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Have you considered how social media has broken down the art of friendship? And, have you thought about what that can mean for your child’s future? Everything we share online gives the world another little piece of us. And over time, it can blur the line between what is public and what was never meant to leave our home. Over the past two years, I have intentionally pulled myself off social media. In that time, some friends have felt that I am not as open anymore or that I am

The other evening my youngest wasn’t feeling well and asked me to snuggle her until she was asleep. I agreed without hesitation, because—again, I have a senior this year and those years went by way too fast! She asked relentlessly if I would stay until she was asleep, and how I would know she was actually asleep. I answered, “Because I know you.” And then I laid there thinking, that’s true of both my girls. I know them. I know them deeply. I remember when I was living in New

When your kids are little, the dreams and plans you have for them seem pretty attainable. Get them into this school. Read the Bible with them. Do all the fun things together. Teach them about Jesus. And then, of course, they’ll just fall in line with all those plans. It’s an easy dream. I believed it too. Then they get to middle school, and you realize there’s something about them you didn’t really plan for. They talk back. They listen to their friends more than they listen t

It's that time of year again- back to school. The schedule just got full through December. The budget just took a hit. And your kid is already complaining about the other kids. Bring on the school year! How much of your day is spent worrying about things that don't actually matter, just to keep up? Have you ever stopped to ask what Jesus would think about all of it-the pettiness, the quiet competition to prove some things about our lives and hide others, just to fit into a bo

For our home, this moment in time is finally here. The school year is just days away, and I have had moments where I've felt broken, like a piece of my heart is already miles away. I have been flooded with questions and overwhelmed with sadness. There are hundreds of school-time memories going through my head like a slow-motion video of my life with her. I remember holding my sweet girl's hand, walking her into those first days of elementary school, again and again. I remembe

When I was in college I worked at Foley's department store. I started off in the clothing department and more times than you can imagine I would find dressing rooms completely destroyed. Women would try on clothes and wad them up in piles in the room and then leave the mess for us to clean up. One time, I discovered that pile had actually been peed on. We live in such an entitled society in America, one in which many people think that if they can't have something they can a

Have you ever stopped in the middle of your day to ask yourself if Sunday is all Jesus gets from you? One hour. Maybe a worship set and a sermon. And then Monday comes and He gets... what, exactly? Does He get the in-between stuff too? Does He get the in-the-moment, I-need-Jesus breaths when the day is falling apart, or just the polished version of you that shows up in a pew once a week? Shouldn't He get more than that? What about the "thank you, Jesus, for this home" breath

Why parenting on purpose matters The days are long, and yet the moments we get with our kids are short and fleeting. If we are not intentional, we can miss every single opportunity to pour into them — and not even realize it until they are gone. So let me ask you something. How much of your day is spent on things that, at the end of your life, will never matter? How you are going to pay the bills. What is happening at work and how to handle it. The neighbors and their yard. T

Dinnertime needs to be more intentional. From the tween years on, most families are only home together for dinner a few nights a week. Everyone sits down, food gets eaten, and before you know it someone's clearing their plate and heading to their room. Connection missed. Again. The truth is, our kids need us to initiate. They won't always come to us with what's on their heart. But if we create a rhythm — a safe, consistent space at the table where real conversations happen —

Stop and picture something for a moment. Picture the day your adult child enters Heaven's gates. You are standing with the crowd of those who loved them and shepherded them in faith. With eager anticipation, they go running into Jesus' embrace — just as you did. Surrounded by family. Surrounded by those who poured into them. I can't imagine a better visual to spur me forward in the daily, sometimes exhausting work of parenting with purpose. Because here's the truth: no amount

Here's what I know to be true: the greatest gift you can give your child isn't the latest clothes and new phones, it’s not endless time with friends or a padded college fund. It’s not club sports and packed schedules. It's a known sense of who they are — rooted in the One who made them. We live in a culture that is constantly telling our kids who to be. Social media, peers, coaches, even well-meaning adults — they're all competing to define our children before we do. And if w