Purposeful Living Archives - Page 3 of 14 - LeeAnn G Taylor

Parenting With Purpose: Wave the White Flag of Surrender

October 2, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Yesterday a friend reached out to me on Facebook asking me to pray for her. She was discouraged, frustrated by both her children’s disrespectful behavior and her own negative response to it.

I was quick to type back an encouraging note, beginning with the words “PARENTING IS SO HARD!”

It’s true. Being a parent is not for the faint of heart! Being a good parent is even more difficult. Add in trying to mold and shape your kids’ hearts into the likeness of Jesus and you can quickly become an overwhelmed mama!

Just last week I was ready to raise the proverbial white flag of surrender, ready to give up my “mother” job.

My thoughts before that Facebook status update went a bit like this:

Seriously?! These kids refuse to eat anything I make for them, even if they declared it their favorite yesterday. Why do I even try to get them to eat veggies and a meat other than chicken nuggets?

OUCH, why am I stepping on alphabet magnets in the kitchen floor AGAIN? And what in the world is that sticky stuff on the counter that is now all over my arm…and in the baby’s hair?

YES, you have to brush your teeth and go to bed. It is already past your bedtime and no, I will not read three MORE stories to you tonight. (closing bedroom doors…) “I looooooove you!”

But actually I’m just glad the house is now quiet and I can THINK for a moment. Shew, time to crawl in my bed. Those dishes and everything else I had on my to-do list for tonight will just have to wait, again.

I have determined parenting’s purpose in my life sometimes is to get me to rely on Jesus instead of myself. It’s working!

As you seek to be the mama God’s called you to be to your children, I will leave you with this reminder from scripture.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Be encouraged! Let’s remember to keep our focus on the unseen as we seek to parent with purpose and create homes centered around God’s truths.

—

Have you had one of these “raise the white flag of surrender…I’m DONE with being a mama” kind of days lately? How’d you feel in that moment? What encouragement can you give the rest of us? Share in a comment below or in the Parenting with Purpose private Facebook page!

Parenting With Purpose: Creating a God-Centered Home

October 1, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Last year I joined in with hundreds of other writers online in The Nester’s 31 Day Writing Challenge. I really loved sharing this series on Parenting With Purpose: Creating a God-Centered Home, as I have a heart for intentionally impressing God’s Word upon the hearts of our children.

This year, I’m back at it again! I just love-love-love connecting you with tools and resources to help make your job as intentional Christian moms just a tad bit easier. I can’t wait to share some of what I’ve compiled with you.

Parenting With Purpose - Creating a God-Centered Home

If you missed the series last year, you can find all of last year’s posts here – 2014 – Parenting With Purpose: Creating a God-Centered Home.

There are a 5 things I’d like you to know about me, my family, and our topic for the month:

My kids are 6, 3, and 9 months old. We have a house full of “littles”.
This means I haven’t gone through all the stages of parenting and still have lots to learn!
I struggle daily to sort out the conflicting messages of what parenting “should” look in our home.
I’m learning the importance of seeking God personally first before I seek to impart godly wisdom to my children.
There are hundreds of tools and ideas available as you seek to create a God-centered home. I’ll be sharing just a few of them, so this won’t be an exhaustive list!

What To Expect:

You can expect posts focused on:

practical parenting tools & resources for creating a God-centered home
parenting-focused scriptures
reviews of Christian parenting books, CDs, and DVDs
printable resources to use right away with your children
inspiration & insight from other Christian parents {guest posts}

What Not To Expect:

perfect or prescribed solutions
judgements about specific methods of parenting

How You Will Benefit:

Learning often happens best in community!

By following along with the series & participating as you’re able in the comments section or the private Facebook group, you’ll:

gain fresh perspectives on opportunities to create God-focused moments in your home
learn about a treasure trove of resources to draw from
enjoy interaction with other Christian parents & grandparents with similar goals

Ways to Stay Connected:

If you’re not already receiving blog posts by email, you can sign up to have the posts delivered right to your inbox so you don’t have to remember to click over to the blog each day.

If you like to follow along in a blog feed-reader, you can connect with me on BlogLovin’.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

If you’d like to dig deeper into the topic each day, join the private Facebook group to connect with other moms and grandmothers who are also passionate about creating a God-centered home.

If you have a friend who would also be interested in this series, please use the social sharing buttons below to invite them to join us on the journey! You can also pin the series button to Pinterest to refer to later as you grow in your parenting.

Parenting With Purpose - Creating a God-Centered Home

Do you have a favorite resource you want to make sure I don’t miss? Contact me!

Encouraging Back to School Bible Verses {Free Printable}

August 22, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It’s back to school time!

We’ve managed to accomplish all the usual back-to-school activities:

✔ new tennis shoes (summer = worn out shoes!)
✔ new clothes (yep, kids grow in 3 months)
✔ school supplies
✔ Open House
✔ ice cream with the grandparents to mark the occasion

It’s back to school time! Time to spruce up our morning routines.

Now we’re working on our morning routine since in our family, mornings are our “around the table times”. Hubby works afternoons and evenings during the week as a pastoral life coach, so eating dinner around the table together usually only happens on the weekends when we aren’t out exploring or traveling.

Parenting With Purpose

Each year has seasons, and for us, the back-to-school season is a great time to refocus on intentional parenting with purpose.

Now that our “big kids” are a little older (6 and 3), this year’s morning routine after our kids wake up will include asking them to:

✔ get dressed independently
✔ put lunch in backpack & backpack by the door
✔ sit at the breakfast table with the family (sometimes sitting is the hardest part for them)
✔ write something you’re thankful for in our family gratitude journal
✔ work on scripture memory as a family

It’s simple on purpose since our kids are young.

Your Morning Routine

Your morning routine will look different in your home, but I’d encourage you to take a few minutes to think about what kind of morning would be your ideal morning. Then work backwards to put systems and routines in place to make that happen.

Let’s be real. If you have a beautifully planned schedule for your mornings and you have littles, middles, or even big big kids, your mornings probably won’t go 100% like you plan. But as the saying goes, failing to plan = planning to fail.

So this school year, let’s be intentional in determining the type of environment we’d like to create for our family and take some action to make it happen. Then remember to give yourself and your kiddos grace when it doesn’t work perfectly.

To help you get started, I’ve created two downloadable printables with encouraging back-to-school Bible verses. Please feel free to share with anyone you think would benefit from these as a jumpstart to intentional, God-centered mornings.

Blessings,

encouraging bible verses for back to school

Click the image to download a printable version.

Need a little help getting meals on the table now that school’s starting back up again? Try out my “secret weapon” — HomeChef!

They deliver pre-prepped ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards (with pictures…so helpful!) for meals I’ve picked from their weekly selection right to my door! Want to see if it is your “secret weapon” too? You can try it out with a free $30 credit!

Use the social share buttons below to share these free printable back to school Bible verses with your friends. Many blessings for another wonderful school year!

Five Minute Friday Retreat Reflections {Community + Connection}

August 21, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Two weeks ago I loaded up our suburban with the kiddos and all manner of things needed for a 7+ hour trip and a weekend stay. My husband drove and my friend Mollie kept me company on the dark, rainy drive to Nashville, TN.

The most anticipated weekend of the summer had arrived! We were on our way to the FMF (Five Minute Friday) Retreat.

We were *a little* excited!

Five Minute Friday is an online community of women who come together on Fridays to write for five minutes using a one-word writing prompt. Five minutes of sharing words and hearts without concern for editing. It’s a writing exercise, the type of which my brother-in-law says sounds like a torturous high school assignment. For the 100 or so ladies who participate each week, however, it’s a weekly lesson in releasing perfectionism in our writing.

Some of us gather on Twitter on Thursday evenings to chat using the #fmfparty hashtag. We talk like women do. There is usually talk of chocolate, kids, work, family, prayer requests and more. When the writing prompt is released that evening, the Twitter party gets quiet while we all go to write for our five minutes.

We love to write and share our hearts!

A few months back during one of our Thursday evening #fmfparty chats, someone mentioned how great it would be if we could all chat in person instead of just online. The idea of a retreat was born and four brave souls – Kate, Holly, Mary, and Jen – took on the challenge of planning a time for us to meet.

While to some it might seem strange to gather women from all over the U.S. and Canada who have never met in person in one cabin for a weekend, to those of us who attended, it couldn’t have felt more normal.

We’re finally together!

When describing the retreat to my husband and friends after the weekend ended, I talked about how it felt like “church camp for adult women”. Church camp to me means so many things, but in this case I likened the retreat to camp since the Holy Spirit was just so obviously present in all of our interactions.

The small talk that normally occurs when you first meet someone wasn’t necessary, as we’d “talked” about these things weekly with one another online for months, sometimes even years.

We were familiar with so many aspects of each others’ stories – families, workplaces, church environments, struggles, and joys. Instead of our conversations staying at surface level, we quickly shared the deep places with one another, becoming “heart sisters” in the process.

Many of the women have shared their own reflections of the weekend we spent together. For some, it was the first time they’d experienced community with like-minded Christian women. For some, it was a time to release fear and embrace a deeper faith. For some, it was a time to truly embrace their identity as a writer.

For me, it was a time to acknowledge God’s true provision in my life in so many areas.

God proved to me His goodness over and over through the women present at the retreat. I was able to see first hand how intimately God knows me, his child, and his desire to pour out his blessings in the form of these sweet relationships.

Some of His good gifts looked like:

Jennifer, the woman who led the Hello Mornings group I joined years ago when I was first learning to be intentional with my morning quiet time, attended the retreat, loved on my baby girl, and prayed with me.

Trillia, whose book Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves, spoke so deeply to my journey over the past few years. {click the image to learn more about her book}

Natasha, who personified brave and encouraged me to be brave in my own life.

Janel, whose kind words shared so graciously touched my heart and encouraged me to do the same for others.

The incredibly generous planning team was amazing!

Kaitlyn, who reminded me that every story matters, including mine!

Mary, who God placed in my life last year as a sweet friend and prayer warrior. What a blessing to share more in-person time with her!

There are so many more stories I could share of God’s faithfulness throughout the weekend, stories of special conversations and moments we’ll all cherish forever. These pictures provided a peak into our experiences:

Five Minute Friday live and in person! We wrote for 5 minutes on the prompt “Tell” and then shared our writing aloud.

The serene environment created space for our souls to reflect and connect.

Taking pictures with new soul sisters before heading home.

Emily Freeman reflects on these life-changing moments in her new book, Simply Tuesday:

The kingdom of God exists right here in the moments where we live.

On some level, we already know this. Maybe you, like me, can recount moments in your life where it seemed you stepped through the invisible curtain dividing heaven and earth, where you nodded your head with misty eyes and thoughtful gaze, feeling the gauzy weight of eternity settle softly over the moment – at the wedding, the graduation, the birth of a baby, or even after a meaningful night with friends.”

This weekend retreat, two meaningful nights with friends, certainly provided a peak into the kingdom of God here on earth and I am grateful, so very grateful, to have experienced it!

What places in your own life have you experienced the type of community and connection that is the kingdom of God here on earth? If it’s been awhile for you, I’d encourage you to seek out connection with other believers – in your workplace, in a MOPS group, in a small group, at a ladies retreat, or even online. Make space for God to delight you with his provision and create joy in your life through other believers!

*Thank you to Mollie, Jen, Melinda, Holly, and Jennifer for sharing your pictures from the retreat!

100 Creative Ways to Say Thank You to Your Husband

April 23, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

We all know we should show our husband how much we appreciate him, but sometimes it’s hard to remember to focus on our marriage when we’re in the throes of raising little ones.

To help you, here’s a list of 100 creative ways to tell your husband thank you for all the things he does and who he is as a husband and a father and a man around the house.

Try one or two a day and see what kind of difference it makes in the quality of your marriage. I promise, you’ll see a difference!

1. Respectfully communicate with him.
2. Let him know he’s important to you.
3. Purposefully try to understand his feelings—even when you disagree with him.
4. Show interest in his friends. Make sure he has some time with them if they’re trust-worthy.
5. Let go of the small stuff. We all have annoying habits and preferences that are different from our spouse’s. (Dave Ramsey)
6. Tell him you both love him AND like him.
7. Either show interest in his hobbies or allow him space to participate freely. (Dave Ramsey)
8. Protect his dignity on a daily basis.
9. When confronting him, realize he has feelings also.
10. Foster an atmosphere of laughter in your home. Look for ways to laugh together.

11. Try not to make sudden major changes around the house without discussion. Give him time to adjust.
12. When you go out on a date together don’t bring up problems—have fun instead.
13. Focus on what he’s doing right instead of focusing so often on the negatives.
14. Show interest in what he feels is important in life.
15. Give him special time with you apart from the children.
16. The first minutes after a spouse comes home often sets the stage for how the rest of the evening will go. Try to make that time a positive experience. Ease into the negative.
17. Give him time to unwind after he gets home from work. Your evenings will be much more enjoyable. (Dave Ramsey)
18. Don’t allow family members to treat him disrespectfully. Defend him to anyone that dishonors his place as your husband.
19. Compliment him often.
20. Be creative when you express your love, both in words and in actions.

21. Talk with him about having specific family goals for each year to achieve together to feel closer as a marital team.
22. Don’t over commit yourself. Leave time for him.
23. Extend God’s grace to him and be forgiving when he offends you.
24. Find ways to show him you need him.
25. Give him time to be alone. This energizes him to reconnect at other times.
26. Admit your mistakes; don’t be afraid to be humble. Peel away your pride.
27. Defend him to those who disrespectfully talk about him. Love protects (1 Cor. 13:7).
28. Respect his desire to do well—not his performance.
29. Rub his feet or neck, or scratch his back after a hard day.
30. Take time for the two of you to sit and talk calmly (schedule it when necessary).

31. Initiate going out on romantic outings.
32. Email him when he’s at work, telling him how much you love him.
33. Surprise him with a fun gift of some kind that he’d really enjoy.
34. Express how much you appreciate him for working so hard to support the family.
35. Tell him how proud you are of him for who he is. Give him specific reasons.
36. Give advice in a loving way — not in a nagging or belittling way.
37. Help your husband to be the spiritual head at home (without “lording” it over him).
38. Reserve some energy for him so you’re not so tired when he want to connect with you sexually.
39. Don’t expect him to do projects beyond his natural capabilities.
40. Pray for him to enjoy God’s best in life.

41. Take special notice for what he has done for you and the family.
42. Brag about him to other people both in front of him and even when he’s not there.
43. Keep conversations brief when he’s tired—so he isn’t “flooded” by too many words.
44. Tell him 3 things you specifically appreciate about him.
45. Honor him in front of the children (differ respectfully in private when necessary).
46. “Look straight into the eyes of your husband when he talks to you or if you’re speaking to him. This will make him feel that you are interested in what he wants to say.” (J. Clain)
47. Get up with him, even when he gets up earlier than you want to and pray with him (you can go back to bed afterward, if possible —it’s a sacrifice worth making.)
48. Be his “help-mate” in whatever ways you sense he needs it.
49. Participate in shoulder-to-shoulder activities with him (like watching a movie and such) without talking. Sometimes men just like to BE with you and not talk.
50. Be a student of his ways so you show your love in ways he best comprehends it.

51. When your husband is in a bad mood give him time to recover. Don’t crowd him.
52. Help him to finish his goals, hobbies, or education when your see he needs it.
53. Treat him as if God has stamped on his forehead: “Handle With Care.”
54. Work to get rid of habits that annoy him.
55. Be kind and thoughtful to his relatives.
56. Don’t compare his relatives with yours in a negative way.
57. Thank him for things he’s done around the house. You’d be surprised how effective this is!
58. Don’t expect credit for all you do for him. Do it as “unto the Lord.”
59. Make sure he agrees with everything important that you’re planning to do.
60. Do little things for him—let him sleep in, bring him coffee, etc.

61. Don’t belittle his intelligence or be cynical in your words with him.
62. Initiate sex on a regular basis. And respond more often.
63. Sometimes let him enjoy his day off work without having to “work” at home.
64. Get to the point in your discussions. Spare him details unless he wants them.
65. Discover his sexual needs.
66. Surprise him with a 15 second kiss when he gets home from work.
67. Wink at him from across the room when you’re out at a group function.
68. Give him the benefit of the doubt when he mis-speaks.
69. Don’t quarrel over words.
70. Be kind and courteous with him. Don’t be more kind to strangers than to him.

71. When things go wrong, instead of assessing blame, focus on how to do better.
72. As a kindness, don’t say, “I told you so.”
73. Try not to argue over money. Peacefully discuss future expenditures instead.
74. Take him out on dates—pre-planning all of the details ahead of time.
75. Hold his hand and snuggle up close to him at times both at home and in public.
76. Praise his good decisions; minimize the bad ones.
77. Tell him you love him more often.
78. Put love notes in his pockets and brief case.
79. Sit with him while he’s watching TV—even if the program doesn’t interest you.
80. Don’t expect him to read your mind (despite your thinking he should— extend grace).

81. Periodically, give him time with his family alone.
82. Check with him before you throw away his papers and stuff.
83. Put effort into keeping yourself in good shape so he’s especially proud to be with you.
84. Let him express himself freely without fear of being called stupid or illogical.
85. Carefully choose your words. Remember to “speak the truth in LOVE.”
86. Don’t criticize him in front of others—keeping his dignity in tact.
87. Visit his childhood home with him.
88. When you’re angry, express it in respectful ways. Don’t give the silent treatment.
89. Pray for him.
90. Make him his favorite homemade soup when he’s sick.

91. Look your best—dress to honor him and make him proud to be seen with you when you’re out together.
92. Support him when someone tries to put him down. Be his best cheer leader.
93. Don’t disagree with him in front of the children.
94. Take him for a weekend get-away without the kids.
95. Cheer his successes whether in business or in other areas of everyday living.
96. Graciously teach him how to demonstrate his love for you.
97. Give him coupons to redeem—maybe for a back scratch or a shoulder rub.
98. Buy him a gift certificate to his favorite lunch spot and put it in his wallet.
99. Hide notes for him around the house where only he will find them.
100. Thank him for just being himself.

Author of this list unknown. Also published on Marriage Missions International, a Christian marriage site dedicated to enriching marriages.

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Doubt, Control and Rest

March 23, 2015 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Have you ever wondered if God is real?

To some “good church-going Christians,” the thought of even asking that question may send them into a panic.

But while we may never verbally express this type of doubt, sometimes the way we live our lives is evidence of our struggle in this faith journey.

I’ll share an example from my own life this week.

I’ve been blessed to be a part of a ladies Bible study at a local church and we’re currently using Priscilla Shirer’s video series and journal, Breathe, to dig deeply into the concept of the Sabbath rest.

Some of us are so busy going from one thing to the next each day that the idea of rest seems impossible. Others of us can’t let go of the perfectionistic tendencies and our desperate desire to have things just so.

God stopped. He rested. And He prescribes the same for you and me. ~ @PriscillaShirer #SabbathRest

Click To Tweet

I was convicted that my lack of willingness to stop and rest is evidence of my lack of trust in God.

While I might be concerned about ALL. THE. THINGS. around the house, with Chuck and the kids, responsibilities at work, paying off debt, selling our house, plans for the future, etc., what I’m truly revealing is my lack of faith that He will redeem that “lost time” for those of us who have a production mindset.

What about you? Do you also struggle with trying to control your time or do you remember to have a mindset of rest?

What tips do you have for remembering to take time to rest your mind, your body, and your soul?

This post is part of Five Minute Friday {Real} where we’re given a writing prompt and encouraged to write for five minutes of free writing. It’s a beautiful community of women sharing their words and wisdom each week! This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}. Income from the blog helps fund Eva, our sponsored child through Compassion International.

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