InstaEncouragements Blog

Joseph: The Man God Chose to Raise His Son

12/20/2019

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother, Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’

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This is the Good Work God Called You To Mama

11/22/2019

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This is the Good Work God Called You To Mama

Motherhood is demanding work. I’ve been on the motherhood journey for over twenty-five years now. With three adult children, two teens and one preteen, the needs are different than they were ten years ago, but they are still needs that demand effort on my part as a mom. If I’m honest, there are some days when I’d like to pull up the covers over my head and let everyone just fend for themselves. As a matter of fact, today was one of those days. My two youngest boys did something last night that hurt someone’s feelings. They were “just being boys”, but if I let it slide, I would lose an opportunity to show them how their actions can hurt others whether they mean to or not.

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Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide

11/1/2019

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Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide : I know that some of you are already shopping for Christmas. Maybe, you even have all of your shopping done. But if you are one of those, like me, who wait till the last minute, have I got a deal for you!

Christmas will be here before we know it! It seems to creep up on me sooner than expected every year and I am rarely prepared for it.

This year, however, our family is doing something different. We are not giving gifts. Instead, we're having family photos made. All fourteen of us are meeting for a family dinner on the Sunday before Christmas and then we will head over to a local farm to meet Katelyn, our photographer, who is bringing a huge, mustard-colored sofa. I'm so excited about this! Can you tell?

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R-E-S-T. Four letters. One word. Filled With Promise.

9/20/2019

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Rest. Four letters. One word. Filled With Promise.

Rest...four letters that form one little word, filled with promise, but overshadowed by impossibility. Why is rest so elusive to us? Maybe you are a corporate woman with deals to make and meetings to run. Or, maybe you’re a mom with little ones, diapers, playdates, and laundry to the ceiling. Even if there are currently no little lives depending on you for existence, and you don’t have a corner office, I’m sure your days are filled with opportunities and obligations that keep you busy enough to crash when your head hits the pillow at night. No matter what is written in our individual planners, the pace we keep, the social media we take in, and the pressure to push for more can leave each of us feeling soul-drained.

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To be Seen Known and Loved

8/23/2019

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The other day I was having a conversation with a friend as she stood by her two babies who were resting in a stroller. Her little boy was facing her and wanted to get his mama’s attention. As we talked, he made the cutest grunting noises until she turned and looked at him. The minute her eyes met his, his face lit up with the biggest smile, one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen. All it took from this little guy’s mom was a glance his way to completely satisfy his longing to be seen. That moment with my friend and her baby made me think about how we all have a similar desire to be seen, to be known, and loved.

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Raising Best Friends

7/19/2019

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As parents, we make lots of investments in the lives of our children and we pray they’ll pay off when they’re raised into adulthood. We invest time, energy, and money in things we believe will build character, skills, discipline, and hopefully bring college scholarships. As a mom, I haven’t always done everything right, but one investment that my husband and I have worked hard to make is the friendship investment. I’m not talking about taking our children to play dates or signing them up for activities so they’ll find good friends, I’m talking about investing in their friendships with one another as siblings. Romans 12:10 says,