Women of all ages look forward to it, celebrate it, and hate it. What’s the occasion? Mother’s Day. As a young wife struggling to conceive her first child, I dreaded this holiday. When our smiling pastor encouraged every mother to stand and receive a rose, I sat in my pew and blinked back the tears. As the mother of a son born too early, I didn’t try to hide my tears. As the often-harried mother of five little ones, I cherished each handprint picture or scribbled “I Love You” card. Today, I’m the mother of teens and young adults. Two of mine have left the nest. One is poised on its edge. And the other two are busy strengthening their wings. I’m hijacking my normal YA Friday post for teens to offer this prayer for moms like me. Tomorrow and Sunday, I’ll post two more Mother’s Day prayers. You need them, you deserve them, and—like most moms—you don’t often take time to pray them for yourself. Father of all, I thank you for the gift of motherhood. I’m honored to share in this glorious heritage. Without your intervention, I’d still be weeping as others received their roses. But with you, Father, I have gifts so much greater than roses. You’ve made the barren woman rejoice as a joyful mother of children. I want to thank you for each of my children and their unique gifts. Each one is precious. Each one drives me crazy. And each one (as I told them growing up) is my favorite every day. Father, I lift up those moms who are discouraged in their parenting of teens and young adults. Remind them to take the long look, that a bad day does not mean a horrible life. Give them sweet memories of the past and powerful dreams for the future. When the skies darken, help them to find light in your Word. Give them a peace that passes understanding and love that knows no limits. Live in them and through them so they can do the work— the tremendous, terrible, wonderful work——of being a mom. Lord God, I ask you to help each one of us who has teen/YA children to let them grow up. Help us surround our children not with barbed wire and electric fences, but with bonds of love. Give us as much joy in seeing them drive and date as we did in watching those toddling first steps. Grant us patience when they test our boundaries and wisdom to know when those boundaries must expand. Pour out your spirit to guide us when we speak, your strength to help us remain silent, and wisdom to know when to do which. For...

During a busy week of writing and preparation for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, I’ve chosen to share some of the Pearl Girls’ special Mother’s Day blog posts. Enjoy–and don’t forget to enter their contest for a pearl necklace, described below. Welcome to Pearl Girls. Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series–a week-long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). Watch for more posts for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day. AND … do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand-crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just CLICK THIS LINK and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.infoand see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Graceor one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT Mother’s Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls. And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!Joy Comes from Perseverance by Sheila WalshOne of the most important lessons I have learned in my own life is the joy that comes from perseverance. Eugene Peterson, borrowing a phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote his book  A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society. He points to the Psalms as the way believers have always learned to pray what they live and live what they pray, but it is not a short journey. It is an intentional commitment to keep walking even when you are worn out.*If we want to see lasting results in any area of life it is important to keep walking in that direction. *If we want to have a better understanding of the Gospel of John then it takes time and commitment to dig deeper day after day. *If we want to be thinner this summer than last summer then the work begins now not then.So too in our relationship with Christ. *If we want to know Him at a more profoundly intimate level, that also takes an intentional seeking after Him every day. As a grown woman I have come to love the beauty of this gift. Passing this mined treasure on to my son on the other hand has been an interesting challenge.  We live in such a fast-paced, attention-challenged culture where the latest thing can be delivered to your doorstep by tomorrow for...

 Dear Father, Today I lift up those who feel as though they’re starting over. I know so many who fall into that category: the parents who have lost their child in more ways than they can count. The man who finds himself without employment. The student who failed her college classes. The wife whose marriage has blown up in her face. The partners who must extract themselves from their business relationship—no matter how much it hurts. The church family forced to say good-bye to a favorite pastor. Anyone, regardless of age, who has lost a parent. And so many more. Today, Lord God, I ask you to come to these dear ones and remind them that you are the author of new and good things. Help them see they may be starting over, but they are not starting alone. Infuse their minds with your thoughts, their spirits with your truth, and their emotions with your peace that passes understanding. When they feel afraid, help them to trust in you. When they feel inadequate, enable them to become more than conquerors. When they feel tired of waiting, allow them to rise with the renewed strength that comes from you alone. Thanks, Father,that you care for these dear ones more than I do. Thanks for helping me in the places where I need to start over. Help each of us to surrender our hearts and our lives to your plan and to trust you alone for the results. We are grateful for your watchcare through this journey and grateful, even and especially through times like this, to know you more. In your holy name I pray, AMEN. Do you identify with one or more elements of this prayer? Feel free to leave a comment or contact me to share your...

I’ve never reposted my own blogs. But today, I have a special reason to do so. SUSIE Magazine has reached the finals (top ten of more than 4,000 products) of a unique competition to Get on the Shelf at Wal-Mart. For weeks, readers and supporters have been voting by text (4959 to 383838) and Facebook in support of the magazine. Today, I’m sharing a portion of a blog I wrote last month as a final plea to vote for SUSIE and encourage others to vote, too. Even if you’re not a teen girl, please read it—and vote for SUSIE. Even if you don’t have a teen girl in your home, please read it—and vote for SUSIE.  Read. Vote. And share the opportunity! TOP FIVE S-U-S-I-E REASONS SUSIE MAGAZINE IS STUPENDOUS: Spiritual: SUSIE presents a healthy, Christ-centered perspective on anything pertinent to girls ages 11-19 and beyond. Unique: SUSIE is the only print publication focused exclusively on teen girls and written from a Christian perspective. Supportive: SUSIE includes a powerful online component known as the Gloal Sisterhood at www.susiemagazine.com. Insightful: SUSIE gives young women the privilege of hearing from experts in the fields of theology, practical living, beauty, health, fashion, and more. Excellent: Take one look at SUSIE and you’ll agree. The writing, photography, graphics, and design make this magazine a standout. Won’t you vote—and keep voting—to put SUSIE on the shelves at Wal-Mart? A print product matched to this store’s huge customer base could have boundless potential. Just like the teens who read the magazine. The magazine matters because the teens matter. As I heard not long ago from a wise pastor: young people are not the future of the church. Young people are the church. Thanks for reading—and getting out the...

Good morning, Father. I thank you today for the beautiful world you created. I look out my window and see spring. But the gentle breeze and nodding blooms mask a world of hurt. Circumstances and situations strike us. Wounded people grab us. Forces unknown to us attempt to take us down. Today, God, I ask for your protection. Some need shelter from ourselves and the problems we’ve created. Some, from friends or loved ones who—with or without conscious knowledge—inflict persistent pain. Some, from those who choose to misdirect their wrath, ire, or anguish. And all, from the enemy who seeks to blind us to your work and ways. God, we know we are all fighting unseen forces. Please, Lord, remind us that if we know you, we also have unseen powers. Your promise says greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. Protect us from the evil one’s dark desires. Shield us from sin’s death-grip. Allow us to rest in the shadow of your wing, secure in the knowledge that you will make a way, forge a path, win a battle. Once we belong to you, God, we don’t have to fight—only surrender. So this I do as I come to you, our Shield and Defender. Thank you for caring and for providing protection as I pray in the name of your Son, Jesus. AMEN.   If you have a specific prayer need, especially one that involves protection, feel free to leave a comment or email me here. I consider it an honor to pray for...

Another book about purity? Seriously? That may be the lie the enemy plants in your mind when you read the title of Elsa Kok Colopy’s new book, Pure Love, Pure Life: Exploring God’s Heart on Purity.  How do I know it’s a lie? Because I know teens. Because I know adults. Because I know the stories of broken hearts and bad relationships, of fear and failure, of marriages set on a shaky foundation because of past sin. And because I believe God intends us to have so much more. As a MOPS author and former editor for Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family magazine, Elsa Cok Colopy has a direct line to the impact purity—or the lack of it—has on marriages, families, and personal life. She also knows how to speak to teens and young adults. As she opens her heart, readers reap the blessings of her transparent, encouraging style. Instead of focusing on checklists or rules, Colopy points readers towards God’s desire that our lives express His heart. Since true purity comes from within, she helps readers focus on the attitudes behind their actions, adding plenty of practical tips and real-life examples along the way. Freedom shines through this book which covers more “what-if” questions and individual situations than I anticipated. Each chapter ends with a set of discussion/journal questions appropriate for individual and/or small group study. I especially loved the final chapter, which sets forth all kinds of appropriate ways readers can pour out their passion as part of the pure life God intends. Another book on purity? One that both challenges you and equips you to live the life you long for? Check it out! FROM THE AUTHOR:  Wednesday, January 18, 2012, is your day to take a stand! This is way more than saying “No” to all the things you need to avoid. Pure Life Day is all about the amazing things you can say “Yes” to—your incredible God, good friends and loving other people with a crazy-generious heart. Visit www.purelovepurelife.com to sign the Pure Life pledge, joining others who have already committed to this exciting vision for pure living. Signing the pledge will also enter you into a drawing to receive a Pure Life T-shirt and a signed copy of the Pure Love, Pure Life book.  Find a local Christianbookseller  Read a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or at Christian Book Distributors (FTC disclaimer: I received an electronic advance reading copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to post a review or a positive...