Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

It's a rarity for me to blog about things like this...but in this unique situation, I'm going to go ahead and throw up a post about something I could use some help with! My husband & I lead our church's youth group, and we have a terrific group of young people!  Every other year the youth take a mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico. We have a sister church there, and it is a neat experience to work with them on a continuing basis. This summer from June 20-June 30, 26 people from our church (both students & adults) will make the trip to Mexico. However, expenses are high (such as gas being about $5/gallon in California!) and we still have a ways to go in order to meet our financial commitment. Would you mind praying for our youth group, and for the fundraisers we are currently involved in? The first one is a garage sale this weekend. Please pray that the kids do well & earn money toward this trip. The second one is a Chik-fil-A goodie bag that we are going

When I was given the opportunity to review the book These Are the Days of Elijah by R.T. Kendall, I was thinking this book would be primarily about prayer. Based on James 5:17-18 ( Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years) I just thought I could grow in my prayer life by reading this book. And I was right, but I was also wrong. These Are the Days of Elijah is a book chock-full of so much wisdom and insight, and gave me pause so often while reading it, that I must say I am very glad it isn't a book simply about prayer.  R.T. Kendall's work is a study of the life of Elijah, and many of his insights, as well as their application to our daily walk with the Lord, are profound. I really would love to throw a bunch of quotes your way, straight out of the book, but more than that I would really, really love for you to read this book! It's one that I know I will read

May is a month filled with graduations, weddings, celebrations of all shapes & sizes that laud our accomplishments and lay wide the path to a prosperous future. All that sounds nice enough, but it is a bit humanistic at it's core.  And as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I hope to encourage you in a non-humanistic way through this blog post :) As homeschooling mothers, we don't usually receive the same kind of accolades that public and private school educators get. There aren't any end-of-the-school-year teacher appreciation gifts brought to us, no notes from thankful parents gushing about the impact we've had on their child's life, no fresh-baked cookies waiting for us in the teacher's lounge. (Now, let me say that I know a few teachers & believe me, it's more "normal" to hear from an angry parent than a thankful one - there are plenty of downsides to their profession that we never have to deal with.) Those of us who opt to educate o

Are you a mom? Are you a Christian mom? Are you a mom who prays for your kids ~or a mom who worries she doesn't pray for her kids enough? If you can answer "Yup" to any or all of the above, the book Prayer Warrior Mom by Marla Alupoaicei is a book you need on your nightstand. Divided nicely into 15 easy-to-read, themed chapters, Prayer Warrior Mom is a thoroughly encouraging and heart impacting book. If you read it, you will be moved to pray for your children in specific, powerful ways. And if you're praying for your children, well, then God will begin to do things in their lives that would not happen otherwise. It is both a privilege and a serious responsibility to raise up children in the way they should go. If we're honest, we can all admit that we need help and encouragement to faithfully complete our task as moms. Buying this book will help you fulfill your God-given call to prayer daily, fervently for your kids. I have long been a praying mom, a