Today, on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day I’m thinking of my friend Harley. This is his story that he shared with me of that day. Invasion at Omaha Beach By Harley Reynolds Co. B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, First Infantry Division I woke up the morning of June 6, 1944, knowing the… [Continue Reading]
Community
Giving Your Children a Heart for the World {Guestpost}
Our Life I felt like the worst homeschooling mom ever. While other parents were taking their kids on nature walks and art classes, I was dragging my three children along with me to the pregnancy resource center that I just helped to start. Cory, Leslie and Nathan—all in elementary school—helped me to fold baby clothes… [Continue Reading]
Frankly, my dear, I don’t trust in God’s compassion
Okay, here’s the truth, for most of my teenage years I tried to ignore God. Why? Because even though I’d grown up going to church, I wasn’t living as I should. And if I thought about God I’d think about how disappointing (and downright sinful) I was. So it was easier to pretend that God… [Continue Reading]
Praying God’s Word For Yourself and Your Child
Praying God’s Word Through the years I’ve seen how important it is to pray God’s word over and for my children. I’ve also watched how God moved in my kid’s hearts and lives when I shared the scriptures with them. That’s why I’ve made it a priority to read through the Bible each year and… [Continue Reading]
One Brave Step Started My Road to Publishing
24 years ago I took ONE brave step. I was at the Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference, and I’d taken a workshop on article writing. I’d attended the conference wanting to write a novel, but article writing intrigued me. I jotted down a few ideas for articles, but didn’t think much of it. Then, the next… [Continue Reading]
Spring is a Celebration!
They say ‘April showers bring May flowers.’ But when you’re an author (and a homeschooling mom!) it also brings a busy conference season! However, when May comes around the first thing I think about is my WWII friends. Because my first novel From Dust To Ashes was inspired by the liberation of Mauthausen Concentration Camp… [Continue Reading]
How to Invite Others Into Your Healing through Transparency
Years ago, in 2005, I faced one of the hardest struggles of my life. I thought I was doing so well—as a writer, as a mom, and as a wife. One November, I pondered my family and my work, and I thought things couldn’t get any better. I even prayed Psalm 139:23-24: Search me,… [Continue Reading]
A Podcast Launch Giveaway with Joanna Weaver
I’m so excited to be an upcoming guest on Joanna Weaver’s new podcast, THE LIVING ROOM and to share with you her Podcast Launch Giveaway! In case you don’t know her, Joanna Weaver is the author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which has sold over a million copies, Having a Mary Spirit, Lazarus Awakening, and… [Continue Reading]
Learning to Stand, to Believe, to Overcome … in the midst of life’s pain
For much of my parenting I focused on helping my kids make good decisions, yet as they’ve grown into adults I’ve realized that their decisions are only part of the factor. My kids will also face heartbreak because of hard circumstances and the decisions of others. There are times the darkness will seem to overwhelm… [Continue Reading]
3 Ways Children Teach Us To Pray – Kari Patterson
As I type these words, my daughter is snuggled up next to me with her head resting on my stomach. She’s been mostly quiet, but throughout the past few minutes she’s softly spoken a thought: “I loved seeing the ducks today.” A question: “When am I going to Madison’s house?” A praise: “I love you,… [Continue Reading]
50 Read Alouds to enjoy with your child for Read Across America
One of my favorite times of the day is when I get the kids settled in a night and it’s time to read. Bedtime reading has been a tradition that we’ve done for the last 20+ years. We make sure all electronics are turned off, the kids get ready for bed, and we sit down as… [Continue Reading]