Author Archives: Heidi St. John

About Heidi St. John

Heidi has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and three grandchildren! The St. Johns homeschooled their kids all the way through high school. Heidi is the the author of seven books, host of the popular podcast "Off the Bench," and the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women learning God's Word and how to apply it to every day life. She and her husband Jay are also the founders of Firmly Planted Family and the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center, located in Vancouver, Washington.

Don’t Scare the Mama!

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Hi Moms!

Well, it’s Monday. I don’t know about you, but I’m finding that the older I get, the faster the time is going! Maybe it’s because there’s so much to do. Life is full when you’ve got kids and parents and work and … well, you know. But how do you find time for yourself? Good question.

Are you struggling to find time to take care of yourself? I bet if you’ve got kids you are!

Check out I Corinthians 6:19-20

Or, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you who you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”

Every home has it’s quirky little rules. In our house, quirky little rule #246 is: DON’T SCARE THE MAMA. For some reason, Continue reading →

Quiet Time Podcast: In the Presence of God

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Have you ever had a hard time finding time to get away and pray? I have struggled with this off and on during different seasons of my life. For me, praying has become an intentional part of my day—a time to put myself in the presence of God. In Mark 11:24-25, we read about the power of prayer.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven might forgive your sins.”

And in Philippians 4:6-7:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I love the promises that we find in the Bible! His Word tells us that if we go to Him, He listens to us. In I Thessalonians 5:16-18, we read that we are to

“Be joyful always—pray continually! Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

One of my favorite quotes from Oswald Chambers is this:

“We make prayer the preparation for work, it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say – I will endure this until I can get away and pray. Pray now; draw on the grace of God in the moment of need.”

Mom, if you are feeling weary and tired today— pray now. God’s grace is available for you right this minute. The exercise of being intentional about coming to Him will help you connect with God in a way that you cannot understand until you find yourself there. One of the things about a consistent prayer life that really blesses me is that I’ve noticed it makes me yearn to be in the presence of God.

I find myself talking to Him throughout my day as if He was right there … because He is!

There’s something about getting alone with the Lord and saying, “Father I need your grace for this moment. I need your help for this situation.” It makes Him even more real when we acknowledge His presence in every situation.

Take the time and pray, and you’ll find that it’s well worth the effort.

Don’t wait for your house to be quiet or for the baby to be napping before you pray; pray now.

God wants to talk to you, now.

For Those Who Believe

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Good morning moms! I’m speaking in South Carolina today at an event for Orthodontists. Funny, huh?! Me, a busy mom with a bunch of doctors and specialists. Pray for me, will you? 🙂 I hope to be an encouragement and blessing to them as they work to balance career and family. Today, I’m talking about something near and dear to my heart: my faith. Read on for more encouragement from Ephesians 1:18-19.

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Do you need some perspective today? The Bible tells us that it is the Lord’s great desire to give us His perspective, His eyes to see. Check out these verses in Ephesians 1:18-19:

“I pray, that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may comprehend the hope to which He has called you, what are the rich benefits of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of His power, available for us who believe, according to the exercise of His mighty strength.”

Did you see that last part? His mighty strength. His strength! Isn’t that awesome? His strength, not mine! I can’t do much on my own strength, I’m learning. The older I get and the older my children get, the more apparent it’s becoming that Continue reading →

Only What is Helpful

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http://heidistjohn.com/blog//wp-content/uploads/TBM-08-Only_What_Is_Helpful.mp3

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Today we’re in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 29. (Ephesians 4:29)

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it might benefit those who listen.”

Wow. That it might benefit those who listen. I had read this verse a couple of times because I am not a very good example, I think, to my kids sometimes! The Bible says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth.” Well, I don’t have that down.

“…but only what is helpful” … no, I don’t have that down. “That it might benefit those who listen.” As we’re praying today, before we take on the day and before the busyness of the day sets in, let’s take a moment and Continue reading →

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

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I’m in the book of Proverbs today, so if you have a minute, go ahead and open your Bible to the book of Proverbs. It’s funny, I can remember listening to Dr. John Mitchell when I was a student at Multnomah Bible College years ago, and he had a saying. He would say, “Don’t you folks ever read your Bibles?”

It was a running joke at the college, because he was so fast at looking things up! He had a love for the Word of God and he could quote huge passages of Scripture. Whenever it took us a while to find something, he would tease us and Continue reading →

God Never Changes

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It’s Monday! Here we go—ready or not! I hope you had a restful weekend. We’ve been in a torrential rain storm now for four days straight. I’m hoping the week gets sunnier. I’m glad God’s mercies don’t change like the weather.

Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

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Something that I learned a long time ago from my grandmother was the benefit of Continue reading →

Being Real

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Colossians 4:18
“I, Paul, write this in my own words. Remember my chains.”

It’s interesting that Paul, this champion for Christ, this man who “gave it all” for Jesus to the point of martyrdom, was real enough to ask for prayer. Real enough to say “remember my chains.” He told the people exactly what was struggling with and he asked his friends to share it far and wide.

He was being real. He wasn’t hiding. I believe it’s because Paul knew that he needed all the help he could get. It’s a good lesson for all of us.

It’s easy as moms to hide, isn’t it? It’s easy to put on a brave face and pretend that we have it all together. For me, it’s often easier to get on Facebook or my blog and talk about the things that are going right. After all—who wants to talk about the things that are going wrong? That’s embarrassing!

Truthfully, no one is encouraged when we appear to have it all together. What IS encouraging though, is to hear a mom talk about her everyday struggles and be real about them while not giving up. It’s encouraging to see moms who follow Jesus through struggles and difficulties. That’s the example that Paul set for us.

I want to encourage you today to be real with those people around you who God has put into your life. Tell them when you’re struggling and when you’re succeeding—and walk in truth with each other.

When we pray for each other, we tap into the power of God. The Bible tells us that true strength comes from God. There are no guarantees—but when we surrender our lives to the One who made us, we find a peace that passes understanding.

Give it a shot today, busy mom. Be real with each other. Pray for each other. Encourage one another. And then, see what the Lord will do.