“The global anti-aging market was valued at around 62 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and is expected to increase to some 93 billion by 2027.”
In the midst of all that angst over preventing physical aging could we be neglecting a far more important consideration in aging beautifully –the state of our hearts?
From a physical perspective, what's okay and what's not? Should we be doing all the latest treatments? Are we allowed?
Listen in for a vulnerable conversation with Ashley Keller, a Prenatal and Postnatal exercise specialist and the founder of GlowBodyPT, on aging gracefully from a Biblical perspective.

Nothing screams cozy quite like fresh baked bread. And with a quality sourdough starter bread baking is actually super easy. 

That's because a mature starter is "alive" and will work its way into all of the dough in comes in contact with. Which is why in Scripture leaven to likened to sin.

Listen in for a quick look at the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Leviticus 23 and a tutorial on no frills baking with sourdough. 

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Kira's super basic sourdough recipe:

• Pull your recently fed starter out of the fridge (as long as mine has been fed within a week its good to go!)
• Add 3-3.5 cups of King Arthur bread flour, half a cup of starter, a teaspoon of salt, and a cup of warm water to your Kitchen Aid with the bread hook attached. 
• Feed your remaining starter equal parts flour and water (usually a cup to half a cup of each. Make sure to either weigh or pack your flour down). Leave on your counter until doubled in size. Then pop back in the fridge for next time.)
• For the bread, turn the Kitchen Aid on to medium speed for about 5 minutes until everything is combined and your dough is somewhat soft.
• Cover bread for between 5-9 hours.
• Place in a dutch oven on parchment paper and bake in oven at 425 for about 25-30 minutes with lid on.
• Take lid off and bake until golden brown and delicious (20-25 minutes)
• Let rest for a bit and serve! Magic!

Kira's Italian Inspired Coconut Soup (Gluten and Dairy Free!)

• Mild Italian sausage 
• Carrots 
• Onions 
• Garlic 
• Potatoes 
• Can of coconut soup 
• Can of tomatoes 
• Peas 
• Mushrooms

Simmer the above ingredients on medium heat in the order listed until delicious.
 

Do you ever feel that your house is nothing but bad diaper smells, legos under the table and clutter? Is it even possible to have a "pretty house" during the season of motherhood? Or is it just frivolous to desire?
And if not, how does one decorate sensibly without breaking the bank?
Join me for a two part series with Rebecca Gallop, the creator of A Daily Something and a homeschool mom to five living in West Virginia, about seeking out loveliness from a gospel perspective.
In this episode we cover inexpensive ways to make homes beautiful from foraging to thrifting. We'll chat about why it's important to fill our homes with lovely things that are intended to be used everyday and can be broken. 
And finally, we'll talk about strategies for maintaining order while hosting huge crowds and the power of setting boundaries.
If you love homemaking, this episode is for you! Enjoy!!

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful." -- Miss Rumphius
God, the ultimate designer and cultivator, created the world with unmistakable beauty.
Everywhere we look we see evidence of God’s glory in what he has formed.  “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1-2 
As moms who are made in the image of God, how can we bring beauty and creativity into our domains and spheres of influence?   
At at the core, what makes a home lovely?
What makes a mother beautiful and lovely?  If we want to create life giving spaces, where should our focus be?
In what ways is homemaking a "hidden art" and why is that a good thing?
Join me for a two part series with Rebecca Gallop, the creator of A Daily Something and a homeschool mom to five living in West Virginia, about seeking out loveliness from a gospel perspective.

What is it about green growing things that is so appealing? 

Why do we tend to feel so alive and at peace in a beautifully cared for garden? What deep eternal truths does God have to teach us through the process of tending the ground? In the midst of plant decapitating toddlers, is their hope for our plants? 

Listen in for loads of gardening tips with kids of all ages and reflections on the God who has given it to us all with the dearest Chelsea Svendsen. 

It's growing season! The weather is turning warming and it is time to get out into the dirt with out kids.

During this two part conversation, I chat with Chelsea Svendsen -- homeschool mom to four, almost five kids, a student of horticulture, greenhouse gardener,  manger of the account, Life In the Yellow House -- all about Gardening.

In the first half of our conversation (posted today) we discuss various methods for preparing our soil and easy, non intimidating ways to get started with gardening.  More than discussing plants, however, we will be reflecting on how the Master Gardener has revealed Himself to us all the more through green, growing things.

Check back later for the second half of this conversation! (Which I love even more than the first!)

If there's one thing that drives me to prayer, it's my kids! It can be so hard to know how best to love and to parent them! Especially in the area of discipline. 

Join for part three of our conversation with Kim Seville on discipline. Today Kim goes through and addresses a number of frequently asked questions --what if we are running late? What if my child "doesn't hear" me? Are timeouts effective? Should I give my kids a countdown?

And finally, we'll briefly consider a bad example of discipline in the cultural narrative and discuss ways to safeguard our thinking. 

Kim Seville –counseling lead for Frontlines Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary grad, a former missionary in Asia, mom to five kids, and wife to Pastor Jason at Del Ray Baptist.

Some cultural streams seem to suggest that children may not need discipline, but just redirection. Redirection can be a glorious and wonderful thing. But are there times that a child needs to be corrected in his or her ways?

When do you know if a child needs correction? How exactly does a parent discipline in a loving and effective way? What are the various stages of development? When should a parent discipline? When should a parent let some things slip?

Join for part two of a three part conversation with Kim Seville on discipline. 

Kim Seville –counseling lead for Frontlines Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary grad, a former missionary in Asia, mom to five kids, and wife to Pastor Jason at Del Ray Baptist.

Today, Kim shares her three expectations for her children and her three expectations for herself.

What is corrective discipline and why do kids need it? What's the difference between formative and corrective training?

Why is it harmful to our kids and to our own hearts to withhold training? How does training our kids also train us to see God’s authority rightly?

How is neglecting discipline an act of sin on our part? Is there any encouragement for the mom who feels like all she does all day is correct sinful behavior?

Tune in for this encouraging conversation with Kim Seville –counseling lead for Frontlines Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary grad, a former missionary in Asia, mom to five kids, and wife to Pastor Jason at Del Ray Baptist.

Did you know that the paschal, or Easter Greeting, "Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed," likely dates back to the earliest days of the Christian church? The marvel of the resurrection of Christ has been capturing the hearts and minds of Christians since the first disciples discovered in wonder that the stone had been rolled away.

Holy Week, or Great Week as it is known in some traditions, is worth celebrating and observing!

On the episode today we will discuss the history of Holy Week observance in the church, learn about Easter traditions around the globe, walk through what Jesus did each day of Passion Week, and chat through some fun activities and traditions to celebrate the Resurrection between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.

May we never stop marveling at what Christ has done.

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!!

If you'd like to see my Holy Week Party outline just email delightedmotherhood@gmail.com

Links:
 
Easter Week in Real Time
Rick Steve's Easter in Europe
Resurrection Eggs
Hosanna --Steve Green

In James 1:27  we read:
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. "
But the reality is that adoption usually doesn’t involve “Annie” style storylines. All kids will struggle at points during their development, but children who have been through the foster care system often have nuanced challenges.

In light of this, how can the church better come alongside and care for adoptive families? Most of us as moms are already pretty overwhelmed and sometimes the suggestions for how to assist adoptive families sounds even more overwhelming.
Adoptive mom Christine Gordon  encourages us to "think smaller."
Christine shares encouragement and practical suggestions for little ways we can come alongside one another regardless of our parenting situation. Christine is a wife to Michael and mother of three, co-founder of At His Feet Studies and a visiting instructor at Covenant Theological Seminary.  This is a longer podcast, but absolutely worth your time.

Winter months can be a little dark, and “blah.” 

Most of us love Christmas, but when it comes around to late February and early March we are desperate for some tulips to start blooming. What do we do with these gloomy months of waiting? And how does the waiting help prepare us for the glories of Spring? 

What is the connection between waiting and rejoicing? Why is waiting such a big part of the individual Christian’s life and the life of the church across the ages?

In particular, how can we use this time to cultivate wonder at the miracle of the resurrection?

Listen in for a thoughtful conversation with Kelly Havens to hear lots of practical ideas for getting our hands dirty and our hearts engaged during the third month of the year.

Kelly is a mom to two little boys and is expecting a little girl on May 19th! She seeks to open our eyes to both how personal and how powerful God is through her photography, devotional writing on Instagram, and her spiritually challenging podcast (The Eternal Perspective). She also has an Etsy sewing shop where she sells timeless country styles.

Check out Kelly's amazing Instagram HERE!

It’s fall time! The majority of us love it. And really what’s not to like. It’s a time for lots of good food, reading, campfires, leaf piles, and delicious smells.

But in Scripture there is much deeper significance to the season of harvest. Harvest is a time when God gathers in his peoples and completes his work in this present age.

In many ways, harvest is a time for celebration and sober reflection.

Listen in as our guest Laura Good (Behind Our Farm) describes life on a farm during Harvest, how God walked her through one of the most painful trials a momma can face, and tips for cultivating life giving spaces during the Autumn seasons. 

"Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” - Matthew 9:37-38

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Note: Midway through the podcast Laura references references a passage in Isaiah. That passage can be found in Isaiah 24:4-5.

And Happy Valentine’s Day – A Day of love! But beyond a day filled with cute cards, I love any reminder –in my calendar or otherwise, to show tenderness and affection to the people that I love most. 
Today we are going to start a three part series on creating an atmosphere of affection within our homes.
We will consider how to daily choose to practice love, recognize that we are always either moving closer to one another or further apart, and think through some simple rhythms to show tenderness and care to those we love the most.
Routines, rhythms and practices are always informed by what we most deeply believe. We cannot foster an environment of love and affection within our homes until we behold the Love of God and commit to walk as he walked. It is Christ in us, and our daily decision to follow him, the ultimately empowers us to practice daily love.
Also! Happy 70th Birthday to my incredible dad, Del Clark who has modeled daily love to his family for decades. I am eternally thankful to be your daughter. <3 

Welcome to the month of love! A full episode on cultivating an atmosphere of affection is coming next week.

But, today in preparation for Valentine's Day next week tune into this short bonus! We'll talk briefly about the history of Valentine's Day as well as chatting through a couple of easy ways to celebrate the day with small people.

"The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. " (History Channel)

My Very Gentle Valentine
 by Charles d’Orleans (c. 1394-1465)
 loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
 
 My very gentle Valentine,
 Alas, for me you were born too soon,
 As I was born too late for you!
 May God forgive my jailer
 Who has kept me from you this entire year.
 I am sick without your love, my dear,
 My very gentle Valentine.

Attending church with little kids can feel a little bit like wrangling monkeys. But in the long view, faithful church participation is always worth it.
The best way for us to find joy and contentment in our calling as moms --or any calling for that matter --is to grow in our fear of the Lord. And one of the primary tools God uses to build up his saints is the local church.
As Eugene Peterson has argued, corporate worship “gives us our frame for life – it grounds us, centers us, and unifies us.”
Or put in Kira words, church participation provides us a structure of growth for our vertical relationship with God and structure of our growth in horizontal relationship with one another.
Listen in as we chat through some basic benefits of church attendance, the Biblical directives to gather, and a peek into what Nelson Sunday mornings look like.

Pregnancy tends to be a mixed bag for most of us.
From extreme fatigue, vomiting, swelling in the most uncomfortable places, off the charts hormonal swings, to that unavoidable weight gain, pregnancy can be a physical, emotional, and spiritual challenge for the majority of us.
During a time when so many things feel out of whack, how do we think well about maintaining fitness during and after pregnancy? Is my body a trophy for my own glory or a vessel for His use?
If Christ has primary ownership over my body, how does that change the way I care for my body? And the way I see myself during weak, limited, and less than flattering seasons?
Listen in for a helpful conversation with Ashley Keller, a Prenatal and Postnatal exercise specialist and the founder of GlowBodyPT, about prenatal fitness and biblical body image.

Welcome to 2024! The start of the new year is also a helpful time for considering our ways and specifically how we spend our time.
Scripture teaches us that our lives are like a midst, we are here today and gone tomorrow. 
How are we spending our time? What do our days look like? In what ways may God be calling us to re-evaluate our schedules? What things are most important to us? 
In essence what are our priorities and how will it look like to accomplish our goals in the new year?
As D.A. Carson has said, “we don’t drift towards holiness.” 
Listen in as we discuss three biblical principles and two helpful tools for keeping our daily routines on track.

For many of us, motherhood is anything but easy. From blowouts, to tantrums, learning difficulties, health problems, constant noise, conflict inside and outside our homes --the possibilities for us to feel like we are in an impossible season are endless. Sometimes this feeling of “hard” can feel completely overwhelming.
And the truth is that some of the demands of modern parenting that feel really hard are signs that something actually is wrong.  When things are hard and overwhelming it is a good idea to wisely evaluate what is causing the "hard." 
But is hard always a negative thing? Or could challenging circumstances actually be a gift in disguise? In what ways has worldly thinking colored the way Christians talk about the “hard” aspects of parenting? 
Listen in to a helpful conversation with Abbie Halberstadt, Bible believing mom to ten and author of M is for Mama and Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad about evaluating hard situations and allowing the Lord to refresh our mindset.

Advent, which officially begins this Sunday, December 3rd  is a tradition that has been celebrated by Christians since the 5th century.
Advent, understood rightly, is a time for Christians to look back at God’s work in bringing the infant Savior into the world and look forward to when Christ will return as the glorious King to judge the living and dead and make all things new, right, and beautiful.
There are many different, valid and good ways to celebrate advent. In this episode I'll what advent looks like at our house and why we do what we do.

Resources:
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift Jesse Tree Printable pages --small coloring ornaments, full size coloring pages, Night Before Advent Party Guide , lots of other great free printable pages here!

The Lord chose to reveal himself to us through a story --a story that actively shapes us the more we study and understand it. 
But it's not only the gospel narratives that we see in scripture that can shape us --all stories have a profound ability to cast us in their image. 
The question is, what kind of stories are we listening to? As moms, why should we be particularly thoughtful about the stories that are defining our family culture? Not in a way that is fearful, but in a way that helps us to glory in the best story ever told?
As we head into the Christmas season, what are some particularly sweet stories and books we might share with our families? What traditions, old and new, might we enjoy together that will help us to reflect on the mystery of what God has done for us?
Listen in for an uplifting conversation with Leah Nicklaus, a homeschooling mama of five sweet and wild boys. Her family lives in Iowa where they are involved in their local church and community. Leah is passionate about beautiful books that point us to the gospel message, nourish our minds, and reveal what is good, true, and beautiful. You can follow her on Instagram at @lovingleadinglittles.

Check out Leah's top Christmas book recommendations here:
Picture Books:
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston
The Christmas Promise by Alison Mitchell
Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell
The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
Christmas books by Jan BrettChapter Books:
A Tree for Peter by Kate Seredy
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

November is a time when many of us begin thinking more about service and giving. Our mailboxes begin to fill up with donation requests and full color gift catalogues and we often begin thinking about who we can bless others during the holiday season.

To that end, how can we invite our kids into the process of giving and serving? In what ways might we provide our kids opportunities to practice serving and giving within their regular rhythms? How can we, without being burdensome and overwhelming, foster hearts of generosity within our children and invite them to serve alongside? 

Why, from a biblical perspective, should providing these opportunities be a priority? And how can the Lord bless our hearts and engage our minds in a deeper way through cultivating this regular, every day serving? 

We serve a God that is abundant in generosity. Part of his generosity is inviting us to join him in being generous towards others. While for some generosity feels natural, for others it takes more work. Regardless of where you are, everyone always has room to grow. Like much of the Christian faith, generosity has to be developed.

Tune in for a wonderful conversation with the lovely Joanna Beasley, mom to three and church planter in an  underserved area on the why behind prioritizing generosity and a few ideas of how to get kids involved.  

Motherhood to little kids can be mentally and physically draining and sometimes it can feel like our husbands are the last people we feel like investing in. Or worse yet, we can use them as an outlet for our frustration. 

But our words matter and they don’t just matter to our husbands. The words we speak to our husband will directly impact our kids.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, if we want our kids to thrive we must pay attention to how we speak to our husbands.  How can we choose words that speak life, give grace, and strengthen our faith and our marriages?

Listen in for a helpful conversation with Sara Molitor -- a wife, mom to seven kids, and author of Well Said: Choosing Words that Speak Life, Give Grace, and Strengthen Your Faith and Family on why is it so important to focus on the heart behind our words.

The U.S. Surgeon General just released an advisory warning that parental stress is a significant public health concern. Reporting on the advisory, the Wall Street Journal ran a headline stating that, “Parenting is Hazardous to Your Health.”

According to the advisory, four in 10 parents report feeling so stressed they can’t function. 

What is it about our current cultural moment that makes parents so prone to severe mental health challenges? 

October's Party by George Cooper describes a party, thrown by October herself, that everybody comes to and stays long after the party has officially ended.

October is a time for parties --but the very best kind of parties are those that focus specifically on the people we love most, our own dear families. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, many of us will start to gravitate inside. 

And as we do, what are strategies for making our dinnertimes magical? How can we make our tables warm, inviting and a place no one wants to leave? 

If you are like me, you grew during the Leadership Craze. I went to half a dozen “leadership” camps during high school and when I was applying to college it seemed that every university  was “training tomorrow's leaders.”  Even at the time, this seemed like a bit much. I mean, we can't all be president. 

Plus, this self-absorbed leadership didn't seem all that biblical (not that the training was self-absorbed, but simply how I perceived it).

The Bible seems to suggest that Christians ought to consider the interests of others before themselves and should humble themselves before the mighty hand of God. I should be caring for the least of these and seeking to live a peaceful and quiet life.

My life today is delightfully simple in many ways. I’m a stay-at-home mom, a member of my church, and a happy neighbor. My days consist of phonics lessons, reading stories about raccoons, and trying to fix our broken drain with my amazing lawyer husband who it turns out is also handy with a plumers snake. 

So leadership really doesn’t apply to me, does it?

Or actually, maybe it still does. Because in my ordinary everyday life with little kids, I actually do a lot of leading.

And in your life, whether you are a mother or not a mother, I think you probably have a lot of leading to do as well. 

How do we think about leadership from a biblical perspective?  What is Leadership Emergence Theory? And how can leading with conviction, vision casting, honest self-reflection, communicating with clarity, and resourcing from the Holy Spirit benefit our little families? 

As a whole, we are a people obsessed with the Fall. We love all things pumpkins, spice and everything in between and sometimes it can seem silly.

But is our wonder at the changing seasons silly? Or is it actually a gift from God? What eternal lessons might the Lord teach us through marveling in azure skies, observing brisk windy days, or baking brightly colored squash?

Daniel 2:21 says: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding”

Fall ought to be a time of wonder and a time that we marvel at the Lord who holds the planets in motion, who causes the earth to orbit the sun to give us the distinctions of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Listen in for an incredibly delightful conversation with Kelly Havens about eternal truths that God has woven throughout the natural world and for simple fun ways to invite our families into deeper worship through celebrating all the lovely delights of fall –apples, leaves, sewing, baking, good read-out-louds, and yes, tasty hot beverages.

Check out Kelly's amazing Instagram HERE!

The effects of PMS impact almost all of us. The National Institutes of Health report that 90% of women of reproductive age experience several premenstrual symptoms varying from mild to severe and 20-40 percent experience Premenstrual syndrome (PMS scientifically).

These monthly hormonal changes can manifest in a variety of symptoms from mood shifts, headaches, body pains, depression, anxiety, bloating, and irritability to just name a few.

In essence, PMS is  a pain.

For most of us, it's a time when we are not on our A-game and when we feel physically and emotionally weak and messy. And it can make motherhood extra hard. How are we supposed to love our children when our brains feel like they are going to snap?
What does the Bible say about hormones or a woman’s monthly cycle and how to deal with it? How does a faithful understanding of the salvation story change how we cope with PMS? Thankfully, the Word of God has lots to say on this topic and many others like it.

Listen in to a helpful conversation with Krista Hart --Biblical counselor and mom to two teenagers-- on a Christian framework for dealing with hormones and some very practical nitty gritty strategies for coping with the effects of our cycles.

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Helpful links from Krista:

On Seasons of Hormonal Change

When It's "That TIme of the Month"

 As mothers, all day long we are surrounded by needy people and the majority of us get to the end of the day and feel exhausted. If you are a young mom like me, right now your primary calling is inside your home –to care for and nurture these adorable and exhausting small humans. 

But, there are also lots of needy people outside of our homes. And our Savior, the one who captivates our hearts and our minds and who we should most be desiring to emulate, seems to care a lot about the least of these. So how do we balance the very real constraints of motherhood with the also very real needs of the world around us?

Should we feel shame and condemnation if we don’t have the capacity to do the level of ministry we might desire? Or, as young mothers do we get a “pass” on caring for others because we are so spent caring for littles? 

How do we care for others outside of our homes wisely recognizing that we are limited creatures? And what role does the sovereignty of God play in all this?

Listen in for an edifying conversation with the lovely Joanna Beasley, --mom to three, church planter in a low-income part of Oklahoma, and Southeastern Seminary grad, about thinking well about serving others when we are spent and tired ourselves. 

What does a daily family worship practice look like? Why is it important to gather together as a family daily? How can the consistency of time together in the word, prayer, and song impact our marriages? What does commitment to family worship communicate to us, to our kids, to our church family, and to the wider community? 

Why is it important for fathers to lead? How can wives come alongside their husbands to help them?

Does it have to be long? (No.)

Listen in on a conversation with my very favorite person in the world, James Nelson, on why daily family worship matters and how to get started.

James practices appellate litigation in Washington DC, serves as a Deacon at our church, leads our community group, and facilitates a men’s group and has led our family faithfully in family worship for seven years.

Ideally, dads should be the ones leading and intiating family worship. This episode is geared towards husbands and wives --but specifically how husbands can lead their families.

If you have a believing spouse ask him to listen to this episode with you or to listen to it separetly and then discuss it together. 

But if you don't have a believing husband or you aren't married --don't be discouraged. The Lord speaks directly to you also and can use daily family worship in a powerful way.

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Charles Spurgeon once said, agreeing  with Matthew Henry that, “They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all.”

One in six women faces the heartache of infertility –and almost everyone is affected by infertility to some degree.

Where can women turn for comfort while grieving their dreams and grappling with unfulfilled longing? And for those who aren’t battling infertility, how can we come alongside those who are?

 Jenn Hesse and Kelley Ramsey, authors of Waiting in Hope, 31 Reflections for Walking with God Through Infertility, weigh in with comfort and encouragement for the struggling and those who desire to come alongside the hurting.

How is our wonder at the natural world connected to our awe of the creator?  How can spending time outdoors strengthen the faith of our families? How can experiences in nature show our kids absolute truths in a society prone to relativism?

How should we think biblically about climate change? What can we learn from invasive species? How do we manage the dirtiness of the outdoors?

Listen in for a delightful conversation full of practical encouragements and suggestions with Master Naturalist and Author of the delightful book, Rooted in Wonder, Eryn Lynum.

Rooted in Wonder
The Nat Theo Podcast
More of Eryn's wonderful resources can be found here

Deep in our gut, we all want to be friends with our neighbors.

We want to know and be known –to live in spaces that feel safe and welcoming. We want to be loved, served, and cared for and we want to love, serve and care for others.

But society in the West has become deeply fragmented. 

A new report by Harvard University researchers finds that 36 percent of Americans are experiencing “serious loneliness,” and some groups, such as young adults and mothers with small children, are especially isolated. And that can easily be us, right?

How can we fight against the cultural norms of isolation and seclusion and instead forge patterns that will bless us and bless others? 

Tune in for a discussion about the importance of knowing our neighbors and a few ideas for how to get the relational ball rolling.

Resources Mentioned:
The Art of Neighboring 
The Gospel Comes with a House Key
An Underrated Key for a Fruitful Christian Life: A Rooted Life in a Place

Happy first official, unofficial day of summer! 

For many of us, summertime is a blissful welcome. Schedules are relaxed, sports are mostly over and there’s a lot more free time. But sometimes that lack of structure can feel really daunting! “What exactly am I supposed to do these wild little humans?”

But either way, none of us want to get to the end of August and feel like we just survived. We want to soak it up! We want to play in the sun, read good books, sleep well, roast marshmallows, catch crabs, have good conversations with friends, and grow in our wonder of God. 

At the start of this summer, how can we intentionally number our days in a way that will help us to delight in the Lord and enjoy our kids more?

Homeschool mama of four and the founder of Treehouse Schoolhouse, Lyndsey Mimnagh gives us a look at how she thinks through her summer rhythms and priorities.

We'll talk about good books to read, the importance of unstructured time, the glory of fabulous read-out-louds, and the need to get rest and refreshment.

Check out Treehouse Schoolhouse for loads of beautiful and inspiring resources including nature study, book lists, and family-centered devotionals.

Use the code delightedmotherhood15 for 15% off any purchase.  Whoot! It expires on December 1st. 

THNS Summer/ free week-

https://treehouseschoolhouse.com/products/treehouse-nature-study-summer 

Sunny Summer Book List-
https://treehouseschoolhouse.com/pages/book-lists 

Reach out to delighted motherhood on Instagram or by email, delightedmotherhood@gmail.com

“Samwise Gamgee, my dear hobbit –indeed, Sam my dearest hobbit, friend of friends.” 

There's something spectacularly lovely about a true friend.

A friend who loves what you love, who understands your deep longings, and who helps you see the things that are truly beautiful --even in the midst of brokenness. 

 A friendship like that is a gift from God. 

Since the dawn of sin, friendships have been broken. All relationships are fraught and sometimes the obstacles to meaningful friendships can feel insurmountable. 

Tune in as we think through a Biblical definition for friendship, consider how we are designed for friendship, and then chat through a few practicalities. 

Every honest mom will tell you that she has battled anxiety related to motherhood. Whether it's anxiety over getting pregnant, staying pregnant, newborn challenges, struggles to learn to read, mean kids on the playground, health concerns, behavioral concerns, etc –the triggers for anxiety in motherhood are too numerous to number. But in light of a God who invites us to call Him Father, how should we think about confronting this anxiety with hope and truth?

Tune in for this encouraging conversation with Kim Seville –counseling lead for Frontlines Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary grad, a former missionary in Asia, mom to five kids, and wife to Pastor Jason at Del Ray Baptist.

If you have comments or feedback about the program, please reach out on Instagram or by email at delightedmotherhood@gmail.com

Summer is coming and for many of us, this means air travel. Traveling with kids can be stressful and sometimes the idea of canceled flights can be enough to make my skin crawl. But there are some strategies we can employ for success. Today we are going to be talking with Caroline Craddock –a homeschool hybrid mom to four who has traveled to 27 countries with her kids. She'll share from her experience some tips for how to enjoy travel with little ones, not dread it.

If you intend to travel soon with kids or have wanted to travel with kids but have felt intimidated, I think you’ll be encouraged, helped, and inspired by this conversation with Caroline Craddock.

Spring is officially here which means it's planting time! And there are few things kids seem to enjoy more than getting completely and totally dirty. Listen in for a sweet conversation with Yetta Reid about the joy of gardening with little ones and cultivating a love of the Creator in the process.

Books listed:
Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season
The Gardener By Sarah Stewart
We are the Gardeners By Joanna Gaines
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
The Giant Zucchini by Catherine Siracusa

In my motherhood journey, I have had some incredible relationships with other Christian sisters that have been lifegiving, transformative, and delightful. 

Christians are to be marked by these kinds of intimate, tender, loving relationships. And in fact, our love for one another in a very real sense is how we express love for God. (Matthew 25:40)

But also, Christians can be offensive, frustrating, hurtful, rude, inconsiderate, self-righteous, slothful, and mean. Honestly, all those labels have described me before. 

If you have been friends with me for any length of time, it’s very likely that I have sinned against you. And honestly, you have sinned against me. And sometimes those conflicts and disagreements can be downright divisive.  

Most significantly, sometimes those conflicts cause us to hate rather than love our sisters.

In my experience, when these things come to a head, they don’t typically magically evaporate with one good conversation. 

To begin to consider this issue, we are going to unpack Paul’s response to a very public conflict between two women in the ancient church at Philippi --Euodia and Syntyche. 

In the view of some scholars, their quarrel one of the primary issues Paul addresses in his letter.

So, let’s jump into this embarrassing public conflict and see what we can gain from it.

Happy Holy Week 2023!  

Holy Week, in the Christian church, is the week between Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, and Resurrection Sunday or Easter.

It’s a time that has been observed by Christians across the world for centuries. In the Greek and Roman liturgical books, it is called the Great Week because great deeds were done by God during this week.

Listen in for dozens of sweet ideas, from around the world and across the centuries, for celebrating Easter with your family and for the theological significance of this Holiday.

Our reflection comes from Hannah Sillars –adoptive mom to three.

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

For me, having a baby has never been a magical glowing experience. The days and weeks following delivery I’m exhausted and elated at the same time. I’m over the moon in love with my babies, but I feel like a choo-choo train has just come out of my body and I seem near the point of tears day and night. 

Postpartum is objectively very difficult.  

How do we think Biblically about seasons of limitedness such as the postpartum phase?  How can we humbly approach recovery without shame (ie excessively working out or dieting) or despair (ie giving up entirely)? What are some practical next steps for making that happen?
 
Listen in for an edifying and educational conversation with Ashely Keller, founder of GlowBody PT and an industry leader in Prenatal and Postnatal exercise on how to lean on the Lord as our strength during seasons of weakness. 

Check out Ashely's super helpful plans here:
https://www.glowbodypt.com/

St. Patrick's Day is Friday, March 17th, 2023.  But what is the holiday anyway? Is it just a random day in March to wear green? Who was “Saint Patrick”? How can his story encourage us as moms? What's with the snakes? 

Listen in for a conversation with Joanna Walters, mom to five and blogger, about St. Patrick's Day. We'll discuss the man St. Patrick, his mom, myths surrounding his ministry, traditions around the country, and fun ideas for celebrating with your family.  
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Joanna's St. Patrick's Day Morning Time Plan - https://raisinglittleoaks.wordpress.com/

Breastplate Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RYlgutgDKg

Torchlighters for kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0jMGNQjgBw

Before I had kids, movement, and exercise was a huge part of my life and a way that God blessed me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Would that all go away after having kids? 

As any mom will tell you, life changes a lot after having children. And not everyone is even still physically capable of exercise after having children or due to another injury. But for me, although fitness looks very different today as a mom with three kids, it is still a way that God blesses me physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Listen in for a helpful conversation with Sarah Talone, mom to four and the queen of creative workouts about the why and how of working out with littles.

Music has the sweetest ability to bring life, peace, and joy to cranky, grumbly moments.

Sometimes I’ll feel like I can’t sit down to play piano, or I can’t sing a hymn with the kids because there’s so much pandemonium. And although our sinful attitudes don’t evaporate when we start engaging in music –song has a very calming effect on me and on my kids.

 The word sing appears in the Bible over 400 times and 50 of those are commands to sing.

 Anytime we see a command in Scripture, it isn’t there because God needs something from us, it’s there because God wants to give something good to us.

 To sing praises to Him is for our benefit.

 But music, just like everything other than mindless scrolling, takes some intentionality, thought, and to a certain degree, discipline.

 Listen in for a helpful conversation with Sarah Scollin –mom to three soon to be four with a background in ministry, the performing arts, and the world of opera about why we should prioritize song and some basic ways to keep it in our schedules.

Resources Referenced:

Slugs & Bugs

The Corner Room Music - Remember and Proclaim

Seeds Family Worship

Getty Music  

Hymns of Grace Hymnal

Song – Pass the Promise 

Sing by Keith and Kristyn Getty

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God 

Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice by Bryan Chapell

Rhythms of Grace: How the Church's Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel 

by Mike Cosper 

When life is busy Bible study is often the first thing to go. But it is precisely when we feel out of control that we need to be reminded that God is in control.

 I need to remember that I am a child of God and a mother called to holiness. I am loved, provided for, and called by the Ancient of Days. 

 The Lord seems to expect that we are going to need to be reminded daily of these truths and so He tells us to meditate on His Word day and night.

Listen in for a conversation with Sandy Talone, mom to four and grandma to 10, about why daily Bible intake is the fuel of Christian flourishing and why young moms need to take and eat the Word of God regularly.

 **Listen after the main set for some practical strategies for carving out time first thing in the morning even after kids are awake. 

As parents we all long for our kids to “turn out right.” 

We want them to grow up to be kind, thoughtful, well adjusted and successful adults. And most of us, as Christians, are desperate for our kids to know the Lord.

But how does the sovereignty of God factor into all of that? Does my parenting even matter?

The biblical view of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in parenting –as in the rest of life –is freeing, empowering, encouraging, and glorious.

Tune in as Jason Seville, pastor at Del Ray Baptist Church and father to five, helps us to unpack the paradox of sovereignty and human agency.

We can be encouraged that when we are faithful to parent our children according to Scripture, that directly brings a blessing upon our children in ways we may not even fully understand because God is sovereign and he gave us Scripture for our good. 

We all know in our gut that family meals are important. Numerous studies have linked family meals with all sorts of positive outcomes for children, from better academics to general success.

My favorite statistic comes from Don Everts and the Barna Group in their study of Christian households that found that families who were considered “spiritually vibrant” were homes that regularly had loud tables.

 But even though we know family meals are important, many of us don’t practice daily shared meals. In fact, the average American family only has three dinners together per week. 

That’s because meals are hard! A lot must come together to make a family meal happen. And once you get everyone at the table, they aren’t immediately idyllic.

 Meals with kids can be super chaotic and sometimes can feel like more work than they are worth. Wouldn’t it be better to just feed them early, put them to bed, and have a grown-up meal?

 Table fellowship with our kids is possible and it can be a source of deep joy for both parents and kids alike. 

 Listen in for a conversation with counselor, Bible teacher, and writer Heather Robinson (MA, SBTS) about why meals matter and for some great advice for making meals rhythms we look forward to rather than dread. 

As moms, sometimes it feels like we are in charge of everything and everyone depends on us. It's up to us to make sure the baby is fed, the kids are wearing pants when they get in the car, and the sandwiches are packed.  But am I actually the one in charge?

Thankfully no. God is sovereignly in control of my life and the lives of my kids. To pray is to acknowledge that and to ask for help. 

But for so many of us, prayer is a real struggle. Especially in the busyness of life with kids.

Susanna Wesley, the mother of John Wesley the founder of the methodist church, knew a thing or two about being busy. She had 16 kids. 

That's a lot. But she made time with the Lord a priority. She taught her kids that if they came into the kitchen and saw Mom with her apron over her head, they were not to bother her. Because that meant that she was in prayer or in the Word. 

Susanna Wesley wasn’t available for an interview –but mom to eight kids Andrea Payton was! I hope you enjoy this encouraging conversation with a seasoned mom about why prayer is so important to mothering and some practical ideas for making prayer a part of your everyday life.

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Links

Prayer Cards from the Daily Grace Company
https://thedailygraceco.com/products/31-days-of-prayer-kids-verse-card-set

Every Moment Holy Liturgies For Changing Diapers (I and II)
https://www.everymomentholy.com/content

A Praying Life
https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Life-Connecting-Distracting-World/dp/1631466836

A Call to Prayer
https://www.chapellibrary.org/pdf/books/ctpr.pdf

Susanna Wesley  
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/fight-for-delight-by-planning-your-devotions

A compelling story captivates us in a way that a textbook never can.  Tell me a fact about life and I might remember it. Tell me a story about life, a story that connects to my mind, heart, and soul and I'm bound to remember it.

The Lord made us for stories and He revealed Himself in a story.

In the coming weeks, we are going to have a series of interviews with older women about how to be in the word and in prayer as a mom. But for today, join me for a short reflection on how the narrative of Scripture changes the narrative of motherhood from one of self-focused grumbling to God-honoring delight.

There’s nothing like having a baby to show you how fleeting time is. In what feels like three seconds your darling infant becomes a sweet little boy who is learning to read and picking you vases of flowers.

 Watching kids grow up at lightning speed really brings Ephesians 5:15-16 to life.

 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil."

As Peter admonishes, we ought to prepare our minds for action and be sober-minded!

But sometimes, when it's rainy and cold outside, and everyone is fighting and coloring on the wall --time stands still.

Nine times out of ten, days that I tumble into without intentionality, prayer, and planning feel more like chaotic, cranky, messy disaster zones that I am desperate to get out of rather than orderly, productive, creative days filled with adventures, joyful memories, and snuggles.

It’s almost like the natural bent of this sinful world is towards destruction and decay and if I’m not proactive about it, my day is not going to be used well.

As D.A. Carson has said, “we don’t drift towards holiness.” Delighting in the Lord, enjoying our kids, and creating an atmosphere of belonging and becoming in our homes don’t just happen. It takes a lot of thought and intentionality.

Join me for a conversation with Chelsea Svendsen, homeschool mom to four and owner of the interior design and home inspiration Instagram account Life in the Little Yellow House, and hearing from half a dozen other seasoned moms about routines, habits, and rhythms that can help make our homes sing and motherhood a joy.

Notes ******

Books referenced in this podcast:

Life Giving Home
Habits of the Household

Links to Seed Catalogs:
https://www.rareseeds.com/requestcat/catalog 
https://www.almanac.com/content/garden-seed-catalogs-mail