Make 2018 a Gospel Centered year + a BIG announcement!

We've always been a little scattered and disorganized in our morning God-space, obviously complicating the whole process and making it entirely too difficult to stay. on. task. This year, we have a plan! I'm sharing just a few tips and resources that I know will simplify our God-space and deepen our time with Him each day... read on to hear more, and stick around to the end, because I've got a little announcement to make! 

1. Find a Gospel-centered devotional

I'm one day in, so I can't say a whole lot about this devotional I'm reading this year... I can say that, historically, I have not been successful at staying on task with devotionals, and essentially gave up trying years ago... until Chris, Jane, Jessica, Isabel, and more, and more, and more friends just kept talking about this one. I stole Chris's copy and the inside cover did it for me... I'm in!

"Mornings can be tough. Sometimes, a hearty breakfast and strong cup of coffee just aren't enough.....Paul David Tripp wants to energize you with the most potent encouragement imaginable: the gospel. Forget "behavior modification" or feel-good aphorisms.....what we really need is an encounter with the living God...." -New Morning Mercies

Y'all, I'm determined to finish this, and I'm excited about it! Click the cover below to take a look!


2. Find a Gospel-centered children's Bible

Devotionals and books about the Bible are AWESOME, but don't let those resources take priority over His actual Word: the Bible. I'm still reading through the Gospel of John, but another way I'll be digging into His word is through a solid, Gospel-centered children's Bible. Specifically, we'll be reading The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible. There is so much I love about this Bible. It's laid out in 52 stories that point straight to the Gospel, with a discussion question, and short explanation for each story. The stories are perfectly worded for young listeners, and SO adorably illustrated! AND since the scripture references are included, you can read the Word right along with your toddlers and preschoolers. We’ll be reading one story a week, and I am really looking forward to the learning that will happen throughout the days of each week as we repeat and dive into the same stories in the BIG Bible and this children’s Bible. Check it out!

More Gospel centered children's Bibles and other resources:


3. Find a Gospel-Centered Bible reading plan for your young readers

True... We don't have young readers... but we DO have two of these on our book shelf waiting for two young readers to fill their pages with notes and questions! 

What I love so much about this book is that it actually teaches kids from a very young age how to read the Bible, and takes them on an exploration from Genesis to Revelation. It's a simple guided tour through Scripture, with daily reading prompts, thought-provoking questions, and space for writing each day. And on Sunday, there's space for kids to take sermon notes! Which I think is awesome! Anyway... I'm excited for my kids to put this book to use in the future, but it's so good I had to go ahead and share with y'all now!

More Gospel-centered devotional material for young readers (and pre-readers!)


Last but not least: Plan ahead and stay on task!

...and now that announcement. One last resource we'll be using to simplify and stay on task in our God-space this year:

blog-announce.jpg

This is a faith planner and journal for moms that has everything you'll need to stay accountable and on task as you and your children focus your hearts on GROWTH this year! Much, much more to come, I just could not hold this in for one more second! This is a project I have prayed over, created, recreated, scrapped all-together and picked back up because I just believe in it SO much. It has been in the works for over a year now, and I am so excited to be so close to having this project in my hands and available to moms like me, who need a little help staying on task. I could go on for days, y'all. And I will, trust me... I am just SO thrilled to be sharing this with you now, and can't wait to show you bits and pieces of it as it comes more and more together! Just this little blurb for now, but don't worry, I'll be updating every step, and when it's finally available for preorder, we'll go ahead and have a BIG party!

Thanks for hanging around y'all, and be sure to subscribe below to receive posts and updates via email!



DISCLAIMER **I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting this blog and my family!**

The Christmas book you'll be reading all. year. long.

Oh hey, strangers!

Truth... my (emotional) life has been a little out of whack recently. I'm slowly getting it together (you know, in a "who really has it together, though?" kind of way.) Here's a quick snap shot into the December moments that are reminding my heart to smile BIG this season:

advent_cradle_to_the_cross

That's our Advent Wreath from JoyWares, and y'all... it's my favorite Christmas tradition. This is our third year walking Mary and her donkey around this circle of light and each year has been sweeter and sweeter. 

And then there's The Christmas Promise.

Y'all, I realize it's December TWELTH and at this point it's a little laughable to recommend a book to read with your kids before Christmas... but y'all... ORDER THIS BOOK TODAY.

It's the perfect Christmas addition to the Tales that tell the Truth series, and again, beautifully illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. It's fun to read, it's engaging, easy for little listeners to grasp and love, and written with the same repetitive methods in The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross that keep my two SWOOSHING (obviously) and remembering the amazing truths in these pages about their Forever King... and since my face and my voice cannot stop doing bizarre things every time I open this book, I'm just gonna go ahead and copy and paste the excitement from this post: Alison Mitchell "has successfully achieved the telling of this story in the style and language that spirited parents use when we talk to our spirited kids. Excitable little family that we are, that just makes it so. much. fun. to read! You cannot read these pages without TONS of animation on your face and in your voice."

Probably going to be a year-rounder at our house (sorry Chris [not sorry]). It will live by our year-round nativity and I'll just keep trying to read it to the kids every. single. day.



DISCLAIMER **I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thanks for supporting this blog and my family!**

We're Reading: The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross

We're Reading: The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross

This might be the book that is the most fun to read to my kids.

It’s beautiful, for starters. I was immediately drawn to ALL the color, and the bright, childlike illustrations that truly jump off the front cover.

I eventually read the title to figure out what I was holding in my hands with such colorful excitement, but y'all, I just could. not. wait. to flip through the pages!

Every illustration on every page was created with the eyes of a young listener in mind, but also deeply intentional, describing the intended scene through details, lines, colors, and the void of color. You will know the intention of this book even before you read the words!

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We're Reading: Halfway Herbert

We're Reading: Halfway Herbert

Do you ever read a book to your kids and think it may have actually been written specifically with you in mind?

That's exactly how I feel when I read Halfway Herbert, by Francis Chan. 

WAIT! Francis Chan?? Children's books???

YEP! Three of them! I didn't know either... until the day they showed up at the front door via hubby's amazing library building skills!

I have a lot to say about each of them, but this one... it's my favorite!

And Herbert... Oh, I love Herbert!

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