Just A Mom from Ohio

Being sick and forced to rest has led me to Netflix binge watch a trending show called "Tidying Up" with Marie Kondo. Now I'm slightly obsessed with this concept of "sparking joy" and her folding technique . the beginning of learning to fold The idea of minimalism has been on my mind for quite some time. I get overwhelmed by stuff, especially after having kids. It is so easy to be overtaken by toys and all the "must haves" recommended by advertising geniuses. Yet I feel guilty about giving stuff away that people buy for us. Marie Kondo addresses that in the show. It's really intriguing how she connects gratitude to the process of selecting what you keep and don't keep. My word for 2019 is "content". This concept of this show and my word of the year go hand in hand. And the timing is good too. With my transition to a single mom, I've had to start over, walk away from a lot of stuff. This is my opportunity to be extra selec...

A newborn has needs that must be met and there is a huge market of stuff to help. It may not be long before a new parent looks up and is totally surrounded by all of this new baby stuff. This can be overwhelming and confusing trying to determine what is truly necessary. Similarly, there are also several resources for new Christians available, b ut what do we really need? See all the random stuff behind my child. Every baby and every person develops at their own rate. This is also true of spiritual growth. Don’t expect to be as spiritual as your friend or someone you see at church. Get comfortable with who you are and letting God mold you. Just getting to the point of accepting Christ’s love for us may take one person a lifetime and another person minutes. Since we all develop at different speeds it is natural for the many of options to dive into our faith deeper to be appealing. My advice is to NOT get overwhelmed and start wi...

We all start as infants, both in life and in Christianity. Perhaps we try to grow up too fast. Or some of us may get stuck in the infant state. Jesus said to come unto him with childlike hearts. Is it possible to have the heart of a child while still allowing the mind to mature to an adult? Isn’t that is the ideal state? Why are we in such a hurry to grow up and be so fast paced that we just get through each day? We have lost our youthful spirits worrying about what others think and being successful. What does God intend? God is our Father and he will provide if we trust. Are we content to accept what God has in store for us or do we desire the control to run our own lives? When we interfere, the train goes off course. Are you new in Christ or rededicated? Congratulations!!! You are brand new! Welcome to God’s family! You are loved. If you don’t believe that you are loved, I hope that through this blog you will discover God’s amazing love for you. ...

(Started Feb 2017, Published Feb 2018) Love. My daughter and son received these adorable valentine's cards with army figures on them which I strategically placed in the picture. In this dollhouse, the bedroom is where the battle is about to go down. Do you think it started with the toilet seat that was left up or something bigger? Love is a battlefield. Isn't that the truth? Phew! I'll say. I can't think of many times where I felt like I came out on the winning side of love. Except, of course, the most critical, Jesus. I'm so grateful that I finally believe in the unmatched love my Savior has for me. He loves you too! Last year January, I asked my uncle that loves to study theology about why it is so common to use 1 Corinthians  13 in marriage vows. My uncle has officiated several weddings, including my own. My specific questions were: 1) why use that passage of Scripture and 2) if the people being wed were to have already achieved this type of love ...

This might be a controversial question, but is there a right way to pray? I heard a sermon a few weeks ago that inspired me on a "way to pray" based on Scripture. I was super pumped about it and posted that I wanted to write a blog that week about it. Then life continued on and I procrastinated on writing this post. So here I am, weeks later, questioning my original idea of what I wanted to write. With the new year, there has been several new songs playing on my favorite radio channel, Air1 radio . One new song is by Riley Clemons called "Broken Prayers" (see the video below). I heard it yesterday and today twice already and its just after lunch. Now I'm writing (and being obedient). I'm conflicted about the format of prayer and the desperation of prayer.   I've gone through many seasons where I had to force myself to let go of the "right way" to do things, the "religious" way. That is part of what I love about the ...