Erin Davis loves young women. She founded Graffiti Ministries in response to her exposure to teen girls struggling in the areas of identity, self-esteem, and true beauty. Erin is the author of several books that apply God's Truth to big issues like beauty, purity, and motherhood. Erin and Jason are parents to two adorable boys, Eli and Noble.
With so many opinions swirling around, it can be tough to know who's right and who's wrong. If you're overwhelmed with information, you need a "Cinderella's Castle."
That all sounded so Hallmark-like until I found myself surrounded by laundry (again), dishes (again), and meals to cook (again times three). I started to do my little internal measuring act where I put all of the stuff I do on one side of the scale and all the stuff my hubby does on the other and see who's contributing more (hint: me!).
I have a great husband. He loves being a dad and is very involved in our boys' lives. He changes diapers, participates in discipline, and picks up from preschool. And yet, I can never seem to shake the feeling that I wish he would do more.
I am fond of saying that as a mom prayer is my primary work. I mean that. I do. But sometimes I just don't know what to pray. I mean, I start to pray for protection and then I realize I don't want them to crave safety. I want them to take risks for Jesus but not risks that land them in the ER. How do I pray about that?
Remember that creepy movie, Stepford Wives? The plot centers around a town filled with "perfect" wives. True, they are robots, but they are perfect, nonetheless. Since I'm not a robot, and neither are you, we both must have our share of imperfections. And even though I know the truth that models are airbrushed and celebrities have housekeepers and every mom does things a little differently, sometimes I slip into a pattern of thinking that I should be doing everything better.
Did you catch a glimpse of the May 21, 2012 TIME Magazine cover? It features a real mom from Los Angeles with her three-year-old son nursing while eyeing the camera with a toddler glare. The magazine dared to ask a question we are all asking ourselves, "Am I mom enough? Do I have what it takes to mother well? And if I fail, what price will need to be paid?"
New moms are in a daze. The combination of a major life adjustment, sleep deprivation, and caring for the constant needs of others temporarily throws her into the Twilight Zone.
What if parenting isn't just about raising good kids, but about winning a war? What if you aren't just building a family, but you're building a kingdom?
A couple of days after we brought Noble home from the hospital, I was nearly overcome by a wave of postpartum depression. One minute I was sitting on the floor folding tiny clothes, and the next minute I felt like a dark cloud of sadness had wrapped itself around me.
Dannah Gresh and I, facilitators of the Teen Track at True Woman '12, have a top ten list of ideas that can help you and your daughter bond (hint: junk food is involved). Just press play on the short video below and let the bonding begin!
This series is having a major impact on our culture, and that influence is likely to trickle in to our individual lives. I can’t seem to go anywhere lately without eavesdropping or being invited into a conversation about the story. Yet, I largely feel unsettled. As a Christian and a parent, how am I supposed to feel about The Hunger Games?
Are their circumstances in your life that you wouldn’t have chosen? Have you seen God working them for your good? We want to hear about it. In fact, we want you to be a part of a special video project to show the blogosphere that God’s Romans 8:28 promise is true!
In recent weeks as we’ve cleared our schedule, the gaps have made room for us to get to know each other again. The result has been connection, intimacy, and renewed love.
We talk about waiting and talk about waiting and talk about waiting and yet, the research shows that most of our girls are not. Your natural reaction may be to want to throw your hands up in defeat. Before you do, listen closely to the reasons why students aren't waiting.
You may be the unpopular parent for a while. Your kids may stray, they may make some bad choices themselves, but so many times I have seen those same kids come back to the truth their mom not only taught them but lived in front of them. God in you is their best chance.
“I would be dishonest if I said there have not been hard days and many challenges. I have heard my kids say ‘I hate him, and I am glad he isn’t here.’”
Your words have power, friend! Whether your husband is a Potiphar, a Pilate, or Joe Schmo, he's listening to what you whisper in his ear. How will you use your power to sway?
One of the first rules for proper conversation is to avoid the topics of sex and politics. I’m about to tackle both. There’s trouble brewing in the political realm. As a result of a recent mandate by the Obama administration, the issue at hand is the future of religious liberty.
Hey, you. Yes, you. I mean no disrespect. You are after all, my sisters in Christ. We are part of the same family. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to address you with the kind of frankness that only a sister can. I'm just going to say it . . . Those frowns are not becoming.
I came to faith in Christ as a child, but struggled for years to have a consistent time of reading the Bible. About ten years ago, God gave me the idea of reading the Bible with my children, and that has been my quiet time ever since . . .
The idea of a personal quiet time often feels impossible to moms. How can we carve out daily time to be with the Lord when we can't even go to the bathroom by ourselves?
After several minutes of examining butterflies with a gigantic magnifying glass, I sat down on a bench next to a fantastic specimen with gorgeous white wings. I looked at her for a minute and then . . . I checked my email!
I'm not advocating that you call your children and grandchildren and announce you are adding a wing on to your house just for them. But, I do think it is wise for all of us to take note that multigenerational
living, mentoring, and connection is part of God's plan for the family.
It's no secret that babies do a number on our bodies. We can complain about our post-baby bodies, or we can see them as testaments of a body used for God's glory!
It's not that I have something against the friendly old guy with the red suit and reindeer. I like his belly laugh and think it's cute that he has a perpetual twinkle in his eyes. Even so, my husband and I have decided to ban Santa from the Christmas activities at our house . . .
All day, every day, I hear myself telling my toddlers, "Put Mary down. Put the wise man back with his friends. That sheep is not for riding. DON'T TOUCH THE NATIVITY!"
As we rounded the corner into the produce section, I saw her . . . an adorable older woman with no cart, no basket, just a few items in her hand including a bunch of three bananas.
While my husband sees six (yes, six!) Thanksgiving dinners as nothing more than a chance to chow down, I see it as a huge reminder that my parents and my grandparents are divorced. All those turkeys just represent failed marriages to me.
You may not be able to do much about the 90% of pastors who are fatigued or the 80% of seminary students who will leave the ministry and never come back. But you can do something about your pastor!
It started out innocently enough. My sister and her husband were moving to a different state and I went to stay with them for a week to help them pack . . .
You realize someone has smeared oatmeal on the only outfit that seemed to fit you this morning. You go back to change and realize there’s a run in your pantyhose . . .
After establishing himself as the new neighborhood bully, he followed up by tracking each of us down to announce that he’s a pastor and that if we ever need prayer, he’d be happy to help . . .
Is there something in your life right now that feels insurmountable? Do you feel abandoned and alone? Take heart, and pay extra close attention to how weakness won a war.
During a Q and A session with the duo, someone asked what problem they are seeing young women dealing with the most often. I expected to hear horror stories of sexual abuse, eating disorders, or thoughts of suicide. Instead, they looked at each other and said together, “anxiety.”
One morning last week I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. That’s a nice way of saying I was grumpy. My fuse was short. My voice was loud. My temper was nasty.
My kids tickle me pink lately. My three-year-old keeps me laughing all day long, and my one-year-old has a new “first” every day. Watching him transform from baby to big boy is a thrill. But . . . I haven’t always felt this way.
You couldn’t miss her. She had silver hair and a sweet face that made you sure she was somebody’s “nana.” The first time I saw her, she was laying on the altar sobbing.
Like many of you, I was glued to the news last week awaiting the announcement of a verdict in the case of Casey Anthony, who was accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Caylee.
This is my favorite part . . . God created gender be a picture of the best love story ever told. He assigned each of us a role to play in telling the story of His grace, love, and ultimate rescue of His beloved church.
Every baby is big news, but last month, the birth of one Toronto baby grabbed international headlines. What is Baby Storm’s claim to fame? The fact that his/her parents have opted to leave their baby’s gender a secret.
Many families I know take the summer fun approach. They fill their days with trips to the pool, excursions to the lake, and movies in the afternoon. I’m all for fun summers. I love to take my boys swimming, cool off with red popsicles, and stay up late enough to catch lightning bugs in old mason jars. But, I think summer also offers a unique opportunity to do ministry together as a family . . .
I don’t hear a lot of “Excellent job with that diaper changing technique, mom,” or “I love the way you scraped the dried milk out of my sippy cups,” or “I really liked your voice inflection the fifth time you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to me today.”
Ruth and Naomi faced difficult circumstances and yet they loved each other well, respected each other, and were blessed because they decided that God’s standards for relationships applied to the way they treated each other.
As a young girl, I watched my mom go on every diet imaginable. I watched her make faces at herself in the mirror. I watched her duck and cover any time a camera lens was pointed in her direction. And I thought, “If there’s something wrong with my beautiful mom, there must be something wrong with me.”
I have a confession. I’ve never been big on corporate prayer. I feel funny when people ask me to pray with them. I’ve always thought that standing in a circle and holding hands while praying felt awkward and a little disingenuous.
Tell me if this happens at your house. You circle Mother’s Day on your husband’s calendar with red ink. You leave a note with the URL for your favorite florist on the bathroom sink, along with the number for rush deliveries just in case . . .
The movies, the husbands, the jewels, the magazine cover shoots . . . no one can quite hone in on the source of her fame and the reason why her legacy will last.
Several weeks ago, my three-year-old son, Eli came home from church brokenhearted. After several moments of crying we finally pried out what was troubling him. “I want . . .” sob, sob, “Jesus to give me,” sob, sob, “my heart back” he wailed.
It was in the wake of an adoption gone terribly wrong that I first found out about a spacious place. I dug into the Scriptures looking for hope while my world seemed to spin uncontrollably.
I don’t think God is honored when we throw our families under the bus in the name of ministry. However, I worry that we can get so caught up in making our families a ministry priority that we allow the ministry to stop at our front door.
I wanted to pray but I couldn’t get words past the lump in my throat. I feared for the well-being of my man, I had to care for my two small children, and I was anxious about meeting my deadline.
We pray this verse for Eli. We pray this verse with Eli. We’ve painted this verse on the wall in Eli’s room. When he starts reading, this will be a passage I will have him practice reading often. When he is able to memorize Scripture, this verse will be where we start.
I quickly realized that I didn’t have the words to ask God to respond the way I wanted Him too. All I could pray was “don’t let him die!” but that didn’t really capture the mighty work I was asking God to do. So I started praying Scriptures for my son.
When I want to do
well, want things to go my way, or even want to succeed for my own glory,
I sometimes run to Jesus like I would a lucky rabbit’s foot or pre-game
ritual. And when life throws me a curveball, I find myself wondering
“Where were you on that one.”
I have all the tell tale signs of a hormonal overload. My skin has betrayed me. There isn’t enough chocolate in Hershey to satisfy my cravings. Worst of all, my emotions seem to have stamped their ticket for a roller coaster ride where there are no exits.
Between Santa and jingle
bells, Christmas parties, and presents to buy and hope for, I think most of us
struggle to keep our attention focused on the baby in the manger. I've worked
hard to make this a Christmas where I had time to consider the sacred. That's
why I keep wondering how Jesus would celebrate His birth.
If you’re feeling
ragged these days, you might consider heeding the angel’s advice to Elijah:“Get up and eat,
for the journey is too much for you” (1 Kings 19:7).
What would it be like to raise a child to know God's truth
and then watch her choose rebellion? How would I feel if my own children chose
to stay in a pattern of sin for more than a decade? Would I persevere to keep
praying?
I’ve been married to a youth pastor for more than ten years. I know all about unrealistic expectations, excess criticism, and the identity crisis that being a family in ministry can cause.
James MacDonald took the stage at True Woman this evening to
talk about trials. To be honest, there is a part of me that always cringes a
bit when someone starts to preach on trials. God's Truth on trials isn't easy
to digest. The passage that James focused on tonight is the perfect example...
Nancy Leigh DeMoss took the stage this evening to paint a portrait of true womanhood based on God’s Word. Specifically, she directed our attention to Titus 2...
I often told people that I was destined to do great things. I assumed that meant being exceptional at my job, and I secretly suspected that I would soon be filthy rich.
I was feeling a little under the weather the other day, so my sweet husband decided to take my boys out for breakfast to give me a break. When the hostess asked how many to seat and my husband replied “just the three of us,” she bent in close and whispered, “Did momma leave?”
My two year old is a very good boy most of the time, but there are times when he is downright carnal. And if given the opportunity to choose between what’s best for him and what isn’t, he usually picks option b. Sunday was the perfect example . . .
Sometimes I think we see ourselves as more spiritual than our male counterparts. The Truth is the Holy Spirit lives in men who know Jesus as vibrantly as it lives in our own hearts. Men aren’t given an extra dose of the sin nature any more than we have been given an extra helping of self-control.
Motherhood gives us feelings of fuzzy blankets and baby rattles and toys
to line the crib. But motherhood is actually one of God’s refining
fires. The reality of motherhood is that it’s a place to learn
surrender, letting go, trusting, and believing that God is God.
Not only is this birthday a reminder that I’m no spring chicken, it also
has me wondering where the dancing has gone. Life has a way of taking
the dance right out of our hearts. Age seems to inevitably usher stress,
sadness, fear, and anxiety into our lives and those carefree days of
baby bouncing fade quickly away.
All mothers know the significance of tiny clothes. They are precious reminders of how small our babies once were. They smell like new life and remind us of rocking chairs, first smiles, and 3 a.m. feedings.
I’d been having a really bad day. You know, the kind of day where everything that possibly can go wrong, does. My toddler had thrown one too many fits, my baby needed a little too much of my attention, lunch was burning on the stove, and my house looked like a toy bomb had gone off . . .
When we face difficult circumstances, when we feel like the whole world is against us, or when we've lost the desire to go on, sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is get some sleep.
If we look closely at Jesus' life, we find an interesting pattern. We know that Jesus spent His time on earth serving others. But have you ever considered how often He ministered when it was inconvenient?
Does your current Facebook status include your plans for the weekend, what you’re cooking for dinner tonight, or a word about what God’s been teaching you lately? How about the color of your bra?
Are you a New Year’s resolution maker? I’m not. Over the years I’ve found the tradition of vowing to change at the start of the New Year to be an exercise in disappointment. Every year my diets fail, my habits stay the same, and my resolutions to do things differently fall flat. Maybe that’s because I’ve been focusing on the wrong things. . . .
As millions of young women everywhere take in the Twilight movies and tune in weekly to vampire shows, I can't help but wonder if this fascination with the dark, dangerous, bad boys featured in these series is fitting for girls who love Jesus.
You can have a huge impact on the next generation. You can be a truth speaker to the young women around you who need it so desperately. And it all starts in the produce aisle.
Almost two years ago, the team at Revive Our Hearts approached me about blogging for a new site, www.LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com. I was excited about the opportunity to partner with Revive Our Hearts, but more than a little skeptical about the possibility that any real ministry or mentoring could occur online.
