The goal of  Christmas traditions is not to do the most elaborate and difficult things, but to help my children love Jesus, revere Him, enjoy His story, to embed the beauty of Christmas deeply into their hearts.

Join me as I speak today about the Biblical meaning of waiting. Advents finds us waiting for His light to come into our darkness.

The holidays bring such an array of activities, things to do, traditions to occupy our time. Yet, if we want to make this holiday memorable and special, we need to determine to be present in the moment with those in our midst, our children, friends, relatives, neighbors. This is the day, this is the moment the Lord has made.

None of us will ever be perfect. We are in process. And at every step, God who is steadfast in His love and never changing, loves us and wants to companion us and carry our load.

Week by week, our family waited for the arrival of our precious baby to come. Yet, this mysterious journey of motherhood means that every time a baby is born, it is miraculous and unpredictable. Finally, on her due date, my newest grandchild decided to hint that she might be on her way.

A truth told without love and grace is a truth that is rejected. Would Jesus' message have had the same impact without His feeding thousands, taking children into HIs arms, and washing the feet of His friends? It is in service that God incarnate is recognized. And service begins with serving those who are closest to us, making home the very best place to be.

Creating and noticing beauty, the loveliness of life, the gift of sweet relationships with my littles is an emotional and spiritual defense against being overcome by evil and darkness.

Our walk with God, our hope in His reality, His companionship, His presence every day gives our children a way forward to know how to engage with the realities of a dark, broken world. The way we narrate life to them becomes their instructor for how to narrate life for themselves.

We all go through struggles and dark seasons as women and mothers. The battles are real and can seem overwhelming. Along the way, I have had a few people who have met me at my point of need, my point of depression, my hunger, for wisdom and instruction.

Autumn is a time for savoring, for choosing to make a memory. We intentionally take the opportunity to look into the eyes of our beloveds, to make one more sweet memory with a full knowledge that seasons change and that the moment might pass.

I hadn’t had a conversation with my friend, Sam, for quite a while, so we met for a chat to catch up and I knew many of you would enjoy listening in.

We were created to be message makers, healers, redeemers. There is a kingdom of darkness but we are people of the light and the light will overcome all that is evil, dark, meaningless, and harsh.

Let us embrace the joy worth repeating, again and again, and seek out those warm conversations that nourish our spirits and remind us of the beauty of connection. And may we never underestimate the power of tea and a friend to bring peace, comfort, and a touch of magic to our lives.

He who was with Jesus, is with me. He is still the calm in the midst of storms, the peace and rest in the torrents, the comfort and lover and One who is powerful above all and still says to the powers that threaten, “Be still.”

So often, God prunes my branches of life. He takes away, he cuts my life back—and truly I have learned that I bear more fruit from these times of discipline than I could have understood when I was younger. He has the best for me in mind—that I may bear even more fruit.

It is a legacy of faith we are passing on, when we daily stoop to serve, patiently giving our energy to meet the needs of others.

I invested a lifetime of building heart-to-heart connections through words of grace, rhythms of shaping thoughts, convictions, and imagination of His goodness, beauty, and love. These happened in all the moments of the days and were underlined by the intentional special times when we would meet alone, share a cuppa of something soothing and warm, a treat, and speak of eternal virtues that inspired a lifetime of joy.

Learning to be responsible for your own sense of well-being, your sense of contentment, and the ability to thrive is one of the most foundational aspects of flourishing over a lifetime.

His spirit shapes us as we shape a generation for His glory. And we are able to take one more step of obedience and pour out His unconditional love and wisdom to children who are not always aware of our sacrifice until they are older.

As I look to the years ahead, I wonder how I could best invest my time and my love for all of you whose lives matter so much.

As I ponder where I have been and where I am going, I have realized that I want to consider how to best invest my life for Him in the years ahead, how to love well, to encourage generously, to grow a little bit more like Jesus every day.

For our children to have a strong standard of truth speaking to their invisible thoughts, their minds must be filled with thousands of teachings of scripture so their brains will have a "go-to" place when they are making decisions about their lives.

Today on my podcast I share many of the ways Clay and I prepared for our home for our grandchildren to be child friendly, a place to rest and be at peace, and a welcome to their parents.

As believers, we need to understand the principle of unconditional love. It is natural to disdain or criticize people—it is supernatural to love, to forgive, to be patient.

“Even grown ups love to play dress up once in a while.” Add to that a cold gas of sparkling Elderflower juice, shared with a dear friend with lots of laughter and you have an unforgettable memory to come back to again and again.