Being Consistent

On our family trip to Hawaii last year, our children were allowed to pick out souvenirs at a few places we visited. At one stop, my son chose a lucky cat {much like the picture above}. When the sun hits the cat, its paw waves up and down with a slight clicking sound.

Every morning, when I open the curtains in his room and the morning sunlight falls on his cat figure, the clicking and waving immediately begin and they continue until the sun moves and the cat is covered in shadow.

This daily routine and noise caused me to think about being consistent in aspects of life. Consistency is a trait that seems to be falling away. People have so many pulls on their attention and time that they have trouble being consistent, especially in areas where it matters.

I freely admit that this is a struggle for me at times. Consistency requires time, effort, and a conscious drive to do what we know we should do, not only what we feel like doing.

Bible reading

We know we should and yet…it’s difficult to consistently open God’s Word and read it. Why? Maybe we find it boring. Maybe we believe there’s nothing new to understand. Maybe we don’t make it a priority so it naturally gets squeezed out of our routine.

None of these are valid excuses. The old adage “You make time for what’s important to you” is very accurate here. If we love the Bible, if we hunger to know God better, we will certainly prioritize time reading the Bible. But we have to decide and commit to consistently be in the Word.

I prefer to read a physical copy for my daily devotions but if I know it’s going to be a crazy day, I listen to the Bible on my phone while doing my makeup, washing dishes, etc. However it works for you, do it!

Prayer

One of the hardest things for me is prayer. Not because it’s difficult but because I get so wrapped up in other things or worry that I just don’t think about it. Until I’m convicted that I’ve been trying to solve the problem on my own instead of laying it before God.

Having a consistent prayer life is important for every Christian. Not because it gives us a step up in bragging rights or eternal glory but because we are coming before our Creator and he hears us! Our worries, requests, hardships, questions, praise all matter to him and he welcomes us into fellowship with himself. We should be clamoring to spend time in prayer!

Consistently talking with our Lord strengthens our faith, teaches us to rely on him, and helps us grow in our Christian walk.

Discipline

Until you’ve told a child to stop a certain behavior several times in one morning, you might not realize what a struggle for consistency this is. It’s easy to think we’ve said no enough, we’ve sent them to their rooms enough, they’ve been punished enough. But if your children are still struggling with that sinful habit, we must keep being consistent in how we deal with it.

I’m not telling you how to discipline your kids here, although I certainly have thoughts on it. I’m telling you being consistent in dealing with sin is an important part of discipline in general. If we correct our children for throwing a fit up until the tenth time then let them go because we’re tired of dealing with it, they will always persist until that tenth time because they have learned you can be worn down and then they get what they want.

kindness

This shouldn’t need to be said but we are sinful people living with and among other sinful people and sometimes we snap! I have found being kind, compassionate, nice, etc. are not taken as the norm. In fact, in some situations, smiling and speaking kindly stand out as a rare thing. Think of moments where frustrations, tempers, and attitudes tend to run high. Now imagine being the person working in that environment, where everyday people are yelling, glaring, or upset with you but you can’t always solve the problem {I’m thinking of customer service and flight representatives, hotel staff, but I’m sure there are others}.

Most of these interactions will probably be the only time you’ll speak to the people in question, but if we choose to just be kind consistently, it will be easier to default to that attitude when we might be tempted to blow up. And of course this applies to family, coworkers, friends, and people we see on a regular basis.

Every morning, that clicking, waving cat greets me and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down. But every morning I’m reminded why being consistent in my Christian life matters.

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Final Week in Proverbs

We made it! A month in Proverbs.

I hope it was a blessing to you and that you see the relevance for today’s world in this 31 chapter book. Here is a brief recap from the last seven days of reading.

• Several times we are reminded not to be jealous of the wicked {23:17; 24:1, 19} because they will be punished {24:16; 24:20; 26:27; 28:18; 29:6}. This is a theme throughout the book, where we see the ultimate end of the evil.

• More pleas from a father to a son to listen, heed, obey his voice/commands {23:19, 22, 26; 27:11}. We first saw this in 1:8 and it runs throughout the book. Think of Solomon, the wisest person in history, pleading with his son to listen and not make the same mistakes he did.

• The difference between the wise and the fool are listed many times {23:9; 24:7; 27:12; 29:9}. The fool continues in his folly until judgment while the wise strive to live upright and gain reward.

• The last two chapters are a slight break. Chapter 30 has a pattern of, “these three things, yet four…” which is a way of drawing attention and repeating for emphasis. Chapter 31 is most famous for describing a virtuous woman and all the ways she looks after her household.

June is over and with it, our first reading of Proverbs for the summer! In June, I read the New King James Version and for July, I’ll be reading the Christian Standard Bible. I hope going through a chapter a day for a month was helpful for you to get a good overview and see some of the themes and repeated words in Proverbs.

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Weeks Two and Three in Proverbs

We are moving right along in our monthly reading of Proverbs!

Over the last two weeks, we’ve entered a section I like to call compare and contrast. While not an absolute, the majority of verses in chapters 10-24 follow a pattern.

“The righteous…but the wicked…”

“Wisdom says…but the fool says…”

Like I said, there is some variation in this and it doesn’t follow a perfect pattern. But throughout most of these chapters we see a compare and contrast between doing what God says and what the wicked say.

From this, we can pull out several themes that God is warning us about: our words {tongue, lips, mouth}, our friends {counsel, advisors}, and our work {diligent, lazy, slothful}. These are not the only themes but are continually repeated in several varieties.

Why is the compare and contrast helpful? Because it shows cause and effect, that one decision impacts tomorrow’s decision, that the opposite of God’s Wisdom is earthly folly. Consider just a few examples from the last two weeks of readings:

A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich. {10:4}

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom. {11:2}

The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the mouth of the upright delivers them. {12:5-6}

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. {19:1}

This barely scratches the surface of what we have read the previous 14 days! But can you see the pattern I’m talking about? Sometimes in this compare and contrast, we read several verses before we see the opposite action. However, you can always see how the right and wrong paths diverge.

I believe this is so critical in our culture today. All around we hear that there really are no wrong choices. Just choices that aren’t the best for us but could be the best for someone else. Proverbs {and the Bible in general} makes it clear that there is sin. Sin makes for bad/wrong/evil/wicked choices. That is a universal truth. What the Bible calls sin is wrong for everyone and will have consequences.

I have found true, and maybe you have also in reading Proverbs, that I can think of current, real-time examples for many of the warnings given. Warnings about deceit, false witness, judges showing favor, anger, pride, friendship, and we could go on.

These are not outdated, useless principles. On the contrary, they offer helpful guidance and boundaries in a world set on removing all boundaries. Read these words with care and set your mind and life on following them.

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Week One in Proverbs

I’ve been reading a chapter of Proverbs a day for a week now and I have thoughts.

Let me begin by saying that no overview is ever going to be exhaustive. On several days, I read the previous chapters again because in reading chapter two, I was reminded of something from chapter one and chapter five started similarly to chapter four. I will be learning and noticing things from this book every time I read it. But here are a few observations from the first seven chapters.

• Chapter one opens with why we read Proverbs in the first place: to know, to perceive, to receive, to give, to hear, to attain, to understand. All these words are connected to words used for wisdom: wisdom & instruction, understanding, instruction of wisdom, prudence, increase learning, wise counsel, proverb, words of the wise.

• We also see the reverse of being wise — listening to the enticements of sinners {v10} and the consequences of that action {vv11-19}.

• Chapter two begins with the same call to wisdom with an “If…then…” statement that runs from verse 1-5.

• In 2:21-22 we see good and evil contrasted. We will see more of these contrasts in coming chapters!

• We are very familiar with 3:5-6. It is often memorized and quoted. But I loved connecting it with vv7-8. Part of trusting God and not leaning on our understanding {v5} is humility, meaning we shouldn’t consider ourselves wise {v7}. By acknowledging him and follow his path {v6} we gain strength and health {v8}.

• Again we see the contrast in good and evil {3:33-35}.

• Chapter four ends with a lengthy reminder that choosing wisdom over foolishness is a definite action. We can’t be passive in seeking wisdom, because wisdom will cover every aspect of life. Read 4:23-27 and note the actions mentioned for how we should seek wisdom and abandon evil.

• I had to chuckle at the repeated tone of, “Listen, my son, hear me, children” in so many of these chapters. what parent isn’t constantly reminding their children to pay attention! Listen! This is important! It’s very relatable. But also shows how much we need to actively seek after wisdom! We won’t stumble onto the right path any easier than children making good choices without prompting, reminders, and encouragements.

• I found 5:21 to be an encouragement in our present day when wickedness and sinful people seem to be winning. Have courage, Christian. God sees, God knows the ways of all people.

• We see two physical examples here that we can observe. First, the ant, diligently carrying food and storing it {vv6-8}. Second, the picture of fire and what happens when you carry it {vv27-29}. Just as it is impossible to not be burned, so is it impossible to sin — particularly in adultery — without physical consequences.

• Chapter seven is a sad picture of how easily and quickly sin can overtake us. Just like a harlot, sin looks appealing, maybe even like something we could get away with. But the end result is always a tragedy. It always leads to death.

This is just scratching the surface of what I learned and observed in my readings this week. There are certainly more points I could write out but these stood out to me.

If you haven’t been reading along, please consider joining! We are only one week in and it’s not too late to grab a Bible, open a Bible app, and start reading {or listening} to one chapter of Proverbs a day.

What are some of your takeaways from this week? I’d love to read in the comments!

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Lessons from a Road Trip

We recently went on a family road trip covering several thousand miles round trip. To say we spent a lot of time in the car together is an understatement! This was our first time undertaking a cross-country trip like this and, while we had fun and made lots of memories, we also learned many things! Here are a few tips that kept us going.

— Use your library ebook borrowing. Before the trip, I downloaded the library borrowing app to each of the kids’ tablets. Then they picked a few ebooks and audiobooks. It saved a lot of space to not have a box of actual books traveling with us!

— Check into free trial subscriptions. We knew we wouldn’t always have internet so I used a free trial of Spotify to download some ad free music to my phone. I could then connect it to the van’s system via Bluetooth. I also tried a free subscription to Scribd, which has ebooks, magazines, audiobooks, and more. It was great to have options not available at my library and it encouraged me to read more because I wanted to finish before the 30 days were up!

— Take snacks…but ration them. We bought lots of special snacks for this big trip. But my kids could have eaten them all in one day! So I packed most of them in a box in the trunk and kept just a sampling closer to me. When someone asked for a snack, I reminded them there were only so many within reach and when they were gone, no more snacks for the day.

— We only ate out for dinners. This was a huge money saver. We made sure to stay at hotels that served a breakfast and we had a cooler with sandwich fixings, crackers and peanut butter, and veggies for lunch. We would stop around noon and fill up with gas then locate a nearby park using Google and enjoy a picnic lunch. It gave the kids a chance to run and play before sitting in the car again and we found some neat parks in small towns across the US!

— Be flexible. We had a few hiccups on the trip but nothing major. Instead of stressing and allowing it to derail our attitudes, we adjusted and kept going! We ended up spending a day at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum that we hadn’t planned on and getting to one of the hotels a little earlier another day to allow for extra swim time in the pool.

— Pack surprises. Prior to the trip, I ordered sticker books, sticker mosaics, hand held {non electronic} games, coloring books, and quiet fidgets. I didn’t show them to the kids and wrapped each one, marking it as a shared present for all three or with their initials. Each day when we set out from the hotel, they could choose a present to open and enjoy.

— Limit screens. While the kids did have their tablets, we limited the time they could use them each day. Tommy had downloaded some movies to our Cloud but he only put one movie a day on their individual tablets. They also had a few games that didn’t require Internet. For the first stretch of the morning and for awhile after lunch, it was no tablets. They could sleep, look out the window, or do an activity they’d opened from me. Part of the afternoon was for audiobooks. It worked very well.

— Don’t think you can’t. I get it. With kids, car rides can seem very daunting. Everyone in a confined space for hours on end? Yikes! But if you prepare a little and keep a positive attitude, it can be a fun trip for the whole family. In fact, as we were on our final stretch home, having spent 65+ hours in the car in 13 days, our youngest said, “When are we doing a big trip in the car again?”

We are so privileged in America to be able to drive on good roads that get us to any part of our country! And what a variety of landscapes we have! We saw high desert, open farmland, lush treefilled scapes, miles and miles of flat land, rolling hills, big cities, small towns, mountains, mist covered hills, and windy roads. The planning, the hours, the miles we sat; it was all worth it and filled with memories for our family.

Photo by Derek Story on Unsplash

Sharing Our Burdens

I love to share and talk about so many different things. And, probably like you, I find myself talking about different things with different friends.

Motherhood and homeschooling dominate many of my conversations with many of my friends because we are in the trenches! Teaching, discipling, raising the children God has given us, and I need encouragement and advice from them. Other friends share creative hobby interests with me and we compare notes on flower gardens, books, and watercoloring.

It isn’t wrong to have specific topics and things that create a bond with a friend. It’s a healthy, helpful way to grow friendships and to grow ourselves as we learn and interact. But do you ever feel unable to talk about spiritual things with your friends? Does it embarrass you to ask for prayer? Do you struggle to bring a Bible reference into the context of a regular conversation?

I believe sometimes in our Christian lives, it becomes easy to compartmentalize and not view regular parts of our days as being spiritual. Is there really a Bible verse for everything? Well, no, not specifically. However, the Bible does give us verses and principles that are to be applied to every aspect of life.

For instance, when we don’t feel like folding another hamper of laundry, we can be reminded that, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” {I Cor. 10:31} Or, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” {I Thess. 5:16-18} No, this doesn’t speak to folding laundry itself, but rather to the attitude we are to have in whatever we find ourselves doing.

How do we bring this back around to friends? I have found for myself that I can get so carried away in the topic of conversation that I only insert my “wisdom” rather than adding biblical wisdom. I let my opinions and thoughts direct the conversation more than what the Bible has to say about it. It’s not wrong to have an opinion about things but how do I view my opinion and how do I present it to others?

I’ve also found myself hesitant to ask for prayer or wisdom at certain times. It’s not that I don’t trust my friends for good advice; it’s more pride that I don’t want them to know what I’m struggling with. I have times when it’s easy to let me daily Bible reading slip. I shouldn’t be too embarrassed to text a friend and ask her to keep me accountable. Is one of my children struggling with rebellion? Asking a friend or family member to pray is a good idea.

God created us to live in community. He instituted marriage and family and church. He wants us to commune with one another, love one another, forgive one another, help one another. And ultimately, to serve God together. We do these things best when we are honest about our struggles, open about burdens, and when biblical wisdom flows easily from our lips.

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Taking Time to Pray

If I’m being honest, prayer is one of the hardest things for me.

It should be one of the easiest, but making consistent time to sit undistracted and pray can be a challenge. However, having a consistent prayer life is one of the most important disciplines we need to cultivate.

As with many things in life, we often think until we’re ready to do it “perfectly” we shouldn’t do it. The perfect time to sit uninterrupted, the perfect notebook to write requests in. But the truth is, there will not be a perfect moment or setup. We need to just begin! Here are a few things I’ve found helpful as I try to make a habit of prayer.

Make a list

Lists are helpful in many areas of life and prayer is no different. I have found it easier to stay focused and not get distracted when I have a list of prayer requests I can focus on. As I hear of needs from family and friends, I write them down and keep the paper or notebook within easy grabbing distance.

Give thanks

Days can be dark and discouraging. At times it’s difficult to find the words to pray, even with a list. At moments like this, I begin with thankfulness. Reciting the good things God has done for me or provided helps encourage me to bring more before him and also refocuses my mind.

Routine

They say it takes 59-70 days to create a new habit. Something I have found helpful in many disciplines of life is to attach the new habit to a certain time of day or regular activity. I try to begin and end my days with prayer. Before I fall asleep, I think back on that day and ask forgiveness, praise God, bring requests and burdens. Anything about that day that pops into my mind. In the morning before I get out of bed, I give my day over to God, ask for help in certain activities, etc. Here’s another blog post I wrote about attaching prayer to something else as a reminder to pray.

evaluate the day

I realized there were moments in everyday that I was wasting. I was scrolling on my phone, sitting at my desk wondering what I should be doing, researching things I didn’t plan to buy. And I decided when I caught myself doing some mindless task that didn’t need doing, I would pray.

Often the biggest challenge to prayer is our own attitudes. We don’t want to take the time or we think it has to involve closing eyes, kneeling, etc. The truth is, prayer is for every hour of every day. This is what I Thess. 5:17 is talking about when the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” God knows we have tasks that need to be done. He’s not saying we need to kneel at our beds 24/7. But wherever we are, we can come before him in prayer.

How will you incorporate prayer into your daily life?

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Bible Resources for Home

Of all the things we teach our children, the Bible and a biblical worldview are the most important. It’s tempting to think preparing kids for future jobs and adult life should command our highest attention, but if our kids aren’t saturated in biblical truth, the “education” we have given them for life will be pointless.

To thrive in life is more than succeeding at a job. It is following God, living for Him rather than the world, and standing firm in what you believe. There are so many things pulling our kids {and ourselves} away from biblical truth. If we are not reading the Bible and teaching our children the difference between secular thought and what the Bible teaches, we will get swept away.

Fortunately, we live in a time and place where resources to help us teach biblical truth are ready and waiting! I’m continually astounded by the level of quality and amount of good resources available. Here is a rundown of some of my favorites. I’ve tried to mention the age the series is appropriate for to help you out. :)

picture books

Tales that tell the truth series

This series is a perfect beginning place for reading aloud to toddlers. Bright pictures, simple language, and yet filled with profound truths, these books {currently 14 in the series} take Bible events and beautifully share the stories while weaving in how the story matters in the big picture of the Gospel. These are also great for elementary readers. My favorite is “The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross” and it makes the perfect Easter gift.

baby believer series

These board books are a great size for baby hands to grip and fun to read aloud. From opposites to emotions to shapes, each book has a theme that is brought out with biblical people, animals, and words. Even though my kids are older, they still love these.

God made me series

While newer to me, I’ve been very impressed with the quality of these books. The books in this series help teach children the value of all life, an age appropriate introduction to how babies are made, gender, being made in God’s image, protecting our bodies, and more. The colorful pictures keep attention and the text is age appropriate and covers biblical truth. Great to read aloud for younger kids or for elementary kids to read with parents.

story bibles

The biggest story & the biggest story bible storybook

Tracing the theme of God’s redemption and grace from Genesis to Revelation, these books show how the Bible is one large story and how it all fits together. The Biggest Story is divided into ten chapters and, while it doesn’t go in-depth with any one story, it mentions many of the familiar Bible events and shows how they point to the cross. The Biggest Story Bible Storybook offers more of a retelling of specific biblical events, still with the theme of the Bible as one overarching story. Lots of colorful illustrations in both.

the big picture story bible

This was the first story Bible I read to my son before bed when he was just a toddler. It is easy for kids to understand, just enough pictures to keep them interested, and each chapter is short enough to hold their attention. It’s a physically BIG book but a great resource.

The jesus storybook bible

We received this when my oldest daughter was a baby and we’ve read it with each of our kids in their baby/toddler stages. The format points to Jesus as the hero and focal point of the entire Bible, every story points to him. I can’t recommend everything from this author because she’s swung a little left but this book is beautiful. We also have the DVD, which is the pictures from the book animated with David Suchet narrating.

the gospel story bible

This is by the same author as Long Story Short and Old Story New {I’ll mention these more below in the devotional category}. This story Bible is covers the entire Bible and each day’s reading is one full page with an illustration on the facing page. This is another book that points every individual story to the truth of the Gospel. This is a great option for preschool kids bedtime or homeschool families to read before school.

biographies

I have A LOT of recommendations for biographies! Part of that is to give all ages a good resource for learning about Christians from the past. The other reason is because the series below have some different people highlighted. There will be overlap but if you are looking for a good biography about a certain person, I want to give you as many options to find who you are looking for!

Do great things for god series

The ladies in these eight books all served God in various ways with their all. Fun drawings, brief overviews, and timelines make these accessible for all ages and put them into a historical context. A great way to introduce biographies and women of the faith from before.

christian heroes: then and now series

The next step for kids interested in biographies! Great for reading aloud or for upper elementary to read alone. With 48 books in this series, there is a book for whatever time period your child is interested in. We have enjoyed reading these and learning more about specific people from Christian history. Hudson Taylor, Corrie Ten Boom, Eric Liddell, Amy Carmichael, Jonathan Goforth, and so many more. An option I love for these is to include them in geography. Find a person who lived in a country your kids are learning about and read their biography!

christian biographies for young readers

If you have young children not at reading level, this series is a good read aloud picture book option. At under 100 pages each with beautiful illustrations, these books will introduce kids to a variety of Christians from history. The series is published by Reformation Heritage Press so many of the people highlighted come from Reformation history or might not be as well known, but we’ve enjoyed all the books we’ve read from this series.

The lightkeepers series {boys & girls}

My kids have enjoyed these and we’ve learned about a few new people! There’s a set for girls and another for boys. I liked how each book had a theme: Ten Boys/Girls …Who Changed the World, …Who Used Their Talents, …Who Made a Difference, …Who Didn't Give in, and …Who Made History. Each book contains ten different boys or girls and also gives a timeline of their life. Another great, short way to introduce biographies.

trailblazer books

I read some of these by Dave and Neta Jackson when I was young and they were my first step into Christian biographies. Told with a fictional story of a young person alongside real events in the famous Christian’s life allows the children to experience what it would have been like in various places and times.

There are newer additions to this same series by a variety of authors. You can purchase individually or buy a boxed set on a theme {Heroes & Heroines, Missionaries & Medics, Arts & Science, etc.}. These are advertised for 8-12 year olds but could probably be read aloud to younger kids.

heroes for young readers series

This series is similar to the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series but for younger readers. Lots of colorful illustrations and the text is a running poem which makes it easier to read and less text on each page. I would recommend these for early readers, ages 6-9, although some of the words might be bigger and not as familiar.

Devotionals

Between Us {girls & boys}

If you have an upper elementary or Jr High daughter or son, these are great for beginning conversations about biblical worldview and life topics. It is made for a mom/daughter or dad/son to read together with fun, serious, and biblical questions mixed together. Each chapter covers a topic {some different for boys and girls} with Bible verses, conversation starters, questions, and short text about a biblical truth.

lies girls believe & a mom’s guide to lies girls believe

My oldest daughter and I went through this study with a group of girls and moms from our church and we loved it. It was great to read together during the week and then gather with friends and talk about it. There is a chapter about hormones and changing bodies and our group decided to not discuss that as a group but it can be skipped entirely if your daughter isn’t ready for that. We did this with girls ages 8-13. There is also a Lies Young Women Believe for ages 15-17.

Long story short & old story new

This is the devotional we are using as a family everyday this year. The kids take turns reading the Bible passage aloud and Tommy reads the devotional from the book and asks questions. This is great for all ages and getting everyone involved in Bible study.

unfolding grace

This is what we have been reading one morning a week before heading down for school. Each of these 40 readings is straight from the Bible. After a few paragraphs of introduction and an illustration, the text from the Bible is printed. It is usually about a chapter but is sometimes portions from various chapters. The text is the English Standard Version. There is also a version for adults and I believe the only difference is the length of each reading — the adult book is around 600 pages while the kids version is not quite 300 pages.

picture bibles

the action bible

Laid out like a comic book or graphic novel, The Action Bible brings the Bible to life for early readers and older kids alike. The Bible passage is given and the story unfolds through bubble text and colorful illustrations. There have been many stories that my kids were having trouble picturing but The Action Bible gave them a way to visualize what the Bible was describing. Huge hit!

Kingston bible trilogy

Similar to The Action Bible, this is the entire Bible in three graphic novels. We don’t own this one but I have seen it from a friend and it is high quality and good content. Probably best for older readers.

General information

The radical book for kids & the really radical book for kids

We received the first book for Christmas and bought the second this spring {it just released in March!}. These books are packed with information about the Bible, faith, theology, and answers to so many questions kids ask. Neat graphics and bright colors keep kids reading. My kids will pick these up, curl under a blanket, and read away or ask me to read certain sections.

bible infographics for kids vol. 1 & 2& epic guide to jesus

Similar in idea as the Radical Book for Kids but more for younger kids. These give information about villains and heroes, animals, Bible verses and themes, books of the Bible, and a whole lot more. Lots of charts and graphs, great for kids — or adults — who benefit from visualization. These are some of our favorites.

The Daily Grace Co.

I love the resources from this company! So many great options for all ages. Board books, picture books, Bible verse copying books, sermon notes notebooks, theology and Bible verse cards, and a bunch more. I always wait for a sale to order and they drop the price {sometimes down to $5!} on most of their items.

the answers books for kids

Have you had your kids ask a question from the Bible and you didn’t know how to explain it? These books are for you! Each book covers a range of questions actual kids have asked; everything from dinosaurs and fossils to salvation and death. Every answer is supported with Scripture and great to read as a family or for young readers to read alone. If you have older kids {teens}, they have another version with the same type of questions but deeper answers.

The heavens

I love this book! Gorgeous pictures of our incredible universe, Bible verses, and biblical, scientific information about space, stars, and the galaxy. My kids love looking at the pictures. Great resource for studying astronomy or just marveling at our Creator.

Wow! I got a little carried away on this one! But clearly, there are loads of resources available for all ages, all learning types, and I didn’t even list them all! I hope this takes some of the confusion and endless searching through websites for you.

Photo by Asal Lotfi on Unsplash

Stay Encouraged in Bible Study

I wrote previously on the similarities between Bible study and working a puzzle. But with more puzzling and more studying, I have continued to think about this. :) I realize people have different methods and habits when it comes to puzzling and Bible study. But here are some observations and tips I have found helpful, in both habits.

Beginning

Whenever we start a new puzzle, my kids are all excitement…until I insist on picking out the edge and corner pieces and turning every piece so the correct side shows. They quickly lose interest and disperse to other activities, leaving me to sort through 1000 pieces on my own.

When my son asked why we always begin a puzzle this way, I told him it makes the process of working the puzzle easier. Having the frame set before you tackle the actual picture of the puzzle is helpful because 1) you clearly see how large the puzzle will be, 2) you can begin to see where the inside parts of the puzzle will connect, 3) the picture starts to make sense.

A few times, my kids have started working the middle of the puzzle before the edges are put together and it is rough! The picture on the box gives us a reference of what we’re going for but without the borders, we have no overall vision for size or placement.

In a similar way, when we approach Bible study by choosing our favorite verse and reading it multiple times, we are bound to not understand it completely. We need the context of the surrounding verses, the chapter, the book. By skipping this crucial step that might not seem important, we are making it more difficult and frustrating to get to the meat of the passage and what it’s about.

Let’s consider the book of Ruth. I’ve seen on walls and wedding announcements and everything in between, “For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” {Ruth 1:16b} Now, this is a lovely sentiment and one I agree with BUT Ruth is speaking these words to Naomi, her mother in law and not her future husband {she hadn’t met Boaz at this point in her life and had no idea what was coming. But she was demonstrating a loyalty to her deceased husband’s mother and to the Lord}.

Without looking at the context of the first chapter, we can easily be confused about who is actually talking to whom. And without studying the background and historical placement of this book, we don’t understand the cultural significance or why Ruth’s dedication to go with Naomi is so shocking. Those beginning study tips before diving into the “meat” of a passage will serve us well in the long run.

Middle

Once we have the puzzle edges outlined, my kids continue to be frustrated at my process: grouping colors. I do not like simply picking up two puzzle pieces and seeing if they fit, then moving on to two others, two others…. That is not helpful or efficient to me.

But if I look through all the pieces, study the picture on the box, and group pieces together that are a similar color or show a similar texture or image, I have a much smaller group of pieces to try and match. Suddenly, I have many small sections of the puzzle complete and ready to piece together.

When we apply this practice to Bible study, we see the importance of context. We cannot grab two random verses that we think should go together and make up a new interpretation. What is the whole chapter or book focusing on? What themes or key words do we see woven throughout the passage?

The whole of the Bible is one story. It is not a collection of interesting stories or sayings. It is the story of God’s redemptive plan and every part of the Bible tells us something about that plan and the God who holds this universe. When we try to grab a handful of pieces and make sense of the puzzle, it doesn’t work. When we focus on the verses that make sense to us and declare the rest unnecessary, we will never understand God’s complete message.

Again, we can go back to Ruth. On the surface, the book seems to be a straight forward Cinderella story of a widow who was loyal to her mother in law and it paid off by finding a kind husband. But that’s not the reason Ruth is in the Bible, and if that’s all we get from it, we are missing a lot!

Taking the time to read God’s instructions about leaving harvest in the fields for widows and poor {Lev. 19:9,10; Deut. 24:19}, the idea of a kinsman redeemer {Deut. 25:5-10}, how God sees those in need, etc. we begin to understand more than just a casual read through gives us.

I’ve also noticed that the more I look at the puzzle, the more quickly I recognize pieces I need. I notice the color or shape of the piece and I can grab from the pile of pieces and fit it into the larger puzzle more easily.

In Bible study, this looks like recognizing a theme or reference and plugging it into the greater picture of the Bible. As mentioned above, when Naomi tells Ruth to go and glean in a field because they have nothing, we can pull from our biblical knowledge and remember what God commanded the Israelites in Leviticus. When we reach the end of Ruth, we recognize the names Jesse and David and we can put together the significance of including the story of Ruth and Boaz in the Bible. The more we read the Bible, the more familiar we become with it.

Near End

You probably thought the next part would be to complete the puzzle. But as a puzzler, I’m here to tell you, unless you’re working a 100 piece children’s puzzle, there will come a time in every puzzle I like to call the near end. This can be the frustrating time in puzzling. You can almost see the whole picture! You have a smattering of pieces left! The end is in sight! And yet, it seems so far because all the pieces remaining could go anywhere. They have no distinctive coloring or marking to indicate where they belong.

And so you have to try every remaining piece in every location still blank. After a while, it seems like you’ve tried every piece from every angle and when will this puzzle be finished?! But you are so close and so you keep going, trying every piece again.

In Bible study, it’s not as obvious when we’re at the end…because we will never finish. There’s always going to be something else to learn from our Bible reading and study. But at times, we can feel like we are going in circles in our studying or standing still; we might feel like we don’t understand a passage or a chapter any better than when we first read it.

Just as in working a puzzle, we cannot be discouraged by what we see as an impossible problem. There are many difficult things in the Bible — topics and stories and instructions that we struggle with. That doesn’t mean we gloss over them or ignore them. We can pull out commentaries, dictionaries, and other translations and take the time needed to arrive at an answer.

The third chapter of Ruth has always been a head scratcher for me. Laying at the feet of someone winnowing grain? Checking with another man to redeem her? What is going on? The events of the Bible happened in the midst of cultural traditions and geographic locations that are very foreign to us. So commentaries and dictionaries and maps become a friend for us in unraveling some things that don’t make sense.

However, it is important that we don’t give up! When we read something in the Bible that has us confused or staring into space, we ask questions, we consult reliable commentaries, we press in. Of course, we won’t learn or understand everything in the Bible. Our finite minds can’t comprehend it all. But we do what we can to understand what God has revealed and pray for his guidance as we study.

End

And now we’re there! Every puzzle ends the same. That last piece. It’s never in the same place for every puzzle, but there is always one piece left that once placed, signals the end of this picture and time to start on new one. There is a great feeling of accomplishment and joy when you put that final piece. I usually let one of my kids do it but then, I run my hands over all those beautiful pieces.

Individually, the pieces don’t look like much. They certainly don’t look like they will become something beautiful. But placed and linked in the right place, all those single pieces make one cohesive picture.

As I said before, we never reach the end of Bible study the same way we finish a puzzle and mark it complete. There will always be something to learn and apply from studying God’s Word. However, we will finish a certain study we’re doing in the Bible, whether it’s going through a particular book or topic.

While we might not have all the answers, with careful study we can get a beautiful picture of God and his plan. I already mentioned how the Bible is one story — from Genesis to Revelation, it tells of how man fell, sin entered the world, and God provided salvation instead of punishment. That’s the beautiful, final picture of our puzzle that guides us as we study.

In Ruth, we see not only a picture of God’s care for one family. We see God providing the foundation for the salvation message. Ruth became part of the lineage of Jesus {Matt. 1:5}. The story of Boaz redeeming her is a picture of Jesus redeeming us. It is not an insignificant, inconsequential event in biblical history. It’s a picture of God’s mercy on mankind and his plan for salvation.

I hope this encourages you to not give up on those difficult puzzles {wink} but more important, to not give up on studying your Bible. Any time spent in God’s Word is never wasted.

Photo by Nathalia Segato on Unsplash

Hero Worship or Bible Steeped?

Have you heard the saying, “Don’t meet your heroes”? Google many sports figures and celebrities and you will probably find a story about a regular person meeting someone famous and coming away not impressed. So many people seem amazing from afar but the more you know about them, the more you realize they have feet of clay. It’s hard to know what people are actually like.

We also see this in politics. We choose a candidate who looks like a savior, someone to make a difference the way we want, and suddenly they fall short. They turn sides and take bribes and disappoint us.

You might think that this wouldn’t apply to Christians. However, with people following authors, pastors, and Christian influencers, we can easily get caught up in the wrong thing and focused on the wrong person.

We don’t like to think that by following everything a certain person says or by believing he/she can do no wrong equals hero worship, but that is essentially what it is. We are propping people up on a pedestal and basing what we believe on what they say. We feel the need to defend them to others because some of our identity is wrapped up in how people perceive them. If someone has a problem with my person of interest, they must have a problem with me too!

I’m not saying it’s wrong to have a favorite author or to learn from a popular Bible teacher. I hope you respect your pastor and church leaders. I have podcasts, books, and people that have definitely helped me in my Christian walk and taught me things that are valuable and biblical. But I always have to remember a few things, no matter how I’m gleaning wisdom from others.

• Everyone is a sinner and therefore capable of getting something wrong.

• Only God is omniscient (all knowing).

• I am capable of responding in a sinful way.

• I only know one side {usually my person’s side} of the story but there are two perspectives in every incident.

By reminding myself of these truths, it helps me keep men (or women) in the correct place and God in his much deserved place.

I don’t log in to Twitter often because it’s too overwhelming for me. But I have the people I follow grouped into lists so I can choose to only read updates from authors or Christian leaders or Princess of Wales fashion posts. Unfortunately, the times I’ve logged in to Christian Tweeters I follow, there’s usually some disagreement or conflict going on. A popular Christian has been involved in a scandal or said something contradictory in a new book. Or someone just decides to go after someone else. It’s a messy place.

But the problem doesn’t stop there. Sometimes the person in question jumps on social media to defend his/her position. Sometimes it’s gracious, oftentimes not. Then their followers will lash out with name calling, Bible misquoting tweets to defend the honor of their favored influencer. And the mess just gets messier.

This exulting in people rather than God is contrary to the examples in the Bible. Think of Joseph in Genesis 40-41. Before he tells the two prisoners and Pharaoh what their dreams mean, he makes sure to mention it is God, not him, who can interpret dreams and should get the credit. Think of David in I Samuel 17 as he boldly goes against Goliath. He declares several times that God will deliver him from this Philistine. In another event concerning dreams, Daniel gives God the credit for showing Nebuchadnezzar’s dream meaning to him in Daniel 2. In fact Daniel points out that no one except God can do this (Dan. 2:27-28).

We also see New Testament examples of doing things for God’s glory, not man’s attention. In this, we see that God should be preeminent in everything. In everything we do and, therefore, in how we treat and emulate others. If we are respecting the words and teachings of a person — no matter how well educated or intentioned —- over the words and teachings of the Bible, we need to recognize the hero worship in this and follow God above all else.

I’ve recently seen someone post, “If this {supposedly bad thing} happens to so-and-so {read Christian teacher who is important to her}, my faith in God’s justice will be broken.” Really?! Your faith in the Creator of the Universe rests on how your favorite Bible speaker is treated, talked about, etc.? What a sad place to be in! To have your very faith in the power of Who God is hinging on a mere mortal who I guarantee is sinful and will make mistakes. We must be careful, even as we learn and grow from the teachings and writings of others that their words, actions, and personalities are NEVER a substitute for the actual Bible.

If I get too caught up in the unfairness, the injustice, the criticism, it might hurt my testimony with others. Christians shouldn’t be backbiters. Even if we don’t like an outcome or what we see as unjust commentary, we need to watch our mouths and monitor our hearts.

Consider this small sample of verses from Proverbs:

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. {Prov. 10:11-12}

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. {Prov. 15:1-4}

And so my challenge to you is this: consider those in your life who have impact and influence. Do you accept everything they say without reading or studying for yourself? Do you only believe their version of events and criticize any who speak against them? Do you assume if so-and-so said it, it must be true? Do you find yourself getting into arguments defending the honor or insight of a certain person?

None of us are able to walk through this life without making mistakes. We will say the wrong thing, be swayed by popular teaching, respond sinfully to situations. But if we spend more time reading and studying God’s Word than we spend hearing from the popular voices of today — however wise they may sound — we will have a better foundation to respond biblically and know God’s teaching on certain matters. In a society of ever-changing opinions and “truths,” I’m thankful for the unchanging God we can trust Who has given us unchanging truth to live by.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

What I've Learned about Creativity

If you asked me ten years ago if I was creative, I would have said no.

To me, creativity meant artistic talent, original ideas, perfection in making things. And I didn’t feel any of those applied to me. I considered myself imaginative. I wrote stories, had conversations with myself, could look at something and see it a different way. But creativity and imagination weren’t the same thing, at least I didn’t think so.

My journey of creativity began as a child. I loved to color, but not draw. Stick figures were my go-to and when I attempted something else, the proportions were always off. I remember watching Bob Ross on Saturday mornings — I even got out paper, paint, and brushes — and becoming more convinced I lacked creativity because my trees never looked happy; they were blobs of green with streaks of brown for a trunk.

I loved to read and write stories so I took that to mean my only form of creative expression was words. I majored in journalism, continued to write, read stacks of books, and journaled and made lists about everything. Free time in my college and early married years continued to be focused on books and writing. Then I went to a ladies church activity where we made jewelry with beads and wire and fancy clips. I bought some supplies at Hobby Lobby and made an assortment of earrings and necklaces, but it didn’t seem creative to me. I was just following someone else’s pattern and idea.

When my daughter was about two, my crafting adventures really took off. She loved all things cutting, pasting, coloring. When my mom would visit, they would sit and watch Pinterest tutorials and create a dozen different animals with paper plates, suncatchers from tissue paper, paper chain snakes, and colorful cards. My daughter’s skills increased with age and soon, she could figure out how to make just about anything she thought up, no instructions needed. 3D flower arrangements, ballerinas that twirled, her own puzzles; I was blown away by her creativity and ability to make her designs a reality.

But it also forced me to think about what creativity means. Even though she was gifted at visualizing how to put something together, she still had to learn to hold scissors, she had to try and crumple and start again. And sometimes she was copying an idea or pattern, but it never looked exactly like the example. Her own take on it was always present.

Around the time my son was entering the craft age, I read “Life Creative: Inspiration for Today’s Renaissance Mom.” I’ll admit, I felt like anything BUT a Renaissance mom. I was spending my time on laundry, feeding my family, trying to keep the house clean, learning how to homeschool a kindergartener with a toddler who wouldn’t let me out of sight. I barely managed my favorite pastimes — reading and writing — let alone the variety of pursuits I attributed to a “Renaissance Woman.” However, even though I loved being a mom, I enjoyed being with my kids and watching them learn, I still found in myself a desire to learn something new. And that’s what drew me to the book.

The authors talked about balance, how we create in different ways, the importance of our kids seeing us try…and fail…and try again. So much of it resonated with me. So I decided to step out and try things I’d written off as having no talent for. My daughter and I made cards with scrapbook paper, baked together, tried oil pastel crayons. Some things we tried once and decided to move on but other endeavors we kept coming back to.

That leads us to 2020…the year of infamy. With all our plans and schedules scratched out, the future a question mark, I had trouble concentrating. I wrote in my journal and read but my mind was always wandering. With spring flowers blooming, I found myself drawn toward anything of beauty. I randomly stumbled on a YouTube channel with simple flower doodles. Even with my limit stick figure drawing skills, these flowers looked doable. So I tried and kept watching. The channel included introductions to loose watercolors and that seemed doable too. I ordered the cheapest supplies and started.

I was amazed how relaxing it was! Watching water and color pool and move across the page. I needed practice but I enjoyed every bit of the process, even when my flowers all looked the same. I searched for other beginner watercolor sites, watched videos on color mixing, blending, brush types and holds. I wrote out Bible verses and framed them in watercolor vines and leaves and rosebuds.

My kids watched along and joined in. I wondered what other things I might enjoy that I had never taken the time for, assuming they were too hard for me, that I wasn’t talented enough, that I would be wasting my time trying. I set up a game table in the basement and pulled out a puzzle. Last spring, Tommy cut a section of our background grass out and I filled it with flower seeds, hesitant because I knew nothing about gardening but drawn to the appeal of nature and beauty and outdoors.

Now, I want to say there is such a thing as natural talent. No amount of practicing my violin will turn me into Hilary Hahn. However, unlike how I used to think, you don’t have to master something or be perfect at it to be creative or enjoy the learning process. Part of creativity is experimenting, trying something just to see how it turns out, learning what is fun and relaxing and enjoyable.

I have loved the process of creativity for myself! I feel no pressure to master a certain skill; I just learn and enjoy the process. When people used to ask what my hobbies were, I would say reading. Which, don’t get me wrong, I still love to read. But now I also like to watercolor, doodle, garden {flowers, not vegetables}, work puzzles. I have friends who make amazing crafts and decor, who knit and crochet, bake bread and sweets. My daughter loves origami and drawing and sewing. So many creative outlets!

My husband has been talking about the creation account with our kids during family devotions, and I love to think about how creative God is, to give us the plant, animal, and geographic variety that surrounds us. He made such beauty and diversity, all with a word. When we display our small attempts at making, we are mirroring our Creator. We are acknowledging the design and purpose he has given everything. Out of all the things he created, humans are the only ones capable of creating close to the same way. No, we can’t make something physically appear just by speaking. But we can imagine a project or item or idea and set about forming it, using clay, wool, paper, words. Creating something for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of others.

Now if you ask me if I’m creative, I would say yes. I’m not perfect at any one thing, I haven’t mastered any of my hobbies. But honestly, is that even the point? I’m here to encourage you to pick up a paintbrush, grab some embroidery floss, sharpen a pencil, or buy that French pastry cookbook. Maybe it’ll look more like a Pinterest fail the first few attempts. But find something you love, something that forces you to slow down, and simply try. Creativity is part of everyone, just in different ways.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Favorites of 2022!

I love looking back at things. Reflecting and remembering are such important actions. We can’t measure growth or analyze what is working and not working without taking the times to look back.

This year felt slightly different to me for several reasons. As my children continue to get older {which is sad but exciting at the same time}, I found myself passing off chores and tasks that used to be too hard for them. Suddenly, I had more help in the kitchen, cleaning, folding and putting away laundry. It’s a fun stage to arrive at. My kids are also becoming better at amusing themselves. While we still do school, play games, etc. together, they are also content building Legos, crafting, imagining, and reading without me. These two changes have afforded me more free time in pursuit of new hobbies. I was able to practice watercolors, doodle, read, write, and work in the garden.

The reason I mention the two things above is because these shifts allowed me to enjoy some of the things I’ll get into in a minute. Stages of life change and this year I could definitely feel that difference. In previous years, I was not able to read as much, try new interests, get my plans finished. My family took more time and energy, which was fine because that’s what was needed in that season of younger, needy kids. As we’ve moved beyond that stage, I am able to pass some responsibility to them.

There is no portion of life that {I believe} is better than another. Every stage has challenges, joys, disappointments, frustrations, fun, excitement. The freedom of more time in my current stage means, yes, more time to do things I enjoy! But I also have to manage that time well, my children are maturing and that brings needed deep, meaningful conversations about life and guiding them in a difficult world.

So as I look back on the highlights of 2022 and what I enjoyed, I wanted to bring together a list of a few favorites that maybe will benefit you this next year for whatever stage you find yourself.

Podcasts

I’m not a huge listener of podcasts. It’s very hard to focus my attention on just audio unless it’s music. But when I’m folding laundry, doing my makeup/hair, fixing dinner, I sometimes turn on a podcast and these are some of my favorites.

• Why or Why Not with the Watsons - These conversations between Benjamin and Kirsten are always interesting and fun. And I like the practical ways they blend biblical wisdom into their daily lives.

• Based on a True Story - I find this fascinating. The host takes a Hollywood movie “based on” some historical story/event and interviews an expert on what they got right and what they got wrong in the movie.

• Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - If I have a little more time, I’ll find one of her episodes about a current day issue. I enjoy that she is factual and biblically sound in her advice without being rude or obnoxious.

• The Bible Recap - I listened to this {and also read the corresponding book} after my daily Bible reading to get the host’s breakdown of that day’s reading. Very helpful.

Books

It’s always extremely hard to pick favorite books for me! And I read a dozen more than in previous years. You can read this post about some of my favorites in 2022 but a few honorable mentions are:

• M is for Mama - So encouraging and helpful.

• Hill House Living - I loved seeing her English home through the seasons and finding ideas for decorating and making a house more homey.

• A Visual Guide to the Bible - Not really a book you sit and read; more like a reference and resource to pull out when you have a question. Because I’m a visual learner, the charts and graphics in this book are so helpful for me.

• The Diamond Eye - This historical fiction was fascinating. Based on a real Russian {actually she was Ukrainian} woman sniper during World War 2 who later came to America and met Eleanor Roosevelt! Amazing story, some objectionable language/elements.

• Our Castle by the Sea - A YA novel about a seaside village in England before, during, and after Dunkirk. Themes of bravery, loyalty, who we trust.

movies

I don’t watch a lot of movies or TV. I usually have other things I want to spend my time on. But sometimes it’s nice to sit and enjoy a visual story and be transported away! Also great to have on while working a puzzle! These aren’t new movies; frankly I can’t think of anything new I want to waste time on. But these are some favorites I don’t mind watching again and again.

• Any black and white movie with Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Katherine Hepburn, etc. I grew up watching these and we still quote them! Musicals, comedies…I am here for it!

• 1917 - This movie makes you feel like you are in the middle on World War 1. Shot in a unique way, you travel with two soldiers on a mission to save 1600 lives. I jumped at a few places that surprised me and shed a few tears at the ending. Caution: war violence.

• Sense and Sensibility - One of my favorite Jane Austen books and the movie {1995 version} captures it so well. I love the music, characters, settings. It’s beautiful.

• Planet Earth/Blue Planet - We love watching these {and their sequels} as a family. The cinematography and music are incredible. And, for a secular nature show, there isn’t an overwhelming amount of evolution — but my kids call it out when it’s presented! I love sitting back and marveling at God’s creation.

newsletters

This might seem like an odd category but I have found several newsletters that have been interesting, good sources of information. These are all free to sign up for!

• Glenna Marshall’s monthly newsletter - Marshall is the author of one of my favorite reads of 2020 and her newsletters are filled with encouragement, recipes, book reviews, and other good things.

• The Pour Over - This Christian worldview news email has been helpful as I try to stay current with events but don’t want mainstream media bias or information overload. Emails arrive Monday, Wednesday, Friday and give a brief rundown of what is happening with links if you want to read more.

• The Cultural Tutor - I stumbled on this on Twitter and have found the weekly emails extremely interesting. Every Friday, the Tutor presents one of each example of seven pillars of classical culture: music, art, historical figure, architecture, rhetoric, writing, and The Seventh Plinth (which is usually something comical from history). It’s a good introduction to a variety of topics and would be great for high schoolers to add to their curriculum.

youtube

Like any type of social media, YouTube is a hole that’s easy to fall down and easier to get lost in! Here are the channels I keep going back to!

• Watercolor - This topic is the majority of my feed! It’s so tempting to get sucked into all the tutorials available with gorgeous paintings to try. But what I’ve found most helpful are the simple, basic channels that talk me through each step and color. My favorites: Shayda Campbell, Kristin Van Leuven, Ellen Crimi-Trent, and Emma Jane Lefebvre.

• Royal Fashion News - I have enjoyed getting to know more about some of Europe’s royal families and this channel indulges my favorite part: the clothes and jewelry! I’ll be honest, I was the little girl who wanted to be a princess when I grew up so watching actual royal ladies dress up and act elegant is my cup of tea! My favorites are Catherine, the Princess of Wales and Mary, the Crown Princess of Denmark.

• Suibhne and Absolute History - The first channel gives brief, animated histories of all different countries. We’ve watched a few for school and they give a nice overview. The second channel is more documentary style learning.

• The Waldock Way - This is a homeschool mom who gives book and game reviews. I’ve found some interesting things I wouldn’t have heard of otherwise through her channel.

Music

The last section is music. I listen to a variety of styles but I’m a little particular. I don’t listen to what most people consider popular music and I’m not sorry about it! But here are the things I turned on again and again in 2022. Note: I didn’t link any of these songs/singers because I can’t link to every streaming service you might be using. But they should all be available and easy to find wherever you listen to music!

• Togo soundtrack - I love this movie also {unfortunately it’s only on Disney+} but it’s perfect for reading background music on a snowy day.

• Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Matteo Bocelli - When my kids turn on music, it’ll probably be one of these guys! Our favorite dinner prep music!

• Hide ‘em in Your Heart by Steve Green - I listened to these when I was young and it’s a joy to sing them with my kids. Bible verses set to music make it so much easier to memorize! These songs are singable and memorable with words straight out of the Bible. The other day, one of my kids read the reference Romans 8:28 and another of my kids started singing the song!

• CityAlight - Not all their songs are my favorite but “Only a Holy God” “The Night Song” and “Jesus, Strong and Kind” are hummed, sung, and listened to on repeat over here.

This is definitely not exhaustive but I hope it gives you a few new things to read, try, watch, listen to, and enjoy in 2023! I would love to read some of your favorites in the comments!

Photo by Zoritza Valova on Unsplash

Best Books of 2022

It’s no secret that I love books and I love reading. I participate in the GoodReads Reading Challenge every year. Each year I type in how many books I believe I will read over the next 365 days. Most years I haven’t quite met my goal but this year I was able to get over 50 books completed!

It’s always difficult for me to choose a favorite…it’s kind of like choosing a favorite child. But there were a few reads that stood out to me for various reasons and I’ve given a brief review below of some of my favorites. I grouped them into categories {children’s/young adult, non-fiction, fiction}.

Just a quick note: I do read some difficult topics. Books that end sad don’t bother me as long as the ending makes sense with the story/plot/character development. I also like reading about lesser-known parts of history and history is rarely flowers and butterflies. I try to avoid books with graphic scenes of sex, violence, or loads of bad language. I don’t finish all the books I start, especially if I get into it and it’s wildly inappropriate. All that to say, I don’t endorse everything in the books listed below or agree with the worldview presented. But I believe it’s important and can be helpful to read things you don’t completely agree with and to work out for yourself what the problem is. It’s helped me to see what a difference a Christian worldview makes in every corner of our lives.

Children’s/Young Adult

“A Place to Hang the Moon” by Kate Albus
Three siblings, who recently lost their grandmother and guardian, are evacuated to the country before the London blitz. They hope to find a “forever” home, the type of belonging they’ve read about it their favorite books. But the families who take them in have other ideas. From bullying children to uncaring adults, the children find refuge at the village library and with the librarian who is an outcast for her own reasons. Together, the children and the librarian learn valuable lessons about family, courage, and the power of reading. My 11 year old and I loved this book. I might have teared up at the end. This would also be a good read aloud.

“The Swallow’s Flight” by Hilary McKay
In a story that spans countries and years, we are introduced to four children and one dog. How their stories weave together is a beautiful picture of not judging based on appearances, the power of showing kindness to all, holding friends tight, and not giving up in the face of evil. This is another book I read with my 11 year old and I think she liked it more than the previous book. She went on to read several other books by the same author that I never got around to. This is another World War 2 story from England and Germany.

“The Adventures of Miss Petitfour” by Anne Michaels, ill. by Emma Block
Miss Petitfour lives in a small fictional village in England with her 16 cats. Her favorite thing is adventuring by grabbing a tablecloth at the corners and letting the wind take her and her cats away! Each of the chapters is a different adventure filled with unexpected characters. Each cat has its own personality and contributes to the stories in different ways. There are also many new vocabulary words {think like Fancy Nancy and her fancy words}. I laughed out loud reading this to my kids. It’s fanciful and fun. The watercolor illustrations are delightful and add to the whimsy of the stories.

Good Dog series by Cam Higgins, ill. by Ariel Landy
My eight year old has recently started doing more independent reading and this series is one of his favorites. It is a beginner chapter book series about a dog on a farm who has adventures with all the different barnyard animals. There are themes of friendship, courage, humility, and thinking of others. So far, my son has read the first five out loud to me and he’s requested we buy the rest of the series.

Non-Fiction

“Remember” by Lisa Genova
Why do we forget things? Why are other things permanently cemented in our minds? Genova is known for her novels about neurological issues but in this non-fiction book, she writes in layman’s terms what our brain is doing, the different types of things we remember, and why there are some things we can’t forget. For being a book about a technical thing {memory}, it’s incredibly easy to read and understand. Genova writes in a novel-type style and slowly explains the ins and outs of her subject in fascinating detail without losing her readers in the bushes. Highly recommend!

“Cultural Counterfeits” by Jen Oshman
I read this because I often feel at a loss with how to talk about current cultural issues that affect women. Oshman breaks down how we got here, why each issue is important to be educated on, and gives loving yet biblically sound advice. She admits from the beginning that she struggled with wanting to write this book because she knew it would have a lot of hard truth; that people she knew would disagree with her. But I’m so glad she pressed on and faithfully studied what the Bible teaches on these issues and presents them with clarity.

“Find the Good” by Heather Lende
Lende is a small town obituary writer for the local paper and this short book takes some of the people she’s met, people she’s remembered in print, and the lessons she’s learned from a life of reflecting on the ups and downs of others’ lives. This is not a Christian book and some of the author’s beliefs or observations I was not in agreement with but I did smile and nod a few times, as she recounts the value each life has, the memories tied to a place or time, and how that can continue to shape who we become.

Adult Fiction

“The Last Year of the War” by Susan Meissner
Did you know German immigrants who were “red flagged” in America during World War 2 were sent to detention camps with the Japanese and some of them were deported back to Germany? I had no idea! Again, those little known fascinating historical facts! This book follows a girl whose parents immigrated to America in the 1920s but never became citizens. After a series of events her father wishes he could change, the family is sent to Texas where she meets a Japanese girl, born in America like her, and wondering when life will return to normal. Unfortunately, her family is sent back to Germany — a place she’s never been, surrounded by a language she doesn’t know — during the final year of the war. The course of her life is forever changed as she wonders about her friend, suffers through bombings and loss, and ultimately does whatever she believes will get her home to America. I was so moved by and wrapped into this story. Meissner is a master at first person writing and historical detail. I was invested from the beginning to the end.

“Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys
Have the tissues handy! This story takes place toward the end of World War 2 as Eastern Europeans are fleeing toward Germany to avoid the Soviets. Several stories weave together and the histories of the characters are gradually revealed through the journey towards the sea. The fact that this historical tragedy was covered up, ignored, forgotten for so many years is heartrending. I don’t want to give away spoilers but honestly, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s technically classified as a young adult historical fiction but it has some dark themes that I would suggest for older more mature readers. If you want something with the same gasp factor that’s not WW2, check out “I Must Betray You” by the same author. This story dives into Romania just before the revolution of 1989, a country that was never part of the Soviet Union but whose people were ruled by terror, surveillance, and control.

I could go on and on but these were my favorites from this year. If you want to see my full list of what I read in 2022 — or all 1,000+ books I’ve read since joining GoodReads, check out my profile. I don’t always give long written reviews unless I really loved it or there was something that bothered me or I need to explain my ranking. Happy reading in 2023!

Photo by Javier Martinez on Unsplash

The Growing Need for Patience

Patience, waiting, slowing down. All concepts that seem foreign to our day and age.

Everything is about instant gratification, from movies on demand to music downloads in seconds. We want what we want NOW! In fact if our computer is a little slower than normal at powering up or the Internet has to search for content, we grow frustrated and either complain or abandon the project. I’ve even seen a commercial that was advertising our impatience as a society to promote their product.

Unfortunately, impatience is not a virtue. As usual, the nature that comes to us easily is the one we need to fight against. I'm as guilty as the next person when it comes to impatience. But our lives are surrounded in the necessity to stop and wait. And it's good for us to not have everything we want instantly. It makes us realize we aren't in control, that we need to work and achieve goals over time.

I have recently been convicted that I need to pray for patience. I can't just decide to wait and the struggle is over. I have to continually be seeking God's timing and will and waiting for Him to reveal what He has for me. I know what I want Him to do but it's not up to me. I think we can all remember a time in our lives when we seemed to wait forever before we saw God's leading but now looking back, we realize the timing was perfect and we would have messed it up had we charged through with our plans.

As we get closer to the new year, I've been thinking of things I want to do differently and trying to adopt good habits now to carry over. Prov. 3:5-7 doesn't necessarily say "wait" but it does talk about trust and God guiding our steps.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

We often forget verse 7 but it’s an important reminder. If we are thinking too highly of ourselves or of our ability to control a situation, we will struggle to demonstrate patience. Gardening has been a wonderful way to help me “grow” {wink, wink} in patience.

Toward the middle of spring, Tommy borrowed a tiller and over turned a section of grass in our yard. He added a metal border to set the boundary and I got on my hands and knees, filling wheelbarrows full of grass chunks that I couldn’t breakdown. I hoed the dirt, leveled it off, and started sprinkling seeds.

I had no reason or pattern to my scattering. I just wanted flowers to fill every corner. I gave the dirt and seeds a gentle sprinkle of water. Each day I wandered out and gazed at my patch of dirt. It wasn’t long before I saw a sprout but it was a weed! Pluck, out it came!

But slowly, gradually, I saw shoots that I recognized as the stalk of a zinnia or cosmos. And they slowly got taller. They gently held up buds waiting to blossom. Finally, at the end of the summer, my little corner garden was one wild expanse of color! But it took patience. And in the waiting I still needed to water the sprouts, I pulled out the weeds, I dug out the grass that slipped under the metal border.

Was it worth it? Definitely! Am I dreaming about next year’s flowers? Absolutely!

Waiting isn’t easy. It’s not a skill that is learned once and never revisited. But it is worth it.

Photo by Daniel Oberg on Unsplash

Friendship

I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it my entire life: I have wonderful friends.

Life is never without drama but for the majority of my life, I have experienced encouraging, uplifting, helpful friendships. And as I’ve gotten older, I feel the importance and value of treasuring the relationships I have. I am aware many of my peers have pain and heartache to look back on and as I walk with my pre-teen daughter {she’s told me the correct term is “tween”}, I’ve been reminded of how difficult friend transitions can be.

No matter what age we are, it’s difficult to begin again. To find people we click with, who get our sense of humor, who enjoy the same activities, who give us hard truth when we need it and listen when we grieve. True friends that will stand by you through laughter and heartache. That will build memories and forgive the disagreements.

I’ve also been astounded to realize how unlikely some of my friendships are. I don’t have cookiecutter friends; they have different strengths, talents, pet peeves, and struggles. And they are also not all like me. Some of my friends are not into reading {I know, gasp!}, one friend doesn’t like donuts or desserts with fruit in them, several of my friends are competitive {I’ll include a few in-laws here}, and one friend, in a truly mind-shattering moment in high school, thought she was being original in creating a football team called the Pittsburgh Steelers {face palm, for sure!}. I have friends talented in music, baking, decorating, art and all things creative.

My point is, part of the benefit of friendship is what we learn and teach and give each other. It doesn’t mean I have to give up donuts or never talk about books — because both of those sound impossible. But I can discover new things, like trying audiobooks or cooking a new recipe. I can encourage them with where they are while they cheer me on in my place of ministry.

My life is richer and fuller because of my friendships. They are worth every minute, every bit of energy I invest. I never take them for granted and I am truly grateful.

Photo by Andrew Moca on Unsplash

A Summer in Proverbs

In May, I wrapped up a Bible study with some ladies. We had been going through Proverbs for several months and as we ended, I realized I was only starting to understand it. There are so many themes and pictures and repeated ideas.

So I decided for the next three months {June, July, August} I would read a chapter in Proverbs a day, make notes, study deeper into word meanings and comparisons. So over the course of the summer, I read Proverbs three times. Here’s {some} of what I learned:

1. The line between the wicked and the righteous is distinct. There is no straddling a fence when Proverbs talks about these two. The evil choose one path/decisions that lead to death and the righteous choose the opposite path/decisions that lead to life.

2. The mouth is important to God! I was amazed at how much this one book had to say about the mouth, tongue, lips, gossip, etc. Sometimes it was phrased in terms of, “Speak like this…” Other times, it was clear warning, “The fool speaks…” I was very convicted by these verses about how we use words and what we say. I anticipate a deeper study into just this aspect of Proverbs in my future!

3. The five types of fools. As I read several different translations of Proverbs, I noticed several words were used to reference a fool or a foolish person. My dad {who was teaching Proverbs in Sunday School} gave a very helpful breakdown of how five words for a foolish person were different from each other. They ranged from a simple ignorance to a blatant turning from God. I found it very helpful to keep these in mind while I read.

4. I still have a lot to learn! One would think reading the same thing three months in a row would give me a leg up! And while I do feel like I learned a lot and understand Proverbs better than I did before, I still found myself, reading chapter 28 and thinking, “This seems familiar, what chapter was this already in? What does that word mean?” Inexhaustible is definitely a word I would use to describe reading and learning from the Bible!

Now that the summer of Proverbs has ended, I’m slowly reading through Psalms and studying it as time allows and keeping up with my chronological study. There’s always something to learn!

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Cling to the Rock

Our family recently returned from a vacation in Hawaii. My husband and I had been 15 years ago but this was the first time for our kids. We filled our days with beaches, the pool, hikes, and trying as many local fruits as possible.

After the thrill of stepping in the Pacific and running up and down the beach to avoid oncoming waves, my son came to me a little disheartened.

“I see fish and things in the sand but the waves keep coming and I loose them.” I assured him we would go to a place where the waves wouldn’t be a problem. He looked doubtful.

The next day, we went to a beautiful lagoon that was by several large resorts. {Side note: our local Hawaiian friends told us no one can own beaches in Hawaii, all beaches are open for anyone to use even “on resort property.”} We parked the car, walked up a grassy hill, and down into the sand. After a layer of sunscreen, the kids made a beeline for the water. And they instantly noticed something: no waves. The water was completely calm.

This manmade cove or lagoon had rocks piled against the ocean side, breaking the waves and keeping the water inside the cove calm and shallow. There were fish, crabs, even a sea cucumber. It was a great place to learn to snorkel and we built sand castles, swam in circles, and enjoyed the afternoon.

The thing was, on the other side of that rock barrier, waves crashed and hit and were just as rough as ever. The rocks didn’t keep the waves from being waves, they simply protected those in the cove.

As I sat on the beach, happily digging and watching the kids, I couldn’t help but think about all the Psalms that mention God as our Rock. We usually think of this in terms of God’s strength and solidness, a firm foundation we can trust in. But it also points us to how he protects us. The waves of the world are constant and relentless. Sin pounds at us from all sides. It can be just as exhausting as standing up to physical waves all day. But when we seek shelter in the Rock of our Salvation {God}, we can hide behind him and find peace and rest from the waves.

Meditate on these words from Psalm 62:

1 I am at rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from Him.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my stronghold; I will never be shaken.

No matter how high those waves struck on that Hawaiian beach, we were safe behind the rocks that made our lagoon. We didn’t even think about the possibility of the tide pulling us deeper into the water or the waves knocking us down. We were happy, secure, and enjoying the beauty around us.

God does the same. Life isn’t perfect or trouble free because we’re clinging to the Rock but we know he’s there. We know the sin and wickedness of the world can’t move him. We know we can always find refuge in him. When you feel as if the waves are pulling you away from the safety of the Rock, read Psalm 91. God is our refuge, our fortress. In him we can trust.

Photo by Wei Zeng on Unsplash

Why We Read the Bible

I know hard things aren’t bad; in fact, many times it’s the difficult, frustrating things that grow us the most. But if we had a choice, I think we would gravitate toward the easy side of things. I think this is also true of our Christian growth. We WANT to be more biblically literate, we WANT to have a close relationship with God, we WANT to have wisdom for how to live. But those take time, effort, energy. It doesn’t happen overnight or reading the Bible one morning. It takes commitment for the long haul {your lifetime}. You will read hard truths, you will come across things that take extra time and study to understand. But you will grow.

I believe Bible reading and prayer are two of the hardest disciplines we need to cultivate. In theory, they sound so easy but in practice, it takes commitment and a conscious decision to include both of these in your day.

One of the most helpful things for me to remember when I’m struggling with Bible reading is that God wants me to know him. He gave us the Bible so we could know him personally, so we would know how to live in this world and what he has promised. This isn’t an impossible task set before us by an impersonal God. It is an invitation to grow closer to the One who created all things. Yes, maybe it’s hard some days but it’s worth every effort and every moment of time.

I’ve found it the most difficult to read my Bible when it becomes a task, a checklist instead of something I’m looking forward to. So how do I look forward to it? Below are some ideas.

• I always have a notebook with me when I read the Bible. I write down questions I have about the passage, verses that stick out to me, and things I hadn’t noticed before. This helps keep my mind engaged and it keeps familiar passages/stories fresh.

• I look for what the section I’m reading is teaching about God. When I was younger, I was always curious why God included some things and not others. Out of all the history of the Israelites or miracles of Jesus, why were these given to the biblical writers to record as inspired? God doesn’t do anything on accident or mistake. So what we have in the Bible has been given for a purpose: to teach us about God and who he is compared to who we are. {NOTE: this is one of the things I love about The Bible Recap podcast and book. The host/author offers a “God Shot” of what in that day’s reading taught her about God. It’s so helpful!}

• Some days when I know it’s going to be crazy, I choose to listen to my Bible app for that day’s reading. This engages my mind in a different way than reading and it keeps me in the Word even if I know I won’t have time to sit a read. I also like having it on for my kids to listen to.

• Ask a friend to keep you accountable or have someone you can text each day with one verse or thought from that day’s reading. I love hearing what my friends are reading and learning from the Bible and I often benefit from their insights.

Imagine a world without the Bible. It truly is an amazing gift from God that we can read, listen to, and share it. But it won’t just happen. We need to make the decision to include it in our day and then to live out the principles we discover. I’d love to hear what you are reading! Comment below and let’s encourage each other on!

.Photo by Rachel Strong on Unsplash

The Joy of a Garden

I am not an avid gardener.

I know people who live and breathe plants. They know flower varieties by sight, the best things to plant in their growing zone, which vegetables prefer which soil, research and read, begin preparation months before the planting. They are true plant people. And I respect them and their acquired wisdom on all things green.

I am more of a flower gardener than a food gardener. I love the beauty of bursting blooms more than the practicality of growing useful food. But even then, I base what I grow on looks, ease of planting and upkeep, and if it’s an annual or perennial. These are my determining factors in what I will spend my time growing.

For example. after reading Floret Flowers book on dahlias, I was in love…until I tried growing them. The few tubers I put in that spring did fabulous; they produced huge, gorgeous blooms. But in my zone, it was recommended that I dig up the tubers and store them, covered in dirt, in a place that wouldn’t reach freezing or in a fridge. Then in the spring, I would need to replant the tubers, hoping they didn’t rot over the winter, and restart the process in the fall. Dahlias suddenly became the divas of my garden.

I gave it a try, carefully digging up the tubers, reading how deep and what kind of pot to keep them happy in over winter, storing them in my garage, and crossing my fingers for spring. None of them made it. That spring, I retrieved my precious tubers to find them shriveled. I planted them with wishful thinking but of course nothing happened. No beautiful blooms. All my efforts were wasted.

I made the decision to not try again, which some may think is giving up too soon, but I figured there were plenty of other flowers to set my attention to. Cosmos and zinnias were my next efforts. I once again was extremely pleased with the beauty and abundance of the seeds I scattered that quickly took root and sprouted. I was even more pleased the next year when cosmos shot up on their own, no effort from me required.

You see, as much as I love gardening, I love low maintenance gardening. The bursts of color, the unique petals and blooms, the joy of watching plants sprout higher, higher, and then budding and flourishing. I love it. But not enough to plant diva dahlias and pour time and money into flowers that don’t appreciate the effort. {I kid, but you get the point.}

Whatever type of gardener you are — flower, vegetable, high maintenance, low maintenance, the enjoy other people’s gardens gardener — I hope you spend time marveling at creation. I can’t walk outside and see a flower without noting the variations God put in place. Even within a flower “kind” like roses; so many colors, petal types, even the smells differ. I may be a low maintenance, keep it simple gardener, but I still enjoy the beauty God has made and the small part I can take in cultivating some of that beauty.

Consider these words from Psalm 8:

1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Photo by Amber Malquist on Unsplash

The Blessing of Friendship

For all my introverted ways, I need friends.

I have had some incredible friends in my life and still do. I’ve had friendships that hurt and disappointed and didn’t last. But I’ve also had relationships that are still going strong decades later.

What is it about friends that is so vital? When we face things like the 2020 quarantine and forced isolation, why is it so hard, even for a person who would rather sit and read than party?

One essential piece is that God created us to need community. Have you considered the one another statements from the Bible? It’s impossible to live those out in solitude. We are to be encouraging and exhorting one another in the Lord. We also see in Proverbs that we can sharpen each other through our friendships (27:17).

Friends allow us to remember and reflect on things from the past. I have friends who, with a simple statement they immediately know what I’m referencing, how I’m feeling, what I mean. They have cried tears of joy and sorrow with me. They have spoken hard truths when I needed to hear them and listened quietly when I needed to process my thoughts aloud.

In short, friends are a gift. And when we find ourselves suddenly dealing with the world without their support, we easily feel the void. My children love playdates and park picnics and any excuse to gather with friends. April of 2020 was the slowest month of their lives. When we finally arranged a videocall with some of their friends, the laughter and smiles from that 15 minute call lasted for hours. The gloom and frustration of the morning melted away with one conversation from their friends.

I have not always been a good friend. I’ve forgotten important dates, spoken too harshly, criticized when I should have listened. But I have patient friends who continue to care about me, forgive when it’s needed, rebuke when it’s necessary, point me to Christ always.

Friends are a blessing I don’t take for granted. Miles separate us and years continue to pass. We enter new phases of life and go though different trials. But I’m thankful for the people that are in my life, encouraging me and occasionally dragging me away from my stack of books.

Photo by Janko Ferlic on Unsplash