I got to speak with one of my absolute favorite podcast mamas: Heather MacFadyen on Don’t Mom Alone. She asked awesome questions like: What’s your mom brand? How’s it going having a senior in high school who is also a mama? What’s it like to lead kids who have a strong calling from God? And other casual conversation. Ha! I hope you love it. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-mom-alone-podcast/id741742885?i=1000568703425 Happy Summer PS finally found the password to my blog 😃 I hope that means I’ll see you more often.

It was 10:30 at night when my 16-year-old and her 16-year-old boyfriend dropped the news that they were pregnant. My husband spoke the wisest words. He said, “I suggest nobody say anything until we have time to really process this.” I wish everyone would take his advice. We processed together as a family over the next several days. Almost immediately we felt the peace of God in our home. We shared with very close friends and some family because we knew we needed a rally team. We needed outside perspective. And eventually, once we moved into the next phase (preparing…

Joshua 1:5-9 is full of blessings and encouragement. Go read them. I’ll wait. (Hold music) Ok. I was right, right? Our church is doing this thing where we all meet mid-week and study through the same verses. I was doing my part-reading through this section in Joshua (one of my faves) when God did what he does. He revealed something to me through his words. I realized I focus on the wrong part of this scripture and apply it in a way that suits me. We always want to jump to verse 9 “This is my command- be strong and…

“You spell science with a ‘Y’. And what’s upsetting about that is I don’t think YOU know that that’s wrong,” Abby Yates (Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, 2016). Raise your hand if you’ve ever been forced to do a science experiment. So, all of you? I remember asking my teacher why we never did science in class but still had to do a science experiment for the science fair each year. She said, “So you understand the scientific method.” Cool. Not really, but as long as there’s a valid reason. Years later, as an adult, I still don’t understand this response, and I’m starting to…

A) This is not a political post, 2) well maybe it is, but D) maybe it’s more about who we are depending on right now and not at all who we are voting for. I’m sitting in my tiny arm chair with my leftover Halloween lights glowing over my shoulder and my favorite quilt on my lap. Despite how perfectly cozy I feel with my coffee in hand, I can’t help but wonder how many people would call this the calm before the storm. It’s Election Day. Of 2020 which adds and even heavier layer of ominous-ness. Except it shouldn’t….

If I stand next to a child who shows signs that she’s about to step in front of a train, and I do nothing when I definitely had the ability and means to do something, there’s a level of culpability that rests on my shoulders. Even if that’s not my child. Especially if I took her picture, said what she was about to do, and shared it with all my friends. Yesterday JLo asked our daughters to step in front of a moving train, and then half of America applauded her. Then they shared the photos. I’ve lost count of…

Dear Men, No, not all of you. This one goes out to the men who have never, and will never, sexually exploit another human for their own personal satisfaction. As a wife, a mother, and as a woman in this community, I want to offer a personal thank you to you. You aren’t talked about enough, and I think it’s about time that you were recognized. To law enforcement agents and first responders like my husband, who choose this job to help others and not because you think it gives you easy access to hurting and vulnerable women and youth….

This year is honestly not unlike any other year. I’ve had a lot of big changes. Last year it was book publishing Missionary Mom-which incidentally is on sale because it’s her birthday- and the year before that it was grad school and changing jobs, and, and, and. I’m finding this is going to be how things are around here. Big changes. Big adventures. Big hair. Except right now my hair is small because #braids. All of this sounds exciting, right? And it is. I’ve realized I’m a project based person to me core. I love trying new things, tackling new…

I’ve had kids and adults ask me this. Sometimes it’s a cultural norm to raise hands in worship. Other times, you’re the weird new guy. The only one raising her hands. I’m not the kind of girl who follows a crowd, so I really thought on this a while when I was first asked. God had a lot to say. The posture of worship matters a lot and doesn’t matter at all. Glad I could clear that up for you. Think of it this way. If I’m in a conversation with a co-worker, there are a lot of ways I…

teenVogue is graciously offering to teach your child that being a sex worker is the same as being a doctor. Seem crazy? That’s because it is, but that doesn’t change the validity of my statement. In an op-ed, a doctor writes that she is basically a sex worker because she talks to her patients about sex. In fact, she asks if we are all basically a sex worker on some level. Let’s set aside the fact that she is minimizing the pain of the most recent sex-trafficking story I listened to—a story of a young girl who slept in the…

I asked my 5thgraders if they’ve ever been approached online by a stranger or someone who seemed inappropriate. Twenty-four out of 26 of them raised their hands with stories that would cause many of us to grab our babies and head for a commune. One ten-year-old boy shared that a lady sent him a nude picture on FortNite. Asked if he wanted to have a private chat. The boy next to him said a teenaged girl sent him a text and asked if he wanted to smoke pot with her. Or other things. One girl confessed that she has had…

I got into a silent battle of wills with a fifth grader once. The entire year Sera had been so well behaved, compliant—a model student. She’d help during recess and was always smiling. Until I asked her opinion on whether or not she thought our school should switch to uniforms. Most students became staunch supporters of one side or the other. Not Sera. She about lost her mind. “Mrs. B, can I choose both sides? I can’t decide,” Sera asked hesitantly. To which I kindly replied, “No ma’am. For this assignment I need you to pick a side.” Not in…

One of the most common requests I get from parents is a list of books for their tween-coming-up-on-teen-or-already-a-teenager-books. So. here. Here are a scramble of books that might be right for your kiddos. Of course gauge your child–some of these may be perfect for your kid or too much for their particular disposition. The Chronicles of Narnia River of Time Series River of Time California Thirteen Series (Glass Castle) Joey: How a Blind Rescue Horse Helped Others Learn to See (nonfiction) Harry Potter Series 100 Cupboards Knightley & Son Matched Series Ugly Series The Missing Series Remnants Series The Selection…

Happy final book club week, my friends! I am so glad to have met new friends here. This last remarkable lady we are going to discuss is Ruth. Not only is Ruth the picture of beauty in her devotion to every person around her, but how she lives her life gives God the space to show her how faithful he is at all times. When she lived, her life was not so different than what many of us see as we look across our neighborhoods, cities, our country, and our whole world. People are starving. Some for physical food, and…

I can’t read about Martha’s story without switching into my adolescent little sister voice and chanting “Martha, Martha, Martha” (think Brady Bunch). I’ve honestly taken Martha as always a bit whiney. But here’s the thing. Acts of service is like my least cared about love language. It’s not that I like filth. But I am perfectly happy with a mostly straightened house and a rotisserie chicken thrown out with some crackers, cheese, and a sliced apple. You’ll notice I won’t have cooked any of these things. But I will pull a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies out of my freezer…