Category Archives: Faith

5 Christmas Picture Books That Will Point Your Kids to Jesus

I will warn you ahead of time, this post could have been titled, “5 Christmas Picture Books That Will Make Momma Cry.”

Despite those tears that usually mean my son reads the final pages, these books remain one of the most special parts of our Christmas celebration every year. At a time when the focus often drifts to receiving, rather than giving, Santa, instead of Jesus, and filling stockings seems more pressing than filling our hearts, reading these books will help redirect your family back to the reason we celebrate — the birth of a Savior.

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The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle.

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

One dark November night a stranger rides into a small prairie town. Who is he? Why has he come? The townspeople wish he were a doctor, a dressmaker, or a trader. But the children have the greatest wish of all, a deep, quiet, secret wish. Then a young girl named Lucy befriends the newcomer. When he reveals his identity and shares with her the legend of the candy cane, she discovers fulfillment of her wishes and the answer to her town’s dreams. Now will she share what she has learned?

Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story by Cynthia Rylant

In Appalachia each Christmas, a boy named Frankie waits beside the tracks for the Christmas Train, which will bring presents to the children who live in coal towns and hollows. Year after year, Frankie hopes that one particular gift, a very special gift will be tossed to him from that train. It is this enduring hope that will guide him to the true meaning of the season.

Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers and Ben Sowards

The only home little Rose has ever known is the orphanage, but Mrs. Hartley cares for all the children as if they were her own. When Mrs. Hartley dies, Rose is sent to a new orphanage, which is as cold and cruel as her previous home was kind.

Gradually Rose makes a few friends, and she learns that every Christmas a generous neighbor donates a box of oranges for the children.

An orange is an unknown luxury for little Rose, and she waits in eager anticipation. But on Christmas morning, Rose is brokenhearted when she learns that there is no orange for her.

However, Christmas is a time of friendship, love, and of miracles . . .

Annika’s Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis

A beautiful book that will become part of a family’s Christmas heritage, Annika’s Secret Wish inspires young and old to freely give and share even long hoped-for gifts. The final page features Swedish Christmas traditions that your family may choose to include in your own holiday celebration.

May this be a season of joy for your family, as you dig in deeper to share the real meaning of Christmas with your children.

And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:9-12

Rarely Early, Never Late: God Can be Trusted

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Hi Moms…

Today I am in the book of Genesis, so if you have your Bible with you, go ahead and take it out and get your highlighter or your ball-point pen (or whatever makes you happy when you sit down with your Bible) and get ready to mark it up a bit. Today, I want to talk about the faithfulness of God and how trust worthy God is.

I’m not going to read the whole passage, but I want to encourage you to read all of it on your own, and that Scripture is Genesis 22:1-19. This is the story of Abraham and Isaac. Some of you might not be familiar with this story so I am going to give you some background on it. Basically, Abraham has been asked by God to lay down his son on the altar and to sacrifice him. It is an incredible story of God testing Abraham’s faith.

In Genesis 22:14, we read,

“So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Now, this is the end of the story, where God clearly provides a sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac was not a required sacrifice. But, here is a tremendous lesson we learn about the relationship God had with Abraham, because God is the same as today than He was all those hundreds of years ago.

The Bible says that God and Abraham were friends. Can you imagine that? As God and Abraham became friends, God tested Abraham. He offered to enter into an agreement with Abraham. God told Abraham that if he would obey Him and would be blameless, He would Abraham’s family with many children and that God’s blessing would be on Abraham’s family forever.

As part of that agreement, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. God often changed people’s name in the Bible to signify a new beginning; Jacob became Israel, for example, and Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. So, Abram became Abraham and now, we see, he has a son named Isaac. Abraham was like any father, he loved his son very much and Isaac meant more to Abraham than anything on earth, except for Abraham’s love for God.

One day, God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to a particular mountain and offer him up as a sacrifice. I can’t even imagine what it was like; it’s always gut-wrenching to even think that God would ask Abraham to do this! It’s a good example of our inability to understand God’s ways. God asked Abraham to do this and, of course, Abraham was upset and afraid, but the Bible says he obeyed and he trusted God.

Can you imagine trusting God that way? He gathered two of his servants, a donkey, some wood to build a fire, and he set off with his son Isaac. After several days, they arrived at the mountain and Abraham and Isaac went alone the rest of the way. Isaac carried the wood and Abraham only took his knife and a flint to light the fire. Suddenly, Isaac looked around and realized they had no lamb for their offering and he asked his father where they might find a sheep. But, Abraham answered saying, “God will provide a lamb for us.” And they continued on their way.

Now, just for a few seconds, try to put yourself in Abraham’s position. Abraham loved the Lord, he knew that God had been faithful to him in the past and God had demonstrated His power and His sovereignty in Abraham’s life over and over again. And now, He was asking Abraham to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Let’s continue with our story…

At last they had arrived at the place that they were instructed to go and Abraham began stacking the wood to make a fire. Now, all this time, Abraham knew God had asked him to sacrifice his son. Could you imagine how sad he would’ve been as he walked for three days toward the mountain? What do you think was going through Abraham’s head? He must have believed his own words and I’m sure he was praying as he walked with his beloved son towards their destination.

This story illustrates how hard it can be to trust and obey God—but it’s also a wonderful example to us of following God through difficult circumstances. Abraham trusted and loved God. He knew God’s heart toward him and his son was good. In the end, Abraham was going to obey the Lord, no matter how hard it was.

When Abraham and his son reached the place they were going, Abraham had Isaac lie down on the wood on the altar. The time of the sacrifice had come—and still God had not supplied a lamb, so Abraham obediently took out his knife (could you imagine this?) and prepared to sacrifice his son. To Abraham’s relief, at the last moment, God finally spoke and told Abraham not to harm Isaac. He then provided a ram for a sacrifice.

Could you imagine how relieved and thankful Abraham was at that moment? He had trusted and obeyed and the Lord did not let him down. God came through for Abraham at the last moment, and because Abraham obeyed, God reaffirmed the covenant with him. Today, God’s promise remains in effect; Abraham has many, many descendants.

We see this kind of faith throughout Scripture, but never more poignantly than in the story of God’s own son, Jesus. Just as God would someday offer His only son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins, so was Abraham willing to offer his son as a sacrifice.

Are you facing something difficult in your life right now? Is God asking you to do something difficult? Maybe He is asking you to move to a different city. Maybe He is asking you to homeschool your children. Maybe He is asking you to take a quieter time around the table in relationships around you. Maybe God is asking you to trust Him in the midst of an illness or financial struggle. Maybe God is asking you to spend more time with Him.

Whatever He is asking you to do, the Bible tells us that one thing is for certain: God can be trusted.

You can trust the Lord today, busy mom. Take your burdens to Him, let Him guide and direct you, and then believe that He will come through for you. God is rarely early, but He is never late.

are we seeking Him as much as before?

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I accepted Christ into my heart when I was twenty six years old. The feeling was overwhelming. Jesus loves me. He stands at the door and knocks. (Rev 3:20). I just had to let Him into my heart.

So I did. Belly down on the carpet of our living room I breathed in deeply. I pointed to the garage door. It was the door we used as “the front door”. Our friends used this door too. We hardly ever used the real front door. If Jesus knew me and loved me like the scriptures stated – He was knocking at that door.

In the quiet dark hours of the night while my newborn snoozed I pointed at that door. “Jesus, I love you and want you to come in through that door and live in my heart. I want to have a relationship with you”.

I read the word daily. I couldn’t read it enough. I had never read a verse in my life before. I prayed hard, earnestly trusting the Creator of the Universe was listening. I loved so easily and I knew He loved me.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren had just released the year before. (that book sparked my heart to seek answers). If you can believe this – Facebook hadn’t even started yet. Twitter was still 3 years in the making. I knew of no super spiritual bloggers nor did I even know what a blog was about. If you wanted to see pictures of people – they actually had to send them in the mail to our house!

In the last ten years our world has become instant. Spiritual uplifting has become easily available for anyone with an electronic device. This is the means by which we are easily encouraged, connected, “caught up” with one another, and yet too easily discouraged as well.

John 10:10, “”The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” I believe, our attachment to this instant world can be the enemy’s easiest tool to swing to infect our days with discouragement.

We are more aware of what everyone else is doing at every moment of the day. If we want to know or not. There are more faux relationships out there eagerly awaiting for your time and agreeable comments. And how easily they crumble over a status update too!

So fast so fast no time to run words through filters and hope for the best in new relationships. We see the sharing of status updates before that one not-so-little-but-highly-private thing spreads around.

Sharing an update or retweeting a verse is great! I know God can and will use that to bless another. But in a world when we can instantly move on to the next thing a little too quickly … are we seeking Him as much as before? Are we still hungry to find Him?

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

There is One relationship that is jealous of your time. It’s not your high school reunion friends or your cousin in-law with the great hair and perfect smiling kiddos. It’s not your relationship with that famous Christian celebrity you’re stalking {did they notice that funny comment yet?} It’s definitely not the disapproving homeschool co-op ladies.

As the holidays approach I am trying to focus on the One relationship that has greater rewards. I’m praying for a hunger to know Him. Not the drive by verse someone snapped a photo of and posted. But Him – the One who was standing outside my garage door waiting for me.

May I leave you with the chorus of a song I’m singing lately? Amazingly, this was written in 1922. Long before Facebook!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace

God Works Through Suffering

Finding Rest Through Surrender

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Are you struggling and in need of rest? As mothers, we spend our lives taking care of others. So how do we find refreshment and rest for our own bodies and our own souls?

In Matthew, Jesus said,

Matthew 11:29

New International Version (NIV)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I’ve been thinking about what that means during this season of recovering from surgery and walking through some difficult changes in my life. It’s caused me to stop and think about whether or not I’ve taken His yoke, or if I’m wearing a yoke of my own design. One thing’s for sure: when I wear a yoke of my choosing, it’s not a “easy” or “light.” It’s burdensome and heavy.

God wants His children to learn to conform to His heart for them. He wants to carry our burdens with us. More often than not, I’m discovering that whenever I struggle under the weight of a trial in my life it’s because I’ve been unwilling or unable to surrender to the season of life that the Lord has me in.

In the verse above, we can see that Jesus extends an invitation to rest—and He gives three things we must do in order to find that rest from burdens we carry:

Come to Me: God wants us to come to Him first, before we do anything. Before we take on a project or say “yes” to another weekly activity. He wants us to come to Him.

Take My Yoke: Don’t take God’s good idea for someone else’s family on yourself. Jesus taught us that that His yoke is designed just.for.you; for your soul alone.

Learn from Me: I think Jesus’ gentle reminder here was intended to keep us from relying on the teachings men rather than getting into God’s Word and seeking after Him personally. As we have seen over and over, people fail. But God doesn’t. His heart is that we would seek Him first.

So why do we still struggle, even after we’ve come to Christ? Here’s the key: Jesus said in John 15:4,

“Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.”

It’s the abiding that gets us most of the time, isn’t it? Surrendering and laying down our will for His is something we must do. It’s an act of the will. When we choose to remain in Him, we find rest. Rest is found in remaining in Christ when things get tough. This doesn’t mean thing will be easy—but I’m here to bear witness to God’s unfailing mercy and the peace He gives that really does “pass all understanding.”

If you’re struggling to find a way to surrender to the Lord today, remember that He’s waiting for you. The God of the Universe is waiting—just for you. We are loved by our Creator!

Surrender is a daily thing. Ask the Lord to help you abide in Him today, busy mom. Ask Him to help you learn what surrender looks like. He wants to carry your burden with you.

Stay surrendered and find rest,

Listen to today’s devotional here:

Order Heidi’s book on time management surrendering your days here

Hope in our Heartache

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We ask our children when we pick them up, “Did you have fun?”

We ask our spouses when they return from work, “Did you have a good day?”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with those questions, but they each have as their main concern the person’s enjoyment of that which occurred. If those are the only questions we’re asking, then we’re missing the best ones we could ask. What about “Were you a blessing today?” “Did you point people to Jesus?” “Did you offer hope today?”

God’s main concern isn’t our happiness, yet we often (inadvertently) train our children to think it is. Happiness is temporary, fleeting, dependent on the circumstances or the moment. No, He’s concerned with our holiness. Because when we are holy, we ascribe glory to Him which is the entire reason we were created.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said,

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup…”

Jesus – son of the Most High God – asked God to provide another way! He knew the next chapter in His story was going to be a painful one, and in His humanness didn’t enjoy pain and suffering any more than the next guy. Yet in His holiness, He said,

“…yet not my will, but Yours, be done.” both Luke 22:42

Jesus underwent terrible pain – worse than we can ever imagine as he took on the sin of the world – and chose to give glory to His Father.

You see, God sees the big picture in our lives, and He can use anything to make us more like Him. Failure, hunger, depression, heartache, wayward children, past abortions, divorce, abuse, abandonment, unfaithfulness, betrayal or littler every day things like unkindness from a friend or a terrible day of homeschooling… Don’t get me wrong – He doesn’t cause any of the sin of this world, but He will redeem it in our lives if we let Him. All of these struggles that come as a result of this fallen world cause us to run to Him, desperately cling to Him, and sometimes even to need Him for our very next breath. And that makes us holy.

My husband and I lived in a season of infertility. (The Lord has yet to give me more “fruit of my womb.”) I wanted more babies, but I learned I wanted His best for me more than I wanted to grow that little one. That unsatisfied desire for more babies made me more holy. Needing God, submitting to God, allowing Him to mold us into the beautiful creation He intends for us to be… all of those make us holy.

And when we’re holy, we can give Him glory even when we are drowning in the sadness of infertility.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by being patient and kind – even when our growing-up-family baggage is rearing its ugly head and wreaking havoc in our marriage.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by waiting on Him as our Provider – even when we aren’t sure how we will pay that next electric bill.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by offering forgiveness – even when someone we trusted betrays us.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by recklessly trusting Him – even when we’re fearful of what tomorrow might bring.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by offering the gift of hope – even when we feel hopeless.

Unless you’re somehow exempt, life is going to be hard at one point or another.

There is still hope in this.

And hope breathes life and purpose into the heartache of the present struggle.

I can choose to use this struggle well, or I can choose to waste it.

I want to use it.

I want to be more like Him.

I want to be holy.

I want to give Him glory.

What is your heartache? Will you join me?

Unwrapping the Gift of Thanks

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Have you ever noticed how life is so full of change? Maybe I just notice more because I am not a big fan of change (unless, of course, it’s my idea). So often it feels like the moment I think I have a grip on things, something whirls out of control!

I remember when I was a young mom and we were adding a new member to our family about every 2 years until we had eight children ages 13 and under. I would just adjust to having the last one, get my body back to some semblance of normal and we would find out that we were expecting again. I loved having babies, I loved feeling new life growing inside of me, but there were always adjustments that needed to be made. My husband would remind me when I would get frustrated with trying to figure out family dynamics, that I had never had those particular dynamics before! The kids were always growing and changing along with moves we would make to a better location as our family grew and, of course, changes in us, work, etc..

During this time, I found it very challenging to get any time in the Word. It also seemed like such a battle to try and get prayer time, that, often, I would just give up. That probably wasn’t the best decision, but God was gracious and I believe that He truly does have loads of grace for those of you who find yourself carrying that burden of guilt over not having “quiet time” (What’s that?!) The scripture says that “He gently leads those who are with young”- believe me, I hung onto that one during those years!

We moved into the teen years wondering, ” what is all the fuss about teens?” But we have discovered that teens have a way of holding the mirror up about the time you have on your ugliest face! I can’t say I always responded well, but over time, God worked in me to see that these teens were a gift to me. They don’t let me go on thinking that I’ve pretty much got it together. They live with me. Although we don’t allow them to communicate in a disrespectful way, we have learned to be thankful for how God uses them in our lives.

Last year we had two daughters get married within 5 months of each other. They married wonderful men. I struggled quite a bit afterward, not because I was sad that they got married, but because change has a way of throwing me off kilter and you know what? The one thing I have learned is that giving thanks…I mean really engaging my heart and mind in dwelling on the things that I have to be thankful for (especially when I write them down), changes my world. I start to see the many ways that God has poured out His blessings on my life. I begin to feel God wrap His big, loving arms around me and whisper that He loves me and will ALWAYS take care of me. That He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. I don’t know about you, but that is something I desperately need, and seem to need more of as the years go by.

“And when I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, I make a place for God to grow within me.” -Ann Voskamp

We really don’t know what tomorrow, or even the rest of today, will hold for us, but when it is God who is holding us, we never have to be afraid of change, no matter how big that change is.

Oh, how I would have loved to have a short little daily devotional from an older mom when I had so many little ones! Someone to remind me that what I was doing was of great value even though it often went unnoticed by those around me. And someone to encourage me to take in a little bit of the Word each day. I love the fact that Heidi has done this in her “Quiet Times for Busy Moms”! I urge you to take advantage of this and let God use it to strengthen you each day.

And remember to unwrap that gift of thanks, daily.

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love