As a veteran homeschooler and creator of products that empower moms to educate with excellence, it is my heart’s cry to encourage, build up, and say to every homeschooler I encounter with those weary and worried-filled eyes, “You can do this!” You can do this well. You can educate your children better than the reigning Read More
I’ve heard many commentaries on love and what Jesus meant when He told us to love one another. Years ago, I wholeheartedly agreed with the idea that love is a decision, not a feeling. The concept that love is expressed more out of choice than emotional sentiment made sense to me. I went along with Read More
We don’t often think of Prayer and Praise as a habit to be trained. However, like Thoughts of God, prayer and praise can become second nature to us, to our children, if we make them a regular part of our day. Anything we do regularly or continually can be considered a habit. And there is no better habit Read More
“Please pray for me.” How many times have you heard that phrase? How many times have you agreed that you would? How often do you actually stop what you are doing and cry out to God on behalf of those who ask? When you do, how certain are you that you are engaging in effective prayer? Read More
One of the most valuable benefits of writing down my prayers as I pray them is slowing down to listen to God. It takes me much longer to write down my prayers than it does for me to think them. I can think, “Lord, I’ve really been selfish this week with my time” in 3 Read More
God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it. – John Wesley Whenever I have fallen out of regularly praying and then return—either with a friend or personally in my quiet time with my prayer journal in hand—I’m always astonished to see that the answers come so quickly. It’s as if I so easily Read More
Once you’ve found that special place to “escape” for a half hour or more, it’s time to enter into God’s presence. Often, it’s difficult to move from the hustle and bustle of a day with kids to a peaceful heart that is still before God, yet connecting with God in prayer will take you there. Read More
I just love prayer. I’m so thankful that God has ordained it as the means by which He moves. I wish everyone could experience answers—miraculous answers—to prayers like I do. I believe it’s God’s will that everyone does, for His word tells us prayer avails much! John Wesley once said, “God will do nothing, but Read More
Are you homeschooling from overflow or are you homeschooling on empty? Do you run out of steam halfway through the day or are you able to maintain joy and energy on the journey? God desires for us to minister to our family out of abundance, from the overflow of what He has poured into us. The Read More
When a circumstance or situation comes your way that seems to deflate your joy, do what David did: Strengthen yourself in the Lord. How do you do this? Following David’s example, begin with praise. Praising God even (or especially) when you don’t feel like it is SO important. It’s a true sacrifice. A sacrifice Read More
Have you ever heard the acronym ACTS? It’s been around for a while and is a great way to remind us how we should pray. The ACTS acronym is an especially useful tool for corporate prayer. Here’s how it’s broken down: A is for Adoration (praising God) C is for Confession (confessing our sins to Read More
Someone once said when you pray Scripture, it may sound like you praying to you, however, to the devil, it sounds like God. Because of this, praying God’s Word is powerful and even essential if we are to walk as victors through the spiritual battles of this life. For the Word of God is quick and Read More
Who hasn’t heard Jesus’ words in Mark 11:24? “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” We also know He tells us that with the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains and whatever we ask for in His name, Read More
In an earlier post I shared that I believe unforgiveness is one reason our prayers are hindered. Here, I want to share a second reason. Though the Lord promises that whatever we ask for in prayer will be given us, this doesn’t always fit our reality. Why is that? Well in addition to unforgiveness, I Read More
The third reason we may not see our prayers answered is probably the least popular, but might actually be the most common. I think the reason it has been given such a bad rap is because of the abuse and wrong doctrine that some have preached concerning this one requirement for answered prayer. Let Read More
Jesus says that whatever we ask for in prayer, we should have. Yet often that’s not our personal experience. We’ve discussed that sometimes prayers are not answered because we’ve not forgiven someone, or we harbor unconfessed sin, or even that we lack faith in a good God that would want to bless us with the Read More
The last reason we may not see answers to our prayers is the reason most people give for all unanswered prayer: what you are praying for is not God’s best for you. There was a time when I suffered horribly in my marriage. Some of it was due to my selfishness, and some due to Read More
Have you ever heard that God has an incredible sense of humor? It never fails that when I’m considering some spiritual concept, have some spiritual revelation, or especially if I’m supposed to teach or write something about a spiritual principal—I’m tested on it. Hence, paper jams and patience. I remember the day I was finishing Read More