We recently participated in a silent, prayerful, smiling protest. We used our rights and stood for life. It was our first time to participate, and we decided to go on the spur of the moment. Of course we talked expectations as we drove to the protest, brought snacks for the 2-year-old to enjoy during the event, […]

A reader asks: Q: Jess, what about when my husband is glued to his phone/laptop/ research for work constantly? Even when we eat meals together his smartphone is nearby in case any notifications pop up. He keeps music/talk shows playing in his headphones continually and actually does close to nothing around the house (with the exception […]

As I’m typing this my daughter is practicing sixteenth-note scales on her violin. 1-e-&-a, 2-e-&-a,3-e-&-a, 4-e-&-a, and on and on it goes. Though her violin is in tune, and though she’s playing just as she should, it doesn’t yet sound proficient. Her sixteenth notes are uneven, and her finger placement lacks the precision required to […]

Hi there. I’m Jess Connell. I seek to write things that are true, so that I (and any women reading) can live with ever-increasing God-confidence. Connell family, Spring 2021 Here are some things you might want to know about me– Doug is my husband, and we’ve been married since October 2000. He’s a kind, faithful man […]

Have you ever considered: what or who is the primary earthly source of encouragement in your husband’s life? There are really only 4 options: Your husband’s primary source of encouragement is someone/something else, and he/she/it is not very encouraging. (Meaning: Your husband has little-to-no regular encouragement in his life.) Your husband’s primary source of encouragement is someone/something…

This was written sometime ago, TO a friend, after her incredibly stressful day, FROM me, in the middle of an incredibly stressful day of my own. I don’t know if this will be encouraging to you… but I’m in the midst of our own 36 hours of seriously high levels of stress right now (the last 18 months have […]

In the Old Testament, stones were often used as reminders. Stones were used to make altars. The physical process of collecting and stacking the stones was an external marker of the inward reality of one’s heart being actively prepared for worship. Stones were set upright in the ground as reminders to both parties of peace agreements,…

On Twitter, (in April 2016) New York City Pastor Tim Keller was asked: “What are the false gods of our society?” Part of his reply was– “the myth that you can choose your own identity.”  He is absolutely right. Sister, this is the one of the great lies of our age: “you get to pick […]

What’s a mom to do when dad approaches discipline differently? Can we get on the same page? And how do we reach out to find the parenting wisdom we desperately need? Listen as Jess talks with Emily Jensen (mom of 4 kids, ages 3 and under), about thinking through parenting issues alongside our husbands how we can tell when we’ve […]

Ever experienced the outplay of a two-year-old’s punch to the face? As a mom of 7, I’ve experienced some version of it, several times over. One little boy, many moons ago, slapped me in the middle of a Hobby Lobby trip. Several have yelled “no” at me. And this happened almost a year ago: It […]

Wanna know what my kids have for lunch these days? It’s pretty much the same thing every day: homemade lunchables. Thin deli-sliced ham or turkey, and cheese, with Ritz. Sometimes I have fresh fruit on hand to go with it. Other times, it’s canned fruit, nuts, or packaged cookies. It’s not in cute Bento boxes. It doesn’t […]

 Do the Next Thing From an old English parsonage down by the sea There came in the twilight a message for me; Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven, Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven. And on through the hours the quiet words ring, Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING.

Ever felt the guilt that comes on when a child asks you to play a game with them, or read to them, but you want to say “no?” I’m not asking about when you *can’t* say “yes” because you’re doing something else. But rather– what do you do when you just want some peace and […]

It happens in the grocery store aisle, when someone else’s children are behaving better or worse than your own. Or in the church nursery, when your child bites another mom’s toddler, or vice versa. Or at the park, when, after being called, your child (or hers) runs in the opposite direction. But where it’s really […]