Faith, Community, and Book Reviews
Have you ever realized that it’s a family member or friend’s birthday the night before (or even the day of)? Cue a mad scramble to get a card and maybe a present.
Other events like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and anniversaries may have a habit of sneaking up on you too.
So how do you keep that from happening? How do you avoid the panicked dash or, worse, forgetting until afterwards?
Continue reading “How to Plan For and Keep Track of Birthdays and Special Events”Okay. So, now we know why gift giving is important, and we have ideas for how to come up with good gift ideas, but how do we afford to actually purchase the things we come up with?
While gift giving is a wonderful way to show that you care, it shouldn’t put you in debt or detract from paying bills or buying necessities. It’s just not that important. It’s fine to have wisely ordered priorities.
Continue reading “How to Afford Gifts on a Tight Budget”“I wish I could think of good gifts.”
I’ve heard this a lot. It comes right behind family members and friends staring at blank greeting cards and saying, “I never know what to write.” (Maybe I should do a blog post about what to write in birthday cards?) But back to picking great gifts!
Before I get started, let me say that I’m not claiming that all my gifts are great. However, dreaming up what to give my friends and relatives for Christmas and Birthdays is one of my great joys in life. Seriously. Ask anyone who knows me. I start Christmas shopping on January 1st (if not earlier), keep track of gift ideas and gifts acquired on a spreadsheet, and keep a storage bin under my bed just for gifts. I’m not an expert, but I am definitely obsessed!
Continue reading “How to Pick Great Gifts”Okay y’all. Lets talk about gift giving. Tis the season after all. But, honestly, gift giving is a topic that stays relevant throughout the year. Think birthdays, get well gifts, and moments a friend needs encouragement. Christmas isn’t the only time of year that thoughtful gift giving matters!
I’m going to spend a couple posts on this topic because I LOVE GIFT GIVING!
Continue reading “Why Gift Giving Matters”Over the past week, our country has been shaken by the death of George Floyd. The streets have been flooded with protesters and social media has been flooded with black squares.
These current events caused me think back on what shaped my understanding of our country’s racial history. As a tween and young teen, I faithfully kept a journal of books I read, so I pulled that journal out and took note of the books I read about slavery, the underground railroad, reconstruction, integration, inter-racial friendship, etc.
If you’re a young person wondering how to navigate and respond to current events, start with your Bible and prayer. But after that, if you want to understand the historical context, these books might help.
Parents and older siblings can also use stories like these as conversation starters or supplements to homeschool history curriculums.
Here are five titles by black authors that I read as a young teenager.
In my tween and early teen years, I loved collecting pen pals. I would introduce myself to girls my age at homeschool conferences and camp grounds and ask if they would like to be my pen pal. Many of those girls never responded to my letters, but a few became friends I’ll love for life. We used letter writing to learn about each other. We used letter writing to encourage each other in the Lord. We used letter writing to love each other well.
Letter writing has become less needed and less practical as digital communication continues to develop, but it still holds a special place in my heart. Opening an email doesn’t hold the same excitement as opening the mailbox to find a note from a friend. Reading words on a screen lacks the personal, heart touching warmth of handwritten words on paper.
Who in your life would benefit from a letter of encouragement right now?
Wash hands first, then wash feet.
I saw this quote on Instagram several days ago. I can’t find the source now to credit the person who wrote it, but those simple words helped alter how I am thinking about Coronavirus and how it is impacting the world.
Historically, Christians have been at the forefront of helping in the face of calamity. I don’t want that heritage to stop with my generation. Maybe this is our opportunity to carry on the legacy left to us.
Continue reading “Washing Feet In the Midst of Coronavirus Panic”Several email lists that I subscribe to do a monthly list of things they’re enjoying. Those emails are my favorites. Often I delete similar emails without reading them. There’s just not enough time to keep up with them all. But the “things I’m loving” emails get saved until I have some time to comb through them.
With so much content available online, I find it helpful and enjoyable to receive a curated list of podcasts, blog posts, books, recipes, etc. that someone else has already vetted and enjoyed.
Since I don’t plow through books quite as fast these days, I will be experimenting with mixing in other types of content as I try to get back into the blogging game. A “what I’m loving” list seemed like a good place to start since it’s the type of content I enjoy receiving.
Leah E. Good 