20 Best Tips

Releasing Control

journeys book club

If you’d like to join in the book club for Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson, feel free to join in at anytime. You can find the reading schedule for the 12 week book club at the end of this post, along with additional printables for each week. 

“If we trust God to lead us in His own beautiful path, if we remove our white-knuckled fingers from the wheel, He will take us just where we need to go and make us all that we need to be. To truly belong to Him, we must lay down every expectation except the sure knowledge that He will uphold us. And when you are cradled in the palms of love itself, you don’t have to be afraid.”

p. 115 Journeys of Faithfulness, Sarah Clarkson

Thinking about this over the past week has made me desire {more than ever} to release control of my circumstances. To have my FIRST response to any issue that rises in my life to be one of trust ~ not fear. Releasing my expectations of how I envision life should be and embracing the fact that God has me {and my family} in the palm of His hand.

At times that means that I have to lay down dreams that I have that don’t line up with what God has for me. It may mean putting them aside for a time – or even for good.

Read more at The Homeschool Village…

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Running the Race with JOY

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

This week in reading Journeys of Faithfulness, the above passage was one that really resonated with me. In our day to day life, in the midst of the struggles and pain that we have, we are called to run the race before us – looking to Jesus. Did you catch this line “who for the joy that was set before him”?

Joy before him. He knew the suffering he would and MUST endure, the shame that would result, and yet he looked at is a JOY.

Read more at The Homeschool Village today…and read Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson with us.

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A Circle of Glory ~ Journeys of Faithfulness Week 2

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Tears. Sorrow. Grief. All turned to laughter and joy with the three words, “Lazarus! Come forth!”

Where there had been disbelief and the grief that accompanied not understanding the ‘why’ behind the death of their brother, Jesus replaced it all in a moment’s time. Two sisters watched their brother emerge from his tomb full of life and the glory of God.

A Circle of Glory

Pain, sorrow, hurt and more are things that we all experience in the course of our lives. Nine years ago, my husband and I walked through a time of intense grief and sorrow. At a routine doctor’s visit, I found out that our 18 week old son had died in-utero. Alone in the office, I watched the ultrasound machine for any sign of movement and realized there was nothing.

Read more at The Homeschool Village today…and read Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson with us.

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Learning to See ~ Journeys of Faithfulness Week 1

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This week in reading Journeys of Faithfulness, we caught a glimpse into the lives of Mary and Martha, two sisters whose story we know well. Mary was the sister who loved deeply and chose to sit at the feet of Jesus, soaking in all that she could. Martha was the busy sister who was so caught up in the business of doing that she missed the ‘being’.

In my life, I admit that I most relate to Martha – checking off my ‘to do’ lists and always feeling that I must prove myself to others {and God}. What I love most about this passage though is how Jesus responds to Martha’s clamor for attention and her need to be right.

Read more at The Homeschool Village today…and read Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson with us. It’s not too late to join in!

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Livin’ with Pizzaz! ~ A child’s health begins at home!  Register for a six session online eWorkshop for parents of kids 3 to 12.

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How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids ~ Encouragement for Moms

I don’t know about you, but I often need encouragement in my journey of mothering {and teaching}. When I find a book that speaks and ministers to my heart, I love to share it with everyone I know.

{hint: that you be you all today!}

How to Have a HEART for Your Kids

How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachel Carman has been sitting next to my ‘morning chair’ for a few months after I heard her speak at the 2 to 1 Conference this past April. Her honesty and passion for God and her family were so evident and inspiring.

I’m just a few chapters into the book, but already it is speaking to my heart in several different areas, pricking me and pushing me in areas that are necessary and encouraging me as well – things that I need to hear and put into practice at this point in my life.

Rachel is extremely open and candid in her writing, which makes it easy to relate to her and the struggles that she faces as a mom. I already know this will be one of those books that I will keep to read again in years to come.

What books have encouraged YOU as a mom? Leave a  comment and share with us!

More Encouraging Books for Moms

Here are a few other books that have earned a permanent spot on my shelves and have been a huge help to me!

Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson

Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God by Mary Demuth

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