In honor of Mother’s Day and all the Bonus Parents out there, here’s a flashback to my Junior year of high school, a few weeks before Prom: Sixteen-year-old-me sits in the driveway, trying to pull myself together, still shaking from the shock of being dumped. The...
Flashback to Covid Prom 2020, Sarah & her beautiful friends! We knew it as soon as we laid eyes on it. This was the dress! Only, someone would have to convince her… (Cue the Mission Impossible music) Last week, Abby and I had the joy of going prom dress shopping...
Any Type-A, enneagram 1 (or 3) planning people out there?
Come on, you know who I’m talking about.
Hey Friends! If you are new to my blog, I do a reading challenge every year to help direct and track my reading. I started a few years ago as a way to stretch myself, both in the quantity and quality of books I was reading, and the tradition stuck. I use the Good...
I can’t believe another year is wrapping up. Where does the time go? Life was obviously busy this month, but I was able to squeeze in a little bit of reading time. Here’s what was in my December Book Stack…
Recently, a friend reached out to me asking for ideas on devotionals that she could do by herself or with a group. As we head into 2022, I thought I would share a few of my suggestions. Here are 12 Devotional recommendations for the new year in case you’re looking for some fresh ways to grow closer to Jesus!
How is it possibly December already? The past few months have been a blur around the Heath house, and as you can tell from my Fall Book Stack, I haven’t had much free time to read. I ended up combining September, October, and November into one post, mainly so my monthly stacks wouldn’t look so pathetic. And the Divergent series is deceiving— it makes it look like I read a lot more than I did. Still, there are some great books in this stack and I can’t wait to tell you about them!
“The natural world reminds us there are seasons for a reason. The branch that clings too tightly to its leaves eventually breaks under the weight of the heavy winter snow. Perhaps it did not realize it could not bear the weight of what was coming; however, our heavenly Father designed it in the way that was best. Are the evergreens envious of the Autumn leaves that blend with the sunset in declaring the glory of God? I do not know. But I imagine they are grateful for their gentle coverings when those other branches lay barren in the dead of winter.
Each has a purpose, and each has a plan…
I remember back in the good ol’ days when August was still considered part of summer (which meant more time to read. Woo!). Instead, our kids started back to school the very first week. That’s okay, though—I still managed to squeeze in some reading time last month.
My August Book Stack is a mix of YA fiction, parenting, and spiritual formation. None of these books were on my list at the beginning of the year, but somehow they found their way on to my nightstand.
Anyway, let’s get started. Here’s what I read in August…
Most of you are probably familiar with the story Jesus tells of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15.
A fairly wealthy man has two sons. The younger one decides he’s had enough of boring ranch life and asks his dad to give him his inheritance early. Without looking back, he heads off into the world, living his best life, and squandering everything his father bestowed on him along the way. Eventually, the shininess wears off and the young man recognizes the mess he’s made. He longs for the life he gave up, yet realizes he is unworthy to even eat with the pigs. Humbly, he makes his way home, hoping his father might take pity on him and hire him as a farmhand.
Luke tells us that “when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran to him.” This story has several messages, but the overarching point is that our Father, like the one in the story, has tremendous compassion and mercy for His children, even when our hearts are prone to wander. He watches for us when we leave Him, and He celebrates when we return!
This parable actually follows two similar parables in Luke 15…
“Let’s Gooooooooo!” they yell, as they fling their bodies through the air in a massive chest-bump. Balls bounce, shoes squeak, nets swish. Sweaty-middle-school-boy-smell permeates the air, while colorful high-top sneakers pound out a rhythm against the hard floor.
This is my son’s favorite place to be on a rainy afternoon—or any afternoon, really—and today is no exception.
We meet his friends up here at least once a week. Some days it’s just them; today the courts are busy. A few kids their age shoot free-throws next to them, glancing longingly in their direction as they divide up their teams.
I see Eli notice them. He keeps looking at them and then back at his friends, trying to decide what to do…
Are you the parent of a teen or college student? Do you want to pray more intentionally for them, but you’re not sure where to start?
Pull up a chair, because this post is for you!