Stocking Stuffer

Are you struggling with peace, joy, & gratitude this Christmas season?
DO: Immerse yourself in our loving Daddy's Word - especially the Psalms.
DON'T: Watch sappy rom-com holiday movies that induce a bad case of the "If-only's".

Giving Thanks When Your Heart Hurts

Today may not be the happiest Thanksgiving for some of us, and our loving Daddy knows that. So let's challenge ourselves today to be grateful & give praise in the midst of our current trials, trusting Him that next year's Thanksgiving might just be spent in gratitude for what He brought out of this season.

~His purpose for our trials is often to bring us humbly before Him to experience a breaking in our inner, independent, self-sufficient selves, and grow us up into compassionate, patient, spiritually strong, God-glorifying people.~
-Stormie Omartian, Power of a Praying Wife

Boundaries: A Primer

Setting boundaries probably won't feel great at first, and the other person probably won't like them. And that is exactly why we need to trust the Spirit to give us discernment & strength, and surround ourselves with healthy people who will keep us on our path to wholeness! (Proverbs 13:20, Hebrews 10:25)

So, how do you set them? Boundaries can be reactive: "You've crossed the line, now back off!" But to be healthy & live God's love, we need to move to proactive boundaries: "Here's where the line is, so I'll give you a friendly heads-up when you're within 50 feet of it." (Romans 12:18)

By the way, just as we teach our kiddos boundaries & respect through how to say no & hear no, we need to practice saying & hearing no in our own lives. Our little ones learn from what we tell them, but they also learn from what they see. (Proverbs 22:6)

An Unnecessary Cover-Up

The painting in the gallery window clearly had a mistake made in it early on that the artist had tried very hard to cover up. With all her effort, though, it was still evident. Had the mistake been corrected at the start, it would have looked flawless & been less work in the long run.

So it is with training up our kiddos. Let's learn how to lay the groundwork first with God's help, correcting mistakes from the start instead of covering them up until they become even more obvious!

Wise Prepping

Need to have a difficult conversation today? Talk to God first! He'll give you the words, timing, and wisdom you require - and His Spirit can do some prep work in the other person.

+/-

Our words are like pluses and minuses to those to whom we speak, and the minuses can often take away more than the pluses give. Let's be intentional, then, to speak pluses - to speak life. Let's give the Holy Spirit control of our words today.

Rest, Again.

If God is your ultimate Boss, what are His expectations of you? To work wholeheartedly and to rest. These depend on one another other - you can't truly enjoy one without the other!
(Colossians 3:23-24, Matthew 11:29)

rest

have you rested today? even if it's only for 3 minutes, do it with your whole heart for those 3 minutes. it honors God!  (colossians 3:23) plus, when we intentionally create space in our days to rest, God can use that space to take us deeper & give us His limitless peace. it's like making a deposit in a savings account with 1000% rates!

Milkweed + Cottonwood = I'm Back!

It's been a while, my friends! I've taken a few years off to quit my job, have a kid, write a book entitled Raising Unicorns, and start a Bible study for mamas of young kiddos called Milkweed. It's been an amazing time of transition, and this season has brought about a slew of new insights into God's love & grace. As a friend once shared with me:

If you want to experience God, stay single.
If you want to know God, get married.
If you want to be like God, become a parent.

Welcome to this deluge of Cottonwood Blessings!

Harmony vs. Melody

Harmony isn't the same as melody. Melody is a homogenous tone; harmony is a blending of differences that produce a fuller sound. This Thanksgiving, let's be thankful for the harmony in our lives - & pursue even more! (Romans 12:16)