November is a month during which psychology experts and laypeople alike laud the benefits of gratitude. They say that gratitude benefits our mental and physical health (improved sleep, decreased pain, fewer illnesses, etc.). Numerous researchers have identified these benefits in the studies they’ve conducted on gratitude. I’m super … [Read more...] about How Gratitude Improves Our Lives
spiritual growth
Using Fall Decor to Promote Gratitude
Some individuals really have a knack for home decorating, but I’m not one of them. I don’t have a lot of time, money, or talent to put into decorating, so I focus a lot more on function than form. However, I’m keenly aware that the appearance of my home impacts the atmosphere in my home. I want the atmosphere in my home to be warm and peaceful … [Read more...] about Using Fall Decor to Promote Gratitude
Praying About the Little Things
When my kids and I sat down to pray before breakfast a few days ago, my 4-year-old prayed that God would make her mosquito bites stop itching. We had just prayed about some weightier stuff, so I was initially taken aback by her prayer for something that was seemingly trivial. As I thought about this, my feelings of surprise faded and I … [Read more...] about Praying About the Little Things
How Introverts Can Successfully Practice Hospitality
Introversion and Extroversion are likely the oldest and most widely discussed constructs in personality theories. Introverts tend to be reserved, quiet, and more comfortable alone. They are more sensitive to external stimuli and need time away from this in order to function well. Extroverts, on the other hand, tend to be expressive, outgoing, … [Read more...] about How Introverts Can Successfully Practice Hospitality
Why Don’t We Help Ourselves?
A couple of weeks ago, my middle daughter (who is nearly three years old) was curled up in a ball on the kitchen floor complaining that she was cold. I felt her to make sure she didn’t have a fever. She didn’t, so I’m pretty sure she felt cold because the air conditioning had just kicked on and she was directly beneath a vent. She was also on … [Read more...] about Why Don’t We Help Ourselves?
How Budgeting Reveals More About Your Heart Than Your Wallet
My husband and I have really pared down our budget in recent months. Since we got married, our goal has been to live completely free of debt (though we are comfortable having a mortgage). Thus far this has remained beyond our reach. We did pretty well during the early years of our marriage. At that time, we had two incomes and no … [Read more...] about How Budgeting Reveals More About Your Heart Than Your Wallet
Printable Easter Story Word Clouds
As I did at Christmas, for Easter I’m sharing words from the Bible in the form of word clouds. The word cloud pictured above contains the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Word clouds are images comprised of the words used in a particular text. In this case, the text is Mark 15:22-39 and 16:1-7. The size of each word in the cloud … [Read more...] about Printable Easter Story Word Clouds
Worship Music Playlist for Labor and Delivery
This is a post that I intended to share after I gave birth to my third child back in September. I didn’t get around to it right away, and then I hesitated to share it because the delivery didn’t go as planned. Of course, it’s not the playlist’s fault that I ended up needing an emergency C-section, so I decided to go ahead and share it … [Read more...] about Worship Music Playlist for Labor and Delivery
