Reading the Bible Through in 2011?

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If you're thinking about reading the Bible through in 2011, my friend John Notgrass has done an incredible job of mapping out a reading plan that will take you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament three times.

On his blog, John writes: "I arranged the Old Testament basically in chronological order. I arranged the first two readings of the New Testament to coincide in some places with the Old Testament readings. The final two months of the year focus on the New Testament, with Paul’s letters interspersed throughout Acts, arranged geographically or personally rather than chronologically. The Psalms are sprinkled throughout the year to go along with Old Testament events or with passages in the New Testament where they are quoted."

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John and his wife Audra are expecting a baby boy just any day now, and John's already been reading God's Word aloud to him. Talk about a head start in life! I love it! John says the average daily reading in his plan is between four and five chapters. That's really do-able, and definitely worth the 20 minutes it would take you (average time--add another ten minutes if you're reading aloud to your kids. And if your kids are little ones, you may want to begin by dividing that into morning and evening chunks, so that sitting still is easier!) Check out the plan HERE.

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 26:3, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! There's no better way to keep our minds on Christ, our thoughts fixed on Him and His desires for us, than by engaging in a steady diet of His Word. And when it comes to resolutions, that's a diet I can live with! :)





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Mom's Tip of the Day #146

When disciplining a young child, logical reasoning simply opens the door for debate. Children need a clear understanding of your authority. Don’t surrender it by allowing for arguments.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: A Tender Tennessee Christmas...with SNOW!

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(L to R) Derek, David, Danya

You've got to love this pic of my kids. It looks entirely photoshopped--but it's not! They're sitting in front of the picture window in our kitchen (admittedly one of the top five reasons we bought this house) and behind them you see the snow the Lord blessed us with on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was glorious.

We had such a sweet Christmas this year. I hope you did too. As the kids have grown up, there are lots of sweet memories of past Christmases, and this year, I put some pictures out of them at various stages--around the Christmas tree, Christmas mornings--all so precious. We had a great Christmas Eve service, too, which every year becomes more and more like a homecoming, with families and friends coming together--in from out of town, home from college--for those sacred moments of worship and communion. So, I'll say it again, Christmas here at the Powells' was sweet.

Are you already looking ahead to the New Year? Got your resolutions ready? LOL I'm all for New Year's Resolutions, but according to my husband's sermon last Sunday, you are only successful if you are resolute in keeping them. I don't know about you, but I can be easily swayed. I remember a speech class that I had in college where we spent weeks debating gun control (this was around '87). We had to be prepared to debate both sides of the issue, which I could talk myself into either one, but the problem came when the opposing side persuaded me before it was my turn to speak! LOL  I'd be thinking, "oh, that's a good point...that's a good point, too!" And then I would have to take my turn at the podium and talk myself back into arguing for the opposite view. If you're still with me after all that...the point is that it is difficult to be determined, resolute, and unwavering. The enemy always has a "good point" whether it is in the form of brownies, alfredo sauce, or snuggling under the covers instead of getting up for some time with the Lord. The enemy is resolute in his attempts to lead us away from all that God has for us. Let's be resolute this year--moment by moment--in our pursuit of the Lord.

The New Year holds several speaking opportunities for me, and I hope I get to meet some of my bloggy friends along the way! Our next Pure In Heart Conference is March 19, at Trinity Baptist in Lake Charles, LA. Danya and I haven't been to Louisiana in a couple of years, and we're so excited to return! Registration begins in January.

I have several homeschool conventions coming up in 2011: Alabama, Georgia, and Illinois. Check my schedule to learn more. I'll be presenting middle school topics as well as "Homeschool 101" topics for parents new to homeschooling. That will be so much fun!

Plus, here on the blog, I'll be reviewing some brand new releases that should make their way into your personal library! Dannah Gresh's new book,What Are You Waiting For?: The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex is an incredible resource for moms and daughters (and I think our sons should read it too!). I received an advance review copy and proceeded to read half of it standing at the kitchen counter where I had stopped to open the mail! Seriously! I have already passed it on to Danya. Oh, and so much more is in store for y'all...but I'm still on vacation. :)

Happy New Year, and I'll see you on Monday!


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Mom's Tip of the Day #134

This time you have as a mother, though it can never be repossessed, is an investment that will be returned in eternity. How will you spend it?

~from Baby Boot Camp

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Mom's Tip of the Day #122

Mom, you impact the atmosphere of your home with your attitude, your words, and your ways. To keep the peace in your home, you must first keep Christ’s peace in your heart.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #115

Explore the minimalist lifestyle. If you have two of something, give one away.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. When you set the example of utter dependence on Christ in everything you do, your kids will follow your lead.

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Merry Christmas!

Hey Everybody,

Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas! Mom Seriously will be quiet over the next several days as I enjoy my family and pray that you enjoy yours.

Christmas can be a difficult time for many families, so I encourage you to be generous with your love and forgiveness over the coming days, to be diligent in making memories with your children, and to pray without ceasing for the needs of your community and world.

While you're extending peace on earth to those around you, don't forget to give yourself a break, too! It is more important that you are rested, relaxed, and fun to be around than it is to have everything perfect. :)




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Mom's Tip of the Day #12

Christmas Tip: What's Christmas? It's remembering the darkness that was our lot before the gift of His Light, Immanuel, God with us. God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this lost, dark world to illuminate the way! He is the Hope of Glory! That is what Christians celebrate at Christmas.

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Birthing Sweet: There Was No Epidural in Bethlehem (Part Two)

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Be sure to read Part One of this post HERE.

What was it really like in that stable on that Holy Night? Well, if Mary's first birth experience was anything typical (and I can't help but think it was), it was a night of pain...and it was a night of purpose.
It was a night of tears...and it was a night of laughter.
It was a night of fear...and it was a night of courage.
It was a night of utter helplessness...and it was a night of great strength. When you pause to think of that Holy Night this week, remember the reality of Mary's pain and be reminded of God's overriding plan for our best and His Glory.

God planned for pain. God never intended for childbirth to be easy. After Adam and Eve sinned, they received their punishment. God told Eve, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing” (Gen. 3:16a). If God increased it, that implies that pain was involved all along. God always planned for pain to be a part of new life.

Pain has a purpose. Labor is a beautiful picture of a merciful God. The searing pain is not constant. There are intervals of rest. While the process is intense, it is necessary. Each contraction brings the laboring mother closer to the birth of her child. Each pain is one step nearer to holding her baby in her arms. The laboring process is as much a gift to us as the miracle of new life. It invites us to reach out to God and find His strength sufficient for our weakness.

Pain is the Christmas connection to the Cross. The foundation of motherhood lies in the surrender of self and the submission to servanthood. This was the attitude of Christ. In the lowly surroundings of a stable, Mary previewed the transforming power of the Cross and the ultimate miracle of Resurrection. It is our birthright as women. A woman experiences the death of a pregnancy in exchange for the birth of her child’s independent physical functioning.

As Christians, we also must endure suffering of some form or fashion in order for the life of Christ to be fully birthed within us. Our labor is not in vain! Ask Mary. She'll tell you: Pain is what makes the birthing sweet.

Wishing you a Christmas profound in peace, power, and the precious presence of Christ,

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Mom's Tip of the Day #161

Christmas Tip: Next year, plan a family meeting as the Christmas season begins and make a list of what activities are most important to each family member. After everything is jotted down, decide what items go at the top as “must do” and what can be relegated to the bottom as “hope to do.”

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Birthing Sweet: There Was No Epidural in Bethlehem (Part One)

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Every Christmas I wonder about Mary’s labor and delivery. Because my experiences in childbirth have been so precious, I cannot help but wish that I knew more about Mary’s. Unfortunately, those details are not included in even the most thorough biblical account of Christ’s birth. Spiritually speaking, the world had been laboring thousands of years, waiting for the Messiah. Certainly Mary experienced the relentless extremes of labor as her body relinquished her firstborn. It is not God’s character to be hasty. Why would God rush through the birth of His Son, bypassing the inherent struggle of delivery? If we hurry through pain--if we hope to elude it--we miss its purpose. Of all pain, labor pain definitely has a purpose.

But who wants to ponder pain at Christmastime? We tend to reserve those thoughts for Easter, when we consider the Cross. We gloss over the details of Mary’s blood, sweat and tears with cute little nativity scenes that have been anesthetized to hurt and fear.

I don’t know about yours, but my crèche is neat and clean. Mary sits regally in a gown that looks as though it has just been ironed. She is a gracious hostess for someone who has just given birth, extending holy hospitality to the shepherds who have come to visit. Although not chronologically accurate, the wise men have dropped by unannounced as well, but everyone is getting along splendidly as they gaze at the sleeping, peaceful babe.

My children and I see Christmas numb to the details of that less than silent night. Do you? Let’s pause for moment to remember that there was no epidural in Bethlehem.

Scene from The Nativity Story

The last trimester is the most uncomfortable time to be traveling. Most likely, Mary’s labor had begun along the way. If Mary was indeed riding a donkey, she had bounced as it clip-clopped all the way down those dusty roads, sure with each step that she would deliver the child at any moment.
And Joseph, kind and patient Joseph, may have had a sinking feeling that they would be the last ones in Bethlehem. He may have already been concerned that there wouldn’t be any rooms left. Upon arriving in town, sweaty and tearful, they begged with a desperate urgency to be granted a room--and they were denied! A young woman, great with child, relegated to a stable for a birthing suite. Now her physical grief would be further stressed by the pain of humiliation.*

Tomorrow -- Part Two of Birthing Sweet: There Was No Epidural in Bethlehem

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*This post is adapted from the article, Birthing Sweet by Rebecca Ingram Powell, first published in ParentLife magazine, December 2003.

Mom's Tip of the Day #160

Christmas Tip: During the Christmas season, no matter what the age of your child, emphasize the birth of the Savior.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #159

Christmas Tip: As you drive through neighborhoods enjoying the Christmas lights, pray together for the families who live there.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #158

Christmas Tip: Collect your family’s pocket change throughout the year. Tag the money for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering for foreign missions or for helping a needy family in your community. This activity keeps the spirit of Christmas alive all year long.

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MTOD: Homeschool Edition #7

Be careful that you don’t compare your “students.” For example, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of assuming that your second child has a similar learning style to your oldest, and then appearing to be disappointed when he/she does not.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #157

Christmas Tip: Show your kids how a little money goes a long way when you make the effort to "do it yourself." Encourage them to find satisfaction in the joy of giving something they crafted--by hand and by heart.

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Christmas Tears: A Short List Means the Kids are Growing Up

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Ever since our children were toddlers, my husband and I have taken one day in December to do our Christmas shopping. With the children in the capable care of their grandmother, we left at the crack of dawn, establishing our game plan over breakfast out. Then, armed with our lists and ever on the lookout for bargains, we hit store after store until everything was completely checked off. Some years, our shopping day extended late into the evening. Other years, we finished in time to take in a movie. It soon became our personal challenge to see just how quickly we could get it all done.

Then one particular shopping day, we were finished by noon. Giddy with excitement, we relished the fact that the day was only half over and we had finished the hard part! We raced to the car laughing, eager to enjoy the rest of the day together, beginning with lunch at our favorite restaurant. Making our way there, I began to go back over the Christmas list. Had we forgotten something? How did we finish so early? That is when it hit me. We were not scrambling from store to store to find action figures, Lego’s, or the latest American Girl doll. There were no playsets or puppets or lasers on the list. My teens had asked for DVDs, CDs, and electronics. Suddenly the brevity of my shopping day exposed the truth that my babies had grown up. Within seconds, I was crying. Hot tears and heaving sobs left my insides tangled up like last year’s Christmas lights.

My poor Rich did not know what to think. I had gone from being thrilled to total meltdown. He thought I was going through “the change” right in front of him! LOL! I finally managed to explain my sorrow over the short list. He did his best to understand, but those emotions are part of Mom’s life—not so much part of Dad’s.

What is on your list this year? Christmases with your children are disappearing. Soon you will be having Christmas with teenagers, then with young adults. What is really important to you this Christmas? This mom has learned that when it comes to Christmas, it is best to keep your heart light, your oven warm, your tree lit, and your list short.



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There have been a few questionable ads that have been popping up on my site. My guess is that my Porn and Purity series, strictly by nature of its title, has caused some computer-generated match-ups with ads that do not express the heart of Mom Seriously!

If you see something that you find offensive, please let me know by using the contact button above (click on the envelope under "Welcome" or just click HERE). It takes about 24 hours to get an ad blocked and out of the rotation.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #156

Christmas Tip: Spend some quality time with your family making candies and cookies for friends. Children can help in every aspect of this project, from making the grocery list to delivering the goodies.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #155

Christmas Tip: Entertain your family by watching classic Christmas videos, attending community choral events, or reading aloud together.

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Hey Mom! You're Setting the Pace This Christmas!

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“What do you want for Christmas, Isaiah?” I asked my six-year-old neighbor. I was anticipating his reply of action figures or the latest video games when his answer caught me by surprise. “I just want my family to be together again.” Isaiah’s dad was hospitalized, battling cancer. The situation, however, had given Isaiah something most children his age don’t have: a right perspective on what’s really important.

Every Christmas, Christian families struggle in a culture overcome with materialism. How do we teach our children the worth of a true, lasting gift versus the temporary thrill a mere toy or game provides? Have a Christmas season family meeting and walk through these steps:

Gather around the kitchen table and spend some time defining the true meaning of Christmas.
After everyone offers his/her perspective, express the ideas as a vision statement. (Word it simply for younger children.)
Lead older children look up Scriptures that summarize the significance of Christ’s birth. Try these (All Scriptures are from the NLT):

• Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! (Psalm 126:3).
• For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
• All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’) (Isaiah 7:14).
• Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken! (Isaiah 40:5).
• …but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! (Luke 2:10-11).
• Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 ).

Write these on pieces of poster board, decorating with Christmas colors and craft media like stickers, glitter, and ribbon. Display the messages in prominent places in your home, or rotate one each week of Advent, serving as gentle reminders during the holidays of the true reason for the season. Together, you may even choose to memorize one of these verses each week. Meditate on it throughout the busy days.

As moms, we set the pace for our families. Hectic holiday schedules along with the pressure of our shopping lists can quickly zap us of our strength and energy. We can easily lose our perspective on what is really important. This Christmas, bring your family together and resolve to focus on Christ, getting utterly wrapped up in His presence of love and peace.

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Mom's Tip of the Day #154

Christmas Tip: This time of year, advertisers work overtime targeting your unsuspecting children, creating false needs and encouraging greed. This year, turn off commercial television during the holidays.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: The Power of a Mentor

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Who is your mentor? Can you think of those people who have played "Mr. Miyagi" to your "Daniel"? Maybe it was a beloved high school teacher, a dear friend, or a next-door neighbor who poured their own life--by example and instruction--into your own. Maybe it was your big sister or a beloved aunt. Heaven-sent, they made a difference that will eventually be re-invested into a life you touch one day, and passed on again from there.

When it comes to parenting, we long to be our child's mentors, and when they are little, we definitely are. As they grow, however, especially when they reach their teen years, we have to pursue, pray for, and provide for other folks to step in to those mentoring roles. Coaches, teachers, youth pastors, and other instructors come along who share like interests with your child and who offer them a fresh perspective. They possess the experience and knowledge on subjects that are appealing to our kids--subjects that aren't necessarily "our thing."

(Lto R) Kelli, Josh, and Derek

About a year ago, my son Derek's love for music and radio connected him in a unique way with a local Christian radio station, WNAZ, owned by and housed on the campus of Trevecca Nazarene University. The student deejays there still run call-in contests and take requests when they're on the air, and after Derek won a succession of several contests, he began calling on a daily basis just to talk with the guys. We found out we had a mutual friend with DJ Josh Taylor, then a senior (who also happens to have been homeschooled). Josh invited both my boys, Derek and his older brother David, out to tour the studio and sit in on his shift last December. Yeah, after one visit, Derek was hooked! He returned several times to see Josh and learn more about what it's like to work in radio.

Then just a few months ago, we found out that Trevecca was going to sell the station. My boys became activists, setting up a Facebook page and seeing how the nature of a quiet protest works. (You can read about that HERE.) I'm not sure if Trevecca realized they were losing a potential student when they opted to sell the station LOL, but they did, and Derek's dream of one day being a student DJ on campus at WNAZ was pretty much shot...until he saw this video on Facebook.

Josh and his wife Kelli make the big announcement!

This Saturday, beginning at 1pm CST, Derek will be hosting his own shift at WNAZ! We hope all our Nashville friends and family will be listening (and call in a request, if you'd like!) and for those who live out of the area, the station broadcasts online with live streaming at WNAZ.com.

My thanks to Josh for his willingness to share his gifts, talents, and love for radio with Derek. That's what a mentor does! And when it comes to raising boys today, I am so very thankful for godly young men like Josh who are willing to invest the costliest gift in the next generation: time.



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