
Overcome the After-Christmas Blues
When my daughter was abot three years old, we took down our real Christmas tree during her nap. When she woke, she saw it outside and she said, "Christmas tree, come back." That made me sad. I hate taking down the Christmas decorations. The house seems so bare and cold. My guest this week is Dr. Michelle Bengstrom. She holds a doctorate in psychology, and she addressed how to overcome the after Christmas blues. For instance, If you go outside and expose your body to sunshine, the light lifts your mood even if you wear sunscreen. She offered this and...
Read MoreWorry Much?
Do you worry about 2023? The world is getting crazier every day. There’s hope! Josh watched his drunk father beat his mother. Fellow school children laughed about the antics of the town drunk, his father. One day Josh found his mother in bed crying. She told him his dad broke her heart and she wanted to die as soon as Josh graduated from high school. After Josh graduated, his mother died. The tragedy made him despise his father, and he hated God. While he was in college, other students challenged him to prove God didn’t exist. He accepted and traveled...
Read MoreWelcoming January 2023
To kick us off with new habits that lead toward progress, and not perfection, my team and I have created a Habit Tracker to help organize your monthly goals. And yes, we want to aim toward monthly, versus yearly goals that we may forget. Studies show that monthly progress keep us in track. Here you can jot down your monthly goals and even include the Bible Verses that have inspired your goal. Each day, read those verses as you pray to our Everlasting Father and ask for strength and determination to get you close to His design, His will for...
Read MoreDiscover How to Evaluate Last Year Before Launching into 2023
Normally, we start the New Year by thinking how we failed the previous year and wishing we'd done better. We wanted to lose thirty pounds and only lost fifteen. Let's think positively. Author Peggy Sue wells challenged me to evaluate last year before launching into 2023. She said we can reflect and measure our progress. Reframe our thoughts, and then refocus for the new year. What a refreshing difference. Listen here For more New Year's thoughts listen here
Read MoreDiscover How to Evaluate Last Year Before Launching into the New Year
As the year comes to an end, we look back negatively and plan on reaching all our goals for the next year. However, let's put a positive spin on the New Year. Author Peggy Sue Wells shared great ideas: Reflect - measure the gain. Reframe - marking your progress. Refocus - plan one to three goals for the New Year.
Read MoreChristmas Prayer 2022
Christmas Prayer, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Listen here Another podcast: Christmas in a messed up world, listen here
Read MoreChristmas Prayer 2022
Cynthia offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of God's only begotten son, Jesus.
Read MoreDiscover DIY Christmas
How do you mix inflation and Christmas? Years ago people recycled. Women would remake a dress to update the fashion. Or they would take a dress and cut it down to fit a child. People worked with what they had. So why not DIY Christmas? Redo and remake things and make them better than they were. I created a refrigerator magnet from junk mail and yarn. If you'd like to make one, download the directions here. My guest this week was Tina Yeager. She wrote a book called Upcycled. Sometimes when we have been through a hard time, we feel...
Read MoreDiscover DYI Christmas
How do you mix inflation with Christmas? If we look back in history, people recycled. So why not make gifts? Your kids will have fun, and grandparents love gifts from your kids. Cynthia created a refrigerator magnet from junk mail and yarn. You can download the free instructions here. This week my guest was Tina Yeager. Her last book, Upcycled, shows great ideas on how to take old stuff and reuse it, make it better. It's what God does for us with our heartache. Plus, it costs less. Be creative this Christmas!
Read MoreChristmas Thoughts from Martha Washington
Today many women exhaust themselves with decorating, presents, parties, and entertaining for Christmas. But how did people celebrate years ago? Has the holiday always been this hectic? Martha Washington joined us this week. She offered her thoughts on the holiday and explained customs in her day. Watch here. To discover more about Christmas in history, click here
Read MoreChristmas Thoughts from Martha Washington
Today women work themselves almost to exhaustion decorating, buying presents, and planning parties. How did they celebrate Christmas in the past? Has the holiday always been so hectic? Step back in history with "Martha Washington", wife of our first president. She offered thoughts from her experience and explained how her family celebrated Christmas.
Read MoreDiscover the History Behind the Real Santa
Most of us grew up with stories about Santa who lived on the North Pole. He used reindeer to carry his presents all over the world to girls and boys who had been good the year before. And we knew this mythical person came from the past. However, this year we get to know the real Santa. Rhonda Robinson spent hours researching to unearth the story of a man who lived during the time Rome persecuted Christians. Santa believed in Jesus and gave to the poor as Christ commanded. She wrote The Legend of Christmas, the Untold Story of the...
Read MoreDiscover the History of Santa Claus
Most Americans associate Santa with Christmas. Now that Thanksgiving is over, you'll see 'Santa' everywhere. However, the real Santa didn't sport a big belly or wear a red suit. He believed in Jesus, and he helped people in need. My guest this week spent hours reserching the man behind the myth. Rhonda Robinson wrote The Legend of Christmas, the Untold Story of the Real St Nicholas. under the pen name Theresa White.
Read MoreWelcoming December With…
This month we celebrate Jesus. Whenever I think of His grace, I’m overwhelmed with thanksgiving. He’s the reason we have eternal life and hope for this life. He can heal all our deepest wounds and satisfy our longings. He will bring justice to the oppressed, and best of all, He gives life. This month we want to revisit a devotional video that is dear to our ministry, plus it comes with homework and DIY activities for you, as well as your young and older kiddies. Plus, we are thrilled to provide coloring and copywork for those training and mastering their...
Read MoreThanksgiving Message from the Past
"Mrs. Lincoln" visited us from the 1860s. She related President Lincoln's ardent desire to praise God after the Union victory at Gettysburg. He established the third Thursday in November as a holiday for the United States. Watch here For a Thanksgiving prayer, listen here
Read MoreThanksgiving Message from the Past
"Mrs. Lincoln" shared the President Lincoln's ardent desire for the entire nation to praise God in November 1863. He made Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated on the third Thursday of November.
Read MoreDiscover the Benefits of Thanksgiving
Discover the benefits of Thanksgiving. If you live long enough, you will face trials. Gut wrenching stuff. The Lord even promised we would have troubles in this life. However, the Word also says "In everything give thanks..." (I Thess. 5:18) On the surface, that doesn't make a lot of sense. No one enjoys the hard parts of life. I'd rather sip tea and read a mystery novel about someone else's problems. My guest this week was Carol Leatham. She and her husband planned on a vacation, but he ended up in a mental hospital, and she wasn't sure how to...
Read MoreDiscover the Benefits of Thanksgiving
If you live very long, you will face trials. Gut wrenching stuff. The Lord even promised we would have trouble in this life. So why on earth does the Word say to 'be thankful in all things?' (I Thessalonians 5:18). That really seems crazy because none of us like the hard parts of life. I would rather sip tea and read a mystery novel about some other person's problems. My guest this week was Author Carol Leatham. After living through a long-term trial, she wrote Finding Joy in My Messy Life. Her answers are raw but real.
Read MoreThe Secret to Finding Strength in Tough Moments
Do you ever feel like David the shepherd boy standing before a huge giant who is armed and ready to kill you? Life in our country feels like war sometimes. However, we know the secret to finding strength. My guest this week was author Debbie Wilson. She wrote a series of books on how big God is. The last one, Little Strength Big God, will arrive on the shelves soon. She shared the time she faced a cancer diagnosis and explained her response. You'll be encouraged. Listen here. For more on this topic, listen here.
Read MoreThe Secret to Finding Strength for Tough Moments
My guest this week was Author Debbie Wilson. She teaches a Bible study in her home and has written a Bible study series about how God is big and we are not. The next book in the series, Little Strength Big God, comes out soon. Debbie shared one of her earthquake moments and told how God gave her strength through that time. How wonderful to have a God we can depend on when life falls apart.
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