One of the realities of my life right now is that there is a dividing line that happens in almost every first/intro conversation I have with people (and this last year has included a lot of those)… The normally-progressing conversation that happens before… and then the shift that comes after… … people find out I… […]
9 Ways to Have a Rotten Sex Life – Jess Connell
If you want a guaranteed way to have a miserable sex life with your husband, read on. Seek your own way, only, ever. Make sure the only thing you focus on is how often YOU want sex, how often you DON’T want it, how YOU feel at every given moment, what YOU think your needs are. […]
Do You Multi-Task on Purpose? – Jess Connell
We try to squeeze as much as we can into a given moment. On any given day, a mom can be seen: carrying the groceries in (loaded down like a donkey), calling instructions to the kids over our shoulder, using the tiniest sliver of our index finger (otherwise weighed down with groceries) to open the […]
How We Set Family Goals for the New Year – Jess Connell
Each January, no matter which salesman is pitching the perfect system to plan out my whole life, I’m too much of a realist. I can’t buy the hype that, with a little vision-boarding, this will be my “best year ever.” That said, I recognize the basic truth that goals matter. What we focus on matters. Expectations matter. I just […]
Should We Train Our Children for Non-Moral Personal Traits? – Jess Connell
Here’s 4-minutes of my off-the-cuff thoughts about training our kids’ quirkiness. SOME HIGHLIGHTS: 00:25– “it’s just an annoying habit; should we train for it or not?” 01:00– example from my real life, yesterday, with my two-year-old 02:00– encouragement from Gregg Harris 02:45– why this is extra-important to me as a homeschooling mom 03:00– how I learned […]
Is It Biblical to Teach Our Kids About Sex? – Jess Connell
The topic is one that makes some (nearly all?) parents “gulp” and feel a little nervous. Do we really have to talk about it? How do we talk about it? What should we/shouldn’t we say? What if we say too much? What if we don’t say enough? What if we say the wrong thing? Are […]
8 Questions to Ask Yourself (Biblical Modesty, Pt. 2) – Jess Connell
{In the first article in this series, we defined the word/idea of “modesty.”} Here, let’s consider: what are the common problems in the church? Dresses are too short Clothes’ tightness and cut can often draw people’s eyes to the wrong places. (i.e.: Slits up the thigh. Mesh fabrics and lace draw attention to what’s underneath clothing.) […]
April 2017 Round-Up: Podcasts & Posts – Jess Connell
Mom On Purpose Podcasts from April 2017 NOTE: Episode 24 was the end of season 2 of the Mom On Purpose podcast. Posts From April 2017 on JessConnell.com: PLEASE TAKE MY 2017 READER/LISTENER SURVEY!!! As a busy wife (to a Pastor), and homeschooling mom of 8, my time is limited. Doug & I are currently praying […]
Fading Beauty, Mom Jeans, & the Realities of Marriage – Jess Connell
On a post last year about the growing expectations on young woman to look physically perfect (and increasingly generic), a commenter wrote: Quick thought from a guy – Know what really hurts? When a girl spends a mountain of care and attention trying to win over exciting but unsaved “bad boys”, but then discovers the […]
Josh Duggar and the Problem We All Have – Jess Connell
Well, so here it is. After Josh Duggar molested a number of girls and got caught a number of times, he went on TV, got himself a wife, and sold purity and courtship and not kissing until marriage. We all watched as his dad gave him a purity talk, which we now know, he did solely for the camera, because he […]
How Do You Talk To Yourself? – Jess Connell
So. It’s Sunday morning. Well, it’s not Sunday morning when you’re reading this, but it’s Sunday morning as I’m writing it. I’m in the middle of what might be termed an adult tantrum, fussing and angry because things haven’t gone my way this morning. You see, I had everything planned. For the first time since our […]
godliness – Jess Connell
Sometimes I want to be selfish. I like having things go my way. I like being in control and I don’t like it when things happen that are A- outside of my control, or B- directly the opposite of what I would want to happen. Sometimes I want to sit in my room and pout… […]
Are You Doing Too Much? – Jess Connell
A few Saturdays ago, I sprained my ankle while coming down our stairs toward the garden. Moving too fast, I misjudged where the sidewalk ended, and the grass deceived me into believing the ground was taller than it was. My ankle rolled. HARD. I *HEARD* cracking noises, y’all. Yikes! But you know what? By Monday morning I […]
What the Bible Doesn’t Say About Your Sex Life – Jess Connell
Ever wondered if the Bible has something to say about your sex life? It definitely does. And let’s be clear: it’s not simply a list of “thou shalt nots.” Beginning way back in Genesis, we get peeks into various couples’ marriages. Throughout Old Testament stories, we see how one’s choices about sex and marital intimacy affect their entire […]