CONFIDENT

With 16 wins and only 3 losses, Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler knows how to prepare himself for a battle.

Intentional Parenting includes Having Fun

A happy childhood requires some serious fun that lead to positive memories. How can we make sure we have enough fun as a family in today's fast-paced and busy world? We can decide to schedule fun by prioritizing family vacations and by creating fun family traditions.

Life Right Now

November usually offers the most lovely weather; rain, wind and around +7 degrees Celsius. I felt so cold during the weekend that I decided to put my winter jacket to use. On the other hand, November is the perfect month to stay indoors and try out some new recipes! I bought a couple of new cooking books this Fall and every week I enjoy trying 1-2 new recipes. A book called "Oh She Glows Every Day" by Angela Liddon is filled with yummy vegan recipes. Angela's "Comforting Red Lentil and Chickpea Curry" is my favorite weeknight dinner at the moment!

An event I always look forward to in November is my weekly Date Night with my husband. On Sunday evening we had a nice Date Night at Scaddabush, an Italian restaurant in Toronto. We made some plans for the future together while we were enjoying a glass of red wine and gnocchi gorgonzola.

Decorating is my favorite little hobby in November. During the weekend I was adding some new pictures to our Family Picture Wall in the Dining Room. As I was looking at our wedding picture from Jamaica and the picture of Mom&Dad I felt so grateful for what I have in my life. Growing up I used to dream about finding a man who would treat me with the same love and respect that my Dad has for my Mom. Although I was almost ready to give up on that dream and settle for less at one point in my life, I'm glad I held on to hope. My husband is all I ever dreamt of and more. He is my greatest encourager in life and helps me become a better woman every year. I hope to do the same for him.

Quotes to live by:

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. But first, coffee."

Let's be honest here, there is no way I will take on "dancing in the rain" before I've had my morning coffee. Good coffee is a must in life!

Our Addiction to Entertainment

“We were made for wonder, but we’ve settled for entertainment. God built us to crave true, fulfilling joy. But for many of us, that God-given craving for heart satisfaction has driven us past God Himself, who was meant to be the fulfillment of those desires, toward a drug that dulls the ache of dissatisfaction and disappointment but never truly fulfills us.

I have a new purse that still makes me a little happy when I look at it. It is okay if I spend some money on a purse—and I did spend a bit too much on it. But it’s not necessarily a sin to spend too much on a new purse.

The sin is that I think it is going to satisfy some craving in me, apart from Jesus.

We’ve traded the wonder and satisfaction of a deep relationship with our Creator for Netflix, social media, and a new purse.”

Jennie Allen in her book “Nothing to Prove”.

What if our social media addiction and overconsumption of TV shows is just a symptom of a deeper root cause: the lack of a close relationship with God in our lives? I can not count the amount of times that I have used entertainment to escape my negative feelings. TV shows are my favorite escape. The last thing I want to do when I’m having a bad day or when I’m arguing with my husband is seek God’s counsel. I don’t want to spend time with God when I’m feeling angry or disappointed. It’s always so tempting to just escape for awhile and binge watch TV or spend a few hours on social media.

This is what I’ve learned so far: binge-watching TV feels good for a little while, but sooner or later I will have to face reality again. I often end up feeling even worse when I escape my problems through entertainment, because once I must face reality again I haven’t gained any wisdom. It’s hard to turn to God when I’m angry, sad or disappointed but every time I choose Him over entertainment I end up being grateful that I did. There have been multiple times when I’ve argued with my husband that I’ve gotten exactly the wisdom I needed when I’ve chosen to turn to prayer instead of TV.  

The biggest reason I want to choose TV over prayer when I’ having a bad day is because TV offers amusement but God offers truth. Sometimes I come to God in prayer saying something like this: “God I’m having a bad day, I need your help. Did you see the way my husband was talking to me when we argued? He’s being an idiot!” God’s answer often sounds something like this: “Are you being respectful, kind and loving in your actions right now? No. I’m going to need you to be the first one to say sorry. Don’t worry about your husband. You need to focus on your part in this argument.” Do you see why I’d rather choose to binge-watch TV? The truth stings sometimes. When I choose to escape reality through entertainment I can continue to be stubborn and full of pride. When I seek God’s counsel through prayer it’s impossible to not be humbled.

Intentional Parenting

Parenting is really, really difficult. One reason it's difficult to be a good parent is because parenting requires us to give up our own selfishness. Ouch!

Dough Fields has a lot of experience from working with children and shares some great parenting advice in this video. Episode 3 focuses on why it's important for us to be present and create a peaceful home for our children.

Thrill Seeker tries God in search of next high

Nate desperately longed for a family, but after his parents divorced he tried to fill the void with thrill-seeking, partying, and money. But when his life began to unravel, he turned to something he'd sworn would never work.

If You're Stuck in a Hard, Long Season and Sick of Waiting

A little conversation on walking through deserts in life (and how to keep trusting God through uncertainty, struggle, and setbacks).
If you're disappointed or frustrated with how life has been going, this is for you.