Yesterday our family drove to Mount St. Helens, the famous volcano in Washington state that erupted in 1980. The eruption enacted complete devastation in the blast area. It “blew down so many trees that the toll was calculated at 4 billion board feet, the amount of lumber to build 300,000 two-bedroom homes.” The blast zone… […]

I like questions and ideas that help me be “have a sober estimate” of myself, like Romans 12:3 tells us to do. If you are a Christian mom, here are some questions you can consider, to help discern if you are being sober-minded and reasonable in your thoughts, words, and choices. Essentially, they all stem… […]

Like parenting in general, it helps me when I think about homeschooling in terms of seasons. Each season has its own unique joys, its own unique challenges, and each is discernibly different from the one before. HOMESCHOOLING BEGAN LIKE SPRING Was it that way for you? (It’s not that way for everyone, so don’t feel bad […]

WANT TO HIRE ME TO WRITE for you? Here’s a little about me: Nurturing our family is my top priority. We like learning, cooking, and hiking together. When I have time beyond that, I enjoy writing devotionals, doing ideation/creative work for Bible studies, coaching real-life mom friends through self-care and the postpartum season, and teaching Christian […]

Doing hard things is admired in many circles. Decide to run a marathon, get your MBA, do a DIY remodel of an old house, or move into an RV and traverse America in a year, and people will fawn over it. Sometimes you can even get a reality TV show doing stuff like that. People are,…

Well. 🙂 For those of you who don’t know me personally, let me do a quick update: my husband lost his job in November. We have been seeking where God would have us apply, be, etc., over the last few months, and God has been gracious to clearly guide us in one particular direction. As […]

Last week, I placed my first order with Amazon Prime Pantry. As a bargain shopper (and borderline cheapskate), I’ve been skeptically keeping my distance. But after trying it, I’m pretty impressed and think I’ll try it again from time to time. Here’s what I noticed, what I didn’t like, and what I DID like. What […]

Several years ago, I was able to take a basic biblical counseling class, and one of the sessions focused in on the “Anti-Psalm.” This exercise was a challenge for us to better understand what a text is saying by carefully thinking through the exact opposite meaning. It can be very insightful to look at the “opposite” of what we… […]

I recently asked over 1,000 women: “What things keep you from getting the soul and body rest you know you need?” Here’s a selection of the answers: Laundry, dirty bottles, teething babies and an injured hubby.  🙂 I constantly put high expectations on myself and convince myself that I can do all things. It’s a battleground […]

Q: I am totally struggling with my oldest… One thing that I’m having trouble with is knowing how to discuss things with him. He still struggles with basic obedience, so that is an issue. Also, he tends to argue with me while we are talking. For example, this morning I told him that something he… […]

Ever wondered, how do we stay engaged with God’s Word over the long haul? What should we do when we hit seasons of lack of desire to study the Bible? Or (gulp!) boredom? Listen as Jess talks with Lisa Hughes about: Which Bible study approaches are useful and effective How to retain the joy of discovery in your […]

I’ve never been a particularly disciplined person. People who know me well, saw my room when I was growing up, or who have ever seen the dishes stacked in my kitchen, are probably snickering right now. In fact, quite the opposite. I typically fly by the seat of my pants, procrastinate, and mostly do what I […]

Last weekend at our church, we had a ladies’ conference called “Identity in Christ.” In my session, I discussed how the roles of womanhood, and particularly motherhood, can be idolatrous if we let them form the basis for our identity. DON’T MISS THIS! CLICK NOW TO LISTEN — “Identity Idolatry” IDOLATRY SHOWS UP IN OUR DESIRES & […]

The question comes from time to time: How can I have a successful blog while raising little ones? And here’s my honest answer. It may not be a popular one, but it is my real, honest, from-my-heart answer. BLOGGING WHEN YOU HAVE LITTLE ONES When I had all/only littles, I wrote only when I had […]