that serve others. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free Advent devotional to encourage you this Christmas. Let’s begin by turning to God’s Word. 25 Christmas Bible Verses Here are 25 Christmas Bible verses for hope and joy this season. 25 Christmas Bible Verses to Inspire and Bring Hope 1. Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a…
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5 Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions
The world is aglow in colorful lights as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Light of the World. Sadly, it’s easy to become so engrossed in the hustle and bustle of the season that we forget why we are celebrating. Perhaps you’d like to help your family celebrate with some Christ-centered Christmas traditions this year. Let’s look at five family traditions that can help us keep Christ at the center of our Christmas celebrations this year. 5 Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions If we want to be more attuned to the wonder of the incarnation, we begin by slowing down. We stand in awe that the God of all creation…
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Encouragement for Tired Moms: 5 Ways to Add Joy to Your Life
I discovered a meatball under the china cabinet this morning. Suffice it to say, this wouldn’t be a huge deal if we’d dated meatballs in the past few days; however, we haven’t had meatballs for at least two weeks. We haven’t had meatballs for two weeks. As I scrubbed the floor, I felt compelled to offer a few words of encouragement for tired moms everywhere. Ten years ago, I spent my days teaching students with disabilities inside the walls of a respected high school. Each new day brought new challenges and changes in my schedule. During those years, my husband and I traveled overseas often. For fun, we regularly took…
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How to Choose a New Thanksgiving Tradition for Your Family
November is here with the grey branches of maple trees reaching heavenward and once-vibrant fields of wildflowers wielding frost-burned tufts in unison. We pull the Thanksgiving decorations from the basement shelves and start thinking about instituting a new and meaningful Thanksgiving tradition for our family. It seems appropriate that this month of transition is also culturally known as the month for giving thanks. We are often most desperately in need of reminders to practice gratitude when the tides are shifting in our lives. November has always felt like a changing of the tides for me. November is the time when the kids bound from the bus wearing feathers in their…
