This morning my teenagers are peeling themselves out of bed for that oh-so-exciting first school day after Spring Break. And for all us types with less liturgy in our lives, it might actually be easy to let Holy Week slide into that sludgy pile of Great Things I Really Meant to Focus On.
So I’m tossing both of us a low ball here.read more
It’s real, folks. After a long…long path here, Permanent Markers releases October 5. (Grab the first chapter free via the right-hand sidebar of my blog, if you’re game.)read more
Though inevitably there’s so much excitement as everyone heads back to school, teachers and administrators I know are already strapping in for another hard year.
We want, need, to pray for these key influencers in my kids’ lives. I’ve seen teachers and admin–and the prayers for them–make a tangible difference.
But they’re not the only ones navigating tough waters. How can we pray for our kids?
(Aside from what’s below, check out this printable–a prayer from Scripture for each day of the month–and this word cloud, which can give you a lot of ideas when you don’t know how to pray).
I’m hoping these back to school prayers are a great way to kick off loving on the teachers, administrators, and kids in our lives and cheering them on throughout the year. Please feel free to share or use in your small group or church if you find this useful.
HELP US OUT: What would you add that you’ll pray for your kids and their teachers?
Comment below!
Thanks to Steven Helmick, a principal of a school of over 1000 and an educator among the top eight Arkansas’ 2014 teachers of the year, for lending his expertise to this list.read more
I’ve probably written before about my dad sending my sisters and I off to the bus on so many mornings, in that flurry most of us with school-bound children know well. Lunches! Instrument! Mom, you didn’t put that in my lunch, did you? Permission slip! Did you finish that homework? Who’s picking me up from practice? Yes, you have to wear a coat; this is not optional. He’d surround us in his big farmer-arms or put those sausage-like fingers on our shoulders. “Go MAD!” He’d say. My dad finds little shame in the corny, so that was Dad-code for “Go make a difference.”
Now I’m the one pecking heads while they run out the door, my fingers reaching (when not scrambling for the lunch and permission slips) for those shoulders that grow just a little more every year. I’m sending them on a mission, really.
It’s raining here. I’m curled up with a little leftover creativity and a computer as drops fall from the pines outside. So that means you’re getting this today: a free printable word cloud of ideas to pray for our kids. I think I’ll tape a copy inside my cupboard door or on the fridge; maybe glue one inside my journal. (There is something about prayer that reminds me of planting trees.)
Any parent knows a whole lot can happen really fast when you have kids. (Um. I once had a kid poop in the closet?) But when we’re taking just a few minutes to pray for them, think of what could go right…and how long it could last.read more
Blogging about your personal life can be a little weird.
See, I’m hovering around the six-month mark of our move back to the U.S. from Africa. And when I’m truthful, this last month in particular has been a low point I haven’t hit in a long time. I wonder sometimes about what’s appropriate to share. I believe it’s Brene Brown who says she thinks it’s okay to be vulnerable on a larger scale if first she’s been vulnerable with those close to her. Yet there was also a point last year where I was like, All of this cyber-honesty is making my blog a real downer. All I need is a few posts about puppy mills and cancer and we’ll be all set!read more