Grace for Every Mom

Prayer...I don't know about you, but this has always been difficult for me. I try and try to get it "right" but always end up frustrated and give up. If I'm not really careful, a week (or two) can go by and I haven't spoken to my Savior at all! When I pray, I feel like my words make it as far as the ceiling and then bounce right back at me! Is it like that for you? Does it just make you want to yell in frustration or just forego prayer altogether? Believe me, I completely understand! Guess what? I have found help for us. Carol Round is an absolutely precious woman who knows how very important the practice of prayer is. Prayer is our conversation with our Lord and Savior and prayer is how we develop a close relationship with Him. Jesus doesn't want to just be our Savior, He wants to be our friend. He wants to be closer to us than a brother {or sister}. In the Preface to her book, Journaling with Jesus, How to Draw Closer to God, Mrs. Round has this to say;

So, it's 1:45 a.m. & I'm sitting in the living room with my soon to be 2 yo son, Mason.  Mason has NEVER slept all night since the day he was born...not ONCE. I've Googled, read, researched, spoken with his pediatrician and other pediatricians, tried essential oils, warm baths with calming bath soap and adjusted his schedule so many times that I can't even remember. This past Friday I had a minor surgical procedure done but was told I couldn't lift anything heavy for 10 days (as the discharge nurse eyed my 30-pound baby boy). Can I just get some back up from other moms out there; if your baby falls or gets sick, you are NOT going to say “Well, I can't pick you up, just dust it off and go on about your day”, are you? I didn't think so. The meds they gave me after surgery turned me into monster mommy/wife. I snapped off the head of every poor innocent that happened to look me directly in the eye all day Saturday and Sunday. Plus, those same meds

As a momma, I am constantly on my toes. If Mason sleeps ten minutes passed his bedtime, I worry he is sick (never mind the fact that he played wide open yesterday and skipped his nap and then spent the evening after dinner playing outside with Daddy!). When I fix his breakfast, lunch or dinner, I worry if he ate enough and I want his snacks to be healthy. If he is playing, whether inside or out, I stay a step or two behind him so I can be right there if he falls and skins his knee. Yes, I'm a bit of a worry wart. But what does that say about my faith? All this worrying stresses me out and doesn't make me much fun to play with or to play around.          "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."                                                                        1 Peter 5:7-8 (NLT) Trying to keep our children from getting hurt, feeding them healthy foods and making sure they get enough sleep is what being a momma is all about,

As I sit here staring at my computer screen, I realize that I haven't thought about God's blessing in my home for a while. Isn't that how it is for most women? Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets so caught up in running and doing, doctor appointments, grocery stores, chores, and doing for others that I leave my time with God in the dust. Over the last few days, as I've been readin ... g Whispered Grace, I've realized something; God won't shout at us and demand our attention or thump us over the head with the Word. I imagine He sits patiently but sadly as we run, run, run instead of holding out our hand for His and spending time wrapped in His peace that surpasses understanding. I feel bad when I think of how often I have ignored Him, especially after all He has done to bless me. I was saved at twelve years old and can still remember how amazing I felt. You know the song 'Walking on Sunshine'? Yep, that was totally my theme song. Then, life

WARNING!!! This will be a pretty long post, but I hope you will read it through to the end. So Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, hid Jews during the Nazi invasion. When they were caught, they were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. They were starved, worked almost to death and, to add insult and humiliation to injury, they were made to walk naked past the male guards. I hate to even imagine what else these women and other prisoners went through. In the study 'You Are Forgiven' I'm doing through lovegodgreatly.com, this is what they have written in Chapter 5, which is titled "THE CALL OF FORGIVENESS"; "Many years later while speaking on forgiveness, Corrie saw one of the guards from the time of her imprisonment. It's a lot to take in. Her sister [Betsie] had died in prison and she herself had suffered cruelly at the hands of the Nazis." Corrie was sure that the guard would not remember her because it had been a long time a

I'm noticing that a lot of us have something in common...we don't think we are enough. While we may not say it aloud, we think God may be able to forgive HER, but I bet she hasn't done half the awful things I've done! "The Lord called me before I was born. He named me while I was in my mother’s womb." ~ Isaiah 49:1 God knew you and every single decision, mistake and rebellious act you would commit before you were more than a twinkle in your daddy's eye. God made you to be exactly what and who you are. God doesn't make mistakes. Let me say that one more time; GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES! You were created and put here for a reason, His reason. What that reason is will be between you and God, but trust that God has a plan for you.   " Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged."~John 19:1 God stands outside of time and sees everything that has, is or ever will happen. He knew that Jesus would be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

Just the other day, I saw someone who tried her hardest to mess up my life several years ago. I thought I was over it, had forgiven her because, after all, I prayed for my heart to let go of the hate I felt for her. Yes, I said "HATE". I had an extreme hate for her. It's a long story, but she almost destroyed my future marriage and my life all because she was just a bored individual who had nothing better to do. I was doing my evening Bible reading yesterday and the Word convicted me. I hadn't forgiven her so much as just quit thinking about it. I read two verses that brought her instantly to my mind. "Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer" Romans 12:12   "If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty,

You know, I've always wondered why this day should be called "Good" Friday. This is the day that our Savior was crucified. Jesus was the sweetest, most patient, compassionate, empathetic and humble man this world has ever seen or will ever see until He appears in the clouds to call His people home. He helped so many people, He taught so many people, He had mercy on so many people. Even today, over 2,000 years later, He still is and does these things. I know He is constantly working on teaching me. I read the stories of how Jesus healed the leper and my heart just breaks at the pure sweetness of that man named Jesus. I mean think about it, really think about it. A leper lived outside of regular society and wasn't allowed to do the normal things everyone else did. They were never touched and rarely looked at. One day, Jesus sees this leper and He touches him and makes him clean, healed ... instantly! Did you catch the part where I said Jesus TOUCHED the leper?  Every

You read that correctly, I haven't the foggiest notion what Advent is. According to Justin Holcomb on christianity.com , Advent is a season of the liturgical year. I have no idea what that is either! The Advent season is supposed to help us slow our roll and anticipate the coming of Christmas. It is supposed to help us remember what the TRUE reason for Christmas is. During Advent, many people make decorations and light candles and do an Advent devotional to help them draw closer to Jesus. Advent lasts for the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas. On that day the new Christian year begins and there is the celebration of Christmastide, which lasts for twelve days (from Christmas Eve until Epiphany on January 6. According to Mr. Holcomb , "Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27th and December 3rd each year." While I may find a calendar to help me understand the liturgical year at some point, this year my main focus is on quieting my mind and drawing c

I received an email earlier from someone who came across For God's Daughters through an internet search and they decided to go through several of the posts, which are mostly book reviews. Some of the reviews are of books in the Horror category and they contain adult situations. The individual asked why I didn't at least go through and delete those reviews. I didn't go through and delete them because, in most cases, the author found me and asked me to review their book and I was and am extremely honored that they would trust me to do that. Also, I don't want For God's Daughters to seem completely perfect. Truthfully, I had considered deleting some of the reviews, but then it hit me. I am a growing Christian. Every single day, there is something a little different about how I think or what I feel comfortable with reading/watching/doing. Why shouldn't my blog be the same way? Sort of like a reflection of my personal growth. I like that idea, that people can go