Just A Mom from Ohio

Did you pick a word to focus on for 2019? My word of the year for 2019 is "content". My goal for this year is to being satisfied with my life as it is. As a recently divorced single mom that could be a challenge. But nothing is impossible with God. And God is my center. I have this picture in my mind that I am in standing on a rock in the center of His palm in a posture of trust and worship.

This morning God reminded me of His sense of humor. At church, I was expecting to pick up a sign of my word of the year created by a ministry His Words I Speak.  I had ordered one online with a big order from church but when I arrived to pick it up, there were 2 signs for me. I was confused. They said they were a gift too. Turns out my Divorce Care leader had decided to buy one as a gift but they both ended up gifted to me. I love it because now I don't have to debate if I need the sign at home or work. I get to have one in both places. But it cracks me up because just last night, I …

Are you a #fixer? 
Do you want for everyone to always get along and for there to be peace in your household and family? Seems like a reasonable idea, right? Wrong! Works in theory but not as much in reality. 
At church this past Sunday, the pastor spoke about the messiness of Jesus’s genealogy and how life isn’t perfect or easy. 
Life is hard.
Life is messy. (especially with kids, am I right?)
We, ourselves, cannot fix it. And maybe the situation isn’t meant to be fixed, now or ever. What we should focus on is God and trusting Him to get us through the challenge.
Coincidentally, this sermon occurred on Mother’s Day and there were four women who spoke about what it is like to be a mother. A common thread in the conversation was that a mother may act controlling or manipulative, in the best possible way, of course. A mother wants what is best for her children and has a hard time seeing them struggle or experience pain. It is easy for a mother to jump in and try to help or fix the situat…

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 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 selective about sparks joy in my life, what I wa…

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, but what do we really need?

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 with the basics. It might just be that a Bible and a
small group is all you need to get started.