The Importance Of Children Being Obedient

"The below excerpt from Charlotte Mason has spurred me on greatly…

“The mother’s great stronghold is in the habit of obedience. If she begin by requiring that her children always obey her, why, they will always do so as a matter of course; but let them once get the thin end of the wedge in, let them discover that they can do otherwise than obey, and a woeful struggle begins, which commonly ends in the children doing that which is right in their own eyes."

- Sarah Mae quoted this statment in her post My Primary Focus Right Now - Obedience From My Babes on her blog Like a Warm Cup of Coffee

You Are Not Alone

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

"… No matter what you’ve done that you think no one would understand or forgive…it’s simply not true. We’re all human and sin (period). You are not alone… there is hope and help… don’t be afraid to ask."

- A quote from One Word At A Time: Despair by Bridget on her blog One Word At A Time

Direction Determines Destination

"...In the book [The Principle of the Path] [Andy] Stanley unpacks this simple but profound principle: "direction determines destination."

This principle may be simple BUT we miss it so often! As Stanley points out in chapter 3, there is a huge disconnect that goes on in people's minds. Many people (myself included) do not connect the dots between the choices they make and the outcomes they experience. Stanley says: "They've come to believe the popular notion that as long as their intentions are good, as long as they do their best and try their hardest, it doesn't really matter which path they take. They believe somehow they will end up in a good place. But life doesn't work that way." (pg. 20)."

- An excerpt from Direction Determines Destination by Kevin on his blog Shooting the Breeze

Joy Comes In The Morning

"I don’t expect to heal overnight. But that’s okay. My friend, Eliza says that it’s okay to be where you are, as long as you don’t stay there. But even more of an encouragement is what Jesus says: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT) That’s encouragement enough for me… And for good measure, God reminds me that “weeping (grief) may endure for a night, but rejoicing (joy) comes in the morning!” (Psalm 30:5, NLT)"

- An excerpt from One Word: Grief by Sarah on her blog Between the Lines

How Do You Grieve?

"Grieving isn't easy...If you are anything like me, your first tendency is to stuff these hard feelings thinking that we are honouring God by doing this. By doing this though, the result is that we end up "leaking." These feelings end up showing up in different ways such as passive-aggressive behaviour, sarcastic remarks, a nasty tone of voice and the giving of the "silent treatment." We need to take the time to pay more attention to our hurts, pains and losses so that we can grieve well."

- An excerpt from How To Grieve Well by Kevin on his blog Shooting the Breeze