Beginning February 1st – and then every other day throughout the entire month - I am going to post a “freedom declaration” from the Mom Set Free Manifesto on my Instagram and Facebook pages.  TOGETHER we will DECLARE the POWERFUL PROMISES of God’s Word over the pressures we face in our parenting.  We’re basically telling the pressure that it’s not the boss of us, and we are holding tight the promises of God, even amidst the pressure.  Doesn’t that sound so good? 

A friend of mine joked over the weekend, “I always resolve to be a more patient mom on January 1st.  And I usually give up by mid-January.  And then I just feel guilty. So this year I didn’t make a resolution to be more patient because I don’t need more mom guilt in my life.”  She was kidding, but she wasn’t.  

Will you join me in making 2018 the year that you REALLY experience and enjoy the “freely and lightly” invitation of God in your parenting?   I wouldn’t consider this our new year’s resolution but rather our new year’s prayer.  And I’d love to share with you the Mom Set Free prayer that I wrote for us at the end of the book.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9

This is what the Lord said to Paul after Paul begged the Lord to take away a weakness in his life. Can we just sit with this verse for a moment and think about how we would have responded to this assurance that the Lord gave Paul.

Hello, Friend!  I’m writing with exciting news!  The Mom Set Free Bible Study is now available AND I have A LOT of copies to GIVE AWAY!!

I couldn’t wait for this day to get here to share this study with you because I’m a Bible Study girl and I don’t know what I’d do without my Wednesday morning Bible Study crew. I know how powerful and beautiful it is to study the Word of God alongside other women who also want to grow closer to God.

“The older my kids get, the more I realize how little control I have over them. My slipping sense of control produces so much anxiety in my life so I end up grasping for even more control.  I don’t know what else to do but I’m afraid to surrender.  Really afraid.”

That was a very real and honest fear shared with me recently by another mom who is watching her eldest child navigate his teen years, and is worried sick about his choices and the outcomes. 

As I wrote about my own struggle with “controlling my kids” in Mom Set Free, I often wondered if surrender came easier to other moms.  I wondered if I was mostly alone in my struggle to unclench my fists that were trying to control outcomes and parent more open-handed to God’s plans. But based on an Instagram comment feed I scrolled through just last week, I know I am not alone.  In fact, control seems to be something most moms struggle with. 

Last week the New York Times published a fascinating but troubling article entitled “Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering from Severe Anxiety.” You’ve probably already read it in your news feed or seen it creating conversation in your Facebook feed. 

As a mom of four boys, I found the article hard to read but impossible to ignore. After I finished reading, I felt nudged by God to set aside what I’d originally planned to tackle that day to share what was stirring in my heart.  I wrote a response that I pray will offer parents a hopeful (and do-able) way forward.

“Mommy, does Jesus live in your heart?” That’s the question a precious seven-year-old girl asked her mom after they’d finished their nighttime prayers.

The mom stroked her daughter’s hair, looked tenderly into her daughter’s eyes, and assured her, “He sure does, sweetie. Jesus has been in my heart since I was a young child like you.”

“Mommy,” her daughter continued with childlike curiosity, “what does Jesus do in there?”

I just wanted to pop in and share two things that I hope will encourage you and equip you to parent in the freedom of Christ!

Our boys were recently fighting over who punched who first, and who said what mean thing to who last. When I asked them to explain what happened, they each had a different story, and they each had a pointed finger. 

This happened at the end of a long week and I was low on patience, and so naturally, I did everything I know I’m not supposed to do. I got mad. I tried to instill fear with empty threats. I demanded the truth. And of course, none of that worked. They continued to argue and point fingers. Until, that is, I reminded them of grace.