What would a world hope for if there were not great women committed to serving, civilizing, bringing beauty from chaos and believing courageously in the truths of God, even during dark times?

God does not arbitrarily issue us commandments to be hard on us. His commandments, which must be obeyed, are for our best — to protect us, to bless us, to cause us happiness and to help us become the best we can be.

In the same way that we expose ourselves and children to great stories to shape our moral imagination, so Jesus used so many metaphors in scripture to give us a personal picture of what He is like.

Honor was one of the foundational values of our home. Honor, recognizing the worth of another human being and treating them as such, was foundational to our children learning to bow their knee before God.

Often, we live through daily rhythms and don’t realize that even common moments are shaping the impressions on our children’s hearts.

Believing when we cannot see, practicing faithfulness when no one else sees is a long tradition of faithful saints throughout history.

Biblical truths have held me through my own dark clouds, anchoring my thoughts and heart to know and understand the never changing attributes of God and his goodness. These truths, stored up in our minds and our children, will speak to us and carry us through.

One of the strengths and profound work of a woman, is to bring civility and order out of chaos, to bring beauty, intelligence, excellence in subduing her kingdom of home into a life-giving haven.

Today on my podcast, I am starting a new series—training in truth, virtue, discipling your children and discipling yourself.

Today, I have been thinking about how to move through the different years, the varied seasons of life with generous grace. And life requires intentional endurance to keep going strong with determination to make it a beautiful story.

Every year this time, I go away by myself with a journal to search my heart in order to clear it from attitude, heart clutter.

I am praying for all of you — but even more, God is praying for you and loves you. Don't give into discouragement or inadequate feelings. With God all things are possible. He is so glad you are trying and that you care.  You are precious to Him and He is training your character to grow strong as you are training your children.

It's hard for all of us—especially in the hurry and flurry of the Christmas season—to take time to stop and listen to our children. But I've realized that's the most important thing of all. If I want my children to be open to hearing the messages I have for them, I must listen to the ones they have for me.

The goal of  Christmas traditions is not to do the most elaborate and difficult things, but to help my children love Jesus, revere Him, enjoy His story, to embed the beauty of Christmas deeply into their hearts.

Join me as I speak today about the Biblical meaning of waiting. Advents finds us waiting for His light to come into our darkness.

The holidays bring such an array of activities, things to do, traditions to occupy our time. Yet, if we want to make this holiday memorable and special, we need to determine to be present in the moment with those in our midst, our children, friends, relatives, neighbors. This is the day, this is the moment the Lord has made.

None of us will ever be perfect. We are in process. And at every step, God who is steadfast in His love and never changing, loves us and wants to companion us and carry our load.

Week by week, our family waited for the arrival of our precious baby to come. Yet, this mysterious journey of motherhood means that every time a baby is born, it is miraculous and unpredictable. Finally, on her due date, my newest grandchild decided to hint that she might be on her way.

A truth told without love and grace is a truth that is rejected. Would Jesus' message have had the same impact without His feeding thousands, taking children into HIs arms, and washing the feet of His friends? It is in service that God incarnate is recognized. And service begins with serving those who are closest to us, making home the very best place to be.

Creating and noticing beauty, the loveliness of life, the gift of sweet relationships with my littles is an emotional and spiritual defense against being overcome by evil and darkness.

Our walk with God, our hope in His reality, His companionship, His presence every day gives our children a way forward to know how to engage with the realities of a dark, broken world. The way we narrate life to them becomes their instructor for how to narrate life for themselves.

We all go through struggles and dark seasons as women and mothers. The battles are real and can seem overwhelming. Along the way, I have had a few people who have met me at my point of need, my point of depression, my hunger, for wisdom and instruction.

Autumn is a time for savoring, for choosing to make a memory. We intentionally take the opportunity to look into the eyes of our beloveds, to make one more sweet memory with a full knowledge that seasons change and that the moment might pass.

I hadn’t had a conversation with my friend, Sam, for quite a while, so we met for a chat to catch up and I knew many of you would enjoy listening in.

We were created to be message makers, healers, redeemers. There is a kingdom of darkness but we are people of the light and the light will overcome all that is evil, dark, meaningless, and harsh.

Let us embrace the joy worth repeating, again and again, and seek out those warm conversations that nourish our spirits and remind us of the beauty of connection. And may we never underestimate the power of tea and a friend to bring peace, comfort, and a touch of magic to our lives.

He who was with Jesus, is with me. He is still the calm in the midst of storms, the peace and rest in the torrents, the comfort and lover and One who is powerful above all and still says to the powers that threaten, “Be still.”

So often, God prunes my branches of life. He takes away, he cuts my life back—and truly I have learned that I bear more fruit from these times of discipline than I could have understood when I was younger. He has the best for me in mind—that I may bear even more fruit.

It is a legacy of faith we are passing on, when we daily stoop to serve, patiently giving our energy to meet the needs of others.

I invested a lifetime of building heart-to-heart connections through words of grace, rhythms of shaping thoughts, convictions, and imagination of His goodness, beauty, and love. These happened in all the moments of the days and were underlined by the intentional special times when we would meet alone, share a cuppa of something soothing and warm, a treat, and speak of eternal virtues that inspired a lifetime of joy.

Learning to be responsible for your own sense of well-being, your sense of contentment, and the ability to thrive is one of the most foundational aspects of flourishing over a lifetime.

His spirit shapes us as we shape a generation for His glory. And we are able to take one more step of obedience and pour out His unconditional love and wisdom to children who are not always aware of our sacrifice until they are older.

As I look to the years ahead, I wonder how I could best invest my time and my love for all of you whose lives matter so much.

As I ponder where I have been and where I am going, I have realized that I want to consider how to best invest my life for Him in the years ahead, how to love well, to encourage generously, to grow a little bit more like Jesus every day.

For our children to have a strong standard of truth speaking to their invisible thoughts, their minds must be filled with thousands of teachings of scripture so their brains will have a "go-to" place when they are making decisions about their lives.

Today on my podcast I share many of the ways Clay and I prepared for our home for our grandchildren to be child friendly, a place to rest and be at peace, and a welcome to their parents.

As believers, we need to understand the principle of unconditional love. It is natural to disdain or criticize people—it is supernatural to love, to forgive, to be patient.

“Even grown ups love to play dress up once in a while.” Add to that a cold gas of sparkling Elderflower juice, shared with a dear friend with lots of laughter and you have an unforgettable memory to come back to again and again.

Unless we learn to give these wounds into the file drawer of heaven, to allow Christ to take these burdens of heart for us, we will be overwhelmed by a shadow of bitterness, anger or disappointment. That is why forgiveness is so very essential to the message of Christ.

Tending to the hearts of the “least of these” is what pleases Jesus. We are His hands, voice, and touch to those He has trusted into our care.

In a broken world where we are subject to our own foolishness and sin as well as the chaos of the world and other sinful people, in quietness and rest in God is our strength.

Sometimes there are places that wrap their vast beauty around your heart and hold you there with a sense that you are experiencing another world. From the first time I visited St. Andrews, I was charmed, inspired, and held such a sense of belonging.

Celebrations live in the hearts, minds, souls of the one celebrated for a lifetime and gives hope and courage when hard times come.

I am convinced that if we women understood that we have a capacity to work a little harder, give more and cultivate more intentionally, we would indeed be able to see greatness of soul, depth of faith arise out of our children’s lives.

To obey means to act according what you have been asked or ordered to do by someone in authority, or to behave according to a rule, law, or instruction. Obedience is the action of authentic faith. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey me.”

Take time for your favorite cuppa and relax a bit and enjoy Tea Time Tuesday.

How can you show God that you are after his heart right in the midst of your story today?

“Cheers, friends! Sit down and rest a spell!” My grandmother used to say when we came to her house. Always a welcome, always a cheery wish for us to take time for a visit, a time to chat, a time to be friends. So, today, sit down and rest a spell. You will be so glad you did.

Do you have a friend whose story has encouraged or inspired you because of her knowledge and love of God?

We were made for companionship, community, close friendship. We are happier deep down, flourish more, grow stronger in every way when we have a close friend standing with us in life.

Today, we talk of the lovingkindness of God—the term comes from Chesed, the Hebrew term which meant to give oneself fully, generously, with love and compassion.

It was a fun week! I met with our editor of Victoria Magazine with a lovely traditional tea.

Today, on Tea Time Tuesday, I speak of one of my favorite children’s authors and illustrators, a new recipe, the profound influence of music on our brains, beauty as something that lowers adrenalin and the ways of rhythms in life.

Don't you think that God meant for us to go outside, to take naps under budding trees, to breathe in pleasure when everything is alive and inviting after a long hard winter? An overwhelming desire to escape is rushing through every molecule of my being.

The power of returning spring is unstoppable, as though God's song refuses to be quieted.

Mothers were uniquely created to create goodness and calm chaos, to kindle hope, and foster faith. We are the beauty bringers and soul shapers of our homes and our communities.

When we add up a life of faithfulness in serving God, accumulating maturity, grace, knowledge, wisdom, failure, forgiveness, compassion—it is thousands of moments of choosing to practice persevering, one moment at a time.

Rainy days will come, but the way you handle them will determine your ability to keep going forward.

I pray that this book will refresh you in your ideals and give you a sense of why bringing rhythms of grace regularly into your life will help you keep steadfast in your meaningful work of mentoring, loving, serving and praying for those in your personal life and story.

I have been through so many seasons, but I have learned how to keep going forward, by God’s grace. I pray you are encouraged in your own season of giving yourself to your ideals.

Teatime Discipleship is about the hospitality one friend offers another, to link arms, to say, "I am here for you" in a world that is draining and isolating.

Each of us is designed by God to whisper His words to the hearts of our children so they will feel the call of God in their own lives to become "fishers of men."

Sometimes a girl needs a little spoiling. Just a fun, special tea time with a dear friend can pick me up! Like the Dowager Countess can say, “Well, there is nothing else to be done. Let’s have tea.”

If you are experiencing weariness and discouragement, it signifies you are engaged in the battle. Join me today to find some answers to bring peace to the trenches of life.

If you have a vision for being steadfast into old age, you have an intrinsic strength to make it through all the years and seasons. Ponder your life through all the seasons, friends, and know you are living your story you will tell to generations.

Life is a marathon. Keep your legacy going. My friends, never give up, never give in. Your labor is not in vain. You matter.

Don't we all need the world to go away for just a few? So, take time today for a cuppa and close the world out in your mind and breathe in peace. 

I wrestled with my faith over years, but in doing so, I came to a deeper understanding of this fallen world, the nature of evil, that God’s light was stronger than the darkness, that we are all heading to a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Often, people ask what drew our family close, that built a common legacy of ideals, the foundation that made all of us writers, and cultivated the kind of faith that lives in all of us today. Our souls were shaped by the daily rhythms of gathering, eating meals together, sharing in deep fellowship as a regular habit.

We must not give in to the dark side, that creates the cacophony to blot out all of the alluring, heavenly music of His voice, words. May God grant us ears to hear, hearts to listen.

Today, I have so many fun subjects on Tea Time Tuesday. Of course music for this season of Lent, food from Mary Barry, who used to be on The Great British Bakeoff, and so much more.

No two families are alike. No two children are alike. They develop at different times, have different fingerprints, differing personalities, different looks and DNA—God made them to be unique. And He did not intend for us to worry if we were doing enough at every stage of life.

Every once in a while, I feel like God kisses me on my cheek and brings along an angel friend just when I need one. Leah and I have similar hearts—we love beauty, our families, education, art, eating and drinking tea, the Lord, writing, publishing and so much more.

Today’s Tea Time Tuesday is lots of fun. Be sure to share a cuppa something wonderful with someone in your life who would enjoy a few moments of pure pleasure, relaxation and with friendship and peace.

Do you ever feel like a child? Not knowing where you are going or what you are doing? This is how many have felt throughout history—lost, confused, not sure of what is ahead or if we are capable enough to live the life we have been called to. Throughout scripture, we see that some of the most faithful heroes of faith felt lost along the way.

If only you could come sit with me and sip a golden cup of tea. I would ask you questions and hope to be of encouragement to you. We would talk about everything in the world, share thoughts and dreams, fears and failures, and give one another joy in time well-spent.

As we seek to influence the thinking, faith, love of our children, it will be as we do the work of serving, over and over again, of exercising thoughtful, kind deeds, thousands of times, one moment at a time.

I have been one of the richest women in the world because of the sweet fellowship and deep friendships I have experienced. This is what my new book Teatime Discipleship is all about—creating a place where people can become friends, grow in faith, find support and encouragement.

Through teatime discipleship, repeated over many years, my children and I became the deepest of friends. It is a tool, a holding place for creating relationships, a hopeful expectation that, “Mama wants to spend time with me, we shall be friends.”

We were not a perfect family, we had conflict through seasons, but unchanging love was the holding foundation of our home culture.

Deep friendships and connected relationships happen best when intentional encouragement is planned and given on a regular basis.

Something that seems to be true of my own life, the longer I live: “Life is a long lesson in humility.” (JM Barrie) Oh, to be openhearted to be like Jesus—that is my prayer.

God is my hope when I am out of control. He is my prayer-answerer when I am beyond my own strength. I live practicing joy because He is my audience and I want to rest in Him because He wants to be my adequacy.

This week, I am on a quest for delight—for myself and my people. We all need some moments to put away darkness and to invest in beauty, fun, celebration. Determine that this will be a week when you bring joy, beauty, delight to yourself and your beloveds.

I had no idea what motherhood would cost me in time, heart, work, creativity, love, instruction and so much more. And yet, I am old enough, seasoned through the many years to be able to say it is the most profound work I have ever undertaken—to shape real human beings in faith, virtue and purpose in life over days, months, years and decades.

This is a marathon of a life for most of us, but with every step, I come to see the loving, gracious compassion and sympathy of God at work. Most issues take longer than I want them to take—God rarely seems in a hurry. Yet, He companions us each step. Sip your tea or coffee with me today and rest in His generous love.

In a study about gentleness recently, I found no less than 8 Biblical writers that place gentleness at the core of their call to righteousness. Today's podcast is about these leaders and what they wrote. God grant us gentleness.

Lots of fun on Tea Time Tuesday today!

As I look back, I am sometimes amazed at the ways God has led, lessons learned, souls were shaped, faith grew. It all started when I made a quiet commitment to Him.

Whether you are single, married, working outside your home, or a stay-at-home mom, you are called by the heart of Jesus to give of yourself to others.

Today, I review the disastrous storm in which Paul found himself and other passengers who were scared. He teaches us about how to rally others to courage and faith.

There is no one right way to live life in a home. No one size of routine or rules or order fits all. Homes with young children will be quite different from a single-adult home. Elderly adults will order their lives by different life rituals than will young marrieds or students. But the more carefully we plan our days, the better our homes will provide us with freedom and enjoyment as well as purpose and accomplishment.

Many years ago, I began the habit at the beginning of the new year to declutter my heart and soul.

Pondering Mary, one of my favorite role models, I speak today of what was in her heart when God says, "Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you."

Today on my podcast, I am reintroducing you to my friend, Malcolm Guite, a scholar in Cambridge, a Poet and very winsome and informative teacher. You will love hearing about why and how we celebrate Christ throughout the church year. This podcast has been a favorite in the past couple of years, and now it has become a tradition to play it again, to bring all of us from the dark world, this year a Covid-filled year, into the light of Christ’s reality.

When Jesus said, “whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward," I’m quite sure He also had in mind "whoever gives a steaming cup of tea!”

Faith requires a listening heart. God is so willing to use normal people—who are listening, willing to obey. What risk will you take, by faith, to live a story that others will tell for generations to come?

Today, my forever friend, Jacqui and I speak of friend formation, and tell of our intentional and purpose driven fun times and how it has shaped us. Such fun. Hope it encourages you.

Nothing quite prepared me, as an untrained young woman, to know how to bear all of the stresses we would face by being a family. And yet, I had been taught to seek God’s word, to pray and to obey and live in wisdom.

This week, I am asking myself what I need to do to prepare my heart to be present to my people, ready to serve and to determine not to give into the weariness or demands.

In my life as a mom, there have been countless times, I felt like I was not accomplishing anything productive from day to day. Five scriptures have been especially helpful to me when I am overwhelmed.

To me, Thanksgiving is the entry way to preparing my heart to be filled and renewed with a love for Christ. I need child-like excitement and gratitude to fill my heart again, so that I might bring light into my year ahead.

Giving thanks starts with a humble heart, one that does not demand but receives the gifts of everyday moments with joy. A grateful heart sees the fingerprints of God in normal every day circumstances, a lens through which we see life, people, simple pleasures as a gift.

When we read in the Word, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” this is a call out of passivity to action, to engaging, to spreading the moral excellence through each aspect of our lives that God has called us to. Today, I discuss what that has meant to me lately. I hope it will encourage you.

Stories have the power to change and inspire us in ways nothing else does. I hope you'll join us in this journey of bringing a good story to life that just might be the thing to help a world in need.

I have come to realize that embracing God's call to the duties of motherhood doesn't diminish my abilities to use my gifts, strength, and training, but fulfills a part of God's design.

What if someone could read your thoughts—would you like what they see? Worship the Lord Your God with all of your mind, we are told. I call it “minding your mind” because thinking, learning, understanding, creating—so many things we do with our minds, are to be a focus of our worship of God. Worshipping God with our mind requires a focus, intentionality, effort, a plan.

What if someone could read your thoughts—would you like what they see? Worship the Lord Your God with all of your mind, we are told. I call it “minding your mind” because thinking, learning, understanding, creating—so many things we do with our minds, are to be a focus of our worship of God. Worshipping God with our mind requires a focus, intentionality, effort, a plan.

Whatever season you find yourself in is eventually going to pass. God is aware of your season and He will give you wisdom, strength, grace to walk through the seasons with Him by your side to provide you with insight and understanding into the ways he is working in the world.

When the places inside home are intentionally crafted, these seasons can become the places where memories can be shaped and stored forever.

There are many gifts of aging, gaining experience. It comes from waiting, learning, storing up experience and understanding.

As I watch the leaves rain softly to the ground, and the colors give their last bit of glory before disappearing into a pile on the ground, I am reminded that my own life is reflecting seasons. I want to take advantage of this time to its fullest that I may have been a good soldier in this battle between darkness and light and left a bit of the glory and light I have known.

Freedom in a biblical sense means: emancipation, the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. We do not have to be slaves to our shame, our failures, our weakness. We have been emancipated, let out of guilty land, because of His work.

Today, Giving Your Words is officially out in the world. Many of you have asked Clay to join me in an interview about our book. So today, we have a special podcast for you about how Giving Your Words came about—from his perspective.

Our hope is that parents all over the world will become even more skillful at leaving their children a legacy of words and messages giving hope, foundational faith, unconditional love.

Today I speak of choral music, tastes of French food, adventures in a flower farm cafe, the best bread, finding light in the darkest clouds of life, Jacqui adventures, and more.

Last week’s adventures took me on journeys fun and mysterious. Join me for another fun podcast of Tea Time Tuesday!

Today's word is discernment: the insight to understand what is true to navigate life in wisdom.

Join me today on my podcast as I talk about becoming a Good Samaritan in the normal moments of your life, cultivating compassion for those who need sympathy.

Instruction teaches one how to do something, how to apply wisdom and skill to life and the steps to do something. It provides practical steps to take.

This week, I have been pondering how commitments, vows, and dedications of words hold us faithful to ideals we have committed to. Join me on Tea time Tuesday as I ponder the importance of making commitments to God, to review them, to live by them.

Today I will share about how life has been — beautiful and wonderful amidst many mistakes, many flaws, many immature moments. Yet, God's grace is like a beautiful cloth that covers the scars on my well-beloved old tables. His love and grace cover my imperfections.

All of us need wisdom every day. Jesus tells us to worship him with our minds — to love Him with our minds. The ability to think biblically is no small matter in a world that shouts to us with values that are worldly, pumping out lies about life, family, and morality, in thousands of ways every day.

When tea time becomes a ritual, it enables us to see greatness in even the small things.

Words become ways to influence a child when they work themselves into a child’s inner being. They shape their worldview, systems of theology, ways of relationships, view of themselves, self-image, and so much more.

What started as a simple idea conceived in my living room has blossomed and grown into a site where hundreds of women from all over the world come to be encouraged and challenged to use their agency to bring God’s kingdom to those around them.

It is encouraging to be amongst friends that are driven and excited about finding ways to minister to women who are lonely and doing their best to parent the children that God has blessed them with. I pray you will be encouraged by our conversation and find something to carry you through this season with courage and hope.

Hearing Carlos and Alexa's love story, how they met and got married, was a picture of God’s providence in their lives. They now have 3 young children, and have continued to have flourishing careers as actors, musicians, and performers. Both are dynamic and articulate about their lives and faith, personal and warm, inspiring and grounded. I know you will love this podcast.

My friends, pray for me to run this marathon well and finish still alive. Sending love, prayers, and lots of wishes for you to have a bit of fun tucked into the days of your lives. I’ll be taking a podcast and Tea Time Tuesday break, but will be back soon!

Last week, I explored a wild canyon with the man who is my real life valiant hero.

I have been pondering "should" lately — we are often ruled by them: “You should…” but most of my life, I have lived by the beat of a different drummer and it has led me to joy, peace, delight, deep love.

No amount of ranting or complaining can change the fact that we live in a fallen world. I wish I had known sooner that I needed to accept this reality, to determine to grow up, to build up my strength little by little.

How we live through these seasons following hard after God at every point, leaves us with a soul satisfying story, because we learn that God was with us and faithful at every point.

We must rule over our domains in such a way to have order, rhythms, traditions, and anchors in our schedule that provide for this divine reflection of what God has done.

Today, I am so happy to share my conversation with you that my friend Jennifer Pepito and I had earlier this week. As a seasoned mama of 7, she brings gentleness, peace, fun, insight, and wisdom to us mamas on our journey.

Growing older wisely means to have more ability to love generously, to forgive, to allow people time to grow as you need time to grow, and to watch over your heart that it might not be eaten up by self-righteousness of bitterness. Put anger and harsh criticism away and put on love.

We came up with a model that worked for our family called LifeGIFTS. Each letter in the word gifts stood for one of the five areas I held as a grid in my mind to focus on each day: grace, inspiration, faith, training, and service.

Giggling, belly laughing and guffawing they say are good for your soul — even scripture teaches that a joyful heart is good medicine. Today on my podcast, Keelia, Nathan, and I could not stop laughing. We hope you enjoy the merriment.

God is with us, He will answer and He cares for you. Today, in my podcast, I speak of ways and rhythms I practice in my life to bring my being back to health and strengthen and ways to keep myself going forward.

It took a lifetime to build our home and environment and books and rhythms that echo through all of the days -- tea mornings, breakfast every day, evening meals… it is fun to see how much my children have adopted and applied these things in their own way.

It is simple to see all the flaws in my children, my husband, and myself. But that is not healthy or biblical. I am practicing several commitments to help me see each person for who they are inside and to bring a fresh wind of grace to each moment. 

I snuck out of the house, I betook myself to a lovely breakfast in an outdoor cafe and breathed in peace, and centered myself for an hour before jumping back into the wild of life. Finally, my life began to be centered, ideas flowed and peace ruled. Take time for yourself to sit, ponder and sip.

Our multitudinous little tasks, washing one more dish, correcting one more attitude, kissing one more cheek, when given from a heart full of love for Him,  pleases Him far more than if we made millions & had a title of strategic importance.

Habits of grace -- I call these rhythms that bring moments of civility into your day -- or give pause and peace to your week.

As a mother who has raised four children from birth into adulthood, engaging my life & faith in the lives of my children has been my most fulfilling, fruitful work.

When we value a person, we speak well of them, affirm their worth, cherish their lives. They have significance in this world; God has created them with purpose and meaning to His story in the world. Celebrating someone takes time and energy and planning.

We will never be perfect or adequate on our own, but we are adequate when we walk by faith and live into God's provision for strength, joy, growth and wisdom.

As I have watched my girls flourish as women and as professionals, I see them stretching into the women God made them to be. I absolutely love women of every background, story, and personality and want to champion them all.

Whatever we water in the souls of our hearts will certainly grow. And if we water "weeds" in the garden of our souls, they will certainly take over and devastate the crop of faith, love, thankfulness, grace, joy.

Collecting details about Queen Elizabeth's life was the source of Tea Time Tuesday podcast today. Enjoy and celebrate with me, one whose life has so much wisdom and experience to fill our own vision for life.

When a child has a sense of family culture, the traditions they practice over a lifetime, it provides a sense of confidence in who he or she is and what light and goodness that culture has brought to the world.

All of us can feel quite overwhelmed by the darkness of circumstances around us. Yet, courage means: exercising mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

The older I get and see my heart more clearly, the more humbled I become, wondering at God's generous mercy and grace. Let your relationships be ruled by love and grace.

Today, I speak with my wonderful friends about their lives and how they have grown together through gathering on my membership, Life with Sally. If you are interested, you can find out more at LifeWithSally.com. I do have to tell you, it is a pretty wonderful community to be in.

What an exciting time it was for me to be at W&F with hundreds of women, making new friends, speaking, signing books, enjoying conversations. Truly it was deeply fulfilling for me. I’ll share all about my week on today’s podcast!

Women laughed, teared up, were inspired, and left with words of significance burning in their hearts and minds. I thought you might want to hear from some when were there as an encouragement to you that you are not alone—that others are walking the same road as you.

Tolkien was a part of my thoughts this week as I get ready to travel to Dallas to speak at Wild and Free. His story was a tragic one, but it led him to write an epic story to his generation to give them a picture of hope—fighting the darkness with light, goodness, and courage.

My friend, Bailey Hurley, joined me today to discuss principles of belonging with me on my podcast, and to share about her new book, “Together is a Beautiful Place”. I hope this podcast and post will be of help to you this summer as you invest in friendships with your own children and friends.

Clay and I are not formulaic in almost any subject we approach. We approach the wisdom principles that apply to marriage, not just a few select verses. Mostly, I hope that as you join me with a cup of tea or something wonderful, you will be refreshed in our time together.

We might feel lost, but Jesus is never lost. Today, I have had my friend, Matthew Clark, with me on my podcast, talking about such things.

Today, for Tea Time Tuesday, I have so many fun things to share—a favorite book I just put on my coffee table once again, a recipe, and what I have been studying.

It would help me so much if you could tell me specifically how I can best encourage you? What areas do you most want me to write about, speak about, podcast about—be specific!

"We have a choice to dance, to love, to sing, to live fully alive as long as He is alive in our imagination, in our thoughts, in our worship—to celebrate His daily presence." May God give you ears to hear and His grace to live fully during this time. I hope this podcast encourages you today.

We all walk by the voices in our head. Today, Nathan and I recorded a podcast about his new book, The Way of Kings, and what it looks like to walk in the wise counsel of the king of kings.

Jesus built deep relationships for three years with a dozen men and a few others in a community of friends.His ministry was small and personal, meeting needs, eating meals, living life with a focussed few, serving and dying for them.

As Nathan and I share about what shapes one’s understanding of what it means to be royalty, God’s holy subjects, as stewards of all that is his, I am reminded that the faith he now holds dear was built over countless thousands of days, with stories told, love given, conversations had, training give over and over again.

This week reminded me that our family was shaped by feasting, talking, laughing, being together over and over and over again. And this is how we celebrated our closeness and mutual legacy of family friendship this week.

Since Nathan was little, he has been cultivating the hero that was inside his heart. Now, he decided to write a book that would come along parents to inspire their children to imagine themselves becoming a hero in their own stories. The Way of Kings is a beautiful book written with you in mind.

This week, I have been pondering death and dying to self. If only I had known that was the secret to my life of worship—giving up my rights, pouring out my life, choosing to serve others as Christ did, and living into the joy of the Holy Spirit surging through my life to bring His light and love to bear.

Being “for” someone does not mean that they will always exhibit the kind of behavior or character we deem admirable. But it is looking at our children with unconditional love and cultivating eyes that see the possibilities in the midst of the “terrible twos” of toddlers or hormonal teen years.

Our world is very troubled now and has been for a long time. Yet, I have learned that cultivating joy, being a light bearer is a spiritual discipline to practice, employ in the demands of every day life.

Some things are more important than all the piles of “to do’s.” Time with my very precious daughter, where we would invest in one another’s lives, talk, make memories drove me to put everything aside for one day and to make the spontaneous commitment.

So much to share about on this Tea Time Tuesday podcast: music, lentil soup recipe, 2 books to read, stories about Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mozart. Blessings and blessings to all of you today!

Serving others, when it becomes a habit, becomes an art form that can bring great pleasure and a sense of accomplishment to us and our families.

I decided I could slip in one more Tea Time Tuesday! Today I’ll share about umbrellas, spiritual trends in America, and a new book, The Resilient Pastor, along with a chat with Pastor Glenn Pakiam.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting a kindred spirit: Cristina Odone, who works as the Director of The Family Policy at The Centre for Social Justice. Her story was so amazing that I knew I wanted to have her join me on a podcast so that you could hear it.

I share many thoughts this week about my eye accident, why I am having surgery, and what I have learned over many years of how to become a dependable and wise warrior in this broken world.

When a child grows up developing graciousness as they go, they will have it as a treasure the rest of their lives.

Today, I'll share all about my trip to London, some tasty food, and what I have been pondering lately about cultivating patience and flexibility.

Character is the pool from which our children will live and make all of their life decisions. Virtue takes a lifetime to build, yet is it one of the best gifts we can give or our children.

When we feel someone knows us and still loves us and understands us and our deepest thoughts and dreams, we are so very grateful. I pray you will feel seen, loved and affirmed in our time together for Tea Time Tuesday.

To give our children a virtuous heart, to teach them to value hard work, patience, relationship skills, truth-telling, keeping their word and so much more is to bless them for their whole life.

How I wish I could have each of you over for tea to my little home today. I would pick your brain, hear your thoughts and dreams, share with you mine. To have the opportunity to share in real friendship is one of the treasures of my life. So join me today for another Tea Time Tuesday podcast!

Our children will adopt a “putting others first” heart only if we first help them have God’s mind about selflessness. Instructing our children in what it truly means to put the needs of others first will enable them to be great friends and have great friends.

This week, after reading some news reports, I felt a little anxious about the state of affairs. I did a little study on peace in scripture. I hope you will enjoy it.

Just the other day, I was looking at old photos and found a favorite from some friends I used to spend a weekend a year with at the beach before or after our California conference—I could never have made it through all the years without my sweet friends.

Ely has for many years been one of my very favorite towns in the UK. What a gift it was that a sweet friend of mine invited me to go on a little 2 day explore together to have fun once again in the Magical Medieval town.

While every family has its own story and each puzzle of life is different, there are some practical ways we can make the life of faith tangible to our children and those are the focus of the second half of this chapter!

The world of teens is focused on their test scores as they graduate from high school. But what if God wants us to focus on a different kind of preparation before they leave our homes?

I have a family of tea cups that sit together on my shelf wherever I live. Stay tuned — you will be seeing my adventures with tea cup in hand. I have some adventures planned this very week. As mom of 4, I learned to see life as an adventure and to create a sense of joyful adventures along the way, even in mundane days.

In the weeks ahead, I will be hosting a podcast series from my book, 10 Gifts of Heart, a book Clay and I wrote to focus on the habits we wanted our children to have before they left our home and entered the world as adults. Today, I talk with my friend, Dr. Michael Ward, about his book, After Humanity, and we discuss the role virtue plays in the shaping of character. Be inspired.

We cannot pass on civility, beauty, intelligence, excellence of mind and heart, if we do not ourselves make these virtues a goal of our lives. Whatever we pursue and cultivate will determine what we are also able to pass on to all who we encounter.

On today’s podcast, I talk about making your life whole in mind, body, character, and actions so that those who listen to you have a virtuous, good, right model to follow. Jesus said, “The student when fully trained will be like his teacher.” And so, our children who look to us as teachers, call us to become our best selves.

We all get so caught up with making one more meal, getting one more chore done, but it is truly our personal relationships that will see us through hard times. We must make time to say, “I am so grateful to be with you today. How are you?”

While it is incredibly wonderful to set our standards high and live within these great ideals, we must hold ourselves to a standard of grace, not perfection.

There is a life and hope and energy in this celebrating. It brings all earthly struggles into perspective, a baby bringing life that would conquer all ills, calm all storms, wrest all evil powers, heal all wounds.

There are so many ways to feel guilty or less than, but when we seek Him and His priorities and free ourselves from the burdens we are not meant to carry, we will find strength and purpose for each day. I pray you have a wonderful New Year and a light soul.

For today's Tea Time Tuesday, I share all about our family's music, food, life, Christmas plans, inspiration. Let me know if you enjoy my ramblings. Hoping you have a wonderful week!

There was something so special about that first Shepherds’ Meal that we couldn’t wait to “do it again next year.” And so we have. In the thirty-plus years since then, our family has enjoyed a Shepherds’ Meal every Christmas Eve, no matter where we lived. Even the preparation has become a tradition—a family affair.

One of my biggest challenges in this very fraught and emotional storm was that as a young, naive believer, I didn’t know some of the worst hurts in my life would come from others who called themselves Christians.

We can exist within the mundane moments of motherhood or marriage or work longer if we know that somehow it is meaningful to our over-arching life story, when we serve and patiently give of our energy to meet the needs of others.

Every single morning when we awaken, God’s mercy sees our frailty and provides for a covering of grace through every moment we fall short of perfection. Every day, we can live in the freedom to know we are forgiven.

Learning to think clearly and Biblically, in order to be able to fight the formulas and ways of other men takes practice and investment of time---and it is the one way all children need to grow--to learn to think well, to learn to see the fallacies, false doctrine and rules that are man made and not in scripture--it requires thinking and being a steward of the word.

Tea is magical. Whatever you need, warmth, cooling down, cheer, calm, or peace — you can find it in a few moments where you take time to sit quietly and care for your soul.

Life will always hold difficulties beyond what we ever imagined; sadness, broken-heartedness, deep disappointments. Yet, our commitment to keeping a grid of joy will carry us through and allow us to get up, time after time, to live one more day worshipping Him right in the midst of our stories.

Education of morals, habits, character and faith determine the foundations upon which a life will be built. Strong foundations lend themselves to vast structures. Make a plan today about how you will build those foundations into your own life and that of your children!

I’ve found that the best way to cultivate a true, deep-rooted friendship is to commit to seeking them out, intentionally going out of our way to invite a new friend over for a cup of tea and a deep discussion.

Now is the time for us to kindle our hope, encourage one another and to stay fast as we live faithfully.

No matter how old your children become, you are the example for them. They will always be looking at you to see integrity, ideals, and how you interact with God. The longer you provide your children with wisdom based on truth, the more they will quickly consider your advice as they walk their own adult journey.

Accomplishing some great feat is no more important than living a quiet life if it is done in relationship with Jesus—who lived small, quiet, personal.

The older I am the more I see my inadequacies, selfishness, and propensity to behave in an immature way. It has led me to have more mercy, compassion, and patience with others, especially my children.

Learning to be righteous is a heart issue, not a rules-memorized issue. We cannot force righteousness on our children by legalism and harshness. This only makes them want to hide from us. But instead, we nurture and cultivate a love for goodness by cultivating it in our home each day.

Delight has been my ponder in several areas the past week. The definition of delight is: a high degree of gratification or pleasure -- joy

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays I so enjoy because it’s all about gratitude in the context of relationships! It is always a treat when I can gather my ministry team for a chat, and today we’re sharing a conversation about Thanksgiving traditions from our own homes.

We treat our children with respect, serve them in humility, choose to use honorable words to our husbands, to friends, because when they learn this attribute of God, they will become those who win the souls of others who are so longing for someone to validate their worth.

I wondered if it might be fun to have you join me with a cuppa something wonderful and warm, (tea, chai, coffee, cider) and sit for just a few minutes over calm, comfort, friendship and encouragement.

Love settles the heart, offering warmth and light that encourages giftings and talents to grow strong and straight.

Patience leads to all sorts of strength — spiritual, mental, physical, skill acquisition, musical accomplishment, athletic strength, academic prowess, financial security — so many blessings come through learning to be patient.

Too often, we compare ourselves to others we think have it more together. But the truth is we are all broken in some way, but family can be the healing place—the place where we see God’s grace grow and flourish.

What if each of us determined to leave light to everyone we came across, to our children, to our friends and husband? But to do that, we must be in an intimate relationship to the true source of light, Christ.

Whether in the setting of marriage, friendship, family, with colleagues, or as parents, peacemaking—the act of choosing to reach out in the work of restoration—comes from a heart that worships God.

Today, sweet mama, you are building a gift of love for yourself that will bless you your whole life. Cherish this season with your precious ones and watch it grow into something beautiful.

When we have tribulation of any kind, Jesus admonishes us to "take courage." Have courage, change your attitude from hurt to brave, from overwhelmed to "I can move through this with God's grace."

What you feed your mind determines what thoughts will direct your life. Today, my wonderful team and I are reviewing some of the books I have written and how they have transformed our lives.

Today on my podcast, Joy and I speak of other brilliant and outstanding women throughout history who have made a difference in their world, their time in history.

No one becomes excellent of character automatically from lectures, but rather from practicing skills, responsibilities, and chores together with contented spirits. Wisdom and skill require time, instruction and practice — modeling combined with gentle and patient instruction.

God created us for companionship with real people. We were born for community, love, help, encouragement, and the blessing and intimacy that comes from close friendship with others.

To dream wildly and find that some dreams really do come true is to taste the goodness that began us and the grace that aids us and the kindness that draws us on toward the healing of all things.

Giving your child a self-image of perceiving that God wants to use them in their world, will shape their work and service the rest of their lives. Giving them practice to serve each other will build strong relationships between siblings when they grow up.

So many times, we are stopped by fear of failure, or criticism, or just lack of a work ethic. But even as God is excellent, so we who are made to be like Him and to exhibit His light into a dark world, must determine to engage in the possibilities.

Building our children into godly human beings is also so much messier and costlier than we ever expected, as well as taking longer than we anticipated. But the end result will be so worthwhile.

What is accomplished in the little moments that require waiting or acting in patience is where the real legacy of relationships and passing on truth takes place.

Today, Sarah shares with me some of her “survival techniques” that have kept her going in the midst of an incredibly challenging, exhausting season. I hope you will be made to feel you aren’t alone as we share our struggles, and encouraged that you, too, can bring beauty into ordinary days.

Since I was a young woman, I have been captivated by the concept of mentoring through loving, close relationships. Where did I learn all about it? From pondering the life of Christ. His way of reaching the world was by developing personal relationships, serving, and teaching the truths that came straight from the heart of God.

As I look back on the years of my life, it was not perfection that was needed, but an authentic faith, a humility, a choice to trust when the feelings weren’t there.

Today, I shared on my podcast 6 Ways that I deal with the storms in my life with the scripture that keeps me fast. I hope it will be of great encouragement to you. I pray it gives you a grid to follow, to practice when you need anchors to keep you strong. And it’s in the back of my book: I call it my Storm Care Kit.

I am beyond blessed to have Angela Perritt as a beloved friend, who shared her story on my podcast today. We have been the kind of friends that see each other seldom, but I know when I am with her, I will leave wanting to be my best self, being motivated to take His light into the world.

Storms have come out of the blue, invaded my life, caused destruction and devastation at times. Yet, one of the ways I learned to anchor myself was by establishing rhythms that kept me sane. I learned to take responsibility for my soul that it might continue to become more beautiful.

I’m so happy that this day has finally come — where I can move these words from my heart and into your hands. This book was born out of the thousands and thousands of women around the world who’ve expressed to me their own stories of dealing with life storms, and out of my personal journey as a young, idealistic woman and mother — I so often found myself in the same places as you are today.

Perspective is a wisdom that comes through experience. We see things differently because of the long view of life and what transpires over decades. Today, I was so blessed to have the opportunity to talk to Kate Battistelli, as a seasoned woman, who adds so much grace to her words and gives so much wisdom and hope.

The world can be hostile to adults who seek to live morally excellent lives, and who attempt to live lives for the glory of God. And so even now, loving, listening, encouraging, supporting, and giving my adult children a home where they will be circled in love and commitment of friendship is one of the pulls in their lives to uphold their ideals in a very challenging time.

The truth is that, even with our understanding that God walks through every moment with us, that we’re never truly alone because of his unending faithfulness in our lives, we still so often feel utterly alone, unseen, and hidden beneath the dangerous waves of loneliness.

Jesus was a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief. When we experience tragedies and devastation, we can know He understands and sympathizes.

Eventually, with years of practice and determination, I learned the value of pushing through, taking just one more step when I thought it impossible. I am even shocked now to see that God was producing fruitfulness in my life beyond my imagination by helping me to keep going on His path. Endurance and perseverance by faith can lead to a treasure of blessings when the path is directed and companioned by God.

When our children learn to be diligent in one area, it spills into all areas of life. We do it through gentle, daily, little by little, consistent training during their time in our home.

I know you will absolutely treasure this Nathan and Joy's new book, The Clubhouse. It will provide hours of imagination and play for you. I hope you will get your own copy and enjoy it with your precious ones for many years to come.

Join me on my podcast today where I share more about our story of marriage, some content from Help, I’m Drowning about our marriage, and the ways we were able to live through the storms that came blowing through the many twists and turns of our lives.

What you teach, model, and practice for your children is what they are most likely to value when they grow up. Give them small ways to be faithful in your home, so they can become strong in exercising bigger stewardship muscles when they are adults.

Sometimes we carry difficult marriages, past scars, the tension of hard relationships that will never end, financial burdens, guilt for our failures. But God longs for us to rid ourselves of these performative works expectations that we carry inside.

Today on my podcast, I talk about the kind of friend that helped me make it through some of my darkest days. I hope you will share it, too, and be encouraged to be that kind of a friend for someone who needs your love today.

When we capture the reality of God's nature being extravagantly generous on our behalf, this character quality born in our lives and trained into the lives of our children, reflects a wordless picture of a love that will reach hearts.

Our faithfulness ensures that our children may be trained in spiritual strength, moral excellence, and the influence of righteousness. I pray that every day, you will have a vision for understanding how very much each day of your faithful serving as a mom matters to God and to His wonderful plan to create us for this role.

Cultivating a life filled with beautiful rhythms, life-giving rituals, attitudes of gratefulness, is what shapes our hearts and minds in the midst of the storms. The agency we have to believe forward in God’s goodness and faithfulness will make every day meaningful, every day a gift, as we wait with hope.

As I have been praying about releasing Help, I’m Drowning into the World, I hoped that it would be a book where women would feel seen, understood, and validated. I'd love for you, my kindred spirits, to join me, be a part of a robust community, and help share my newest book with the world. So if you did not get in before, now is your chance!

Choosing to be satisfied with what we have, laying our desires and dreams in God's hands, learning to love and bring light into the broken places we inhabit is the beginning of learning to be content.

When we add up a life of faithfulness in serving God, grace, wisdom, failure, forgiveness, compassion -- it is thousands of moments of choosing to persevere, one moment at a time. But it is only in making those small choices, when no one else can see, that we find ourselves progressing on the path of the righteous.

Thankfulness requires us engaging in looking for ways we might worship God, and then verbalizing our gratefulness. This week, every day, notice things that God has provided, and thank Him for each way He has worked and blessed your life.

Have you ever felt you needed to hide your feelings from the Lord? He is not surprised, nor does He condemn you. Jesus is our advocate, our God, ready to comfort us with sympathy and understanding.

Do you wonder how you will ever get out from this place — the place of financial crisis, serious health problems, loss of job or relationship and are paralyzed to know what to do? There will always be life storms to overcome and survive — that is why I wrote Help, I'm Drowning.

If we want our children to be godly leaders in this world, they must see self-sacrificing, humble forgiveness in and through our words, our lives and our actions.

Little by little, we must strengthen our children's muscles of brining hope to their world by giving them the opportunity to be sources of hope and comfort and love to those in need.

Words have influence over who a human being becomes. That is why we must consider how to invest words of love, hope, truth, and encouragement, practice saying them regularly, and why we must teach children to ponder what words of life are and how to give them to others.  

Through almost seven decades of life, I found myself tossed about in overwhelming life storms through many different seasons. In Help, I'm Drowning, I reflected on challenges that took me by surprise. Though there are no easy answers, I would like to help lead you to the One who is with us and will see us through.

At 68, I can see that somehow, as I literally cried through these life storms, as I begged God for help and wisdom, He was there, even when I could not feel or see him. This week, I am gently sending Help, I'm Drowning out into the world. I pray you will be encouraged.

If a child grows up serving, it will become natural to them. Making " I love you" cards, plates of cookies for neighbors, and serving meals at the homeless shelter helped our children to learn to give time and effort to ease someone else's life. We are called the serve one another, just as Jesus called his disciples to serve along beside him and in this practice.

People are always asking us, “How did you do it? How did you inspire your children to be authors, movie makers, composers, college instructors, podcasters?” This was the way — imagination, nightly discussions over great meals, close, delightful relationships every day. This is how their hearts, minds, and lives were shaped into adults who could imagine influencing their worlds for good.

Training a child to choose to love by showing kindness, gentleness and respect will prepare them to go before kings or paupers and to become leaders in their generation. It starts with an attitude that says, "God has designed me to love people, to be humble like He was, to show respect and kindness."

Cultivating habits that sustain our lives and fill us with joy is one way we have learned to move forward every day, to find how to make life sustainable. Join Joy and me as we share some of our thoughts.

We have an incredible capacity to be strong, grow in intellectual excellence as we exercise the muscles of our minds, to leave a legacy of faith and integrity — but it requires that we also exercise our will, submit to God's discipline, and strain after His ways by following His heart.

In writing 'Help, I'm Drowning' I wanted to share some of the storms I faced and how walking with God led me to a life of flourishing and one in which He was building my life on the rock of eternal values. I hope you will be encouraged right where you are in your own storms and difficulties in life.

Honor comes with humility—the ability to see others as more important than ourselves. To teach honor and obedience means we will have to occasionally cross our children’s wills. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.

Staying strong and faithful through all the years is what built my own precious one into the woman she has become. And though you can’t see it yet, your thousands of moments of faithfulness is shaping that child into what will become a strong, loving, faithful adult.

Today, I’ll talk about what it looks like to find God’s strength, with Him lifting the load with me, no matter what I am carrying. I share some of my favorite verses about His strength. I pray that it will encourage you along your own path, and pray you will know God’s love in your journey.

The habit of coming to God every day, taking time specifically to seek Him, to listen to Him, to ponder His ways and engage in His truth is the most profound action that will shape your life.

For a long time, I have wanted to do a weekly podcast that was just fun and informative, about what we are doing in the UK and tidbits of this and that. Today, that’s just what Joy and I talked about.

I am seeing how much kindness means to me — to be served so sweetly, without any malice or resentment, through the loving acts of my family. It is the kindness of God I have experienced, and now I am more than ever moved to learn to become more kind, considerate in active ways to others who need my attention.

Millions of people all over the world have been brought closer to Christ through this transforming story so beautifully presented in full color through episodes that draw us into the intimacy of the stories Jesus lived. I hope you will watch The Chosen, directed by Dallas Jenkins, with your family.

In This Beautiful Truth, Sarah Clarkson shares her encounters with beauty in the midst of her decade-long struggle with mental illness, depression, and doubt. In a voice both vulnerable and reflective, she paints a compelling picture of the God who reaches out to us in a powerful way through the 'taste and see' goodness of what He has made and what continues to create amid our darkness.

Preparing to become mature at loving God or preparing my children to become adults who knew how to love started with teaching them God’s most important commandment: to love Him with all their hearts, souls, and minds.

If we live breathing the depth of God’s love for ourselves, we come to understand that God’s love is essential to our understanding of Him, what drove Him to the cross, what He longs to share with us. Love is the essence of God’s character. Join me today as I elaborate on verses that speak about God’s steadfast love as a model for what we are to grow into.

Many years ago, Clay and I dreamed up the idea of Our 24 Family Ways as we discussed our desire to disciple our children as we walked along the path of life together. As parents of young children, we wanted them to have strong foundations of godly character and an understanding of what it meant to please God so that they could develop integrity.

What if God designed home, motherhood, & family to be the foundational community upon which society was to emerge from — a place of truth, goodness, & wholeness? What if we were designed to be caretakers of such a task because of the sacredness God placed on women because of His great esteem for them?

I have realized over the years that the most important element to a Christian parent, in regards to discipline, is not the method, but the heart attitude towards God as a Father of us. When we become our children’s advocates, always for them, defending them, protecting them, we are helping them grow as we extend the mercy, kindness, and teachings of God.

Your faithfulness matters. The moments of lifegiving relationships, truth discussed, virtue modeled, happens over thousands of days, many years, lots of laying down of life. You are writing your own story of faith and faithfulness. Join me today and be encouraged in your own life to live faithfully.

Your children long to see you as their heroes — those who inspire, live with courage, bring truth to bear in your generation. Each of us has a part. You will love the tales we talk about today and perhaps someone will be telling your faithful tale to others who need courage to live as women of valiance and light. Enjoy and be inspired.

It is not getting the rules right that will make our children want to serve God. It is laying down our life for them, serving them, listening to them, loving who God made them to be, that will secure in them a desire to love God with all of their hearts. By seeing our love, they will more easily understand and receive God's love, as it will already be familiar to their hearts.

The reality is that all marriages are filled with challenges. How a woman responds to her marriage will determine if it is a place where the light and beauty of God’s love will be shown. One of the glories of women is the opportunity to spread the gracious spirit of love and peace in her home. It is a beautiful grace of godly women to behold -- the fragrance of unconditional love and the art of spreading light, even in the dark places.

When you first hold a baby in your arms, you can't even imagine the talents, personality, and strengths they will have as an adult. The miraculous and mysterious process of loving, training, cultivating skills, inspiring your children over many years results in a full-fledged adult that you could not have perceived in their earliest moments.

Those who wait for the Lord, who patiently follow after Him, will indeed gain new strength, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint. And their work and their reward will be sure.

Parenting can feel like climbing a mountain with high peaks and low valleys in between, especially with the onset of hormones, emotions, and changes — of them and of us! On today's new podcast, my friends and I discuss lessons we’ve learned and how we have walked through and are currently walking through life with our teens.

Sometimes the circumstances of life are like our home -- messes and joys, fears and blessings all in the same breath. But it is what we see and how we perceive what is happening that will determine our comfort or our despair. Today, join me and my friend, Jane Biel, as we have a conversation about beauty amidst messes.

Often, people will ask me: How did you raise children who think and who are articulate? Who engage and add to the discussion of truth, beauty, and goodness in our culture? Today, Nathan and Joseph and I discuss how to raise deep thinkers. It was so inspiring to me to hear them discuss what shaped them to become deep thinkers. I hope you will be encouraged as I was.

Life for all of us is filled with anxious moments, yet, it really is possible to gain perspective of life in a fallen world, to learn how get stronger at being courageous and better at walking with God.

Growing takes time. Growing and waiting for the ripe moment requires hard work and patience. We are so used to instant gratification that we often quit on something before it has had proper time to grow -- but character building and training takes time.

When darkness falls, especially on our emotions and thoughts, we can feel lost, moving toward depression or a cloudiness of soul.  Today, two of my friends and I share our own stories of depression, dark seasons, and walking through these times with faith.

As I look at the landscape of our times, I see a need for hope, strong faith, foundations of good character and integrity. All of these needs have been a part of humanity for generations. Women who caught a vision of becoming civilizers, life-givers, shapers of souls, were the ones who instilled these attributes through their homes. It was the conversations at the meals, bedtime blessings, morning prayers, that created human beings who learned to thrive in real life.

This time filled with anxiety and fear could, from God's eyes of history, be one of the finest hours for Christians to stay true, to be faithful until the end, to endure hardship, to rejoice in His reality, to live by faith, "assurance of things hoped for, convictions of things not seen."

Whatever we pursue and cultivate will determine what we are able to pass on to all who we encounter. As stewards of our souls, we must seek to cultivate a garden of beauty -- it must be a regular habit, a discipline, to expose ourselves to great minds, musicians, artists, & theologians so that our souls will indeed reflect a museum of His great character and nobility.

I challenge you to walk with courage and faith through this season, no matter how disastrous the voyage may appear to be. Your words of hope and faith will give you the strength and courage to keep going. You will leave a legacy of faith and faithfulness that will help generations to come.

The dreams inside us point to the destiny we were created to fulfill. We each want to know that our lives matter, that we are not invisible. When we see them only as a series of mundane days, become consumed by busyness, or dwell on hurts, we become prisoners to the circumstances of our lives. Ignoring the eternal purposes God has designed for us leads to emptiness.

To create a life where the hours and moments can be filled in satisfying interaction means that we must choose to fill the time our children could be engaged with machines or other entertainment with planned personal time that satisfies to the depths of their hearts, minds, and souls.

"A Joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Take good medicine, and even in the midst of draining circumstances, plan on lighting a candle in the darkness, playing music through the pain, eating avocado toast, dancing in the midst of the mess, and smiling often as it is truly good for the heart! And above all, give yourself sweet grace!

A drive for purpose and a desire to impact others for the kingdom of God does not come out of a vacuum. Vision of the heart is what empowers all of us, as God's children, to follow Him in faith and purpose in becoming fishermen in the world. It flows from inspiration, not from moralistic rules or laws to be kept.

We know we are called to follow Christ, to take His message to the world, to raise our children to heed Jesus' call. But sometimes we fail to consider that following the Lord means leaving behind the familiar, exchanging a temporal view of life for an eternal goal.

Life as a woman, mom, and wife can sometimes be stressful, overwhelming, exhausting, boring and demanding on many levels. Sometimes moms feel guilty admitting the variety of feelings they have. Feelings are natural -- they neither define who we are or take away from our righteousness. They are just a reaction to the situation we are in.

The longer I am a parent and grandparent, the more I understand how God feels about us. We are irresistible to Him. We are His own, he made us to be like Him. He champions us and celebrates us. He gave everything, even His own life, to redeem, heal, bring us back to the infinite fullness of life as He created it.

Celebrating is a part of God's nature. The birds chirp to God, the sunrise and sunset sing of His glory, the stars declare His beauty. There is a life and hope and energy in this celebrating. It brings all earthly struggles into perspective, a baby bringing life that would conquer all ills, calm all storms, heal all wounds.

Resting in Him, choosing peace and putting off responsibilities is sometimes such grand medicine for my soul, that after choosing to rest and to invest in fun and love and ease of life, my strength is renewed and all issues are able to be faced with grace. I know busyness is coming, but I will face it with courage later if I rest today.

Today, I talk about making your life whole in mind, body, character and actions so that those who listen to you have a virtuous, good, right model to follow. Jesus said, “The student when fully trained will be like his teacher.” Those who follow us, and our children who look to us as teacher, call us to become our best selves out of the accountability they hold us to as we model truth in front of them.

Join me on my podcast today as I speak about why we choose to live with our hearts on fire, with our weary souls seeking one more day to worship, to sing, to be alive with His truths. We live with the end in mind, that our stories will be told throughout eternity, that He will wipe away every tear, He cares that we care for the children, friends, husbands He has entrusted into our hands.

This is the fallen world, and we will never be able to control ourselves, our circumstances, our children, or the world the live in. Living in the grace and knowledge that God forgives, knows our limitations, is not surprised or disappointed, but wanting to give us hope is crucial. Of course you have fallen short -- you are a mom and you are human.

Weariness and just plain sick of the constant day in day out work day inside the walls of our home had drained me. And so Joy, in honor of her name, announced, “Tomorrow night, we shall have a Girl’s Spa and Play night. I'll set the menu, the activities, and the entertainment.” And so she did. Listen in to hear how we had a fun night in.

We live in a world that values conformity. We want to use our force to make people, and our children, fit into the box. Be good. Be tame. Be moral. Come up with the right answer. Don't bring attention to yourself. And yet, after many years, I learned that who I was was exactly who God formed me to be, and suited my own story well. Live in the freedom of your own design today and cultivate your own life story as you live into your own unique part of His greater Story.

As women, mothers, and wives, it is absolutely crucial that we learn to breathe, relax, and focus and center ourselves on what should be prioritized. Today, I explore the idea of managing the elements that add to the chaos of our lives, and the ways forward to finding peace and centeredness.

The vision of the heart, the cultivation of wonder, is what empowers all of us, as God's children, to follow Him in faith and purpose. Now is a time to awaken to the wonders around you and to celebrate them with all in your wake.

One day at a time, God has helped me to take one step forward, to put my issues into His hands, to live forward by faith into what He was doing, what I was becoming. And now, as I look back, I am beyond amazed at what He has accomplished on our behalf through His generous faithfulness. How important it was, I can see now, that I learned to own my life right where I was, to dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

What you choose to believe and cherish, practice and submit to, work at and believe in happens when no one else is looking. These are the glorious days your children will remember—the joy of the meantime, the moments cherished, the memories made at bedtime, table time, birthdays, times of illness. So, who knows what tomorrow or the next day will bring. But what will you do in the meantime?

Many stresses and demands face us as women every day. Needs arise and require our immediate attention, someone needs our love, our time, our help. And yet, I do have to say, I love women. They seem particularly equipped by God to be great lovers, devoted friends, makers of beauty, civilizers of chaos, spiritually grounded and intellectually brilliant. Keep calm and carry on, my friends.

When we seek to disciple our children, it is cultivating in them a vision for their importance to Christ's work, a hope that they are needed to fulfill a kingdom cause--with their unique personality and skills, and then giving them practice in serving others as they grow up in our homes, which are the center of ministry. It is about them watching us serve and being caught up in the beauty of our loving, giving to, serving and inspiring others from the integrity and compassion of our own hearts and lives, that their hearts will be captured.

Sensing God is a discovery of Jesus in all of the sensory points embedded into each of us. It shows how the holiest acts in our daily lives are often the simplest: reveling in the beauty of nature; listening to our favorite music; eating a nourishing meal with family. These are potentially heartbeats of a living faith, and when we learn to recognize and respond to God’s goodness in them, it draws us into redemptive participation with Him, the source of all beauty.

God tells children to "honor their mother and father" and in this command is a practice of showing respect, giving worth, humbling oneself -- in short, practicing seeing the value in another person. When people are valued, valuing God and worshiping Him is already a pattern in the heart.

What does it mean to live with bold faith? To please Christ, to follow His word and admonitions, to grow every day, to love Him from my heart, to humble myself and confess my need for him and to ask His forgiveness when I fail, to seek to walk in His spirit by faith every day, to live by Truth of scripture, with godly character, with wisdom applied to my life.

As we enter a new year, how important it is that we garner hope for our futures, meaningfulness for our daily life and vision for what matters. As I enter a new season of podcasting, I had in mind to journey together through the days of a new year with intentionality and hope.

Today, I am providing a podcast that I hope will help and encourage you right where you are. Tomorrow, I will have a blog that speaks directly to the importance of decluttering our souls—taking away the doubts, the guilt, the fears, the stress and making a plan of how to stay close to our precious, loving Father, whatever befalls us during this new year, 2021.

As I look back through the years, I realize that what I needed as a young mama and wife is what I still need—friends and community. In this very strange time of unusual isolation and separation from our normal commitments, activities and communities, we have all felt hollow in our hearts. A longing for someone to understand, someone to celebrate life with.

God is looking for our heart-love for Him, not our perfection. In the midst of invisibility and times when no one sees or knows what is going on in our lives, the stresses from challenging children, the loneliness of a struggling marriage, the cleaning up of one more mess amidst the crumbs of our life. Yet, God wants to companion us through these places and show us His love.

Most of us are entering into the Christmas season and trying to figure out how to take care of the needs of our loved ones, keep feeding the masses, maintain our responsibilities and stay sane. Yet, there is a part of me, through the years, that has learned to “give in to the Christmas Season.” I don’t mean the commercialism or being too busy and over committed. But learning to enjoy the gifts given, however simple, the simple celebrations of home, the lights and the mystery of imagination that can be so much a part of the joy of life.

Sensing God is a discovery of Jesus in all of the sensory points embedded into each of us. It shows how the holiest acts in our daily lives are often the simplest: reveling in the beauty of nature; listening to our favorite music; eating a nourishing meal with family. These are potentially heartbeats of a living faith, and when we learn to recognize and respond to God's goodness in them, it draws us into redemptive participation with Him, the source of all beauty.

Long after each year's gifts have been forgotten, if we give to our loved ones a joyful, loving heart, we will have given them a gift that will be with them their whole lives. They will come to us again and again for the "Life" they need to feel, hear and be comforted by during every season.

“Miracle on Highway 34” is a beautiful modern retelling of the nativity set in a small town diner and the characters that find themselves there on Christmas Eve during a snow storm. After such a chaotic and tumultuous year, Nathan is releasing a movie that offers a little bit of hope, love, warmth, and joy. Nathan wrote, produced, directed, and is acting opposite his wife Keelia in the film. He is hoping it will be a blessing to you and your family this year, something that perhaps you can make a memory around.

Our brains and souls long for color, beauty, the crafting of words and ideas, the discipline of conquering a classical piece of music on piano or a contemporary song on guitar. Our palate are made for deliciousness, our longings are for traditions, celebrations with our people in our place done in our way.

Though many of us cannot be with our families for Thanksgiving, and we are inside our homes with no where to go for reprieve, and we wish the tumult of the election would go away and that Covid would end, we pick up ourselves, we bring beauty to choose, light to darkness and we breath in the peace that He is with us.

My dearest friend and daughter has such a perfectly timed surprise for all of us. I can’t wait to share about it today with all of you. Sarah has joined me to tall you all about what is ahead that I know will encourage your heart. Here is a message from her.

Our idealism does make us vulnerable. May God give us grace to not be destroyed in the flow of darkness right now but help us to be light givers.

Today, I had the privilege of having a chat with my sweet friend, Leah Boden. Not too long ago she was at my house sharing a “cuppa.” So in honor of that time, you see my photo. But today, we had to be quarantined. I loved this podcast and I know you will be encouraged as I was.

God whispered, “Be gentle to yourself today. Don’t make this day the one where you get everything done, figure life out, take care of everyone else in the world. Just be still, just rest, just breathe in peace.” Truly, it was the message that came to my heart.

There is this auspicious week where the voting takes place and at this moment, I have no idea what will happen. Yet, when I come into God’s presence, when I am still and “know that He is God,” somehow He takes me beyond the illusion the this world and what we “think” is happening is of utmost importance, when from His point of view, there are always bigger issues at stake. I want to live in awareness of Him and His eternal and providentially directed ways and not be defined by the human attempts all around me to super impose meaning and value of life where in reality God’s purposes are greater and more important.

Today, we share all sorts of fun with you. How to initiate and respond in friendship, all about taking time in nature and so much more. I hope many of you will ponder reaching out to someone, or maybe you will hit the ball back to someone who has initiated to you. Or maybe you can serve a ball yourself. :)

I was so thankful to be able to have a conversation with my online friend, Pierce Taylor Hibbs, about anxiety. In this episode, today I talk about some of these issues with him, author of Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety, about ways to move through these issues. We share stories of God's faithfulness and presence, our own growth in compassion, and our responses to God in times of great anxiety and suffering.

I invite you to join us in our podcast today and it is my prayer that our message will give you encouragement but also a pause to think about how to live well into this moment that you have.

If you want to equip your children to stand strong for truth, for Christ and for family values that includes a high picture of morality, marriage, sex, the foundations of scripture, world view, then you must gently engage over the years, little by little, day by day.  It is best for children to hear about controversial subjects from their parents than on the internet.

Gentleness grows stronger with practice. It comes with humility. It grows as wisdom and takes root in the heart that values the ones she loves. May God grant us to become gentle in our love, that others may see Him through us.

God longs for the most personal, intimate relationship with us. While He created us with this in mind, sometimes in the midst of a particularly challenging time, we allow ourselves to drift away from Him. And yet, it is in drawing closer to Him than ever before, in committing ourselves to daily time alone with Him, that we are able to claim our roles as His child. When we let Him meet us where we are, peace will follow.

There have been crucial dark moments in my life when I would have floundered or fallen apart if I had not had friends to carry me, to comfort me, to guide me when I couldn’t see where I was going. We were created with a yearning for connection, community, and a sense of belonging, a people to call home. Much of our joy is sustained through relationships with people who have chosen to love us, to help us, to be committed.

The secret to cultivating a lifegiving home is not a perfectly balanced life, luxurious home, or a fancy table of food. Instead, it is an open mind, inspired heart, and a deep longing to create stability, no matter the circumstances.

The starting point of your influence is the state of your own heart, mind and soul. If there is purity, wisdom, strength, faith, love and righteousness there, then when you pour out your life, those around you will be blessed indeed.

In all of our ideals, righteousness is progressive. In other words, we make mistakes, we fail, sometimes we do foolish things because they are so accepted in culture. Sometimes, wickedness jumps after us like Potifer's wife chasing Joseph. And our children learned the concept of fleeing--just drop what will burn you and flee--run immediately away from the temptation.

These days, it seems we’re constantly faced with another example of an influential man using his power for evil, living without morals or care for others, or maybe even one who chooses to look the other way when confronted with another man’s bad behavior. Now more than ever, we need good men in this world, men who live a life dedicated to goodness, heroism, protecting those in need, and love.

We all long for kindred spirits — those with whom we could spend hours dreaming, laughing, and sharing our heart’s troubles. But many people I know struggle to find those kindred spirits. Living our busy lives, we hope that lifelong friendships will fall into our lap, or come knocking at our front door. But over many years of struggling with loneliness myself, I’ve found that the best way to cultivate a true, deep-rooted friendship is to commit to seeking them out, intentionally going out of our way to invite a new friend over for a cup of tea and a deep discussion.

At this time in history, where very little is considered sacred or holy, we must seek diligently to create not just knowledge of what the word holy means, but to place tangible practices in our lives where we and our children come to learn that some things are sacred and set apart and deserve our reverence and worship.

Anyone who is seasoned in their faith has become used to trials, difficulties and hard times. Yet, it is how they responded to their stress and challenges that makes them worthy to follow.

We are all human beings—fragile—and limited. We need to take time to refresh, relax and restore. From time to time, when my four were much younger, and I had pushed them to their limits during the day without a nap, too much activity, beyond their bedtime, too much sugar, and sometimes with lots of over-stimulation, bedtime would be impossible.

Today, on my podcast, I will read a portion of Awaking Wonder, that gets to the heart of this message. This world is hostile to the gospel love and message of Jesus, in general. But each person you see was made to know God. As we get to know Him, our hearts will change. He will fill us with His love, His generosity, a willingness to lay down our lives, our pride and to humbly reach out to others.

Awaking Wonder, for us, was often simply opening our eyes to the beauty around us, then diving into whatever that beauty caused us to wonder about!

Feeling like a misfit is also something I have dealt with for many years. I am an idealist and passionate about living life purposefully in a world that is violent, relentless, filled with conflict and argumentative. This drains me to my toenails. And yet, from feeling this way before, I know that I am in good company—Job despaired of his life while being one of the godliest men on earth, same with Elijah, Jeremiah and more.

As we evaluate how to love our children and students well, we must ask ourselves, ‘Do they believe and feel I have their best interests in mind, or do they think I have my own agenda for them?’ ‘Do they understand that even though they struggle, I am here to help them succeed?’ ‘Is their heart open to my instruction, or is there a wedge of resistance that I need to figure out and address?’”

As we evaluate how to love our children and students well, we must ask ourselves, ‘Do they believe and feel I have their best interests in mind, or do they think I have my own agenda for them?’ ‘Do they understand that even though they struggle, I am here to help them succeed?’ ‘Is their heart open to my instruction, or is there a wedge of resistance that I need to figure out and address?’”

Anne Miller has been hosting home education conferences in Virginia for tens of thousands for many years. She has hosted speakers from every background and given her life to mentor and encourage families. I will, of course, be speaking from our family’s philosophy of home education and discipleship, (Whole Hearted Learning Model). But you will be hearing from many inspirers from different philosophies. I have discovered that when I engage with experienced educators, I always learn something and stretch my own capacity and skill levels. I can’t wait to listen!

A favorite memory of mine, was being with my sweet friends from the Wild and Free Community both in the States and in the UK—Stratford on Avon. What a beautiful group of women. One of the highlights was to meet wonderful Jennifer Pepito. We were kindred spirits immediately. I know you will enjoy our podcast together today.

Today, I would like to share a part of the story of my first chapter with you so that you can enter into our wonder-filled story of an unforgettable evening as we cuddled together in the Colorado Mountains. (And you can listen to me tell it on the podcast today.)

Today, as you face these circumstances, may you find purpose and live into your capacity to keep going to keep spreading light, to be patient, to invest your love in young hearts. He trusted us with these times, that in His strength, we would be able to endure with grace and live in the realty of His light.

In a series of twelve short video visits in different rooms of her home, I will share how she awakened wonder as a mother. Awaking Wonder at Home Together videos will let you walk with Sally, along with Clay and their grown children—Sarah, Joel, Nathan, and Joy—as she recalls the blessings and beauty of awaking wonder at home in the Clarkson family.

Grace and Peace, Grace and Peace…….a song from Fernando Ortega wafted through my home on many occasions. How we need to be around people who offer us a breath, a kiss on our cheek, an angel friend who brings grace to us in spite of our challenges, imperfections or just thoughts that must be shared with a kindred spirit. Such is sweet Sarah Mackenzie. We had so much fun talking that we are doing 2 podcasts, one on hers and one on mine—and an instagram live.

Part two of our discussion on shaping character and inspiring faith, we share about the struggles of having different “out of the box” children and how the life of Christ shows us the path of reaching their hearts. There is no formula, but a path of life formed brick by brick. My friends and I share book resources and practical ways that we incorporated scripture discussion, and built in habits and rhythms of being in the Word as a family.

One of the gifts we have as parents is the laying of foundations of faith in the lives of our children. I am back with my friends talking on the podcast today about building a life of faith with your children. Awaking their hearts to wonder, truth, beauty, and goodness is a call for all parents no matter what educational path you take. We share practical ways of how we shared scripture in our homes, walked through difficult seasons, and incorporated faith into all areas of our lives and home. We hope you are encouraged to see beyond education as merely test scores and accumulation of facts, to the intentional passing on of wisdom and following Christ.

Today, I am back with my friends talking about science with older children today. (Refer to the previous science podcast for younger reads for children. It is so much fun. I learned so much by guiding my children through these subjects—my own personal favorite being physics.

A couple of weeks ago, Emily and I recorded a podcast together that expresses both of our hearts—our passion to see young women, teen girls, flourish. With so many voices coming at them on the internet, and constant pictures of impossible standards for any of us to meet, it is common for girls to feel inadequate and insecure just being themselves. How to we cultivate an atmosphere and a plan to reach their hearts with unconditional love, with grace and words to speak forward into who they will become?

Sarah and I conversed today about beauty, books, the shaping of hearts, minds and souls. I know you will love this podcast between mother and daughter, best friends. Sarah is the author of the book: Read For the Heart which provides hundreds and hundreds of favorite children’s books and authors. Currently it is out of print but has been a favorite resource of many.

Today, you will hear the hard seasons some of my inner circle leaders have born over the years. Sometimes I think just knowing others are moving through the same feelings and struggles helps. I just love these women so much. They are a treasure to me—I hope this podcast encourages you greatly.

Today I know you will enjoy the podcast I recorded with my friends as we discussed how to include science in a literary way of learning. So many wonderful resources. We even recorded 2 sessions. Enjoy, take notes and remember, with interesting books to guide curiosity and wonder, there is no need to buy age graded text books. You will be covering more ideals and concepts than you ever knew and it will all be intersting for you and your children. Enjoy!

Last week, I interviewed Joy about what she remembers as her favorite fiction titles and why she loved these particular heroines. But as she was speaking, I realized that Joy had, to a large degree, embodied the protagonists she was describing. Stories shape the imagination of what our children will become. And I had chosen each book because of the great vocabulary and wonderful character and attributes and choices each wonderful heroine had made.

Educating Others, whether adults, children, women in a Bible study, a book club, whatever the venue, teaching others will change and transform you. When we take on the responsibility of giving others wisdom, truth, knowledge, it forces us to become responsible for our own development, our own academic muscle, our ability to think.

In today’s podcast we discuss some specific ways to make these areas of exploration a reality. Where do I create these spaces? How? Will it cost me too much money? We spend time discussing how to make new, interesting, and engaging activities while mostly using what you have on hand already. What can you utilize in a new way? What art supplies can you pull out to be more accessible? Are your children ready to learn a new game? Learning and growing doesn’t have to be while seated at a desk, it can happen all along the way.

All of us are given a personality, a unique story to live. As parents we have the opportunity to look at the inside of our children, find the themes that make up their particular beauty, and weave that into harmony in their life. At the heart of Awaking Wonder is the idea that we are called to become the maestro of our children’s lives, who conducts the symphony of their lives. I knew I wanted to have that role in each of my children’s journey; but I simply never imagined that one of my children would become an actual maestro.

Today, I hope you will imagine what kinds of books will do that a for your own precious ones, while remembering that books can have that power in your own lives, too. Joy and I spoke today about the significant ways one of the chapters inspired us in our own lives. Of course, I had to share this book with all of my children so that they, too, could be carried away to the worlds that first captured my own imagination.

There are many ways to live and a variety of means to educate. I do not think ours is the only good way, but I do believe that God led us to some central issues in understanding the ways to shape home life, and to enflesh a life of faith in and through the moments in our home so that it became a living faith in my own children’s lives.

Living in Oxford suited me because there was a new delight every day, a story to imagine, and I purposed to enjoy every minute, every day, every new friend—even the Ice cream truck! Part of the fun comes from a heart ready to enjoy life—a commitment that brings great pleasure.

Awaking Wonder is an opening our hearts and the hearts of our children to His presence, His gentle love, His patience, His reality amidst the storms of life. Awaken wonder, live into His light and love today.

Join me today as I speak with my inner circle friends who hold a philosophy defined in my new book, Awaking Wonder, as they share their beginnings—how to develop a philosophy of Education and where to start.

The more I take care to keep rhythms, to celebrate beauty, to keep meeting with loved ones, I will probably be more likely to hold fast to my faith during hard times. Intensionally filling my cup, regularly at the same rate at which my energy and emotions are depleted helps me to be able to keep giving to others.

The more we can accept ourselves, our personality, our story, our strengths and weakness, our flaws and our passions, the more contentment we will nurture in our lives. And when we are content, we are able to accept and affirm others for their uniqueness and for their individual responses to life. The more we like who God made us, the more secure our children will be.

I pray that Awaking Wonder will encourage you and help direct you to understand what really matters in the overall shaping and development of children. I pray our story will lead you to the deeply fulfilling life I have had as a mother, teacher, writer, leader. What a gift I have received that I didn’t know would be so deeply satisfying—and to feel a part of kingdom work in a world that needs hope.

Wonder is the engine that drives curiosity and shapes a robust intellect. Wonder is the vehicle that nurtures spiritual formation by engaging in the miraculous, the sacred, the intricacy of our world around us. We ponder the personality, inspiration, breadth of the One who crafted all of the sublime natural art we behold. We respond in awe and worship. 

We live in a little town, near the Rocky Mountains for a backdrop. It is always breathtakingly beautiful when we get to hike. Monument, the town in our county, has always hosted the most amazing parade of veterans, kids on decorated bikes and trikes and every assortment of groups, clubs, and floats imaginable.

I asked Ginger to share with us on my podcast some of her favorite books that are about people of color. We have in common some of our mutually loved books. I know you will enjoy listening today. It is really two friends letting you into our conversation.

Somewhere while running hard over the past years, I decided that I loved to add “sparkle” to my every day life. I embraced color, dimension, taste, adventure as a part of who God made me to be. Since I live off and on in Oxford and have a walking life, I decided to cut my very straight hair short because I was always walking in the rain and it was the only way to keep my hair manageable. And then I adopted a habit of always wearing fun earrings as a little bit of a “girly” touch that gave me much pleasure.

His will today is for you to find His joy and blessing and to enjoy life. He is doing an invisible work that is beyond what you could accomplish yourself. He is faithful. He will reward every decision of faith that you make in the darkness when no one else sees, He sees. It is your integrity, your spiritual service of worship, to believe even in the invisible, weary moments of your life. He is with you and has a heart for all children--even you.  He is the one who cast the flowers upon the field for his child to enjoy.. He is the one who is willing make all things in your life beautiful in His time.

Today on my podcast, I share some of the foundational values shared in these books. Leave a comment below, on Facebook or Instagram and you will be entered to win one of four books. (2 of each will be given away.)

When we seek to redeem the normal, daily, mundane by imagining how we might bring grace, hospitality, love, light, beauty, we can actually help cover the darkness and impact of despair with beauty that creates and cultivates new life.

We have been meeting this way for thousands and thousands of meals, delighting in one another. Hearing the love of Christ defended this evening between each bite, talking of God’s manifest love in the midst of a dark world, peaking into the souls of each one as they shared their heartfelt convictions made a very tiring and exhausting day worthwhile.

Even when we are tempted to fear, we can cry out to our God and He will answer and calm the storms of our lives. Yet, we must rest in the fact that He is sovereign over all powers and is working beyond what we can see during this time.

I think I would have been so much more content and joyful if I had just known at the beginning that life for me would not be balanced--but could always be meaningful--if I would just accept the limitations of each day, each season, each child, my marriage and my finances--none totally balanced or perfect--but all a blessing.

I read it when I was 10 years old, (you hear the story in my podcast) and it has left and impact for life. Consequently, I read it and discussed it with my children and it became one of their favorites. Enjoy!

What you believe about who God is, then, becomes the platform for your behavior, your values, the grid through which you see life. When you ponder God and cultivate a personal theology, it will influence what you pass on as a legacy to your children as your life messages of integrity.

Nathan is my out of the box, adventurer, story-formed son who fell in love with hero tales. We have long talks about how much he was inspired by the books that captured his imagination and gave him scope to imagine himself as a hero in his own story. We had so much fun today talking about some of his favorite books and why they still live in his mind today.

I was not a perfect mom and rarely in one year accomplished all my educational goals with my children. But almost every day, we had devotions and read-alouds--sometimes at night, sometimes in the morning, sometimes at tea times, but I kept baskets of books everywhere--in every room, in the bathrooms, in their bedrooms. And each year on birthdays and Christmas and other holidays, they all received books as gifts and I helped each of them build their own libraries.

Motherhood came upon me by surprise when I was almost 32 years old. Then I had 3 children in less than 5 years and was hopelessly out of control of my time—and I didn’t know that was to be expected. I kept looking for books that would make it all easier, manageable, give me order and predictability in my life. But finally, God said, “What if the problem with your frustration is you? Children have had needs through all generations but when. mamas lived into the season of life with littles, they found more joy and peace.”

I wish I could invite all of you, my friends, into my home, for a warm meal, a friendship conversation where I could listen to what is on your heart, a place to restore your soul— and to spoil you just a little. Hospitality, the tender care, attention, love and attending to the needs of others is a way we use our place to give others welcome. After such a wearying 3 months, many are in need of our invitation. You are probably in need of it yourself. Our homes can give life where hearts can find comfort, welcome, belonging if we use our them to invite those who need care Into a place we have prepared as a haven for them.

Today, as I was reading and praying for our world, my friends and all that is going on, I was reminded of a profound question that an educated, earnest lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor.”

Forty-six years ago, I went into full time Christian ministry--can. you believe it? And. through these years, I have experienced so many times of trials in history and personally, as well as deep joys. But as I learned to walk one step at a time, learn to trust God one day at a time, learned to put aside bitterness and cynicism, I could eventually always see the grace, love and goodness of God, and learned to stretch towards HIs light and love. You might enjoy my podcast as I share more about this.

Whether as a mother training the character of children, filling their minds with excellent writers, artists, thinkers, or as a woman being a steward of every aspect of her life, one can only become excellent by stretching, determining to obey His still small voice and then using every resource to pursue bringing His light and imprint upon this world.

Justice has been a study of mine. through the days. Jesus is a God of just love—equitable generosity and care for all people, all created in His image. Most of all, though, as. Christ followers, we are to exhibit Him in every relationship. He humbled himself to give us everything. We owe all people His love and grace and friendship. And so choosing to pass on racism as a legacy of our lives is not acceptable. if we have given our lives to serve Jesus. Yet we do see hate, small mindedness, violence everywhere.

Teen years are the making of the child into an adult and the humbling of the parent who realizes they never were in control of their children! But it also makes for forming great adult friendships that will give back to you the rest of their lives. Take heart and a deep breath and expect to see God's grace and provision in new ways--and above all, don't let it get you down. It is a normal process for all of history--the reason Solomon wrote Proverbs to teens,  and the means through which many adults become more humble and compassionate for others.

I hope you will enjoy the second podcast with Clay and me sharing our thoughts about what we have learned about parenting to reach the hearts of our own four, who love us and love the Lord—all by His grace. We are always putting in something in their lives—we invest thorough the seasons:

Many of you who have read our books know that Clay and I are very relationship-based in our approach to children. As we looked to Christ for His model in how He reached the hearts of his disciples, so we wanted to develop a close and deep with ours. Yet, I think because every parent wants to do everything right, they often become susceptible to whatever parenting book they get their hands on first, seeking to find a formula for disciplining children.

Often, my children were doubting God, they were doubting because it didn't seem like He was answering prayer, or because other Christians had hurt or disappointed our family or acted without integrity or one of their friends had fallen from faith or adopted an immoral lifestyle. There are many reasons in a world full of temptation, but I think staying close, communicating love, affirming and understanding their questions and speaking forward into their lives is helpful. And of course, pray, pray, pray!

There is darkness in our world, discouragement, confusion. Yes, this is a really crazy time and we are not living as healthy as God intended us to—without regular contact with community, family, friends, church, restaurants, trying to meet all of our own needs alone without the normal interaction of those who used to be our support system. But there is still beauty, people we can love and be loved by, things to laugh at, and places where we still see goodness and God’s lifegiving creativity in our daily lives.

Do you ever feel like just when you are going to have a good day, someone spills something, argues, gets a fever when you were looking forward to going outside? Part of the challenge of life is learning to celebrate the joyful times and learning to live in grace through the times when life is just hard to tame.

How are you? Most of “my people” are getting restless and cranky and drained to their toes. In now world is this normal life. The seclusion from church, friends, family and normal activity is truly unhealthy at the heart of it. We were made for relationship, work, fun, faith inspiration and ways to have a break once in a while—whatever that means to you.

A mother, living well in her God-ordained role, is of great beauty and inestimable value to the future history of any generation. Her impact is irreplaceable and necessary to the spiritual formation of children who will be the future adults of the next generation. Fun, comfort, humor, graciousness, spiritual passion, compassion for the lost, hospitality, chores, meals, training, life-giving words, hours and hours of listening and playing and praying and reading—all are parts of the mosaic which go into the process of soul development.

We know we are called to follow Christ, to take His message to the world, to raise our children to heed Jesus' call. But sometimes I think we fail to consider that following the Lord might mean leaving behind the ordinary and the familiar. It means exchanging a temporal view of life for an eternal goal. And this may mean leaving behind things we really care about--involvements and pursuits that seem important and worthwhile but may not be God's best for us.

A year ago, my wonderful friend, Nicole, NPT, created a program called "30 Days of Whole Living". I know that stress is slowing me down in my own ideals and practices. I thought it would be encouraging to all of us to talk about a healthy lifestyle today. Nicole has a plan, "7 Days of Whole Living", that helps women make a plan that fits into their lives for healthy rhythms and practices.. Today, we talked about her plan for whole living and what we both do to try to keep ourselves as healthy and strong as possible as a rhythm of life, all the time, every day. The purpose of her own program is to help women and moms, especially, learn different practices of self-care or what both of us call, “Whole. Living”

Drawing upon Scripture and upon his own experience learning from his friend and mentor Eugene Peterson, Grothe shows how our lives can be secured by the resource that will keep us from collapsing under the onslaught of the difficulties of life. Wisdom is available to us. It takes work to pursue it. Chasing Wisdom reveals how. We had a grand time in our interview and I was so very encouraged. I know you will be so inspired by his message.  

Today, I talked with my dear friend, Holly Packiam. Holly serves as the Pastor of Parenting Ministries at New Life Downtown, and brings her experience as a mother and her training as a counselor to the subject of loss. She shared how this season of being in isolation reminds her of when her kids were 7 and under and it felt impossible to go anywhere, get anything done, or see anyone outside of her family.

I hope you will enjoy the podcast today. Greatness is shaped in the hidden moments of life, the repeated rhythms over and over again that shape a life of memories and values in the hearts and minds of our children.

I hope you’ll enjoy our podcast today, as we discuss ways to find peace in the midst of stressful times!

Mothers are the keepers of lives entrusted by God in every generation. This week, I celebrate Mother’s day with some personal thoughts and some book giveaways that I hope will further inspire you.

Mama’s are my heroes who God uses to shape the destinies of little boys who become men. When a boy thinks his mama is for him, his mama sees a hero in his heart, prays for him, enjoys him, the messages last for life. Nathan, my son, is releasing a new book today that I think will help recapture the imagination of men all over the world to live into their capacity to become Good Men. But I think that mamas can be such an important part to working forward in creating this desire in the heart of her men.

I thought it would be fun to talk a bit about something light— what we like to do, when we need to blow off steam! And so our team gathered over Zoom this weekend to share some ideas. Our podcast is about what we’d do to have fun for ourselves, but here are some ideas for what to do when your kids need to have fun, too!

As I look to the needs of children of today, I am convinced they need the same things from their mothers that I needed—and received—from mine. They need not only the gentle touch of a mother's hands, but her focus and her attention on a daily basis. They need a champion and a cheerleader, someone who has the time and energy to give encouragement along life's way and comfort in dark times. They need a directive voice to show them how to live.

Whatever your personality, be sure you allow yourself the time to be refreshed in a way that is right for you. There is no single, one-size-fits--all formula for how and where that happens, but you need enough time with yourself to determine how and where it will happen for you. But when you take care of your personal needs and make time to invest in your own well-being through this marathon of life, you will live a more sustainable life.

When your children walk with you, are they walking with a wise person?  Can they look at your seasoned responses, your insightful understanding of people, your fortitude in difficult times as they walk the moments of your daily life? Children watch us, listen to us when we are talking to others, hear us behind closed doors as we talk to our husband, see us in public. Our lives are the walk that our children will imitate.

I hope you’ll enjoy today’s podcast as Misty Krasawski joins me to discuss parenting our children from toddlerhood through the teenage years!

Contemplating the hearts of my own children and seeking to teach them about the grace of God, I realize my love and service to them must come before any of my great words, my teaching and training. My time, my attention, my "soft-tickling"--even when I am tired or have other "important" things n my mind--is what builds our relationship and prepares them to listen to what I have to say. Only then, once the wells of their need are filled with the grace of being loved, will my words to them about God's grace finally make sense."

God ordained this friendship and we mark the time we met every year when we all attend Hutch Moot, hosted by Andrew Peterson, and finish our time together at the end of the weekend, eating too much, talking as fast as we can and enjoying the sweet fellowship of families that love one another without expectation or reserve. Sam and I talked about so many things in the podcast today and I hope it encourages you as it did me.

Today, Joy and I had fun talking and just comparing notes. We shared our restless thoughts, our comforts, our complaints and the funny things happening in our lives. I promised to try to keep podcasts going during this time and we had lots of fun recording this one for you.

Today, Nathan and I talk about what it looks like to be a good man and how to shape your boys’ hearts so that they will grow in their self-image to wanting to be a good man in their generation—a good man who is willing to be a part of bringing God’s goodness and light and morality back into a culture that longs to be led and taught.

This is a time for us to act in light of our hope, that He is preparing for us a place where all of life will be redeemed. A time to show others—our families, children, friends, that our hope is sure—not false. It is a time we can write the days of our sequestering as ones of growth, strength, love, beauty because He is “God with us,” and He is a rock, immovable, our refuge.

Over the years of our lives, our family hosted hundreds, if not thousands of people. Yet, to make sure each one felt welcomed and cared for meant that we had to prepare our children’s hearts, (and our own), to know what to expect, how to treat each who came through the door. It’s one thing to want to tell people about Christ. Yet, it is quite another to know how to reach out, start a conversation, put people at ease. Manners are the vehicles through which we act out honoring others, to grant them the respect they deserve as a fellow human being. Manners give the confidence to know how to act towards someone.

We can all move forward from where we are--with great hope, because of Him. So, I give you a part of my heart and how I have kept from staying in the mire of guilt and disappointment with myself over the years.

When a child learns to wait on his mama and on circumstances, he is practicing learning to wait on God--and that is just the person God uses--the one who looks to God and waits expectantly on Him.

We no longer live for ourselves, but for the glory of Jesus, who bought us with a price, that we might live for Him every moment, every day. I am "the mama," the one who helps right the wrongs, listens to hearts, prays, laughs, gives all of myself, even on a "stormy day" or "stormy season," because it is part of my learned role--to care for those in my charge as Jesus did--even in the midst of the unexpected storms of life like the one we all find ourselves in currently. This Good Friday, I pray you will know His grace, His love, His help as you join Him by laying your life down. Have a beautiful holy weekend, and a Happy Easter!

And then it dawned on me as. I was thinking about this. I would love to share in your disappointments. Tell me (in a comment, on Facebook, on Instagram messages) about what disappointment you have had this month. What was cancelled, how are your children disappointed, how have you born the loneliness.

All of the little and big ways you are giving of yourself during this time are gifts of worship of loving God, by being His hands, His words, His time, His love to those around you. Sarah wrote a poem about love given in her own life to her sweet ones, as a sacrifice of her love to them. I know it will touch you as it did me. And of course, we recorded a podcast together I hope you will enjoy.

Integrity comes from years of practicing living with godly character. Integrity is a lifelong fruit of determining to live faithfully. Christ is the model for what it looks like to have perfect integrity. But integrity brings the reward of living well into your life and watching God faithfully produce eternal fruit through the pages of your story.

Just when all appears dead and there are no signs of life in the world, daffodils pop up, as if out of nowhere, to proclaim there just may be surprise and life ahead.

There is no one right way to live life in a home. No one size of routine or rules or order fits all. Homes with young children will be quite different from a single-adult home. Elderly adults will order their lives by different life rituals than will single adults, young marrieds, or university students. But the more carefully we plan our days, the better our homes will provide us with freedom and enjoyment as well as purpose and accomplishment.

Today, Lanier and I talked about the process of living by faith in times of chaos. Moving to a place of restoring is a walk of perseverance and we have both learned this through many seasons of our lives. Chaos often invades our lives when least expect it. The Covid Virus has turned all of our worlds upside down. Yet, having lived through many a heart-breaking disappointment or even just a cancellation to my plans, a loss of control of our lives, I know that waiting on God in faith will show me, in time, that He had never left me, that He was always walking with me through every trial, every season. His faithfulness never fails.

In this episode, Sally and Kristen discuss how to impart a love of community and friendship to our children. They encourage moms to model how to serve in friendship themselves, as the first model their families will see, and explain what it looks like to serve in friendship through trust, loyalty, empathy and encouragement. They share how to become an invitation to others in everyday life, and how to teach your children to be a friend through: -Trusting the Holy Spirit -Training them how to share and live generously -Teaching them HOW to create community Ultimately, Sally and Kristen encourage and equip moms to cultivate their own hearts for service and love, while becoming a living example of how to put others first. Then, they are joined by special guest and friend, Elizabeth Foss who shares her own testimony of trusting God even when we feel weary. Reflecting on her cancer journey and the community knit in her own family mothering nine children, Elizabeth reminds us all that there is nothing that we face that Christ has not also endured. She's also sharing about a special new project that we are excited to share with you called Take Up and Read 

Nathan has always been larger than life and had on his heart the desire to be a hero. We saw Nathan‘s spirit early on and even while struggling with learning disabilities and an out-of-the-box personality we encouraged Nathan into the story God had for him to tell. We wanted to instill in each of our children the the values of a loving and good God and the belief that they had a work on the world We believed forward into their lives. Which is why I am so excited that Nathan is releasing his first solo book called Good Man, it’s a collection of Nathan‘s stories, thoughts, and insights from his journey of discovering who it was God created him to be.

One of the most profoundly important gifts we can give to our children is a life of faith, a life of believing God in the small moments of life, the large challenges, a life given to believing in His reality. Without faith, we cannot please God. No works, performance, giving will cover over a lack of faith and faith living.

Joy is one of my favorite people in the world. Today, we took time to record many of the rhythms, food, practices that we have both been practicing in our home to make it through these challenging days. I hope you will love it as much as Joy and I enjoyed being together across the miles in a FaceTime recording. You can find all things Joy @Joyclarkson.com and you would be so entertained and inspired to connect with her on Instagram @joynessthebrave Happy Tuesday! We are thinking about you all and praying for you!

In the busyness of our activity-oriented world, it is tempting for us to measure the value of lives by accomplishment or position. Yet, in this time of the covid virus, we are all re-evaluating our priorities. As I look back on the years with my precious children, I found myself seeking to understand how important it was to lay heart foundations, an imagination for living for God, an understanding of truth before I worried about the academic accomplishment of my children.

Perspective is something I have had to learn about the last many years of my life. In the workaday world, busyness can take over and often I have the illusion that I can control my life. The Corona Virus has taken all of us by surprise and has shaken up our expectations of life. Finances are at stake for many of us, illness, disappointment, confusion. But, I have learned that my God is stable, secure, and loving and He is always in control—even when we do not understand or feel secure.

On my podcast today, my friends and I came up with countless ideas of the ways we have created and nurtured life-giving memories with our own. I hope our ideas will inspire you.

We wanted to share with all of you what we filled our hearts and minds this weekend and to give some history and encouragement about how such deep friendships are developed over time. Actually, we talked about lots of important things on the podcast and I hope you will find life and encouragement from our time together that might be a light in the midst of a crazy week.

Fear, weariness, concern, cynicism, frustration seems to define the mood and emotions of many today. We hear of war and violence, corona virus, financial crisis, devastating storms and tornadoes, moral collapse amongst youth, a loss of faith for many young adults, and we are tempted to tremble in our boots, or to be filled with despair. Yet, scripture speaks to us over and over again about God’s desire to protect us, to be present with us, to respond to our prayers, to crush the wicked. Over 80 times in scripture we read, “Fear Not!” and the verse above is one of my favorite “fear not” verses that I learned when I was a very young believer.

Young children are watching, imitating, learning from us every moment of their early life. The attitude we have when we change diapers, the way we talk to our friends, neighbors, husbands, becomes their models for how to speak to others, whether or not we value other human beings.

Motherhood was designed by God to be a role of honor, sacred, to help keep His purposes alive in the world. We must remember that to be a mother who serves God is not simply a choice but a mandate.

There are times that we all just have to take a break! On our sober club nights, we always do something that we want to do that is just for us--sometimes we even ask friends to join us--go to dinner, a movie, a walk in the mountains, take a drive to see the city lights--music blaring, windows down--just cruising and trying to relax. We do something different--go away from the stress, from the kids. We do not talk about any of the problems or money or stress or ministry. We just relax, have fun, get away and lighten up.

Psalm 4:3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him.

“A woman who reads is a woman who knows she must act: in courage, in creativity, in kindness, and often in defiance of the darkness around her. She understands that life itself is a story and that she has the power to shape her corner of the drama.”  ― Sarah Clarkson, Book Girl: A Journey Through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life

Never under-estimate the power of kindness to help someone make it through. A vase of flowers, an email, a cup of tea or coffee, a candle, a short visit, a cleaned house, all of these can shift the mood and place of emotional havoc to one of “I think I can make it.” I hope you enjoy our chat today and prepare a place and a time of kindness for yourself or someone you love. You can find my wonderful friend and her books at: https://www.instagram.com/shellymillerwriter/

Kristen was on her way for a weekend trip with her husband, but we raced to Joy’s apartment and quickly recorded some thoughts we had all been sharing. Her desire to help women live a healthy life-style, to live strong is contagious. She is in the process of putting together all sorts of inspiration that I know will encourage you, so be sure to follow her at for more to come. https://www.emmerandearth.com

God has created human beings to have a great capacity to use their brains to understand, learn, study, comprehend, create, invent, debate. And so one of the stewardships we have as moms is to take responsibility for our children's minds. God will hold all of us accountable for how we were faithful to shape and train their minds for his glory. It is one of the equal ways we are commanded to worship God. It is a glory to God when we seek to fill and expand our brains to be superior in thinking skills

The secret to becoming content and to cultivating happiness in your story is learning to make a plan to flourish right where you are, as a habit. Today, I speak about practicing holy attitudes that will serve you well as you grow and mature and live well in this long journey of life. I pray it inspired you.

Seems we all have lots of meantime when we are waiting for something to happen when we will be happier or freer or more fulfilled. I have learned that waiting for any other circumstance or person to fulfill all the felt needs of your life is a wrongly directed expectation. It is a process to learn, but only as we learn how to flourish in all those meantimes when we are waiting, (for a spouse, for enough money, for children or for children to be out of diapers or out of teenage hormones, or a new house or whatever), it is possible to flourish. Today, I am speaking about how to flourish while you are waiting. I have learned it over many years and was not always patient, but it has served me well.

Today, as you contemplate Him, and His work, may you decide to keep fervent and patient and strong in His call to use you in your life time to bring His kingdom work to bear on a world that is desperate for His touch and redemption.

Your faithfulness matters. Your choice to trust God is ringing out cheers in the heavenliness because it is so rare. Join me today and be encouraged in your own life to live faithfully.

Understanding the importance of the gift of grace has really helped me respond to the daily dilemmas and frustrations of life in a household of four children. As we go through our days, for instance, I try to be mindful that, to God, relationships are always a top priority. I try to think of ways I can model for my children the redemptive grace and love of Jesus--and also influence them to extend grace to others through their actions and their attitudes.

We have great freedom in Christ. Don't give it up for a yoke of slavery to any thing, any one, or any set of rules! Being a great mom is not about rules or formula--it is more like a dance--moving to the rhythms of life, listening and paying attention to the mood of the music in your children's lives and choreographing wisdom as the words to the song.

I choose gladness and will live fully in this season and  grow little by little--knowing God is holding my hand and leading me, as new roles are opening even in this stage of my life—being a mother-in-law and grandmother! Will you join me?

It may be hard to believe, but loneliness has been a constant companion for me for many years. It causes me to ache inside, sometimes, bringing tears to my eyes and a longing for community.  I yearn for like-minded kindred spirits-- who also "like" me!

All of us were made by God to do a work in this world that would bring Him great glory and that would point to His light and beauty. We were created in His image, in His spiritual likeness, but with our own personality, skills, messages and drives. Each of us has the opportunity to live out a great story--one in which His power, His love, His light can touch everything we do. But only if we are dreamers--dreamers for His glory.

The difference between desperate and hope is that one life lacks meaning and is just filled with endless, meaningless work. The other life has the same amount of work, but is filled with the anticipation of working hand in hand with God for an eternal result that will truly shape and protect generations. This work fills a heart with the fire to live the impossible.

I have found over the years that many people seem to know "God's will" for me and are free with advice. But I want to hear Him, follow Him and please Him. I am feeling the rumblings in my heart to pull back further from culture and expectations of others to have more time intentionally to invest on those areas that are on His heart, and to make sure I have time with real live people to be personal and focused in my love. But before I make any decisions, I must go to Him to hear His voice.

If we do not keep our heart free from those things that would bring darkness, discouragement, criticism, fear, despair, we will not be able to accomplish all of the other tasks we have planned for our year. He must be at the center of our peaceful and trusting heart. But even as in marriage or parenting or friendship, as issues must be communicated and discussed, so our heart issues must come to the light and be talked about with Him, so that we can declutter our souls.

Home fires, traditions shared, meals eaten in fellowship together over the messages of life, values upheld, histories made and the stories of them told and celebrated are the roots that go deep into the heart of a child to keep them tethered to the truth of the Gospel and the foundations of faith.

Storms will assault our lives. We feel the storms of culture, of politics, of battles in our homes with sinful, immature people, (including us), in church, in almost all of the aspects of life. Yet, Jesus was the storm calmer. This year as I go into my new year, I am pondering how to allow Him to calm my storms, to give me perspective on how to see the circumstances of my life.

Your home is a laboratory of the life of Christ, where He can be seen through the incarnation of himself through our music, our love, our feasts, our faith, our peace and the comfort we receive from belonging to Him. Hidden impressions of faith are laid strategically over years of celebrating Christmas together on the foundations of our children's hearts that will speak to them of His hope in their lives long after they have left home. This year, practice those that build the beauty, mystery and hope that baby Jesus came to give. 

Michelle Myers of Sheworkshisway.com joined me today for a great podcast about mentorship of our children and beauty in our family amidst real life. I know you will enjoy it. Michelle started a community for working women to find encouragement in their day to day lives.

In my home, we did our best, but our best was certainly not perfection. We just had committed hearts toward our kids and the desire to shape their souls to respond passionately to their Creator. He came with grace and truth to bring life and wholeness into our hearts. We strive to follow His example in the lives of our children. We are not guided by culture, or what other moms feel is the "right way", but we are led by God. We walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and rest in His grace.

Clothe your heart with a decision to take joy every day—notice God’s fingerprints, see the colors and beauty, and breathe the moments of every day into your memory with as much grace as your heart will allow. This is the day the Lord has made---practice rejoicing and you will find yourself more content. And lastly, give yourself generously to someone who needs a lift, a word of encouragement, a call, hope—give one bit of yourself to someone outside of your family, and your heart will be lifted when you exercise compassion on someone less fortunate than you.

I look back to my childhood years as the time I learned all about making my home a place of life and food and fun--to my mom who taught us to work, to greet, to serve little trays of food around the house and to learn to love serving the life of Jesus, to enjoy celebrating the breadth of life well in the walls of our home. This Christmas, I pray you’ll find ways to spread Christmas cheer first to your own home—and then maybe invite someone in to enjoy it with you!

Because I wanted to be of encouragement to women who are choosing faithful work day after day, my team dreamed with me about having a membership site where women could fill up spiritually, emotionally, be inspired, feel supported. Life With Sally is a site you might be interested to join so that you can also find something just for you to fill your cup so to speak and to keep inspired along the way. Each month, you will receive an email that connects you to our site. There are already many recordings of Bible studies, (like the one we are sharing with you today on my podcast), studies of books for children, art and composter studies, recipes and cooking demonstrations, and much more. If you are interested in joining or looking into it, please go HERE to have a look. I hope you will join our community soon. And I hope you will enjoy this podcast which is a sample of what you would hear on my site each month. Happy Weekend.

There is no absolute solution or formula to calming every angry quarrel. Yet, wisdom from Proverbs has often saved the moment for my family. A hormonal teen, an exhausted toddler, an exasperated school-aged child, or a husband who is angry—all of these long to be treated with focused attention, an understanding heart, and a loving response.

Today on my podcast, I am introducing you to my friend, Malcolm Guite, a scholar in Cambridge, a Poet and very winsome and informative teacher. You will love hearing about why and how we celebrate Christ throughout the church year.

May we all bring a smile to God's face today, because of the appreciation in our hearts and on our lips and in our deeds for His faithfulness, righteousness, generosity and love. I pray you have the happiest of Thanksgivings!

There is so very much to be thankful for as we prepare to embark on another Thanksgiving holiday. I hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving day with your family, and that all of your senses are delighted.

God has used the humbling circumstances of having a family and being married to bring me to my knees. He has used these very circumstances to humble me, and to thus develop more compassion for others who also struggle. Join Misty and I here, as we discuss the ways life has been difficult, and what we’ve learned along the way.

Our children are watching our responses as we walk through difficulties. They want to know if we really believe the things we teach them. They need to see us lean into Jesus in those times.

Having moved 17 times, 6 times internationally, I have learned that friendships really don’t usually just happen. Most of the community I now have, have happened as a result of me calling people, having gatherings in my home, making memories with women who inspire me. It is like planting a garden. When I till the soil and plant the seed of love, encouragement, thoughtfulness and reaching out, the seeds of friendship just naturally grow.

I had the privilege of talking with Emily last week to discuss why we all need to constantly take a step back, to plan what really matters, to invest in the real—in real love, real conversations, real food, real rest, real faith. I hope you will be greatly inspired by our conversation, but even more, I hope her book will be of great help to you as you seek to live sustainably, peacefully, joyfully.

To make sure my home, for my family and friends, is indeed the last homely house and that all that has been excellent and worthwhile over the ages is celebrated in its walls-- because everyone needs a place to belong and a home where welcome is always fresh with all who cross the doorway.

I hope you will enjoy today’s podcast, another in the Best of Sally series, all about training our children to be virtuous. A number of women have asked me to speak about the area of training children, so hope it will be of encouragement to you. Of course, same principles apply to us grown up children. Enjoy!

We hope you’ll enjoy this podcast about the importance and joy of feasting, and how it complements a home focused on living in grace!

Serving a holy God, living for his glory is our goal. If this is not built into the warp and woof of your life, then when it comes to adulthood and worshipping and reverencing God, there will be no pattern, no practiced understanding of what it means to love and obey our Lord with wholehearted devotion.

Today, Nathan and I talk about what it looks like to be a good man and how to shape your boys’ hearts so that they will grow in their self-image to wanting to be a good man in their generation—a good man who is willing to be a part of bringing God’s goodness and light and morality back into a culture that longs to be led and taught.

Nathan and Sally wrote a book called Different: The Story of an Out of the Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him. In this episode, they discuss the long term pathway of walking through all the stages of life with a child who will always deal with his or her issues and how to live this life with grace, patience and sustainability.  You will find encouragement and sympathy for your own life and inspiration about how to live this puzzle of life with contentment and Peace. 

If I could point to one thing that truly had an impact in my children, it was giving them a foundation of unconditional love. Generous, overwhelming, words of affirmation, an expectation of forgiveness, acts of service, and many more gestures of love is what opened our children's hearts to listen to our messages about God. 

Why do I focus on God's love and grace so much? Because Love is the source of all life. It is Him reincarnated through us. Love fuels faith and hope and inspires to overcome. And so I speak of love--the acting out of love which brings light to darkness, satisfaction to a starving heart, comfort to a lonely soul, sympathy to hurt feelings. Love never fails. May our love muscles grow stronger and stronger until we see Him, Love incarnate, face to face.

I hope you will enjoy our podcast today and the importance of having a heart, and seeing inside of all of those God brings into your life. And I pray you and your children will have the privilege of reaching out to share the love of Christ with them.

Crafting a culture of love requires that I as a mom become the conductor of a loving and generous heart that leads all of my children to understand gracious, generous, sacrificial, validating, forgiving love. To create such a culture requires planning, intention, mature responses, words of life and affirmation, patience, and just lots and lots of unconditional love.

In our first picture book, bestselling author Sally Clarkson and her son Nathan encourage children on the journey to discovering their strengths. Mother and son duo draw on themes from their first book, Different, the emotive story of Nathan's experiences growing up with mental illness and learning disabilities and Sally's journey to loving him unconditionally. With the powerful truth that what makes you different makes you great, Only You Can Be You will help children embrace their differences and celebrate the differences in others.

Today, Misty and I are talking about our reactions to watching Downton, and the parallels we saw between the movie and motherhood. We hope you’ll listen in, and also that you’ll be sure to get your own copy of Mom Heart Moments, which launches out into the world TOMORROW

Though there are many letters to answer, piles to organize, rooms to clean, groceries to shop for, people to call back, ad infinitum, I will lay them all in the file folders of heaven for God to keep. I have learned that they will all still be here tomorrow, and that God wants me to leave my burdens alone--as He is the father, I the toddler and He will indeed work in all of my circumstances without my help. But if I take responsibility to take care of my own heart and soul, I will last much longer, much better, and even have peace and quietness if I take time to rest.

Motherhood keeps going and going! It is a long distance run and often we feel isolated and alone. Today, I am talking with my dear friends Margaret and Holly about the ways we have been challenged by the long-range reality of motherhood. I pray you will know that your long distance run matters every step of the way. We hope you’ll enjoy and be encouraged by our conversation!

Do you ever, like me, neglect to answer God’s call? Do you ever leave Him waiting? Sometimes we do so because we just don’t know what to say. Maybe we are feeling dry and exhausted, and we don’t even know what to read in His word.

Giving your child the gift of acceptance for who they were designed to be is one of the most valuable foundations you can provide. If we want our children to be able to embrace their own spiritual convictions and to be able to go against a secular culture, they must first learn to feel comfortable and confident in who they are, as they are.

Our deep longings become a platform for our hope in God. We sense there is something more that we were made for. If we can imagine fulfillment, deep, unconditional love, and long for the ‘more” that wrestles inside of us, we can assume it was because God made us for more.

As I began yet another time of study, I was vitally aware of the legacy of these morning times. I had invested literally thousands of hours at the feet of my greatest professor and teacher, Jesus. His words had made the difference between a wasted life and one focused strategically on the issues of eternity. This time was where I received His strength, wisdom, and direction for all the moments of my life—as a woman, wife, mom, daughter, and believer—here Christ had met me daily, shown me His path and His ways, and assured me of His constant companionship.

Yesterday, the Lord prepared a party for me. I almost didn't go, because I had planned busy-ness and duties for the hours of my day. But, something deep inside spoke to me of His invitation, and so I put everything else aside and drove to the party where He was graciously waiting for me. I am so glad I showed up, as He had prepared so very much for me to enjoy.

Join Joel and me as we talk about these things, about how music and story melded together to shape his imagination. Learn how you might be able to have Joel’s artistic music and photos and readings be a blessing to you and your family. And, of course, get your own copy of my new children’s book!

In a fallen world, where sin, death, and darkness have marred and hidden so many truths that God originally created us to know, we must look for the original patterns and follow diligently after them. I believe the reason so many are captivated by epic stories is because we were made to be a part of great adventure, divine beauty, and magnificent love.

Motherhood is hard. In a world of five-step lists and silver-bullet solutions to become perfect parents, mothers are burdened with mixed messages about who they are and what choices they should make. If you feel pulled between high-fives and hard words, with culture’s solutions only raising more questions, you’re not alone. But there is hope!!!! Today, I talked with Emily and Laura from Risen Motherhood about the ups and downs of motherhood and how to bring the love and grace of God into each moment.

I so enjoy having friends who inspire me and who have messages that fill my heart. Ruth Chou Simons is such a friend. Her art, her words and her friendship always help to fill some of the dry places of my spiritual heart. We recently recorded a podcast together of some of the issues we have both experienced in this long journey of life as a woman, a spouse, a working writer and a mother. I hope you will be encouraged by our time together. I also am excited to share her new book with you because it is so beautiful and so encouraging.

No matter how hard we try, how many achievements we make, or how many ideals we keep, we will never be able to do enough to earn God's love. Such attempts lead us down a dead-end road paved with feelings of life-depleting guilt and condemnation. Only the grace and love that God gives freely through his merciful nature can provide us with that which we long for: peace and joy.

When these tests come upon us, it is our one moment when we can look at our circumstances, feel our feelings of despair, and then choose to say, "I don't understand, but I believe and I will wait, and I will rest, as an act of my will, because you are the Lord of Hosts and you are my Father."

Five years ago, my friend Ainsley Arment started a community of mothers who want to give their children a quality education, but also a childhood full of wonder, freedom, and curiosity. This community, called Wild + Free, began on Instagram but has spread into real-life gatherings all over the world. I’ve spoken at several of her conferences, and she’s just written a book called The Call of the Wild + Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child’s Education.

To build anything great and strong requires time. But a hedge of strength, protecting, guarding the beauty inside is a safe-guard from destroying the sacred trust. Marriage is one of the most profound ways God designed for us so that we could slowly learn and develop in our own lives, the very character of Christ, learning to serve, love, and give ourselves as He did for us. We hope you’ll enjoy this podcast today, as Kristen and Misty are again joining me to talk about marriage!

I hope you will give yourself time to really ponder the podcast today and to breathe in the beauty of this story. We only have this life, today, to choose to celebrate the reality of God in the presence of others and we never know when this opportunity will be over. Let me know your thoughts after you listen.

Marriage is meant to be a picture of the love Christ has for the church; His commitment and persevering faithfulness to us. He said He would never leave us or forsake us. He laid down his life for us.  Jesus treasures marriage because it is the holy place where His love for the world is modeled by how we practice giving to one another and staying the course of our commitment. What might you do to strengthen your own marriage, today?

I have had several podcasts lately about friendship. I almost didn’t play this one today because I wanted to be sure you had not heard too much about friendship from me lately. Yet, in this podcast, I realized that there have been crucial dark moments in my life when I would have floundered or fallen apart if I had not had friends to carry me, to comfort me, to guide me when I couldn’t see where I was going. So I hope that you will listen to this podcast today and be encouraged once again about how vitally it is to understand that much of our joy is sustained through relationships with people who have chosen to love us, to help us, to be committed.

Sometimes, we need to just stop life from invading every moment of our day and sapping all our energy, and take the time to make a new plan. Rest, rest, rest. We all need to regularly rest to keep ourselves alive. But we need more than rest: sometimes: we need something fun.

My friend, Glen Packiam, has written a book that will refresh your understanding about how Christ comes to you to satisfy your life, to validate your story and to show you how to become His life and light to those He brings your way.

Friendship is an imperative part of a healthy life! We hope you’ll enjoy our podcast today as we discuss women’s friendships. Today, ponder the podcast and pray about the truths we address for your own life. Reach out to at least one woman this week. And we do pray that each of you will find a sweet friend with whom to walk through the pathways of life.

We can make a commitment to take every situation, every feeling, every fear to God as it happens. We don't have to remain in a state of emotional separation from the Lord every time we get out of step. We simply have to practice walking each step with him and allow his presence to bring us the joy that comes from resting in the arms of our capable dance partner through each measure of life's song.

If we as parents can learn to embrace our relationship with God, we will be empowered to create for our children and anyone else who crosses our doorsteps a true culture of love—a home environment where the life of God is breathed through all moments and love becomes the fuel for living with hope, purpose, and expectation.

Join me today in my podcast where I share the story of my being in Communist Poland as a young, single women wondering if I was even capable or adequate to being a missionary. God has taught me so much about cultivating joy every day since then, but it is a long journey of maturing a little at a time to learn to dance in His joy every day.

We are all triune beings; body, soul, and spirit. All of those areas need maintenance and attention. This means we need sleep, and healthy food. We need to watch our caffeine intake and avoid spending too much time on the couch. We need fresh air and sunshine.

It is in being faithful to our own set of tests that we become mature and fitted for the ministry he has called each of us to accomplish. If we aspire to be a general, so to speak, spiritually, then we must first pass the training and tests of life as a private!

Own Your Circumstances, Own your design, Own your puzzle and make it an interesting, god-glorifying place to live or at least slowly move into that direction. Don't be a victim to your life's duties, find ways to make it personally fulfilling.

“God’s desire is for us to experience true joy and deep fulfillment. It must start, however, with the journey into the recesses of our heart. It is only as we release our hold on the things that we think we need to be truly happy, when we open our hands freely, that we experience true joy.”

Misty and I are back this week with another sneak peek into our membership site, Life with Sally! Every month, I record a new Bible study just for members. My desire is to leave a legacy of encouragement, trust and wisdom to those who long for it as I do. Consequently, I do a Bible study every month for my membership to encourage them from my own walk in scripture. We’ve been looking into the book of Proverbs recently, and today we are sharing the second half of a particular study on the power of words.

C.S. Lewis is one of my heroes. I love his writing and thinking. Yet, I appreciate him even more because of his very difficult life. He wrote great psychology of many characters not just because of his imagination, but because of the experiences of His life which taught him to forge through the dark times to strain into the light.

Today, Sarah, Joel, Joy and Joel and I share some of what we who are all a part of each others’ story, about what we love and what we have learned here in this God ordained place. I hope you enjoy. And a bonus is that Joel just finished composing a brand new album that is quite wonderful. I hope you will consider purchasing this and enjoying it for yourself and with your family. (Thanks for your support of his music—it is how He is funding his way through His PHD.

God created us to see the invisible fingertips of Him in our lives, the glory of His creation, the reality of His love manifested in countless ways and the generous and abounding love expressed throughout the story of His people.

Today we have a treat for you; a sneak peek of some of our exclusive Life with Sally membership content! Summer is upon us, and so we’re shaking up our usual schedule a bit to let you into our various Girls’ Clubs—the membership, our leadership team, etc. Misty and I are talking about our summer plans today, and I hope you’ll listen to the podcast to learn more about what we have up our sleeves, and of course to contemplate this message about the power of words.

God does not intend us to be filled with anger and frustration and disappointment. Sometimes when we want to blame God, we refuse to see that we have not walked His ways, or followed His paths, and so our lives and our souls are filled up with the world of man, which will always carry with it confusion and grief. How can we learn to instead dance with our Heavenly Father?

I have invited a friend, Sheridan Voysey, to join me in my podcast today whose story goes along with all that we are discussing in my book. What to do, feel, where to go when life is turned upside down from what you expected. We met several years ago here in Oxford and his heart and story encouraged me very much.

Join us today to hear about decisions we are making for our hearts, souls, minds and strength to be sure we are living intentionally, well, to invest time in the things that will provide us the most meaningful and flourishing best life forward. Love love being with my Joy. And I will never forget the wonderful time we shared in Vienna. Such a great decision.

In this Podcast episode, Aaron and Jen share about the uniqueness of the body of Christ and how we all have a purpose and a ministry to fulfill. They also share the importance of friendship in marriage, as well as how having a marriage after God impacts parenting. You are not going to want to miss this one! 

Looking for opportunities to deepen friendships, to counsel women, to have fun and invite someone in so that I do not feel alone has provided me with countless sweet and memorable moments from setting my table in my hotel rooms.

Each tea was different in attendance and unified in spirit. As we sipped and munched together, we created fellowship during a season that for many people is filled with loneliness.

Hearts were opened by the simple beauty of bread, cheese, and warm herbed soup as we spoke of the shepherds who had found and worshiped Jesus on that first Christmas so long ago. And my own heart was warmed by the gathering of friends from such different cultures who shared our table and celebrated the love that whispered His reality through the moments of the evening.

We still have Family Day every year even though our children are now grown and living away from home, and we still begin the day by listing our “memorial stones” together. This practice reminds us not only of God’s faithfulness to us individually and as a family but also of the fact that we are inextricably tied to one another, bound in loyalty.

Nathan, Joy and I put together a little podcast just because we want to wish all of you well this Sunday when women with mother’s hearts will be celebrated.

Today, in my podcast, I talk with my friend, Jamie Martin, about her new book called: Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy  I wish I had this book when I was a young mom because I think it would have given me permission to seek some quiet, soul filling time without guilt. It took me years to learn this truth. So many moms I know have said, “You know, I used to think I was an extrovert but now I think I might be an introvert.”

Over time, my teatime habit became a foundational discipling tool for me. Taking time in the middle of a busy day to focus on a real live person and share our hearts over tea or coffee became a way of connecting with other women, with neighbors, and especially with my children—and even with my swirling, hurried self.

Cultivating a lifegiving table is all about helping those who gather around it to know the love of God and to understand His truths, laying foundations of faith that will serve them years after they go out into the world. Intentionally crafting words and messages to share along with the food we serve and the conversations we enjoy is a part of my role as hostess and as mama. Table talks are where lightbulbs come on, where ideas are fully embraced as they are discussed, where love is received as it is generously poured out.

Today on my podcast, I will be sharing a bit about the foundations of life that I love to talk about here on my podcast and that I will be talking about in the months to come. These foundations will hold up your life through all seasons. And of course, I always want to help encourage those of you who have children, as well, in your role as a mama who is raising a godly generation right in her own home.

I’ve come to believe in the profound importance of snack meals—meals that are easy, nourishing, and restful. They can absolutely save your sanity during those crazy times. But here’s another benefit: When you bring beauty and rest into the occasional chaos of your life, you are teaching your children how to prepare for the storms of life and live well through them.

Sometimes I think that grace is best experienced through greasy pizza and gentle curiosity. To me, this strategy was not only a home philosophy, but a disciple- ship principle put in action—perhaps the most important one of all: Discipleship happens at every moment along the way—morning, night, and every time in between.

Join us girls today as we share our own thoughts about challenging life, falling apart and how we are moving towards sustainability, and read passages that come from our heart to yours.

Francesca has won one Grammy and had four career nominations, two K-LOVE Fan Awards, six Dove Awards (including being named the Gospel Music Association’s Artist of the Year) and seven No. 1 singles! I hope you will enjoy our chat together. I love her heart and her desire that we all find our roots in Jesus to hold us through all seasons of our lives. Be inspired.

Why is it so important to us? Why did I go to the extra trouble of yet another special meal on yet another morning—especially when church offered doughnuts? Because we are building pathways in our hearts and brains that connect us to thousands of hours spent over years in this way, reminding all of us what we believe and cherish together, what we hold dear, what keeps us faithful through one more table and one more pancake shared over many times of consuming pancakes and French Toast.

Sometimes, when we have piles of responsibility on our plate, we start to place a lot of energy, worry and fear into the issues of our lives and fret. The last thing that seems productive when life is busy is to rest. Yet, rest may very well be the most strategic thing to do if we have a busy, full and demanding life.

Nathan and I have recorded a podcast for you that we hope will encourage and inspire you to breathe in the peace of God while you exercise the hope and faith that He is at work spinning great hearts and lives while you are living and building values and messages in your every day life. This week, Nathan’s new movie, The Unlikely Good Samaritan, comes out in a debut in a theatre in Colorado Springs and you can pick up your own copy on Amazon or in your local Walmarts. Hope it inspires you—and look for Clay and me as we play a tiny cameo appearance. So fun.

Throughout life, it is in resting in His presence and strength and power and goodness that will put our hearts at rest. It is only when we patiently face the storms confiding, "This is too big for me to handle, but I am asking you to handle it for me," and then learn to wait--and sometimes wait and wait and wait!--that we will see His purpose, ways and yes, salvation from our storms. I wish I had learned at a much earlier age not to struggle so and worry and fret--it did me no good, and now I see how very faithful God was--He just didn't always do it my way!

I’ve been a fan and friends of Elizabeth Foss for many years. She is a faithful, kind mama to nine, a true lover of Jesus, and an encourager to many, for many years now through her blog and writings. I know you’ll be encouraged by our conversation! You’ll definitely want to follow her, so find Elizabeth here: www.elizabethfoss.com www.takeupandread.org Twitter and Instagram: elizabethfoss Elizabeth is also so kind as to offer our readers a copy of her new study on friendship, plus a beautiful mug! Comment below to enter to win.

Today we’re joined by Bailey Hurley as we continue our discussions about Girls’ Club! You can find Bailey at her website: Bailey Hurley She also has wonderful friendship journal prompts that are free for download from her website! These journal prompts redirect you back to Scripture to help you define friendship for your current season. Here’s the direct link:  https://baileythurley.com/friendship-journaling-prompts/

So grateful that Mackenzie Koppa was able to join me for today’s podcast! She says … “I'm MacKenzie Koppa and around the interwebs I'm known as Bold Turquoise- or the gal who attempts to cultivate loveliness in her life and tries to encourage other women to as well (I'm an ENFP, I can't help it!). I'm a single mom of four sweet kids, voiceover artist, podcaster and speaker. I love Jesus, my kids and chocolate- in that order.” We hope you enjoy our podcast! Find Mackenzie here at Mackenzie Koppa She also podcasts at Cultivating the Lovely! And here’s the podcast that Sally specifically asks about toward the end of the episode~ thesamepagepodcast.com Instagram- @mackenziekoppa

I am so very thrilled to be sharing this podcast with Gina Smith today! Gina is a wonderful mama and friend to many, and her husband is the author of the Green Ember series. You can find his information here … Audio book! https://sdsmith.net/freeaudio/ Newest book! https://sdsmith.net/book/the-wreck-and-rise-of-whitson-mariner/ Sam on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/sdsmithereens/?hl=en

Whew! Sweet Friends, We love you so much. I am probably on a plane from Dallas to England as you read this. We have all been so very inspired by meeting so many at Dallas, Raleigh and Wild and Free. We are already getting letters from so many of you who say this book is inspiring you to embracing your capacity as a woman, to seeing the need to cultivate excellent accountability and community and we are thrilled. Thanks for sharing this book with so many. We have a few more wonderful recordings with our friends but wanted to give you a look into some of what we have been talking about together. I hope you enjoy our chat today.

So glad to be with Emily Thomas today! Emily’s first job was teaching juvenile inmates in the prison system.  That job didn’t kill her so she thought she’d try parenthood.  Before kids she was a teacher, nurse, and world traveler. Now she mostly travels around her house picking up toys. Motherhood proved much harder than Emily anticipated so, in an effort to not run away from home, she started a podcast.   On her weekly show, Emily interviews other women who are struggling WELL in some area in hopes of figuring out how to be less of a mess herself.  She uses humor and honesty to share the encouragement from God’s word and her personal misadventures in an effort to build up worn-down ladies everywhere.   Find Emily here at her website: strugglewellproject.com and on instagram: instagram.com/strugglewellproject I hope you’ll enjoy our talk today!

Renee Swope : Word-lover, heart-encourager and grace-needer. Wife of 25 years, mom of three (ranging from 10-23), former radio co-host and executive director of Proverbs 31 Ministries and best-selling author of A Confident Heart and A Confident Heart Devotional And … she’s joining us for our podcast, today! I so enjoyed our conversation and I know you will, too! You can find Renee here: https://www.ReneeSwope.com  https://www.facebook.com/aconfidentheart http://www.instagram.com/reneeswope 

So glad to be hosting Erin Loechner today on the podcast! Author of Chasing Slow and founder of Design for Mankind, Erin Loechner has been blogging and speaking for more than a decade. Her heartfelt writing and design work has been showcased in The New York Times, Lucky, Parenting, Dwell, Marie Claire, Elle Decor, Huffington Post, and a two-season HGTV.com web special, garnering over one million fans worldwide. She has spoken for and appeared in renowned international events for clients such as Walt Disney World, IKEA, Martha Stewart and Home Depot. Now nestled in a Midwestern town, Erin, her husband, and two kids strive for less in most areas except three: joy, grace, and goat cheese.   Find Erin here: Design for Mankind Her book, Chasing Slow, can be found at Amazon!

What fun it was to speak with Lara Casey! She has a wonderful team of women she works with in business as well as her lovely family, and she’s a fantastic encourager— have you seen her beautiful life planners, the PowerSheets? She’s blessing so many people and I’m so glad she’s joining me today! Not only is she wonderful to talk to, she’s also offering one of our readers a Write the Word Journal—and one for a friend! To enter, please go to this poster on my Instagram feed and tag a friend!

Sarah Mackenzie is familiar to many of you as the spunky, delightful leader of Read-Aloud Revival. I so enjoy Sarah’s heart for her family as well as reading, and we had such a delightful time talking today! Sarah is an author herself, and lives in the Inland Northwest with her husband Andrew, where they homeschool their six kids (including identical twin boys). And she’s been so kind as to offer one of our readers a copy of her book, The Read-Aloud Family—plus a second copy for a friend! Be sure to go to my Instagram page to tag a friend in a comment and enter. Sarah also has a wonderful podcast: Read-Aloud Revival. And you can find her on Instagram, too!

Many of you are probably familiar with the beautiful work of today’s guest, Ruth Chou Simons. Her gorgeous watercolors remind us all that God loves us, and has surrounded us with a beautiful world. She claims she is "an unlikely mom to six young boys” and wife to Troy, with whom she leads GraceLaced's small but mighty team. When not painting, writing, and casting vision for GraceLaced.com, Ruth is usually busy eating chips and salsa, sorting laundry, cooking for large crowds, not finishing her sentences, and discovering off-beaten paths in the wild with her guys. She is a devotee of pho, a recovering perfectionist, a converted four-wheeling enthusiast, and a grateful beholder of redeeming Grace.” I hope you’ll enjoy our podcast today—I know we enjoyed creating it for you! Dear Ruth is offering a wonderful gift for one of our readers, today! Go to my Instagram page and leave a comment on the poster pictured below, to tag a friend in order to enter!

I so loved talking with both Emily Ley and her dear friend, Kristin Winchester, today! They have supported one another through very difficult, lonely times and the vulnerability with which they shared their story touched me. Both are mamas of twins and they came to deep friendship because one of them took initiative and the other responded. Their story is what our lives should hold—initiation, kindness, acceptance, support, and the willingness to be there for one another through many seasons. Kristin and Emily got to the heart of what life is like for most of us as we try to live well the challenging stories we all live within. Kristin is mom to toddling twins. Emily is mama to three lovely little ones, and runs her company, Simplified, in all her spare time. Ha! She knows the power of friendship and teamwork, and we know you’ll be blessed as you listen. You can find Emily on Instagram, too! And she has a surprise for you: She’s giving away one copy of the 2019 Simplified Planner plus a copy of each of her books, A Simplified Life and Grace, Not Perfection ! We hope you’ll be encouraged by our conversation.

It’s always a joy to share with my friend, Alyssa Bethke! Alyssa has an infectious smile, and we know her enthusiasm for life will be an encouragement to you, today. This is how she sums up the work she and her husband do on the interwebs … “We are Jeff & Alyssa Bethke. We have two kids, Kinsley and Kannon, and a dog named Aslan. We live in Maui, and we like to create things on the internet. In fact, that's probably how or why you're here! We consider it an immense privilege that people care to listen or read what we have to say. If we could sum up our mission on the internet it'd be to encourage men, women and families through online experiences and creative resources that are practical, fun and help each person on their journey of following Jesus.” Find Alyssa on Instagram at AlyssaJoyBethke Podcast: the Real Life Podcast They also have these books available: Spoken For, Love that Lasts, 31 Ways to Creatively Love Him, and Finding Freedom

Sweet Jen Smith and I became friends a few years ago. How fun it has been fo me to watch her share her vision and passion as a young wife and then as a mother and now as a woman, filled with family, convictions, and so much to share from a passion she overflows with from a love of Jesus. We had so much fun catching up on my podcast again. I love her sparkle and her convictions. You will enjoy this podcast so much today. Today we talked with Jen Smith, from Unveiled Wife!

Doesn’t this sound like such a fun life?! Elsie Iudicello lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and four young boys on a noisy farm brimming with an assortment of animals and tropical fruit trees. She is an author and speaker with a passion for Jesus and a great love for homeschooling, stories, tea, adventuring with her children, theology and avocados. We had so much fun talking about friendship for my podcast today—hope you will love listening in! Elsie writes for Wild and Free magazine and blogs at www.farmhouseschoolhouse.com. You can follow Elsie on instagram @Farmhouse_Schoolhouse for more updates on the upcoming release of her first book. 

What a delightful group of women we are talking with this month! I hope you’ll enjoy this recording with Haley Stewart. Haley is mama to four and wife to a beekeeper, author, blogger, podcaster … a prolific person, in general! She’s also written a book titled, The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture. You can find Haley at all these places … Blog: https://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/ Podcast: https://fountainsofcarrots.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleycarrots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaleyCarrots Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrotsForMichaelmas/

I so hope you’ll enjoy this conversation we had with Kate Merrick! Friendship is so very important to us, and Kate knows much about the importance of having girlfriends in times of joy and sorrow. Kate is wife to Britt Merrick and mom to Isaiah Harley, Daisy Love, and Pheodora Sunshine. They have a church in California and she’s authored two books: And Still She Laughs and Here, Now (due April 2, 2019!) You can find Kate here on Facebook: Kate Merrick, Author. Enjoy the podcast—and be sure to order your own copy of Girls’ Club!

I had a wonderful conversation about friendship recently with Sister Theresa that I’m so excited to share with you. It’s such a grace to talk about this very important topic with wise women, and we hope you enjoy listening in to our podcast! Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP is a former atheist who, thanks to the grace of God, has returned to the faith she was raised in and now tries to help others bring their loved ones back to the faith. A few years after returning to the Church, she heard God calling her, so she left her job in Silicon Valley to join the Daughters of St. Paul. She is the founder of the Memento Mori project and author of The Prodigal You Love: Inviting Loved Ones Back to the Church. She now lives in Boston where she serves at the Pauline Publishing House in the Editorial Department. You can also find her here: Her website: https://pursuedbytruth.com twitter: https://twitter.com/pursuedbytruth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pursuedbytruth/?hl=en

Then there are the friends in your life who also give and take. Friends who minister to you, and who you also minister to. I love these kinds of friendships! But they are few and far between. So when you find one of those friendships, do not take it for granted! They are God’s gift to you. I have three friends like this. I know that I can call on them no matter what and they will be there for me because they love me and care about me. If I need ministering to, they know this and will do whatever they can for me. And I will do the same for them. These relationships are so beautiful and need much cultivating.

What fun we’re having as we prepare to launch the new book, Girls’ Club! Today I had the joy of recording a discussion with Greta Eskridge, a delightful mom who loves to encourage others. I hope you’ll love our conversation. You can find more from Greta here: Website and blog : www.gretaeskridge.com Instagram: @maandpamodern

What a joy to have Kristen Kill joining me once again, as I continue this series all about the Clarkson ladies’ newest book, Girls’ Club! Kristen is a long-time friend to our family, and we’ve shared many a cup of tea and deep conversations all over the country. She’s settling into a new spot in the Pacific Northwest with her darling family after spending many years in New York City, and can be found on Instagram and Facebook as Kristen Kill. You can also find her book all about finding rest in the midst of a busy life here: Finding Selah.

Everyone wishes for a true friend. Seldom do we consider that we must first be one.

Our publisher Tyndale Momentum has generously provided the opportunity for one of you to win this amazing gift so that you can have a holiday in Oxford, and enjoy high tea with us at a lovely and celebrated old hotel in the historical center of town. We will have our own girls club time together, and will have a heart-to-heart conversation with you to encourage you. We will also provide insider’s input on how best to enjoy Oxford, and all the best places to visit. Enjoy the dreaming spires and ancient streets of this beautiful university town, and walk the same paths as people like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

God gives us choices to obey Him, to tender our hearts to His ways. Our service of worship is, because we love Him, to seek to obey Him day after day. Our faithfulness will be a testimony of our love and faith in Him through out eternity.

Sometimes the seeds that He requires us to sow, do not obviously promise anything--yet, we are asked to believe in the potential--the latent miracles inside of these small life-seeds.

This book is our story as well as a gathering of convictions that each of us holds about the importance of cultivating female friendships that not only provide emotional affirmation and acceptance but also inspire, educate, train, and stretch us to live into our God-given potential.

Today in my podcast, I sat down with Nathan Clarkson and talked about why good stories were so important to him as a boy and how they helped him find a vision for growing into a good man. 

All of us have limitations. If we spend all of the energy, love and serving that we are capable of giving, we must refuel or there will be consequences. Just as a car cannot fun without gasoline, so we cannot get very far on fumes.

One of the most consistent messages we spoke to our children’s heart was, “God has created you with a place in His kingdom story. He gave you a personality, skills, desires so that you can use the uniqueness of who you are to serve Him and bring His light to bear through you.”

Hope you enjoy the podcast—as we wanted our friends to know our adventures and challenges this week with Lily. Joel Clarkson helped me find a song we hope you will enjoy. Have the most wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.

Today, on my podcast, I am sharing a recording with all of you that I made especially for my membership. Many people have asked me, “What kind of podcasts and recordings do you have in your membership? This is a Bible study that I do each month. I hope you enjoy it—and I pray you will live into the light who came to light your darkness.

I am podcasting today with my sweet friend, Shelly Miller, who also lives in the UK, in London. She loves to encourage women to take time to rest. You can find her at Shellymillerwriter.com.

Messages of truth, hope, love, faith so that we can know and serve God more is at the heartbeat of all that we do at Whole Heart. Clay and I always want to We love sharing the messages God has put on our hearts with you!

Creating traditions over the year with your family will cultivate a family culture unique to your own heritage. Each of us has agency to decide what is a priority to our own family with consideration of our unique values, personalities and preferences. Yet, when a celebration is practiced year after year, together, pathways of security are roughed out in hearts and minds to remember these practices as moments that speak of love, home and intimacy shared to build life-long community.

There are times in life when we all long for the world to be a place of rest, only beauty, good news and hope. Have you ever wished that just for a small, brief time, life could be happy, without burden, without guilt, without struggle? Just happy and easy and free to enjoy? I have. As a dreamer, romantic, idealist, I sometimes wish life could be as lovely as I can imagine it to be in my heart.

Take time to regroup today--Go eat some chocolate, and don't feel guilty as you are eating it (that would certainly be a waste of good chocolate!) Listen to some beautiful music, watch a heart-warming movie, take a nap, eat off of paper plates to save cleanup! The rest of December is still coming and you will be the better for it. I'll be praying for you!

I hope you will enjoy my podcast today as I share about tea time discipleship with you and I know you will love the chapter. It could change your relationships as it has mine—such a treasure, such a simple secret. Enjoy!

As you prepare to cultivate a people, a place and a community within your family and at table, remember, it is the daily celebrating of life together, that will prepare for you a heritage and deep friendships that will satisfy the deepest places of your soul the rest of your life. It is a gift to inherit and one of the greatest works of your life.

True discipleship must reflect the fact that God values our voice, thought, and will. Dinnertime discussions reflect and enact this value, making a place where everyone can be heard, be exposed to truth, and have the space to develop convictions in the context of community. Through dinnertime discussions, convictions can be formed, confidence can be gained, conversation can be practiced, and consideration can be taught.

I am so excited to share this Mini-Podcast with you.  We sat down quickly together and recorded this conversation after a quick breakfast the morning I left for Nashville.  I know you will enjoy hearing his lovely accent and his insight about stories, an inspirational poem and thoughts from C.S. Lewis about table time.  

The story of the Clarkson family has been written at tables. Not with pen and paper, but with words and people, food and fellowship, talk and time. Whatever kind of table it might be—breakfast, lunch, dinner; picnic or deck; plain or fancy; small, tall, wood, metal, or rock; bare or cloth-covered; even the ground—it becomes our family table when we sit down together to eat and drink and be and belong. The delightful fruits of God’s creation we share together fill and fuel us as God’s life- breathed and image-bearing creatures, and our shared story grows from the table’s Spirit-infused life coming alive in us.

What does it mean to be transformed, changed, and reshaped as an antidote to being conformed to the world? In this episode, Sally ponders these ideas as she discusses chapters four and five of the Life-giving Table and teaches us about how family culture has the distinct and grace-giving power to both change and protect us. She inspires listeners to instill a sense of "this is who we are" and "this is what we believe" into the hearts of her children as they gather at the table, and gives tools to not only create a vision to define our own family culture, but to practically cultivate a legacy.

The more you cultivate happiness for yourself, the more happy you will be--and the happier your children will be! Practice being thankful every day--take time to look at the antics, and into the eyes  of your children and thank God for them.

One of the pleasures of hosting a podcast and be engaged in ministry is the sweetness of getting to rub shoulders with women who deeply love the Lord and are kindred spirits. Ellie Holcomb is such a woman. Her deep love for God, His word, a joyful reverence for life and a deep love for children combined to give us such a wonderful time to visit recently.

Take time to notice the miraculous, to hear the music, to dance to the joy that today might bring and to rest in the endless love of one who is preparing a feast for us in the not too distant future.

Today, Nathan and I talk about what it looks like to be a good man and how to shape your boys’ hearts so that they will grow in their self-image to wanting to be a good man in their generation—a good man who is willing to be a part of bringing God’s goodness and light and morality back into a culture that longs to be led and taught.

God cares so much for you and all of the burdens you carry and wants you to know He has compassion and sympathy for you. Just know that your perseverance in faith and being faithful pleases His heart and He understands how you feel. Do not feel guilty about feeling bad for difficult things--that is a proper response. But choosing to take joy and seek to light candles in the darkness so to speak will help you make it through. And the hope that every day of your faithfulness matters will keep you going forward. 

When our hearts are surrounded with fear and discouragement in the storms of life, let us look to the face of Jesus, our king, our savior and our Lord. He is with us. He will not abandon us. He will carry us through. Today is the best time, to believe, to hold fast, to worship by faith and to rest in His strength.

This is what I have had in my heart to shape--a home that breathes life and truth and love into all who would enter-- To make sure my home, for my family and friends, is indeed the last homely house and that all that has been excellent and worthwhile over the ages is celebrated in its walls-- because everyone needs a place to belong and a home where welcome is always fresh with all who cross the doorway.

This week my Sarah launches her solo book, Book Girl. I know many of you will love this book. We made a really fun and funny podcast for you last week--we have so much fun talking together about all aspects of life, past stories and memories and of course books. Be sure to get your copy to be lifted up in spirit at the beginning of this new school year. Fall is a great time to read. 

Sarah's book, Book Girl, is filled with wonderful, personal stories. I am even one fo the people she writes about. I know you will be inspired by this book.

I know you will love the podcast today, and even more, I know you will be challenged and blessed to your toes as you read this book. I pray you are inspired today as you listen to our time together to renew your commitment to take care of your own soul by taking intentional time to invest in it. 

Resting in Him, choosing peace and putting off responsibilities and recreating is sometimes such grand medicine for my soul, that after choosing to rest and to invest in fun and love and ease of life, my strength is renewed and all issues are able to be faced with grace. I know busyness is coming, but I will face it with courage later if I rest today.

Your loving touch, patient service, and sacrifice of time today is not in vain. It is a sacrifice of worship to the One who laid down His own life in moments of time, that we could imagine what God was really like by viewing the incarnate, servant King--the Providing Father.

Each of us must choose His ways, submit to His will, so that we can truly become stronger in understanding that His love for us requires that He will train us for growth. God does not want us to just be shallow and happy--getting our own way at every juncture. He wants us to learn the depth of His wisdom and to learn the way of contentment and peace.

As women, faith exhibited in and through our lives is what will make the reality of God seem real as we live our lives in front of others. Think of how faith was worked out through out the Bible.