Daily devotion and prayer time is essential to your growth in Christ. It is a time to get to know Him in a personal way. It can be a struggle at times to be consistent, especially if you are a busy mom like me. However, making it a priority in your life will be one of the best decisions you will ever make. Whether it lasts for a few minutes or an hour, here are six ways you can maximize your devotional time.

It's 2020, y'all! Happy New Year! You have survived motherhood in 2019! Whoohoo! As a kid, 2020 seemed so far away. It was totally in my plan to be driving around in a flying car by now. But unfortunately, that’s not the case. I can thank the Jetsons and Back to the Future for setting that failed expectation. I can't imagine that I am the only one who was looking forward to this, right? Well, with the new year comes resolutions, goals, promises, etc. No matter what you choose to call them, most people want this year to be better than the previous one. And for that to happen, we believe we must change something. It may be changes to our physical appearances (the gyms are making a killing around this time of year), our attitudes, our relationships, or even our business plans. There is nothing wrong with any of that. And if achieved, most of these things can bring some joy and fulfillment to our lives. But if you are like me, most of those go out of the window within t...

Suffering...Struggling...Pain...Grief...Despair.  These are not very comforting words.  I would imagine, when you read these words, a smile did not appear on your face.  They are words that describe feelings and emotions that we would rather not feel or deal with.  Yet, they are a part of life.  It's a part of living in a fallen world.  All of us, regardless of our religious beliefs, cultures, and finances, will have a moment in our lives where we will be faced with these emotions. A couple years ago, my middle son began having tics.  The tics started (or at least that's when we noticed) in February of 2017.  They started out as motor tics with his head and shoulder.  Almost always, the tics would manifest when he was sick or about to become sick. For the first year, we sought help from our pediatrician and two different neurologists in Nashville.  We had various tests ran on him to rule out seizures and another condition called Pa...

The other day as I was driving back from Mississippi, I began thinking about all of the many, many things I need and have to do. I was already exhausted before I started thinking and immediately became depleted after I was finished thinking. The word “overwhelmed” does not even come close to describing how I felt at that moment. School is about to start next week and I know what’s coming down the pike. Needless to say, last year was rough and I am still not sure I have fully recovered. Third grade was a big challenge for us last year. Add autism, a mischievous two year old, a few hundred doses of anxiety, a dash of soccer practice, a seminary student trying to graduate, and a couple gallons of exhaustion. Mix, stir, and you end up with a buffet of craziness. There was so much to do, that I couldn’t decide what to handle first. I can’t tell you how many times I threatened to drop out of third grade. But as I was driving, God spoke to me about giving my schedule and my to-do lists...

Yesterday, our pastor's wife, shared a wonderful testimony on how much of a blessing her time alone with God has been for her. Her encouragement to make that time priority was also conviction for me. I haven't been making that time a priority lately and it shows. It shows in how the fruits of the spirit are displayed in my life. It shows in my interactions with my family and others. It shows in how I handle circumstances in my life. So for me, to hear her talk about this particular subject, was God's way of giving me a kick in the pants. That brings me to this morning. My chance to start afresh! By the way, I have started over many, many, times in my life. I can't count how many times I have tried to have a consistent study life, only for it to fall by the wayside after a few days. Honestly, I am not even sure how this fresh start will go. But I am going to go for it anyway. Even if I don't necessarily want to or feel like doing it. Time with God is a MUST! No...

Well, Elmo is dead. Gone to Toys R Us heaven. We have had Elmo since my firstborn was just a few months old. It was probably one of the most annoying toys, but its matted, dingy red fur brought joy to all three of our boys. Well last weekend, he met his maker at the hands of our baby boy Joshua (or as we like to call him, Baby Hulk). Elmo was drowned in either sink or toilet water. We have no idea which one. His once loud, vibrant voice has now been silenced for all of eternity. Joshua is quickly approaching the "troublesome threes" and seems to want to exit his "terrible twos" in grand fashion. He has been into EVERYTHING! I have gone through this twice before and I didn’t think he could do anything to top his brothers. But (as he so often does) he proved me wrong. Raising toddlers can sometimes feel like the equivalent of a scene from the movie Gremlins. They start off cute and cuddly like Gizmo and the next thing you know there is chaos and mayhem all a...