(Guest post by Jameson Maynes) “Can we go to ours new house, momma!? I like my new house!” Two-year-old Lainey shouted triumphantly at me as we were leaving the grocery store. My husband and I recently bought our first home—a nerve-wracking, exciting whirlwind. While the entire process was a lot smoother than either of us ever imagined it could be, there was much sacrifice and prayer that came before we moved into our new home. The moment Lain shouted as we left the grocery store, the Holy Spirit gently whispered a question that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. “What Continue Reading
Why Your Hurting Friend may not Benefit from Encouragement (and what to offer instead)
When Lisa heard about Crystal’s ongoing difficulties, she knew just what to do. She’d just read an article which had lifted her spirits. Sure that this was God’s timing, Lisa forwarded the article link to Crystal, along with a favorite Scripture reference and another link to a video of an encouraging sermon. Lisa felt good about helping her friend. What she didn’t realize is that her “help” actually made things worse for Crystal. “How can that be?” you may ask. “Aren’t Christians supposed to encourage one another?” Well, that depends. Let’s use a helpful analogy. Research shows Continue Reading
To “Boo” or not to “Boo” (What’s a Parent to Do?)
A brief stroll around my neighborhood reveals something ironic: we’ve all just finished sweeping the nasty cobwebs off our shrubs just in time to replace them with much larger, fake ones! Over the years, I’ve been all over the map on Halloween. When our kids were very young, we allowed them to go trick-or-treating. Then, due to information circulating about the pagan roots of Halloween and dark practices associated with it, we opted out and took our boys to church harvest parties, where they could dress up, play games and get a sack full of candy. (Turns out, Halloween is not the Continue Reading
One Surprising Way you can Experience the Love of God
I looked around the room at the people gathered for our five-year high school reunion (yes, it was a number of years ago) and recognized a familiar face. “Cindy” had been in my philosophy class as a senior. I had prayed for her, and several other classmates, off and on since graduating, particularly because she did not profess faith in Christ. She’d remained on my heart. I was glad to see her. “Hi, Cindy,” I greeted her, smiling. She looked at me blankly. Slowly, recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, I remember you!” she finally said. I had carried a burden for Cindy for five Continue Reading