FEATURED POST

Prayer doesn’t have to be quiet and still. It can be sung, drawn, danced, or whispered into the wind. Try: 1)Prayer journals with doodles and thank-you lists 2)Prayer walks around the yard or neighborhood 3)Prayer jars where kids drop in names or needs to pray over later

Ultimately, our children belong to God. We are stewards, not saviors. That truth can be both terrifying and freeing. It means we pray more than we preach. It means we trust the Holy Spirit to do what we cannot.

To every parent raising a bold-hearted kid who challenges bedtime prayers and asks hard questions in the grocery store checkout line—keep going.

It’s easy to think summer should be about big adventures—road trips, beach vacations, perfectly planned outings. But God works just as powerfully in the ordinary. The giggles at the breakfast table. The sticky hands reaching for one more popsicle. The late-night talks when little voices ask deep questions about life. Those small moments build a foundation of love that lasts far beyond summer. Don’t underestimate them.

“Most people in my life take from me more than they give. You are one of three who actually gives more than you take.” Her words hit my heart hard. They also got me to thinking about the people in my life. I’d never considered my relationships in that context before. Did I have three people in my life who gave me more than they took?

I told my friend that if I take credit for anything, it’s for this: I prayed. I prayed hard, every single day, through tears and exhaustion, through silence and sobs. I prayed for my children’s hearts, their futures, their friends, their spouses, their jobs, and all the decisions I’d never be able to control. I trusted God to step in and handle the pieces I couldn’t fix — and He did.

We have family reunions on my dad’s side at least three or four times a year. Not everyone can attend, but there is a date, time, and location on the calendar for family get togethers. My friends find these frequent reunions unusual, but wish their families did that too. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how import these events are. I’m so thankful for them, because there was a time we hardly saw my extended family. So how did this tradition start? Let’s go back to the begi