Prayers for My Children

Can we just take a minute and talk about how hard parenting is? We've had a rough couple of days with this one. There have been lots of tears, hurt feelings, broken rules, raised voices, and just plain grouchiness.

It has not been fun.

It's been the opposite of fun.

But tonight, after we tucked the girls in bed, I spent a few extra minutes with this one. We talked about sin and forgiveness and grace and repentance. And we talked about how our love for her is limitless, but how there are still consequences for behavior. 
And then I prayed for her.

I prayed for grace and mercy and forgiveness. I prayed that the Lord would lead her and guide her and help her to be the person that he wants her to be. I thanked him for her tender heart. For her silly laugh. For her sweet spirit. For her artist's soul. And I asked Him to be with her. To show her the way. And to make her His very own.

It's so hard to see the seeds of sin flourishing in her little heart. As a mom who's just a tad-bit overprotective, I want to march right in and rip it out, but nothing I do can save her from it. I can't fix it for her. Only God can. She is a sinner in need of grace. We all are. But seeing it in your child?? So, so hard.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Raising Grateful Kids: A Review and Giveaway

When I first stumbled across Kristen Welch's blog, We Are That Family, a couple of years ago, I knew I had found a keeper. She had just released her first book, Rhinestone Jesus, and I was immediately drawn to her story. On a Compassion International blogger's trip to Kenya in 2010, she saw things she couldn't un-see, and when she returned home to Texas she knew she had to do something about it. So she, along with her husband Terrell, founded Mercy House to give women in the most unimaginable circumstances a hand up and a way out. Kristen's blog offers a behind the scenes look at her work as well as inspiration and encouragement for parents.

Even though I don't know Kristen personally, I feel like I know her through her writing, and she's so open and honest that I keep coming back for more. She's recently (like just this week) released her second book, Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, and I was lucky enough to get an advance copy. She's quick to point out that she's not a parenting expert, but she is a parent to three kids, and the book is a direct reflection of her family's experiences, struggles, and little victories along the way to a lifestyle of gratitude.

I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it for a few reasons:

Reading Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World feels like sharing a cup of coffee with a good friend. The advice comes straight from the parenting trenches, and as someone who is trying really hard to raise two little girls to be grateful young ladies, I appreciate words of wisdom from another mom who has traveled the same road. 

Kristen offers practical tips and age-specific strategies for instilling gratitude. She covers everything from the pressures that teens face in our selfie-obsessed society to giving little ones responsibility with chores. And that's just in the book itself. There are also helpful appendices like a cell phone contract for older children and the Christian Parent Manifesto, as well as a list of recommended resources. 

It reminded me that we're not alone in this. Sometimes I look at the world around me and wonder if everyone else is crazy or if it's just me. Even when I know we've made the right choice, I feel guilty for telling my children no when it seems like all the other parents around us are saying yes. I loved these words from Kristen:

“We cannot make our parenting choices based on what others are doing. We have to purpose our lives with intention or we will end up being just like everyone else, caught in a trap in our culture that demands we fit in.”

— Kristen Welch, Raising Grateful Kids

I don't know about you, but I don't want to fall into that trap. I want my children to grow up with eyes wide open. I want them to recognize how tremendously they have been blessed. I want that knowledge to foster gratitude within their hearts. And I want that gratitude to move them to serve others. I want it for our whole family.

If that sounds like something you want too, then reading Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World is a good place to start, and lucky for you, I'm giving away a copy to one lucky reader.

The nitty gritty details: Earn up to three entries by  (1) Leaving a comment on this blog post, (2) Following @leslieannjones on twitter, and (3) Subscribing to the LAJ newsletter. Contest closes January 31 at 11:59 pm. Winner will be notified by e-mail within 48 hours of the contest closing. 

Good luck! Until next time, grace and peace.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Chances to Win!

I'm not the only one sponsoring a giveaway of Raising Grateful Kids this week. Here are a few other places you can enter for a chance to win!

• Kristen at We are THAT Family is giving away two copies of the book AND two adorable cosmetic bags from dayspring to five lucky readers. 
• Kishona from Life in Lape Haven is also giving away a copy of the book.
• Angie at the Life With Green Eyes blog is hosting a giveaway on her facebook page. 

Hooray! It's a Resolution Renewal Sale!

Hi friends! I hope all is well with you! The other day I wrote about trading a "Read the Bible in a Year" plan for a more moderate approach, and it made me start thinking about those of you who may have committed to spending more time in God's word this year than you have in the past, but find yourself losing steam as time goes on. 

If that about sums up your current position, then let me encourage you for just a few minutes.

The quality of time that you spend in the Word is far more important than the quantity of Scripture that you're able to digest in one sitting. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to slow down and savor your time in the Word each day rather than trying to speed through it just to check it off the list.

Some days, you might read three or four chapters at a time. Others you may only make it through a couple of verses before the Lord stops you in your tracks. Neither way is better than the other. They're both a valuable and necessary part of growing in your knowledge of the Bible and the God who reveals Himself to us through it.

My heart's desire for you is that you will fall so deeply in love with the Word of God that you look forward to reading it each day. That it would be a constant source of life flowing through your heart. That you would come to really know the Lord whose love is spilled over the pages.

Rather than throwing in the towel because you've failed to keep up with "the plan," why not renew your resolution to spend time in the Word? It's OK to reassess and change your approach. There are no resolution police here! 

To help, I've marked down all items in the LAJ Shop for a Resolution Renewal sale. No coupon code is necessary, but the sale prices will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26. Maybe you'll find something that will give you that extra little push you need to keep on keeping on. Until next time, grace and peace.