Better Things

Have you ever noticed how trials seem to come crashing in one right after another? You go through a season of seeming calm and then, out of nowhere (at least from our human vantage point) the trials just rain down like a flood. The songwriter got it right: "When sorrows like sea billows roll. . ." I've been feeling the weight of trials pressing in these last days. My 4 year old is facing possible surgery; my hubby found out he will be moved to a different shift at work (which makes family life and ministry nigh impossible), and my daughter's gastroenterologist reminded us yesterday (with little empathy, I might add) that diet alone can't stay this disease, and that most likely there are things going on under the surface, despite the fact that she looks "like a million bucks" (her words, not mine.) All these burdens in a matter of days to press in on my heart. The traffic was ridiculous as we crawled home after that appointment yesterday. It g...

In honor of Valentine's Day this week, we wanted to share our top 5 favorite, yummy (and in my opinion, downright decadent) CHOCOLATE recipes with you all today. All of these recipes are gluten free and processed sugar free. Other than the yogurt for the mousse, and the butter in the chocolate chip cookies, they are all dairy free as well. Why? You may ask. Because the experts tell us that gluten, dairy, and sugar are the top 3 culprits in causing inflammation in our bodies. They don't fuel us well, friends. So, even in our food (and let me tell you, I absolutely LOVE to eat- especially sweets.), we are pursuing better things. Some of these are recipes I concocted, and others are ones I've found that our family has found to be tried and true. I dare you to try some of these. They are all kid-approved, taste-tested, and I venture to bet, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how delicious they are. 1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Balls I whip...

This year I am going to. . . make SPACE to TASTE my life! To find a better way of living that allows for REST without guilt. - TO BE STILL. As much rest as I need - not just enough to get me through without tears, but enough to feel grounded and gracious. What I ache for these days is space, silence, stillness, Sabbath. Trusting and Believing. Not in me and my abilities but IN GOD and his plans and desires for my life. I want to clear away space & noise & things "to do" and things to manager and more. . . I want LESS of everything. Less stuff Less rushing Less pushing and proving Less Hustle & more Heart Less snapping at my kids so they'll get in the car faster so we can rush to the next thing. Less consumption Less sugar ;0) Less feeling like my mind is fragmented, my stomach is bloated & my life is out of control. Less me & More JESUS . . . "The very thing that makes you, YOU that makes you great, that makes you di...

I remember when Katie first asked me that question. Pretty sure I was listening to her vox one morning as I took a quick shower after a workout. (Multi-tasking at it’s finest.) I’d thrown out the idea of a blog a few days before and we’d both gotten excited about the idea, and had been tossing around ideas for posts. "Good point, though, Katie." I thought. " How do we do this? Where do we even start?" We knew God wanted us to write. It was literally being confirmed at every turn. I had people private messaging me, and others stopping me at church - all telling me that I needed to write. And it was no different for Katie. And yet, we hesitated. We knew God had crossed our paths. We knew we shared the same vision, the same passion, the same heart. We knew God was calling us both to write. We knew that blogging together was the way to make it happen in this season of our lives as moms of 9 crazies between us. But, we were honestly worried. What if we...