Christ In The Chaos

As mommas, we set the tone of our home. This truth became even more apparent to me today. I am sick and I've pretty much all but lost my voice. I have been speaking to the kids in a whisper and it was amazing to see the tone of our home slow to a hush. My whispers quieted our normally loud and talkative home. Sometimes we need to slow to a whisper, especially during the Christmas season. So many things are screaming at us, trying to gain our attention. A simple Advent wreath is an easy way to quiet our spirits and turn our hearts to the true meaning of Christmas, the coming of Emmanuel- God with us. Advent begins Sunday, December 3rd. There are so many ways to celebrate, but we are choosing to celebrate weekly. It just feels doable in the midst of life with three little children. On Sundays there will simply be the lighting of the candle, a short Scripture reading and prayer. This is one tradition that doesn't need to feel overwhelming, actually the point of an Advent

A few years ago I was sitting across from a fellow mom who was vulnerably sharing how she was struggling with her daily quiet time. "I just can't seem to carve out time to read the Bible daily" she said. A chorus of encouragement came, but not the kind I was expecting from a small group of women gathered to study God's Word. "Oh this is a hard season" "We all struggle with that" "Don't be so hard on yourself"... I agree with all of those things but if we stop there when encouraging other mom's we fall painfully short. And if we let ourself believe those excuses, as I did for far too long, we are missing out on great blessing. This season with little ones is absolutely difficult. But every season of life has it's challenges, and we are called to disciple those little hearts that call us momma. How can we do that if we aren't spending time with the Lord? The time to know God's Word is now. It is so important, we al

((I was just over at my friend Samantha Krieger's blog sharing three simple ways to cultivate faith in your kids during the season of Lent. If you are coming from there HI!! If not, go check out Samantha's blog. It's a real gem.)) Easter is my favorite. It beats Christmas for me and I LOVE me some Christmas. Christmas comes like a Lion with all the expectations and hustle and frenzy. Easter comes like a Lamb: quietly, humbly, gently. Easter gives me time to breath and refocus. Mostly, I love Easter because without the Resurrection the faith I hang my entire soul on would be meaningless (1 Cor 15:14). I really try to communicate the gospel more intentionally and emphatically to my kids during this season. A little tradition that has helped in that goal is making a Resurrection Garden. This tradition has become so special to our family and it's something I look forward to every year. I especially love that it takes about 15 minutes but lasts for weeks! It's o