Dancing Day
...Some Christmas music!

On Cleaning the Bathroom @StoyWarren.com by Rebecca Reynolds

My kind of poetry. :)

Why christian parents should not want good, happy, safe kids @ erlc.com

source: http://marshill.com/media/ten-commandments-set-free-to-live-free/ii-have-no-idols 

source: http://www.bluemarblegod.com/2012/10/27/do-not-grow-weary-day-27/

Jill's Bible Study and Devotion Resources and Tips

1.  Start with a good journal.  I love ecojot's Jumbo journals.  They are spiral bound, 150 pages, 100% post-consumer recycled, and for each one you buy, a school workbook is donated to a child in need.  You can find them here, on amazon, or for $13 at Barnes and Noble.

2.  Get a stash of pens.  I like Ink Joy by Paper Mate.

3.  You'll need a Bible. Here's a passage from The Message to whet your appetite:

       "...you thrill to God's Word,

                      you chew on Scripture day and night.

          You're a tree replanted in Eden,

                   bearing fresh fruit every month,

Never dropping a leaf,

     always in blossom"

                                       (Psalm 1:2-3).

Mine looks kind of like this one.

4.  Number your gifts.  The expert on this is Ann Voskamp.  

5.  Be honest about "desolations" in your life.
At the end of each day on one page of your journal, list out all your "consolations"--things you're thankful for a/o things that made you feel close to or comforted by God.  On the other page, list your "desolations"--times where you felt abandoned by God, things you don't understand, and things that made you feel far from God.  Launch your prayers from there.

This practice is fleshed out in a short book called Sleeping with Bread by Dennis Linn & co.  The examen is also good to do with your kids.

6.  Keep your Bible and your journal on your person (in a big purse or tote, if that helps).  

7.  Read The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones to your kids and to yourself.  
I can't say enough good things about this Bible--it's great.

Why Mother's Day is for the Birds@ A Holy Experience by AnnVoskamp

Facing the Truth@The Rabbit Room by Andrew Peterson

New Things Do Things@The Rabbit Room by Clay Clarkson

"5 Things I Want My Children to Know" --post by Andrew Peterson

My Stuff and Theirs...@Owlhaven...a super-helpful parenting post.

...Haven't heard this song for awhile!  Check it out, and then go see Karen Andreola's sweet post here: Red in Winter Warm and Bright. :)

Shredded Brussels Sprouts...@Peak313Fitness...yum!

When You Are Weary...@ A Holy Experience

“But one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward to what lies ahead…

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

~Phil. 3:13-14

When You Don't Want a New Year but a New You... @A Holy Experience