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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How to Love Your Life: 4 Practical Ways to Cultivate Joy
I’ve been watching the yellow poplar leaves grow on the tree beside our deck this spring. Their tiny faces glanced at me through the finger-smeared glass the day I turned the calendar to May, and they were about to teach me a lesson on how to love your life—even in the most ordinary seasons. On rainy mornings, the tiny leaves grew larger before our eyes. Like watching our children grow taller, we hardly noticed. I was reminded that it’s easy to miss the small spurts of growth if I never slow down enough to notice. However, as I sat at the window, I marveled at the way life emerged from…
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How to Declutter Your Mind With God’s Help
Last night I took a walk beneath a canopy of beech trees as patches of fog hovered over the creek beside me. I’d spent the week keeping up with the kids and trying to stay on top of a full schedule. Desperate to sort through my thoughts and declutter my mind, the forest called me. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to sorting through our mental chaos. I go outside when my mind feels cluttered. As I watch the sun sink beneath the hills or listen to the sound of red squirrels gnawing on walnuts, my mind clears. Nature offers space to sort through my…
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How to Begin Again: 3 Insights
A towering hemlock casts a sleepy shadow on bare earth, and a pine squirrel gnaws on a walnut from its unseen perch overhead. I am in the woods with a stack of books and a journal—intent on seeking God and as I ask him how to begin again after a setback in my life. As springtime sunlight floods the forest, it feels like a day to lean into new beginnings. I’ve been feeling restless lately. I’ve been trying to write and struggling to find words. I wonder, Is this God’s way of redirecting my path? I’m mulling this over as I open the thin pages of my Bible, and I…
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Two Unique Mother-Daughter Gifts for Mother’s Day
Springtime has finally come to our world, and a chorus of birdsong greets us with the dawn of each new day. For our family, this season includes long hikes over rolling hills of wildflowers and quests for frog eggs and red-spotted newts. It’s also the season for celebrating our mothers. This year, I’m excited to share two unique mother-daughter gifts for Mother’s Day. 2 Thoughtful Mother-Daughter Gifts 1. I Love You, Mom: Cherished Word Gifts from My Heart to Yours About a year ago, I discovered a book that changed my life. I Love You, Mom: Cherished Word Gifts from My Heart to Yours by Blythe Daniel and her mom Helen…
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7 Refreshing Bible Verses (and 11 Ways to Be Refreshed)
Yesterday morning, I awoke with a deep desire to go to the woods—to inhale the scent of creek bottom, decomposing maple leaves, and pungent earth. As I sat with my Bible, I was reminded that God wanted to renew my mind with his written Word, and I let the following refreshing Bible verses wash over me. 7 Refreshing Bible Verses 1. Psalm 97:11-12 (NIV) “Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones, and praise His holy name.” These words remind us that when we rejoice in the Lord and walk in the light, his presence refreshes us. 2. Psalm 68:9…
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8 Life-Changing Prayers for Your Daughter
Last night, I followed my daughter through a withered field of wildflowers as dusk chased us toward the forest. Often, I silently pray for her as we walk along this trail. I pray for her friendships, her faith, her worries, and her dreams. I pray for God to guide our conversations and unite our hearts. Like me, you might want to pray life-changing prayers for your daughter, but you don’t always know what to pray. Whether your daughter is two or sixty-two, here are eight biblical prayers for your daughter. 8 Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter 1. Pray that troubles and difficulties lead her to rely on Christ. Our daughter…
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Teach Us to Number Our Days: When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NIV). Snow falls heavily—a white veil making our world feel close and small for the morning. After the school calls off classes for the day, after the eight-year-old loses another baby tooth, and after an argument over the TV, I close the bedroom door to pray. “Father, how would you have us use these unexpected hours together?” I pray. I had plans to meet with friends, work on a writing project, and take the youngest to the dollar store. Never one to embrace interruptions, this snow day has thrown me for a loop. I…
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Combating Anxiety with the Power of Intentional Moments
I’m thrilled to share the wise words of my friend Nichole Suvar with you today! Nichole and I met in the world of online writers, and every time I read her words, they touch my heart deeply. Today, I’m honored to share a post from Nichole about combating anxiety with the power of small, intentional moments. Nichole recently released a new book called Numbering Our Days, and this book is helping me slow down, consider my thoughts, and make the most of my moments in light of eternity. It’s exactly what I needed in this season. This wonderful book contains 49 short devotions challenging us to overcome anxiety and embrace intention…
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Making Decisions With God: 4 Questions to Guide You
Have you been praying about a big decision? Maybe you feel confused because you want to follow God but don’t have a clear sense of his direction. You are in the right place. Today, we’ll talk about making decisions with God and explore four questions to help us. Making Decisions With God: 4 Questions to Guide You A few years ago, I sensed God calling me to step out in faith and take a risk that was beyond my comfort zone. I didn’t feel equipped for the assignment. I wanted signs of God’s provision before I took the first step of faith. After months of hesitation, I finally obeyed. The…
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8 Bible Verses About Joy and an Invitation to Encounter God
A fresh blanket of snow found us in the early hours before dawn today. With lanky fingers, she reached down and touched us—wrapped us in an ethereal cloak and spoke of rest. I walked to the window and got lost in the purity of the wild world, and in the process, a spark was ignited in my soul. It felt like a fresh outpouring of joy—joy I’ve been craving for far too long. I pulled out my Bible in search of inspiring Bible verses about joy and started soaking in the words. The excitement of Christmas has passed. Many of us look to the long winter season ahead, and we…