One of my favorite things to do is read stories in the Bible that I remember from when I was a kid. Growing up in church as a pastor's kid, I've seen my share of Bible stories acted out, put on a felt board, or shared from a puppet. But don't be fooled. While they are incredible stories that can captivate kids & make Jesus real to them, it's also solid truth from God's Word. And no matter how many felt board or puppet versions I've seen, God always manages to teach me something new. For the last week, I've been studying the Feeding of the 5,000. Granted, it's one of my favorites, but it's also one of the stories that made it into all 4 Gospel accounts - Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-14. (If God made a story appear in the Bible 4 times, it just might be important!)  Here are my top takeaways during this season as a young mother: (Warning: Each of these may become their own blogs in the next few weeks.)  People are watching how we respond during hard times. John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin. He was the one who baptized Jesus. [...]

As a stay at home mom who has a home business, I don't get out much. Especially during cold and flu season with a newborn. On top of that, add the additional challenge that I'm an extravert, and in The Five Love Languages, I am off-the-charts "words of affirmation." Mark Twain said, "I can live two months on a good compliment." That is absolutely true for me. So when my interactions with others are limited and I encounter a negative comment, it can bring me down quickly...especially if it's one that's not rooted in truth. Recently, I was nursing Cole, which is one of my main times of day that I pray. (I become a much better prayer warrior when I'm breastfeeding!) I was mulling over a situation in my heart when God reminded me of Psalm 61:2: "From the end of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." So at 3am, I went to "the rock" and had some sweet time with Jesus. During our time together, He whispered this verse in my ear: "But when you pray, go into your room, [...]