Category: Family

Family life is daily. There is no vacation from being in family, yet is a daily practice session for application of how we are to live with others. Enjoy every practice session as you grow together and learn about and grow in God’s incredible grace.

Family, For the Love of Family

Mary, a Mom like Us

The story of Mary – so simple, so complex, so comforting. Mary is a mother, like so many of my readers. A mother whose heart endured a lot. Mary is just like us, yet not like us. She is the mother to our Savior, who is also her Lord. In his gospel writings, Luke offers some beautiful insights into Mary’s personal journey as a mom. An emotional journey not unlike our journeys today. In the darkness of the night, outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds were suddenly and gloriously notified of Jesus birth. Although they were frightened, they heeded the words […]

Family, For the Love of Family

Organizing Your Family. My Calendar Recommendation

A friend of mine, a mother of three small ones, posted the following question on Facebook: Mom friends…how do you stay organized? Between my husband and I and our work commitments, and the 3 kiddos school/preschool events and due dates, activities, appointments, etc. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed! I currently use outlook for work and a paper planner/calendar for home (yes, I like to write things down, including my to do list), but I am afraid I am going to double-book/overlook things. What works for you? I loved reading the replies from young moms, each wanting to offer was has […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

Do This. Checklists for First-Time Home Buyers

Recently one of my clients asked if I had a check-list for buying a home.  My answer was ‘no’, but what a great idea! Purchasing a home is exciting, especially your first one; yet it is also a bit overwhelming. Like anything else, though, you need to think through the ‘cost’ of owning your own home. As a financial coach, my first priority is to assure that the budget is working and good financial planning is in place. Having lived through home-buying mistakes, I desire to help others be wise in making a new home purchase so that the new home […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

Ice Cream Truck Economics: Real Life Lessons

It’s summer! Enjoying the freedom of summer, sunshine and impromptu games in the yard, suddenly the familiar sound of the ice cream truck draws everyone’s attention. Run. Get your money. The ice cream truck is coming to the neighborhood. As I child I envisioned the wonderful life of city living, where an ice cream truck made daily stops in front of my home. How great that would be! Fast forward several years and reality hits: Living in a city, three children and the daily stop of the ice cream truck. Ice cream treats are $3 each, the inevitable fall of […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

How Living with Boundaries Makes Life Better

I can’t remember the exact day or even time period of my life when it happened. But it was a conviction; a conviction that grew and expanded to infiltrate all of my life.  The conviction? God’s blessings come with boundaries; boundaries for our benefit and his glory. As Gary and I were climbing out of debt, and dealing with the temptation of using credit, I was slowly convicted. Although we lived fairly simply, our spending was beyond the boundaries of our income. It was probably an answer to some sporadically spoken prayer for contentment and ridding ourselves of materialistic and […]

Family, For the Love of Family

Parenting by Faith

  And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.   It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting […]