Changes in season can be so exciting, as well as filled with tension as we find new rhythms. Then add in children and summer, and it can be an invitation to chaos if we let it. I wonder what it might be like to truly connect to God and our kiddos in the free flow of summer. I have a few simple concepts you can practice in your household this summer that will cultivate a more open and relaxing season.

As a small business owner, it’s crucial for Denika to check in frequently with where her business is going. She took some time to look back and see what she learned over the past quarter that she can apply moving forward. Denika thought it would be fun to share this process with you, so that you could ask the same questions of yourself and see what there is to discover.

God created our bodies, and he created them good (Gen. 1:27). He created them with intricacies that function both in the visible and invisible world (Col. 1: 15-17). Yet, we all have beliefs about our bodies, or trauma, or disease that impacts how we feel in our body and how we listen to our bodies.

Our bodies are wise and sometimes more connected to our souls than we are. Sometimes our body has wisdom before our brain does — you know, gut intuition. Listening to your body is a way to connect with yourself and God.

Denika set out to journal daily at the beginning of 2020 — and we all know what a wild year that turned out to be!

Read along as she reflects on the value of this habit in her own life, as well as her tips on how you can begin journaling daily.

“Nyla, recovery makes life better. Every aspect — including your marriage to Mark. How we are around food drastically impacts those closest to us. Your food struggles aren’t a you thing, it’s an us thing…

Your life gets better once you reach out for help for an eating disorder — and so does your husband’s life. He trusts you now to honor you hunger cues. He knows you will care for yourself.”

We’re often told to run from fear or to just not feel fear, but is it truly that simple? Perhaps we’ve interpreted those “do not fear” Bible verses all wrong, and just maybe fear isn’t opposed to faith.

Read along with us as Alicia dissects what God might actually be saying about fear and our faith.

As spring comes to a close and summer bursts through the door, we’re reading more than ever. There’s just something that feels right about flipping through new pages as the earth blooms. Take a peek into what our blog staff is currently reading, and maybe pick up a recommendation for your next read!

Marhaba! It’s one way to say hello in Arabic, and it’s one of the first things I learned when studying the language. Little did I know, or expect, that learning Arabic would teach me so much more than just a second language. It completely changed the way I look at the world and take part in it.

Remember when you were little and making friends was as simple as including the new kid on the playground into your make-believe game? You didn’t need to know their name or age or what they did or who their family was. You were just friends! Simple as that.

The same can be true of making friends in adulthood! Check out some practical tips on how to make friends as an adult, even if it’s scary.

How do you like to feel? Strong, balanced, energized, healthy? Start small, and invite God into habit change. Trust his ability to form new habits in you, not your own human willpower. Be a team, using his abilities. Regular self care in various areas - social, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual - will improve body image. When you feel better, your body image is better!

We’ve all been there. You get to the end of a long day at work, or you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and the tightness in your neck has you cringing every time you try to look to the side. Luckily, reducing that pain can be done with just a few simple stretches every day.

I honestly think Adam and Eve were intuitive eaters in the Garden of Eden. There was no such thing as dieting back then, no Weight Watcher meetings to attend, and no Keto cookbooks to buy. Intermittent fasting wasn’t a thing, and neither was macro counting yet!

But, do you know what was a thing back then for little Miss Eve and her hubby? Body cues.

We know the seasons will change every year around the same time. Winter then spring then summer and autumn. However, we don’t usually see life’s metaphorical seasons in the same way.

We feel stuck in an endless cycle of a certain season, and we normally feel stuck in the season we like least. With spring bringing new physical growth to the outside world, take a chance to notice the blooms in your own life.

I will never forget when my mom told me I never need to pray for patience, kindness or self-control because God already gave them to me. Instead I should pray that God would help me to use the patience he had already given me, the self-control that he already provided.

I think so often I pray for something because it’s easier to wait for God to do something than to take action personally and start doing.

Over the past three years as a small business owner, God has taught Denika so much, but no lesson rings more true than the fact that the success of her business is not up to her. The past three years have taught her to faithfully leave the results in God’s hands because it isn’t up to her - it’s up to him.

Check out these delicious smoothie recipes for a new way to get some nutrients and mix up your normal flavors!

“Working with the Enneagram helps people develop the kind of self-knowledge they need to understand who they are and why they see and relate to the world they do. When that happens you can start to get out of your own way and become more of the person God created you to be.” Ah ha! So it’s a tool to help you develop self-awareness and draw you closer to the Lord, NOT an excuse for your sinful choices? Okay, I’m listening. 

In a previous post, we explored the topic of self-care and found that it is less about getting a facial or a massage and more about finding balance and paying attention to what’s going on inside of you. Today I want to take it a step further and add that self-care is not an event, but a lifestyle. An attitude we have, concerning how we go about life and how we take care of this vessel God has entrusted us with.