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What Moms Need to Hear
By Vanessa Rasanen I see them often, and I’m sure you have, too — those pretty memes and pictures on Facebook, Pinterest, and all across social media. They’re bent on inspiring and encouraging, lifting you up on those really crappy days when your own screams rival any your little ones have belted. They tell you it’s okay. You’re doing just fine. You’re a good mom. You’re awesome. You’re enough. Oh, sure, those make us all warm and fuzzy inside. We smile and sigh, patting ourselves on the back before pouring ourselves a glass of wine. We aren’t as rotten as we act. The internet told us so. Or maybe a…
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Why to Attend Advent Midweek Services
By Amanda Markel Today marks the first Wednesday in Advent, and that means most Lutheran churches will have a midweek service tonight. These services often take the form of Vespers or Evening Prayer, which are services especially appropriate to this time of year. Both services use the Magnificat, Mary’s beautiful song, which she sang after being visited by the angel, as the main Canticle. What better time of year to sing along with Mary the words: “For the Mighty One has done great things to me, and holy is His name; and His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.” In addition to the Magnificat, the…
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Have You Noticed the Change?
By Keri Wolfmueller A prayer request for the Scheer family. “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:11 Dear Readers, We feel it has become time to share with you an important event happening in the life of this blog’s creator and Editor, Holly Scheer. Perhaps you have noticed a change around here. Maybe there hasn’t been the consistency you’ve come to expect. Maybe you’ve noticed there are fewer posts. Does it seem a bit disorganized? There is a reason. Holly has another vocation aside from the Editor…
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Miss Mary’s Rules for Love and Marriage
By Mary Abrahamson Much has been written within (and without) our Confessional Lutheran circles on the topic of dating and finding a Christian spouse. So, let me cut to the chase. There is no Mr Right. That said, here are the words of wisdom on the topic that I try to implant into my daughters as they approach the age to begin thinking of marriage. Do you and your guy share the same life foundation (aka RELIGION!)? Yes, we can all point to wonderfully strong Lutheran couples who did not start out sharing the same Lutheran vision. But we can also point to couples who did not start out…
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A Mother’s Confession
By Vanessa Rasanen This morning I failed. Despite every effort to tackle those few hours of solo-parenting with grace and love and patience, I was running around like a banshee. The kids — though dressed, fed, and happy — weren’t listening. They were outright ignoring me, disobeying, and breaking the fourth left and right. And I was flipping out. The playroom was a pit. The roast needed to get in the slow cooker. The dogs needed to be kenneled. One kid needed water. One needed help opening the sippy cup. Another needed a diaper change. And my coffee — my poor, sad, neglected coffee — was cold. I was running…
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Easing the Back to School Anxiety
By Pam Thompson Today is something like my 14th or 15th first day of school as a mom. It is hard to count, since we homeschooled our oldest for Kindergarten in a very laid back manner, so I’m not sure we even took a photo. Today my two youngest children are enjoying their very first day of kindergarten. For kids, the first day of school in generally an exciting time (even for the kids who pretend to hate that summer is ending.) For moms, this time can be wrought with anxiety and worry. I will share some of the things that have helped me ease into the transition of summer…
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A Parents’ Guide to beginning Catechesis- Part Two
By Mary Abrahamson A Parents’ Guide to beginning Catechesis or put more simply, How do I teach my small child about God? Part II First Memory Work In the first article I wrote for this series, I laid the Law on pretty thick. But we all need it. Myself included. The devil, the world, and our own flesh are all conspiring to pluck our little ones from the faith they were given in their Baptisms. We are commanded to baptize and also to teach. The Baptism part, as I mentioned last time, is less often forgotten in our Lutheran circles than is the daily and weekly teaching that will feed…
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Why Anne Doesn’t Say Prayers
Why Anne doesn’t say prayers, why Marilla says she should, and why we ought to (or ought not to) pray Part III in a series By Mary Abrahamson When Marilla took Anne up to bed that night she said stiffly: “Now, Anne, I noticed last night that you threw your clothes all about the floor when you took them off. That is a very untidy habit, and I can’t allow it at all. As soon as you take off any article of clothing fold it neatly and place it on the chair. I haven’t any use at all for little girls who aren’t neat.” … “Say your prayers now and…
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Transitions
By Paula Miller Life is full of transitions. We move from one season to another, sometimes gently, and sometimes forcefully ushered along with conditions over which we have no control. Transitions can be hard physically, emotionally and spiritually, in particular if you’ve been pushed into it by those forceful conditions. Listed as some of the most stressful events in life are moving, marrying, the death of a person close to you, and the birth of a child. We all will experience some or all of these things in our lives. Transitions have similar stages. First, there’s the preparation stage. Planning as we can for what is to changing makes it…
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Living life according to The One Thing Needful
By Mary Abrahamson So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3-4 Do you ever compare yourselves to others? Oh, such a bad and dangerous habit! Especially for those of us who tend to feel guilty for not living up to the standards of others. Or put another way, for those of us who set standards for ourselves that are unattainable or that we struggle to…
