wood light fashion man
Advent, Gospel, Parenting

When Your Hopes and Dreams for Your Child Don’t Turn Out the Way You Planned

Parents have great hopes and dreams more often than not when they bring a child into the world. What will he or she become? We pray for health and for happiness, surely. But many pray that the gifts God bestows on them will be used well and appreciated by the child, that the gifts will be used to glorify God. Whatever the hopes and prayers, things don’t always turn out the way we expect.

lighted holiday tree in front of building
Advent, Gospel

God Looks Upon our Lowliness

To be seen through the eyes of God, even in our lowliness, is a true blessing. As women we know we can be our own worst enemies. We do not need others to put us down because no one does that better that we do. Unfortunately, we often see ourselves as if we were looking at a fun house mirror full of distortion. We see every perceived imperfection and we focus on those. Can you imagine how sad God must be with how we look upon his creation this way?

photo of child reading holy bible
Advent, Family Life, Gospel, Women's Ministry

Living our Faith with Courage. Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

When my daughter was just starting to talk, I remember wanting to make sure we always said grace before meals. Growing up, my family knew how to say grace, but we didn’t do it regularly, and especially not in public. As I’m teaching my daughter to say grace, sometimes I’m tempted to skip public prayer if we’re dining at a restaurant. But let me tell you, my four year old never skips grace!