Books to share with YOU!

There’s nothing like packing your entire house to realize you have too much stuff. And by “your” and “you,” I really mean “mine” and “me.” Too. Much. Stuff.

I spent a good portion of the weekend packing and purging and organizing. We even loaded up the mini van and car with boxes and delivered them to our new house. The actual big move is happening Saturday.

So this week is going to include more packing and purging and organizing and hauling. And there will afternoon breaks at the pool, if you were wondering. Probably some errands too.

But while we’ve been uncovering all sorts of treasures and memories in our house and Greg and I have told the kids stories they may or may not actually care about, I discovered we have some duplicate chapter books that I want to share with one of you – well, really, the young reader in your life.

Specifically, the chapters books I’m sharing are:


“Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt (Grades 5-8)
“Wayside School is Falling Down” by Louis Sachar (Grades 3-7)
“Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” by Judy Blume (Grades 3-7)
“Pippi in the South Seas” by Astrid Lindgren (Grades 2-5)
Boxcar Children Mysteries #2 “Surprise Island” by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Grades 2-5)


Most of these are fairly classic children’s chapter books, but I put the suggested grade level next to them. Obviously, kids are across the board when it comes to reading, but as a point of reference my daughter who is going into fourth grade and reads well above grade level has read and enjoyed all of these in the past couple of years except “Tuck Everlasting,” which she and I are getting ready to read together.

(Meanwhile, I’ve been devouring some adult fiction. Lately I’ve read this one, this one, and this one. And I’m in the middle of this one. Besides afternoons at the pool, what is summer for? Oh, moving, right! Anyway, stay tuned because at the end of the month I’m sharing a whole list of what I’ve read this year!)

Back to the giveaway: use the Rafflecopter widget below for several ways to enter to win the stack of chapter books. The giveaway is open to only U.S. residents through next Monday. Then, from the comforts of my new house, I will choose a winner. Until then, happy reading.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The League and the Lantern {a review from a 9-year-old girl}

My oldest girl and I love books. It’s like our love language, really. Multiple people gifted her books for her birthday last week and we both almost always have a book with us. She’s been into discovering new books lately, so we were all about the opportunity to review “The League and the Lantern” by Brian Wells.

Well, she’s going to review it, and I’m going to share some other points with you.

So, here it is, from Cate, who is finishing third grade, turned 9 last week, and reads well above grade level ::

“The League and the Lantern” is a very good adventure story.

I like that Jake has a lot of questions and he’s looking for the answers. He likes adventuring and has good friends. Lucy know how to fight really well. She’s my favorite character because she likes things to be causal when people question why these seventh-graders are alone with no supervision. T.J. always makes up weird stories when police officers or adults are nearby ask why they’re alone.

There is a bunch of bad guys, police officers, and suspicious people – some who are Jake’s best friends. Jake’s Uncle Gabe even goes missing and they try to track him down. While they try to track him down, they make other exciting discoveries.

I hope there are more stories because I like the characters and their adventures. (Spoiler alert from Mom: There are more adventures coming from this new author.)

FROM THE PARENT :: “The League and the Lantern” helps inspire reading because it’s the beginning of an adventure series your kids will want to read. Plus, there’s educational value with the 140 key vocabulary words hidden throughout the story and historic sites that are part of the setting.

Lessons in family, friendship, mercy and compassion are ones parents long for their kids to learn. And those lessons go beyond the pages with the buy-one-give-one campaign to get books into the hands of kids who cannot afford their own copies.

ABOUT THE BOOK :: “The League and the Lantern” is the first book in a new adventure series for middle-school readers. It all starts when a dangerous organization invades Jake Herndon’s seventh-grade sleepover. He escapes along with two new classmates, Lucy and TJ, only to face a 48-hour fight for survival on the streets of Chicago. The kids unravel a mystery dating back to the Civil War, and an incredible secret about Jake’s family. Along the way they learn unexpected lessons about courage, family and friendship.

“The League and the Lantern” became a reality through a Kickstarter campaign. It is a 282-page hardcover book aimed at readers 9 to 14 years old published by Republic Ink (May 16, 2016). Learn more at the book’s official website or its Facebook page.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :: Brian Wells is a concerned dad who couldn’t find quality entertainment for his kids. He has worked and produced 15 TV movies for the major networks, and this is his book debut.

GIVEAWAY :: And one of you can win a copy of this book! Use the Rafflecopter below for multiple ways to enter this giveaway, which is open through next Thursday, May 19 to U.S. and Canadian residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks to FlyBy Promotions/Propeller Consulting for the copy of this book that Cate reviewed and the copy one of you will receive in exchange for this post. The opinions here are mine (and Cate’s!). If you have won a prize from FlyBy/Propeller in the last 30 days or have won the same book from another blog, you are not eligible to win.

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A Letter to My Daughter Who is Like Me

Catherine Anna –

It’s cliché, but I can’t believe you’re 9. You’re the one who made me a momma. We share a first-born girl personality that means I understand you. But, you know, in reality, you’ve taught me so much about myself and faith that I’m not sure I’d have seen through any other lens.

You’re finishing up third grade. I drag you out of bed in the mornings, but you like school once you get there. You’re a leader among your class even though you’re one of the youngest. This year, you’ve started taking weekly piano lessons there.

I’m excited to see you try new things because, like me, you have a fear of failure. I see it because I’ve been there. But I’m thankful for your bravery to have more hobbies than anyone else I know. Kilee is teaching you to crochet. Gran-Gran is teaching you to sew. You’ve been taking monthly horse riding lessons for about a year. You read and write and draw and build with Legos. And we like to watch “Fixer Upper” together.

Your creativity and compassion are going to serve you well wherever you go.

Right now, you put those gifts to use by helping with your baby sister. She adores you and I’m grateful for your faithfulness to help and serve right here in our house.

Serving with you in Guatemala and then having that conversation about baptism right there on the black sand beach in a foreign country top my list for us this past year. Seeing your baptism a few weeks later was a momma’s dream come true. We’ve both become better versions of ourselves since we bravely went on our first mission trip. And I’m really glad we got to do it together.

God made me a momma one week before Mother’s Day 2007. I’m grateful you’re the first one to call me momma. Watching you grow up and knowing it’s grown me up too has been one of the best adventures of my life. I’m excited to see what else is to come for you, sweet girl. I’m glad I’ve got a front row seat to you life.

I love you dearly,
Momma
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Other birthday posts, if you want to see how Cate has grown up :: 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

No performance required

My third-grade girl was nervous about a poem she had to recite at school. She knew every word to “Animal Crackers.” Sure, they came out too quickly and she could have spoken louder when she practiced in our kitchen. But she knew what she was doing.

Yet fear sneaked in. Tears came. Nerves abounded.

As I comforted her, I remembered every night before I had a school presentation when I was growing up, I would get irritable and nervous. Tears weren’t strangers to my preparations either.

But I don’t want that for her. I want her to stand in a confidence I never knew. I want her to realize she may mess up when she’s standing in front of her class, but life is okay anyway. I want her to realize her performance – with this poem or anything else – doesn’t define her.

I told her all these things. And then we opened up her bible to 1 John 4:17-18:

“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. ...”

She is loved perfectly by the one who made her. She doesn’t have to score well or speak perfectly to earn God’s affection. Sure, as her mom, I want her to do her best, but she’s already loved.

The same can be said for you and me.

Join me at God-sized Dreams, where I'm sharing the rest of this post. 
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An InLinkz Link-up

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

7 Things I Learned in December

I know December is really about all things Christmas, but I'm sharing some things {seven things, to be exact ...} I learned this month THAT ARE NOT CHRISTMAS RELATED. Of course, if you want to read about our Christmas, I wrote about that.

Here. {A Jesus Birthday Party Tradition}

And here. {Christmas Around Here}

And here. {Merry & Bright}

So, closing out 2015, here are seven things I learned in December ...

1. Rachel loves this Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat.

I don’t feel compelled to buy contraptions for my babies with the exception of the papasan swing all three have loved. But when I saw a picture of a friend’s baby in it, I knew she’s love it.

Of course, now with Christmas, she has some new contraptions I’m sure she’ll soon also love because already loves standing in our laps, trying to be bigger than she seems.

2. Goodbyes are hard regardless of your age.

One of my best friends and her family recently moved from Murray. They’re still in Kentucky – but they’re about four hours away and settling into a new normal that’s far away. This has been sad for Ben too because Sarah’s oldest child, Davey, is his age and they haven’t known their first six years without each other.

For years, we’ve lunched together nearly every Sunday after church. Sarah and I would get together during the week and text an ever-continuing conversation throughout the days. Thankfully, the texting remains!

And then THE SAME WEEKEND this month, our college friend who has been one of the few people outside our immediate circle to babysit our kids moved. I mean, congratulations, Amber, you graduated. But, um, we miss you already.

3. Cate and I have revived our back-and-forth journal writing and it’s good for my soul – both as a writer and a momma.

4. Tornado watches and thunderstorms are possible on Christmas Eve Eve. 

And then it kept raining FOR DAYS, literally. Now nearby Kentucky Lake is rising above normal summer pool IN THE WINTER. (There’s a whole long explanation about the dam and the river that I barely understand.)

5. Cate now wears adult women’s shoes. 

She's 8 1/2 years old. Geez. How did THAT happen?! The day after purchasing some size 6 purple Nikes, she borrowed my socks.

6. "The West Wing" is good. 

I know, I’m a whole decade behind. But it’s our latest TV binge.

7. Speaking of television shows, Cate’s into “Full House,” which makes me happy and nostalgic.

Tell me about your December. How was your Christmas? Did you learn anything worth remembering?
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I'm linking up with Emily Freeman, like I do at the end of every month. 

{2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. 

{2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. 

July. August. September. October. November. December. 
{2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. 
July. August. September. October. November.

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

Mom of Three {an adoption post for #ThreeWordWednesday}

I used to think I wanted my kids close in age, but I realized a long time ago I’m in control of the timing and growth of our family. In fact, I had to lay down my desire to adopt a third time because I wasn’t sure it was going to happen and I struggled to separate what I wanted from what God was calling us to do.

{I talk about learning about waiting on God and laying down that desire in my ebook, “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family,” which is available on Amazon and needs to be updated now that God grew our family again. But through Friday, Oct. 2, "Peace in the Process" is on sale for 99 cents, if you want the full back story of how we got here and what God taught me along the way. And feel free to tweet about the deal.}

But guess what? God’s timing has been perfect ... of course!

I have an 8-year-old girl who is in third grade and a kindergartner boy who turns 6 in less than two months. And, let me tell you, they adore their baby sister. They literally have argued over who is going to hold her or sit next to her in the van. (We currently have a week-to-week rotation of who is in the middle of the minivan next to Rachel and who has to settle for the back seat.)

Cate is a feeding champion – and I’m working on convincing her that she would excel at changing diapers too. Ben likes to be near her and has found his way downstairs into her room a few times in the middle of the night when he hears her crying for her next bottle. This boy was meant to be a middle child. With the initials BLT, he’s perfectly sandwiched between two girls.

For this momma of three, having two in school and a baby at home is a whole different world than last time I had a baby – and a toddler who was 2 1/2. Sure, Rachel and I have had some slow days at home settling in together, but our lives have continued with Greg working and the big kids playing soccer. Beyond logistics, God has me prepared to be a mom again. My perspective is different and I’m more confident. I bring more than eight years of motherhood experiences with me. I know more about what matters and what doesn’t.

Before Rachel was born, I was ready – not ready like my house was perfect and my life completely under control, but ready like my heart knew what God had done. I was in place I could truly rejoice in his faithfulness.

The hardest part (so far) of being a mom of three is the waking up in the middle of the night. Y’all, we’ve been sleeping (mostly) through the night for many years. But knowing God prepared us and designed this for us in his time makes me appreciate the middle-of-the-night snuggles with my girl more than I did with the other two as newborns.

(Don’t let me totally fool you though, I will rejoice when she sleeps through the night too.)

I’m grateful to be a mom of three for many reasons, but I’m especially because I believe this is what God planned for me. {Tweet that.} Yes, I had doubts this third time would happen, and I was going to be okay with that because my life already overflowed with blessings. But I’m grateful I indeed heard God right years ago about the third child, even if my timing was totally out of sync with God’s.
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I shared other parts of Rachel's adoption story here ...

We're adopting again!

Generosity in adoption

Team Taylor welcomes Rachel!

Opening up about open adoption

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An InLinkz Link-up

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

Six Things I Learned in September

If you follow me at all on social media or we hang out in real life, then you probably know Team Taylor became five this month. How's it going you may want to ask? The simple answer: It's going well. Rachel fits in our family. God continues to show us how he makes beauty from ashes through adoption.

But, obviously, I'm not usually one for short answers. I've told some stories already about Rachel, her birth, her adoption, and our family, and I will tell more. Fun note: Today was her due date, but we've gotten to have her nine days already!

For now, let's wrap up some randomness from September before yet another 2015 month escapes me. And, yes, beginning with the baby-related items ...

1. People really like baby pictures and stories. 

Okay, well, maybe this isn't news. But as soon I started posting picture of newborn Rachel and sharing more about our adoption story on Facebook, people started giving my posts thumbs up.

If you didn't know we're adopting a baby girl who was born Sept. 19, catch up here:

We're adopting again!

Generosity in adoption

Team Taylor welcomes Rachel!

Opening up about open adoption

2. Hallmark had a fabulous baby book with adoption option pages.

Cate and Ben have baby books in binders that include pages from a regular baby book and additional pages I printed and made to tell their adoption story. They're like scrapbooks meet baby books. Rachel's is going to be more of the same but with a different starting point because Hallmark has a great baby book with optional pages and room for other homemade ones to be added.

{That's not even an affiliate link. I really just like this baby book.}

3. I can have bulk groceries delivered to my front porch.

Okay, I know about {and love to use!} Amazon's Prime Pantry, which has some groceries, and ePantry, which sells household products, but Boxed is new to me. It's like a mail-order version of Costco. And there's an app.

My first order included Gatorade, Mandarin oranges in snack-sized cups, paper plates, allergy medicine and contact solution. But next time it's going to include fruit snacks, chips, noodles, and all sorts of other things I'm currently stocked up on.

Did I mention a bulk purchase of paper plates?! Exactly 170 paper places, to be precise. Hello, perfect timing, as I cuddle my newborn.

You can join in the fun! Use 28SI6 at check out and you'll save $15 on your first order PLUS GET FREE SHIPPING. Now, there's always free shipping for orders totaling at least $75.

4. Making my son's bunk beds into a tent earned me cool mom points and helped him sleep later!

Ben is the epitome of a morning person. He wakes up ready to go and isn't usually quiet about that. A few weeks ago, we were in the process of taking some down curtains and putting up blinds instead. Like many household projects, it took longer than expected because the lady at the store told us to get the wrong width of blinds based on my window measurements.

During the week, it didn't matter if his window wasn't covered because he has to get up for school. But one Saturday I was hoping to sleep in. And by "sleep in," I mean I hoped not to wake up until the 7 o'clock hour.

So I darkened his bunk beds with a tent. And it worked.

Now that his blinds are up, the tent is still up. Because, hello, I'm a cool mom who still wants to sleep in.

5. Losing teeth is a weird process.

Well, okay, really, I don't deal with the actual losing of teeth. Cate lost her 10th tooth this month. After losing nine teeth is in 16 months {starting the month after she turned 5}, she hadn't lost one in 23 months. Crazy.

{I'm not really a numbers person, but I like when numbers tell stories.}

Meanwhile, Ben is two months from turning 6 and doesn't have a loose tooth.

6. A Precept Upon Precept study is perfect for a girl who has always liked school supplies. 

Hello, colored pens! I joined a Bible study this month at a big church that's nearby. It's not where we regularly attend, but I have several friends there and have been wanting to do a study with them. We're doing "Covenant: Knowing God's Covenants" by Percept Ministries International.

We're just a couple lessons in, but so far so good!

Tell me about your September. Are y'all glad it's fall?
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I'm linking up with Emily Freeman for my favorite monthly recaps. Read other Things I Learned posts ::

{2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. 

{2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. 

July. August. September. October. November. December. 

{2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through any of them, I'll receive a small portion of the sale. But I only recommend products I really do love and buying through my link doesn't change the price for you and sometimes, like the Boxed promo code, actually helps you.

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

On Saying Yes {a guest post}

I've been asking my husband to write a post about our Guatemala trip. I know, you've heard my stories and perspective, but I wanted him to share too. And then when he did, I cried and wanted to go back. We're grateful for our Guatemala experience and how it's changed our family. And I'm excited you get a chance to hear more about that from Greg. 

How many of us actually like the idea of a God who calls us to submit our whole lives to Him? Isn’t that radical? Isn’t Him asking that of us crazy?

And how many of us Christians actually submit our will to His on a daily basis? I know I haven’t, not really, at least not on a daily basis.

Yet I do see examples in the lives of my friends and family – people submitted to the Lord and daily taking up their cross and following Him. These people are ministering to those around them, meeting physical and spiritual needs, and taking Jesus’s love into this dark and dying world even when it seems crazy to do so.

Last fall, I clearly felt the call of the Holy Spirit to look into this Guatemala mission trip with Bethel Ministries. I couldn’t escape the thought that God was calling us to this experience at this time. And despite so many failures in the past to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, this time I said yes.

As Christians, we follow a God who loves to shake things up and turn our world upside down. He called Gideon while he was threshing wheat in hiding, He called Moses while shepherding in Midian, and He called Elisha while plowing in the field.

If you are serving a God who never humbles you, never disrupts your world, and never calls you to do things outside your comfort zone, you are probably serving your idea of God, not the Lord of the universe. When He calls you, don’t expect Him to ask for anything less than your whole heart.

The cool thing about how He works is He doesn’t ask us to use our willpower to change our hearts or give us a long list of things to do in order to get an “A” at being a Christian. He simply asks us to be obedient and submit to Him when He calls. He asks us to say yes when our selfish flesh would say no. And as we submit one choice at a time, He then changes our heart and transforms our mind, spirit and attitude. He is the one doing the work, all we have to do is say yes. {Tweet that.}

The powerful thing about what the Lord did through our team in Guatemala is that He took us and transformed us for His purposes that week. For the nine adults and four children who answered the call, we left our normal selfish selves in the USA and became a unified team with one purpose of serving the Guatemalan families we met.

So as our team got together to go to Guatemala, you may have looked at us from the outside and said that we looked like a bunch of imperfect people, not really suited to do real ministry. And you’d be right. But the truth is He had a specific plan for us to meet with families and children in Guatemala and bring glory to His name. The families we met with didn’t ask us about what sins we were struggling with or how many times we had let God down. They simply saw the love of God in the food that we brought, the wheelchairs we distributed, and the houses that we built.

And through that, God changed not only the families we served in Guatemala, but He changed us. My daughter, Cate, experienced poverty on a level that she had never seen before. Yet she also experienced the joy of the Lord in a new way, as she played with and smiled with those children who trusted God despite their circumstances.

She experienced what it was like to say yes to God, and the radical, crazy, amazing love of Jesus became a little more real to her that week. The day before we came home, she talked with Kristin and I about baptism and what that meant. We prayed with her and sensed that she felt God was calling her to submit to Him and that she wanted to say yes. I had the privilege of baptizing her at our home church with our family and friends a few weeks later. She felt the call of God, and said yes. And I am so thankful that she did.

Our trip to Guatemala reminded me in a new and fresh way that Jesus is the only source of contentment and joy. No matter what our circumstances, we can take joy in knowing Him, and remembering that this life is fleeting and eternity awaits. Nothing else matters when we are confronted by His relentless grace. {Tweet that.} I am so looking forward to what He has planned next.
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Read my other Guatemala-related posts here :: 

Mission to Guatemala

God said GO

Building a foundation & threading love

God makes us new

What, why, how?

What I learned in Guatemala 

With Faith Like a Child
Eyes on Guatemala

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An InLinkz Link-up

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{God-sized Dreams} Seeing your child know God

We’ve always told our kids about God. We’ve said prayers around the table, before bed, and when they’re scared. They’ve gone to church since they were newborns and now attend a private, Christian school.

The last several months, Cate wanted to talk about baptism and communion. So we had short conversations in the mini van and our row of chairs at church. She’s read her Bible more and asked deeper questions. She went to church camp for a few days not long before we went to Guatemala on a family mission trip.

I knew God was moving in her life.

My husband Greg and I knew this 8-year-old girl of ours was one reason we were supposed to go on a mission trip. We knew seeing poverty was different than talking about being generous. Our team of 13 people from our small town in Kentucky included four kids about Cate’s age. We served with Bethel Ministries International in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, where we distributed wheelchairs, built houses, visited families, and distributed food, clothing, and school supplies.

On our last day in Guatemala, we had finished our projects and were on the black sand beach of Puerto de San Jose enjoying some time with team, who had become friends. In the midst of the adults chatting and the kids digging in the sand, Cate came to me and said she needed to talk. I expected her to say something about the loads of sand in her bathing suit, but instead she told me she wanted to be baptized when we got home.

Isn’t that the dream of parenting? We do all these good things for our kids and expose them to God in all the ways we know how so they can actually know God.

I know I've already told most of this story here, but I'm sharing it today at God-sized Dreams. I'd love for you to join me there for the rest of this post.
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I'm linking this post with the lovely Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood Gathering. Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Guatemala} With Faith Like a Child

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” {Matthew 18:1-5}

We were gathered around Manuel, getting ready to pray for the seizures and attacks he’s had since he was a 6-year-old boy. He’s managed to survive, be married for more than 30 years, and father two boys. Really, that’s a miracle – especially in Guatemala.

Working in the fields isn’t always possible because of his physical ailments. His wife washes clothes for extra money, but being able to pay for food for his family and education for his boys is a struggle.

Part of our mission team was at this house with a local pastor and a couple of the missionaries from Bethel Ministries International to help address their needs. It was one of 16 homes we visited throughout the week.

{Read here about the details of our trip.}

Chris, who along with his wife leads BMI, was getting ready to pray for Manuel. First, he thanked Manuel and his wife for loving each other through the hard days. Then he asked Kellen – one of the four kids on our mission team – to sit next to Manuel and talked about child-like faith.

Sure, most of us who have spent any amount of time in church have heard a sermon or two on child-like faith.

But Chris looked Kellen in the eyes and said his hands were needed on Manuel while we prayed because he had just the kind of faith God wants all of us to have. Kids don’t have the distractions and anxiety that adults can easily have as they try to make grown-up decisions and take care of the people who are depending on them.

Yes, the Jars of Clay song was playing in my head :: “They say that love can heal the broken / They say that hope can make you see / They say that faith can find a Savior / If you would follow and believe / with faith like a child.”

Then Chris told Cate to come near too. And we all prayed.

In Spanish, Chris thanked God, asked for healing, and encouraged this family to seek Jesus the person – not the picture in the shrine they had built on a table in the house behind us. Meanwhile, I silently thanked God for these moments that drew my daughter in and reminded my heart what was important. Those moments next to a house situated among the dirt and cornfields were the best child-like faith sermon I ever witnessed.
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Read my other Guatemala-related posts here :: 

Mission to Guatemala

God said GO

Building a foundation & threading love

God makes us new

What, why, how?

What I learned in Guatemala. 

I'm linking up with the Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood Gathering. 

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Review} This Is Not A Test by TobyMac

When I got an email about reviewing TobyMac’s new album, I said yes for my kids, especially my son. I like TobyMac well enough, although I admit I sometimes long for the days of dc Talk. But I love watching my kids dance while buckled in the car when TobyMac comes on the radio. I want my kids to like music that speaks truth into their lives. So, if that’s what TobyMac can do for my family, yes, send me some TobyMac.

We’ve been listening to “This Is Not a Test” while driving around town. Like with any new album, we had our instant favorites. My 8-year-old Cate loved “Lift You Up,” a song that features Ryan Stevenson. She said she likes the beat and lyrics: “We’ll lift you up ‘cause you ain’t never going to let us down.”

(We’ll be having a conversation about how ain’t isn’t a word soon, so no worries there.)

My 5-year-old Ben has a personality that TobyMac’s music fits, if you know what I mean. He’s high energy and always moving. He had trouble choosing a favorite but landed on “Backseat Driver,” which features artists Hollyn and Tru.

I really liked “Love Broke Thru” and “Fall.” They each affirmed truth God had already been teaching me. I like when songs do that. And, of course, we were happy to recognize “Beyond Me” from the radio.

“It was just another summer night. It had to be the last thing on my mind when love broke through. You found me in the darkness, wandering through the desert. I was a hopeless fool, now I’m hopefully devoted, my chains are broken – and it all began with you, when love broke through.”

{TobyMac in “Love Broke Thru”}

Okay, so, admittedly, I like that “Love Feels Like” features dc Talk. And you’d know this if you saw our car dancing as my kids and I listened to TobyMac’s new music.
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ABOUT THE ALBUM :: TobyMac’s sixth solo album, “This Is Not a Test” officially releases tomorrow (Aug. 7).

Here’s a listing of all the tracks on the deluxe version –

1. Like a Match
2. Backseat Driver feat. Hollyn, Tru
3. This Is Not a Test feat. Capital Kings
4. Lights Shine Bright feat. Hollyn
5. Til The Day I Die feat. NF
6. Feel It feat. Mr. TalkBox
7. Move (Keep Walkin’)
8. Love Broke Thru
9. Beyond Me
10. Love Feels Like feat. dc Talk
11. Undeniable
12. Lift You Up feat. Ryan Stevenson
13. Fall
14. Beyond Me (Phenomenon Remix By Soul Glow Activatur)
15. Like a Match (Garcia’s Remix)

ABOUT TOBYMAC :: Toby McKeehan – known professionally as TobyMac – is a husband, father, performer, songwriter, producer, and businessman. Growing up in the northern Virginia suburbs adjacent to Washington D.C. helped instill his love for rap music. While attending Liberty University during the mid 80s, Toby met Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith and these three friends formed the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling group dc Talk. Toby began his solo career in 1999 and released his first solo album in 2001. Between then and now, he’s released four other solo studio albums and a live album.

Starting with dc Talk, and then going solo when the group disbanded, Toby still clings to such notions as hard work, persistence, patience, and the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going. “It’s the truth,” he says. “I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart. I believe God can use a song to open someone's mind and heart.”

Learn more online at his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, iTunes, and YouTube.

GIVEAWAY :: Use the Rafflecopter widget below for multiple ways to enter this giveaway. A winner will be randomly chosen on Thursday, Aug. 13. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks to Propeller Consulting/FlyBy Promotions and Capitol CMG Label Group/ForeFront Records for providing me with an early digital version of this album to review. The opinions here are mine – and, well, my kids. Propeller/FlyBy will also send the winner of this giveaway an actual CD. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. 

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Three Word Wednesday :: Our Salvation Comes

Cate was baptized this past Sunday – about three weeks after she decided to on the shores of a foreign country to follow Jesus with this gesture. Greg had the honor of baptizing her in front of our best friends and some family members in our church, where Cate has heard so much about this God we prayed for her to believe in.

We celebrated afterward by singing “Days of Elijah,” a praise song she chose. Honestly, I thought it was unusual song to celebrate a baptism, but as we were singing it, I realized it was perfect:

“Out of Zion’s hills salvation comes ... There's no God like Jehovah.”

We came back to our house and shared a taco lunch with the people closest to us. They’re the ones who do life with us on a nearly daily basis. They’re the ones who have helped us teach our kids about Jesus.

Many times, people can pinpoint the moment they decided to follow Jesus and recall where they were when they decided to get baptized. But, really, salvation comes as a process.

I think about my own story. Like any high schooler, I was searching for identity and trying to make sense of life. The questions abounded, leading the conversations with friends. Then God led me to Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

It was not long afterward, when I was away from my friends and family at a Chrysalis weekend that I took that first step toward really following Jesus. That was more than 19 years ago. First steps are important. But the ones that follow become our stories. {Tweet that.}

Likewise, God had been working on Cate’s heart long before we got to Guatemala, but it was there God wove together all he had been doing and made her need for Jesus clear. Her decision to be baptized was the perfect ending to our mission trip. Her actual baptism was a moment that will be etched in her story forever. But all of that was just the beginning to what else God has for her.
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An InLinkz Link-up

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When song lyrics bring something beautiful

“In your ocean I'm ankle deep

I feel the waves crashin' on my feet

It's like I know where I need to be

But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out

Just how much air I’m will need to breathe

When you tide rushes over me …”

{From “Something Beautiful” by Needtobreathe}

After day of riding amusement park rides in the July heat in St. Louis, we took our kids to their first real concert. Four hours of music, courtesy Colony House, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Switchfoot, and Needtobreathe.

We were sweaty and dirty when we plopped down in the lawn of the amphitheater. The sun was still high. My kids were tired. And then my wise husband realized the other side of the lawn was already shaded. So we moved – and found relief and a better view.

Greg brought the kids some pizza during Switchfoot. As Jon Foreman roamed the crowd and sang from his heart, Cate and I recognized more songs than we thought we would. And now I want to watch “Fading West,” because, really, who knew Switchfoot had made a surfing movie? Y’all I have no desire to surf, but, goodness, Greg and I have soft spot for inspiration surf movies.

And then the Needtobreathe took the stage and my heart rejoiced. Their music is so good for my soul. And the fact Greg loves the songs like I do makes the whole thing even better. We saw NTB together in Nashville last fall. The band’s song “Brother” inspired the name for our new lake house.

A Needtobreathe concert isn’t billed as a worship service, but with the band’s lyrics and heart, that’s what it became for me. Scripture is sprinkled throughout the songs along with questions we’ve all asked in our faith journey.

We had been standing, clapping and singing. And then during “Keep Your Eyes Open,” I ended up sitting down because I still had a view of the stage and needed to process life.

“… Just past the circumstance

The first light, a second chance

No child could ever dance the way you do

Tear down the prison walls

Don’t start the curtain call

Your chains will never fall until you do

Cause if you never leave home, never let go

You’ll never make it to the great unknown till you

Keep your eyes open, my love

So show me your fire, show me your heart

You know I’ll never let you fall apart if you

Keep your eyes open, my love …”

{From “Keep Your Eyes Open” by Needtobreathe}

Of course, Ben had to use the bathroom just as the song started, so Greg took him. Cate sat down close to me and I told her how the song is linked to Guatemala for me. I’ve loved that song for a while, but lately it’s been reminding me of Guatemala and how I don’t want to unsee what we experienced there. {I even used it as the song to go with my pictures in a video I’ve shared with people who supported our trip.}

I reflected on what God had done in our lives and hearts since we boarded a plane for Guatemala early on Independence Day. There was something ironic about leaving the country on such a patriotic day, but I quickly learned God wanted to use stepping out of my comfort zone to free my heart more.

I sat there in St. Louis on Saturday night with my favorite people by my side as one of my favorite bands played. In some sense, so much has changed this month. Yet I knew I was exactly where God wanted me.

Other songs stirred gratefulness in my heart. Some melodies reminded me of moments I’ve shared with my family and friends. Needtobreathe is part of the playlist of my life.

Ben had been restless in his tiredness. During “Something Beautiful,” he sat on my lap, stretched out his legs, leaned his head back … and gave into rest. The boy is always going and moving and doing.

In all honesty, parenting him has been hard since I’ve been home from Guatemala. Like any relationship, it takes two – so some of the parenting struggle has been all me. Life is filtered differently the past few weeks. It’s not Ben’s fault he hasn’t experienced what I did. Plus he’s only 5 and I can’t expect him to fully grasp what God is doing,

Even so, I believe we’ll move past this hard part and be better people for it. Those moments of having him cuddled in were sweet. Something beautiful, indeed. I felt his body give into sleep and was reminded how many times I push against God, knowing full well he knows best.

And then I wanted to stand up again. So I laid down Ben gently on the ground and he slept for the last half of the Needtobreathe concert while I let God continue his work in my heart.

“God of mercy sweet love of mine

I have surrendered to your design

May this offering stretch across the skies

And these hallelujahs be multiplied”

{From “Multiplied” by Needtobreathe}

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I'm linking up with the Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood Gathering. 

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Guatemala} What, why, how?

Since we’ve been back, we’ve shared many Guatemala stories with our friends. I’ve sat around the table eating chips and queso with my two best friends and told them what I saw and experienced. Greg shared with his Bible study friends on a Tuesday morning. Cate has offered her own perspective – and told people in the grocery store and at the public pool about her decision to get baptized. We’ve shared pictures and stories … and answered all kinds of questions.

So, let’s gather around this virtual table that is my blog, and let me answer some questions for you …

How did you choose Guatemala?

We knew our neighbors Kim and Stephen Crouch had led trips there so we had them over for dinner in November to learn more. Personally, I was drawn to the fact kids could go and the time change was only an hour.

I also liked the relational element. The Crouches have been going to serve with Bethel Ministries International for seven years and know the missionaries well. BMI serves all throughout the country, hosting teams in different towns. Even though I had just met the Crouches, we have a slew of mutual local and college friends. I had also seen the way people who had traveled with them to Guatemala before stayed involved with the fundraising and planning for future trips.


What did you all do there?

Throughout the week, our team of 13 people plus the four missionaries who live there divided up most days to serve. We also worked with a local pastor and volunteers who knew how to speak the Quechí dialect many of the local people with Mayan roots spoke.

Collectively, we built three houses on concrete slabs, visited 16 families, and distributed 35 wheelchairs. When we visited families, we gave them clothes, shoes, toiletries, and school supplies. We prayed with people and figured out how Bethel could meet other needs, like build a bathroom or secure education and food sponsorships. I may not have understood every word, but I know it was the same Spirit leading people’s hearts. {You can see all my photos here.}


You took your kid to a third-world country?

I did. And, honestly, she's a huge reason Greg and I believed we were supposed to go. After initially talking to the Crouches, I thought we would wait until Ben could go too. But neither Greg nor I could shake the feeling we were supposed to go. I talked to other friends about family mission trips and, although I was intrigued, I kept coming back to this one.

We committed to go in January and in the months after we participated in various fundraisers, which paid for the projects and materials. We paid our own way for the travel and food costs.

Before we left, I talked to Cate about things – like how she may see a woman nursing a child older than a toddler because food options are limited and how she doesn't know the language so walking away from us was never allowed.

I never worried about taking her and didn't regret our decision once we were there. I did have to explain what a man drinking himself to death means. And I thought I was going to have to explain what Rahab did before she was used by God, but she clung to another detail of that morning's devotional.

Cate is 8 but has common sense and is a deep thinker. As a family, we can talk all day long about generosity and continue to serve here in our local community like we do, but Greg and I believed showing her actual poverty would be life-changing.


Was it hot there?

No, actually. Another group from our area went in June – to the coast, where it was hot. We ended up with nearly perfect weather in the mountains.

It was in the 70s most days and got into the 50s in the evenings. We had layers and jackets. It was the rainy season, but we managed to only get rained on one afternoon ... and the guys had just finished putting on the new roof at a house.

It was hotter when we moved south to the beach for our last day in Guatemala. But even then the temperature was pleasant and some clouds kept us from being drenched in sweat.

So, basically, the weather was better on our mission trip than it apparently was at home that week.


Had you been in a mission trip before?

No, I’d never been on a mission trip. Greg had been to the Bahamas with his college campus ministry. To serve together was definitely an aspect of this I looked forward to.


What was your favorite part?

Um, all of it.

Really, though, Cate deciding to get baptized wins for obvious reasons. But the day spent building the second house and exchanging friendship bracelets with Maria, Brenda and Angelica may go down as my favorite.


Do you speak Spanish?

No, not really. I can understand some, but I don't speak it. Please don't tell my high school Spanish teacher. She'll be disappointed those four years didn't amount to more.


Will you go back?

I hope so – and so do Greg and Cate. Honestly, the fact I hope to go back surprises me. Before we went, I figured the trip would meet the need I felt inside to go. And it did. But it also opened doors I didn't know were there. I love what Bethel Ministries does and I loved hearing about a new ministry happening in another part of Guatemala to serve orphans and single moms. Landon Divido, who is working with Bethel as an intern this summer, is preparing to marry his fiancée Amy and then help the ministry his dad started open a rescue center in Poptun, Guatemala. This will help orphans as well as single moms who need childcare so they can work to provide for their families.

These are the kind of ministries I want to be a part of, even from a distance and hopefully one day on the ground again.


What can we do to help?

We spent the week serving in Chichicastenango, Guatemala alongside Bethel Ministries. We saw up close the poverty cycle that paralyzes families. Families often choose between food and education. Many suffer continuously because of the dirt and dust that builds up in their houses, that is, if they have roofs to cover them.

Bethel works with families all over Guatemala to help meet their needs while sharing the gospel. Some of that happens through food and education sponsorships. A monthly $50 food sponsorship feeds a family of 4 for a month. Education sponsorships are $25 for children in primary grades and $50 for those in secondary grades.

We would love for you to join us in serving this part of the world through sponsorships for some of the families and children we've met this week. Through Bethel, 100% of the sponsorship money goes directly to the family. If you're willing to commit to this let us know and we'll get you more information about a specific family or child as well as how you can make your monthly contributions.

You can also read more about what Light of the World Ministries is doing in Poptun and join in those efforts.

And if you have more questions, feel free to ask me. We're all friends around a table here.
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Other Guatemala-related posts ... 

Mission to Guatemala

God said GO

Building a foundation & threading love

God makes us new

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An InLinkz Link-up

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Guatemala} God makes us new

We spent our last day in Guatemala on the black sand beach at Puerto San Jose. The Pacific Ocean waves were mighty, but the men and kids found their way in and out of the white caps. The women snapped many pictures. After a week of serving, we rested in each other and God’s beauty.

That afternoon, Cate came to me from where she had been digging in the sand and said, “Mom, can I talk to you?”

I leaned toward her, thinking she was going to tell me about all the sand that had piled up in her bathing suit or ask another question about just how the volcanic ash created a black sand beach. “No, over there,” she urged wanting me to step away from our friends.

We walked a few steps away and she says, “I want to be baptized in a few weeks.”

My heart melted in that moment. This had been brewing. We’d have conversations many Sundays for months when the communion elements were passed through the congregation. She asked about what accepting Christ and baptism meant. Greg and I have shared our stories over time with her. But, really, it had been awhile since we talked about it, even though I’d been praying for her faith journey.

Standing in our bathing suits on the edge of Guatemala, I asked my girl some questions and then called Greg over to join our conversation. (And, yes, our team leader and friend Kim snapped the photo of us huddled together, not knowing what we were discussing but noticing the moment seemed important.)

Cate repeated to Greg what she had told me. We talked more about sin and separation from God and how Jesus makes eternal life possible. Knowing her personality is so much like mine, I reminded her that even when we choose to live for Jesus, we’ll still make mistakes. This life is a process of becoming more like Jesus. {Tweet that.} But it won’t be until we’re in heaven that we’re made complete and perfect. I hope she grasps this earlier than I did.

God makes us new – and seeing my daughter accept this truth was such a sweet moment, especially after everything we’d seen and experienced together that week. We had a front row seat to joy and poverty like never before. Really, the whole mission trip reminded me of “Inside Out” and how sadness and joy co-exist.

Earlier in the week, Cate said, “I should trust God more. These people trust God even though they don’t have much.” To hear her deeper understanding of needing Jesus will forever be a favorite moment in mothering her. Sure, it actually has nothing to do with me and everything to do with God. But I’m grateful that’s the kind of God we get to serve together.

While I wasn’t expecting this conversation that day, God knew it was coming. God told us to go to Guatemala, and I’m so glad we got to see another piece of his plan for our family. Cate’s revelation was the perfect ending to a week that stretched my faith and gave me a refreshed perspective as we served others.
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This is the second in my reflections from our mission trip to Guatemala last week. More stories are coming, but until then you can see all my pictures here. Other Guatemala posts :: On hearing God say GO. On building foundations & threading love. 

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Guatemala} Building a foundation & threading love

I cried at dinner after our first day of work in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. A mixture of emotions collided in my head. I was missing Ben, overwhelmed by the poverty I had already seen up close, feeling useless after spending the day at the site for a house build. The guys did all the hard work hand mixing concrete and pouring it as the foundation of a house we’d build the next day while Cate and I struggled to communicate with the family. Plus I was in a third-world country with my 8-year-old daughter who was trying to process emotions of her own.

Our team leader Kim gave me a pep talk when we stepped away from the table as everyone else was ordering their dinner. She reminded me God called us to this country, on this trip, and this time. Perhaps my broken Spanish, smiles, coloring books and pieces of gum really did help that momma and her two kids feel loved while the guys poured concrete. Maybe I just needed to be a mom and help my girl try to grasp this new perspective in front of us.

Two Guatemalan kids – 11-year-old Angelica and 12-year-old Sergio – had the best smiles that day. Our broken Spanish made them laugh as they kept an eye on the concrete that would become the foundation of their house. And I stood there that evening in their homeland crying.

As our team processed the day during our nightly devotional, we talked about foundations – the literal ones we were building and the spiritual one on which we build our faith. This family was going from having a dirt floor beneath their adobe house to a metal house built upon a concrete slab. Talk about security and improvement.

But sometimes security in Christ comes when we step out of our comfort zone. {Tweet that.}

That’s what I had to do in Guatemala. I eventually dried my tears and decided to let God use me – even if that didn’t look like I expected, even when that made my heart race, even when I wasn’t sure what He would do with the seeds we were planting with our service, prayers, and hugs.

With Jesus as the foundation, we can have hope and assurance there’s goodness to come. {Tweet that.}

We saw Angelica and Sergio the next afternoon when we went to build their house. And two days later Angelica was at another home we were building just down the dirt road among the cornfields from her new house.

When we walked up to build that second home, Angelica looked at me and said “Hola!” like we were friends. There was still a language barrier but we had bonded anyway. And now we had a chance to serve Maria and her four kids, including 9-year-old Brenda. I gave Angelica, Maria and Brenda a bag of embroidery thread. Cate joined them to make friendship bracelets – joining in with much more ease than that first day.

These Guatemalans made Cate, teammate Cheryl, and me beautiful bracelets far superior to our braided ones. And then Maria turned the hacky sack she was crocheting into a pouch for Cate. Yes, it was beautiful and created in love. But it was also a sacrifice because she could have sold the hacky sack at the local market for money for her family. Yet she chose to give it to my girl.

I carried supplies, used a drill, helped hold a wall, and assembled bunk beds that day. I watched a team of people come together and build a house – and relationships with each other. But my favorite moment of the day came when women and girls used thread to make gifts and tie together sweet memories.
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This is the first in my reflections from our mission trip to Guatemala last week. More stories are coming, but until then you can see all my pictures here. 

I'm linking up with the Soli Deo Gloria Gathering and Jennifer Dukes Lee's #TellHisStory.

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."