If there’s one parenting goal that I want to consistently crush, it’s to be relentlessly vigilant when it comes to my kids’ friendships. If you follow this blog, you know that we talk a lot about the importance of community and friendship – about widening the circle. We value diversity. We value wisdom. We…
Splink 1: Pray Expectantly Start a prayer journal. Buy a spiral notebook. On the first page, draw a vertical line down the middle. On the left side write “Requests” and on the right side write “Answers.” Every evening after dinner, take five minutes to pray. Write the requests in the notebook. Then say sentence…
Trending Today on Twitter – 9/22/17 1. #Kingsman 2. #FirstDayofFall 3. #DotardTrump 4. #FlashbackFriday 5. #AutumnEquinox 6. #fridayreads 7. Incompetence and Lies 8. University of S. California 9. Steve Mills 10. Emancipation Proclamation Source: Twitter Trending Today on Google – 9/22/17 1. Autumn Equinox 2017 2. 49ers 3. Dotard 4. CTE 5. First…
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/343295705″ params=”color=216089&auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] How to listen: iTunes | Google Play | SoundCloud | TuneIn Jeff Henderson, co-founder of Champion Tribes and lead pastor of Gwinnett Church, along with author and speaker, Jon Acuff and Carlos Whitaker, talk about what fatherhood looks like through all the phases in a child’s life in today’s…
Can we just have a moment of complete honesty? Being a stepmom is hard. Like really hard. It’s as if I’ve gone zero-to-elementary-school in milliseconds. But from all that I’ve heard, it’s difficult no matter how you’ve become a parent: marriage, fostering, adoption, traditional pregnancy. Parenthood guarantees two things: you’ll need to pick your…
Less than a year after we were married, my husband shoved my sister against the side of a car and told her he never wanted to see her again. And so began the worst period of my life. In retrospect, I realize the tension between Mike and Beth had been growing for some time. They…
Splink 1: The Price is TOO High Announce a fun event (movie night, ice cream run, etc.) and then announce that anyone who wants to participate must bring a certain amount of money (an amount bigger than they could pay). Talk about how the price has to be paid when they express disappointment. Finally,…
Sherry Surratt, Executive Director of Family Strategy at Orange, talks about how grandparents have a great opportunity to influence the lives of the next generation through their grandchildren in today’s episode. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/342116902″ params=”color=0066cc&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] How to listen: iTunes | Google Play | SoundCloud | TuneIn YOUR CUE Grandparents, try to…
“Wow . . . really?” “God bless you!” “I’ll pray for you!” These are the top three responses I get from people when they learn I work with middle school students for a living. And usually, it’s said in a tone of confusion or skepticism. Most adults simply can’t believe someone would choose my…
I’ve never been a big fan of January 1st. Too much pressure to set a goal or make a resolution, and then an impossibly long 12 months to keep it. But the start of the school year? I love it. Maybe it’s the smell and look and feel of new school supplies, maybe it’s…