best of this week

Recent favorites, in no particular order, for your reading enjoyment!


 Motherhood
Succeeding in Just Being
Just being, not running everywhere and doing everything. Sounds like this mama is much better at this than I am!

The Death of the Generalist
On Motherhood: "I have the benefit of being the ultimate generalist: life is never boring, and I get to follow my passions and whimsies to see them benefit my family."



Children in church
know that your family - with all of its noise, struggle, commotion, and joy – are not simply tolerated, you are a vital part of the community gathered in worship.



Depression

Comfort
Jenny's advice for the days when there is no joy. And guess what (oh, the scandal!) she sees a therapist! I love how she describes this other way of receiving grace with skin on:

therapist – Yep, I said it.  THER - A – PIST!  That “shush-shush” word.  That “Oh my, you’re not quite normal, are you?” word.  There is a stigma that goes with seeing a therapist.  A stigma that says I cannot handle my life on my own.  I cannot cope.  I need help.  Funny thing is, that’s the same reason I go to church; the same reason I receive the Lord’s Supper; the same reason I receive absolution.  Because I cannot deal with this earthly life on my own.

Splashing, Wading, Drowning
What depression feels like. I feel understood as I read this, even though it still makes no sense.

Faith and Life

Be of Good Cheer

There is nothing more annoying than forced cheerfulness. No, wait. Yes there is:genuine cheerfulness.

of bombs and tornados
Satan loves that feeling of panic. He thrives on the fear that causes your throat to constrict. He rejoices at the knot in your stomach. 


Mortifying Mortification
In a particularly hilarious episode of "Mr. Bean," played by the elastic faced Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean attempts to wash and dress while driving to work with predictably humorous results. As laudable as being properly groomed and dressed for work might be, Mr. Bean simply cannot drive properly while putting on his pants. So it is for those who attempt to keep their eyes on their own piety instead of upon the Word of God. By focusing on their own righteousness they will easily fail to see the true righteousness of God in the Word of God. As laudable as scrutinizing our own behavior may be, it will easily get us entirely off the track and with a less humorous outcome than befalls Mr. Bean.

And just because, here's a picture of my girls' bedroom, all clean. With special thanks to Grammy Pammy for making it pretty.

 

And now, children be warned. Mama's dusting off the clutter jail!