When you’re pregnant with promise, don’t turn back. God will carry your faith to completion.
I had never been on the ski slopes before.
I was a newly working twenty-something having graduated from college. I finally was earning a salary, which meant I had money to go on a ski trip with my friends.
After taking a beginner’s lesson on the green slopes, my friends met up with me for chili at the ski lodge.
“Come on up with us to the blue runs!” my friends said, as we finished up our last bites of lunch.
“Really? I don’t think I’m ready for that.” I was skeptical to say the least.
“You’ll be fine. That’s how you learn!” My friends didn’t seem the least bit concerned and started suiting back up into their marshmallow get ups.
As I sat there, legs dangling read more…
Sometimes we approach joy as if we were taking a pop quiz. The art of joy requires more than one coat of paint.
When my son turned three, TJ graduated from the crib to an actual bed.
Solid wood beds cost a big chunk of money. Add in a super-hero boy, arms loaded with hotwheels and tinkertoy spears — and you’ve got a stressed out mom in the making.
So we settled on a lower cost, saner approach. We hauled a bed made out of “natural wood” upstairs and I was commissioned to hit Home Depot to pick out the perfect shade of honey.
putting on my hiking boots of faith
One crisp winter weekend last month, Hubby and I took the kids hiking to a nearby state park.
I know it sounds idyllic, but if you’ve ever been out with two little boys, you get it.
“Hiking” means you’re on the alert.
You don’t want the happily toddling two-year-old to tumble off the edge of a mountain trail, so you’re constantly herding like a sheepdog.
Meanwhile, the kindergartner is exploring, which means your nature hike becomes a tour de force of rock, dirt and sticks mixed with rapid fire Q&A.
We soon made it to a clearing. A wide open field.
When you make new year resolutions, do you think of who you are becoming more than what you want to be doing?
You wouldn’t think it’d be so difficult.
To choose one word. For the new year.
But, it is.
I’ve been trying on my one words for 2012, like a madwoman in a dressing room trying on clothes. Right before summer.
Does this fit right?
Is it me?
How in the heck do you wear this thing?
I didn’t think I’d end up where I am today.
I’m writing my first book.
And it’s harder than I thought. There are so many ways to tell a story, to make a point. Which way is best and what if I chose the wrong way?
How does a girl who was never given a voice think she could suddenly start writing anything beautiful or worthy of print?
These are voices from the past. But, still they buzz around me, as I tap-tap-tap my way forward.
My search for God’s guidance really isn’t about a book after all.
read more…
StudioJRU is hosting a special Christmas giveaway on the blog today!
StudioJRU inspired art nestled comfy with the family pics
I don’t have that much wall space.
I have to be picky.
Art decor for our home.
My husband often laughs at me when I say I like to go for the “minimalist look”. Because seriously, I have a weak spot for anything inspirational, especially when it comes to integrating art with God’s word.
That is what Jennifer of StudioJRU is gifted to do: inspired art.
We each have a unique way of expressing God through us. Jennifer does it through her fingers, hands, eyes — and most importantly — her soul.
God Speaks Through Art
When I was first drawn to Jennifer’s artwork, I had just begun read more…
* Special "Advent" Giveaway *
I'm giving away (3) copies of my favorite Christmas devotional
Today In A Manger
-- signed by author Ian Strachman!
Enter the giveaway at the end of today's post!
Psst. It’s a week before Christmas.
The Christmas cards are trickling in. Presents might be showing up on your doorstep. The spam from stores sounding the countdown to shipping rates and shipping dates — for sure — are attacking you from your inbox.
Don’t be alarmed.
I have some good news for us.
It’s not too late.
We’re not prisoners strapped on a runaway Christmas train.
We can still do it.
We. can. slow. down.
One of my fave Christmas treats of the season - Simple Rice Krispies a la extra marshmallows
“Too often, the Christmas story only impinges on the periphery of our lives.” ~ Ian Strachan, Today In a Manger
With so much Christmas to celebrate, the danger of the holidays isn’t stress. It’s complicating it so much, that we miss out on the story of Jesus, showing up in us today.
Christmas can get so complicated.
That’s because life doesn’t stand still. Neither do the commercials or the holiday spam.
There’s also the added pressure of expectations bubbling underneath.
I’m not talking about the expectations for presents sitting under a tree. read more…
{ Unwrap Jesus } Let Go of Picture Perfect Christmas (Special Giveaway: What’s-In-The-Bible? Christmas Gift)
* Special "What's The Meaning Of Christmas Gift Pack" Giveaway
by VeggieTales Creator Phil Vischer *
What's In The Bible? Jellyfish Labs is celebrating the true meaning of Christmas
by giving away FIVE (5) special gift 2-pack bundles here on Faith Barista.
Enter the giveaway at the end of today's post!
I wake up, wondering if anyone remembers.
It’s my special day.
It’s my birthday.
As I throw the covers off, I swing myself off the bed and into the morning routine: get dressed, get the kids ready for school and fix breakfast.
Just another regular day.
My birthday happens to land on a weekday this year, so the everyday routine makes me feel… ordinary.
Are you serious, girl? I say to myself. You’re getting too old to need attention on your birthday.
As I shuffle my feet to make the morning cup of coffee read more…
How can we make Christmas new when we’ve celebrated this holiday so many times? We begin by being fully present.
I’ve already been to the Hidden Villa Farm.
That’s what I thought when CJ’s Mommy-and-Me class announced a field trip for our two-year-olds.
Years back, I had taken the same excursion with my now-six-year old son TJ.
This was not your local petting zoo. This was a real farm, people! Open for “educational” purposes.
The highlight for all the kids, of course, were the farm animals.
But, this mommy mostly recalled memories of tracking down read more…
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katy on Pregnant With a Promise: Why You Can’t Turn Back