How to talk to yourself when you get discouraged

Ever get discouraged? Let’s face it. The biggest enemy of us is us. We talk ourselves out of victory in Christ and talk ourselves into emotional defeat more times than we care to admit.

At least I do.

I’ve served people long enough in ministry to KNOW that you do too. So don’t pull that “Whaaat?? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Susan” stuff on me.

We’ve got a problem. It’s called discouragement. And most of us get discouraged way too much.

You want your legacy to be one of joy, right? Like in “the JOY of the Lord is your strength” and “for the JOY set before Him, Jesus endured the shame and the cross….” THAT kind of joy.… Read the rest

Do You Accept the Paving the Way Challenge?

Whoo hoo! Hot apple pie and ice cream!

Can you believe it? Your kids have grown up. Wasn’t it yesterday that they were starting kindergarten? Where did the time go!?

Crazy, right?

But some kids leave home and never seem to connect with God. Whatever relationship they may have had with the Lord is stored away with their yearbooks and childhood memories.

Your heart longs to see them sharing their lives with Jesus, but it ain’t happenin’. As far as you can tell, that’s not changing anytime soon.

And that’s exactly why I’m thrilled to launch a new 5-day Challenge for you called Paving the Way: 5 Ways to Attract Your Grown Kids to Jesus…

…complete with surprises and prizes.… Read the rest

I’m not sure what hurts more, colon cancer surgery or a grown kid who isn’t interested in Jesus.

I’ve had both.

Did you know that 70% to 88% of kids raised in a Christian home will choose not to follow Christ after they finish High School?

If you weren’t a Christian when you raised your kids, the percentage is even lower that your children will ever become believers.

Maybe it’s something you’re embarrassed to talk about, but I’m not. I want to talk about it.

I want every, single, little toe that I played “This Little Piggy” with to make it to heaven.… Read the rest

Camp Grandma Ideas and Tips

Ready for a new download of Camp Grandma ideas and tips? Good, because we just finished our 2017 camp, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Your Camp Grandma, Cousins’ Camp, Grandma Camp (or whatever you call your special few days with your grandkids) can be in your own home, apartment, at a campground, or on a trip.

Use the following ideas, tips, and resources to ignite your planning.

Quick tips:

Use your older grandkids as camp counselors.

It’s great bonding time and saves you prep time and energy.

I added granddaughter #3 to our camp counselor group this summer.… Read the rest

Father’s Day. Do those words put joy to your heart and a spring in your step? If not, it may be because:

You didn’t have a good relationship with your dad.
Your heart hurts for your kids who didn’t have healthy dad experiences.
Your grandchildren are growing up without a dad to look up to.
You miss your dad who has passed away.

I’m asking because I counsel so many people who struggle with father issues.

Even those who had a great dad often find it difficult to relate to God as Father.

They can’t feel His hugs or hear Him whisper words of affirmation in their souls.… Read the rest

When I was an awkward, chubby little girl, I loved to sneak away and play with my cousins in Grandma’s huge, old barn near our house.

We weren’t supposed to play in there, but with all the hay bales, ropes hanging from the rafters, and chickens with eggs just waiting to be used as weapons, how could we resist?

I distinctly remember my Aunt Nancy barging into our game of chicken war one Saturday afternoon.

She was super mad at her girls.

They were all dressed up for a wedding that now they were going to miss. I guess the eggs and hay all over their fancy clothes was a problem.… Read the rest

Just thinking about you and wanted to encourage you that it’s OK to have a pity party sometimes.

It’s normal. You’re human. And you probably need to blow off steam.

It could be you’ve got a bad cold, a sink full of dirty dishes, and three piles of laundry sitting on your couch. And Legos all over the floor. (Legos + feet … not a good combination.)

Or maybe your husband didn’t like the amazing meal you cooked for him.

Or maybe your son or daughter forgot to call on Mother’s Day.

Whatever the reason, go ahead and celebrate your gloom with a pity party.… Read the rest

Finding Significant Purpose as a Grandmother

It’s always a pleasure to share these pages with amazing women. Lillian Penner is the author of Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren and Co-Prayer Director for Christian Grandparenting Network. When she accepted my invitation to share her wisdom with my readers, I was thrilled. I know you will be too.

Some years ago I found a letter in my family archives, written by my great-grandfather in Poland, addressed to my grandfather who had immigrated to America.

In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for my grandfather, his children, and his future generations.… Read the rest

How to Quickly Create a Family History Book

I treasure the warm feel of a small child’s head snuggled under my chin after he climbs onto my lap, hands me a book, and says, “Read this to me, Grandma.”

Guess what book my 4-year old grandson, Kaius, grabs for Grandma to read to him every time he spends the night?

It’s my copy of the latest Camp Grandma book. This is the photo/journal book I create after each year’s camp and give a copy of to each grandchild for Christmas.

In the midst of gathering ideas for this summer’s camp, I had a flash of inspiration for a family history book.… Read the rest

How to Get Rid of Shame for Good

Did you ever notice how shame feels like being stripped totally naked and paraded in front of all the people you highly regard OR it feels like a nasty, bug infested, wet, wool blanket draped over you from head to toe?

Either way, shame is one of the worst emotional experiences ever.

It doesn’t matter what sin, mistake, or misunderstanding caused the shame; the result is the same. You want to crawl into a hole, curl up into a ball, and die quickly.

For those who’ve suffered sexual or verbal abuse, the naked feeling can last a lifetime.

Scripture tells us that Jesus took our shame to the cross.… Read the rest

You know that really wild idea I had? Well…

Ya know how sometimes you get a really wild idea, and you want to share it with someone?

Not me, I usually do FAR more than share. I draaaag as many people as I can along with me on whatever my latest adventure is going to be.

I figure if I’m going to do something daring and outside of my comfort zone, why not have friends there to enjoy the fun with me!

Here’s how that looked last year … and how you can come along this time:

Last fall I had the pleasure of spending time with ten amazing women as we each created a book of our personal God stories.… Read the rest