THE AWKWARD MOM

because uncomfortable conversations are the ones worth having

Category: Africa (page 1 of 8)

Helping the Powerless: That Time it Saved His Family

Reading Time: 5 minutes

If someone ever asked me what surprised me about living in Africa, I’d have a million answers. Nearly every day held in its ebony hands something to learn or figure out or shake my head over: a motorcycle carrying a coffin. A girl made to sell banana pancakes for a dime in a dangerous neighborhood rather than go to school. Birds the color of the sky.

But I could never have known how working and living among and helping the powerless would change me–to the point it’s now a vital spiritual discipline in my book–and quite arguably, in God’s.

helping the powerless read more

Thankfulness: 11 Spiritual Life Skills for Kids

Reading Time: 4 minutes
Time for a holiday rerun–with a few extras added in! In light of the release of Permanent Markers: Spiritual Life Skills to Write On Your Kids’ Hearts, here’s a list of ways to encourage your kids toward thankfulness this month. 

1. The running list.

At dinner each night of November, see if your family can collectively think of 10 more things you’re thankful for. Keep a running list.

2. Turkey day decor.

Display a vase filled with your list written on slips of paper. Alternatively, scrawl gratitude items on kraft paper doubling as a Thanksgiving tablecloth—complete with markers or crayons prompting guests to add their own.

I am thankful for... craft paper table cover

3. The classic: Thank you notes.

Set a small, doable goal for yourself to send out a certain number of thank-you notes to people who might be a little clueless as to just how much you appreciate them. You might also consider enclosing a small gift card (think Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes) to add an exclamation point to your gratitude.

Polka-dot thank you notes: Print them here.

thankfulness

Print this polka-dot thank you note here.

Airmail thank you notes: Print these here.

thankfulness read more

Spiritual Life Skills for Kids: Gratitude (PRINTABLE THANK YOU NOTES!)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

1. The running list.

At dinner each night of November, see if your family can collectively think of 10 more things you’re thankful for. Keep a running list.

2. Turkey day decor.

A vase filled with your list written on slips of paper, or written scrawled on kraft paper doubling as a Thanksgiving tablecloth—complete with Sharpies or crayons prompting guests to add their own.

I am thankful for... craft paper table cover

3. The classic: Thank you notes.

Set a small, doable goal for yourself to send out a certain number of thank-you notes to people who might be a little clueless as to just how much you appreciate them. You might also consider enclosing a small gift card (think Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes) to add an exclamation point to your gratitude.

thank you notePrint polka-dot thank you notes here.

airmail thank you notes read more

Wait: The Story of a Certain Champagne Bottle

Reading Time: 4 minutes

So something very cool happened to me this week.

But to get there, allow me to tell you about the journey of a champagne bottle. (No scanning ahead, cheater.) This one, here.

wait champagne read more

Gut-wrenching Pain, and What We “Just Know”

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Just know pain suffering

A few weeks ago, in the middle of this crazy cancer scare, my husband and I went on a date. It was the one where, after Mexican, we had to stop by Walgreens for eyedrops because we were so raw from crying. My heart felt doubled over inside.

But in the restaurant, over bottomless chips and salsa, my husband gently pointed out something in the questions I was asking. He does some conflict coaching and mediation on the side, and explained that our conversation reminded him of listening to two parties in an argument. Often, he can see the perspective of both sides. “But sometimes they would see things differently if they had that graciousness that just greases the wheels of a healthy relationship.” (This is my paraphrase. My brain in that time was a big pot of mashed potatoes.) read more

Why We Can’t Afford to Leave Helping the Poor Up to That Committee [FREE INFOGRAPHIC]

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Hypothetical question. Let’s say someone asked you to help an impoverished family this holiday season. Who would you help first?

Maybe this feels a little tricky.

Maybe like me, your house isn’t really all that close to people who need help. read more

What Makes You Happy? 15 Ideas for a More Blissful & Thankful Day (Right Now)

Reading Time: 4 minutes

A friend told me recently of a trip he and his wife to Hawaii took several years back. After dropping his wife at the terminal for the flight home, he was the only person on the rental car shuttle. He recalled the shuttle driver’s words: “I think I need to go on vacation.” My friend laughed when he told me this. Where do you go on vacation when you live in Hawaii?

Having friends who used to live in Kauai, I know that wherever you live, life is never all bliss. In fact, one side of my house looks over a little cabin serving as a VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) year-round. And God seems to use it to tap me on the shoulder: Just a reminder. You live in a place where a lot of people go on vacation.  read more

Blessed are the “Middle Class in Spirit”? An Infographic on Coming to God as a Child

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The other night after small group, I experienced the cutest thing all week: The daughter of one of our members—who, when she wears pigtails, reminds me of a blonde, blue-eyed version of Boo from Monsters Inc. Our host home had The Most Patient Cat in the World, who allowed Boo to exclaim in her sweet little voice over all of his main body parts, touching as she went: “TAIL!” “EYES!” “FACE!” about 546 times. We watched said cat for an entire half hour.

She was disarming, delightful, and chock-full of sheer happiness. She was adorably undignified, openly affectionate.

I’ve been thinking about how God wants us to come to him like Boo—no. Actually, requires we come somehow like her. read more

World Refugee Day 2018: Pawad’s Story

Reading Time: 5 minutes

A late addition to this post: There’s another step you can take to stand with refugees. Consider signing the UN’s #withrefugees petition here! 

I want to introduce you to my friend Pawad. Pawad is South Sudanese, and he’s from the Dinka tribe. Physically, this means that when Pawad gives me a hug, the top of my head aligns with his armpits. It means that when he smiles with those white-white teeth against his 80% cacao skin, it’s as if someone flipped on a couple hundred watts of electricity. He’s built like a piece of black licorice, limbs long and loose.

Pawad is fully scholarshipped to African Renewal University in Uganda, after which he hopes to become a pastor to his people, many of whom have been traumatized by 35 years of war. Coincidentally, Pawad is also a refugee.

The Breath We Breathe: On Fear–and Trust in the Middle of Danger

Reading Time: 4 minutes

I spoke recently with a friend who’s packing up her family’s life to move to a developing country–a path of utter excitement, surrender, and loss. She described a terrifying kidnapping epidemic in the country to which she’s moving.

In her story, I heard my own. I remember in searing color the fears tearing through me: My kids dying from a tropical illness. The (not always) death-defying traffic.

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