For the Heart of a Mom {and two giveaways}

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Momheart

Once upon a time, I was a young mother. I had four children under ten and a fifth on his way. We'd just moved to a new house in a new town and my husband was working 15 hour days and 7 day weeks. My best friend had moved to England--and this was well before Skype or easy intercontinental calling, before most of us had email. 

I was in need of a mentor, an older mother who understood the challenges of the lifestyle to which I'd been called and could help me see the joy in the midst of it all. By the grace of God, I found Sally Clarkson. I read every thing she'd ever written. I bought every. single. audiotape I could find. I let her sweet voice pour over my soul and I could almost feel her the warmth of her hug. I am very certain that I could quote some of those talks to you verbatim, even now.

I don't know how we connected. I think I sent Sally some articles I'd written and offered to represent her ministry, Whole Heart, at a Catholic homeschooling conference. What I do remember, with startling clarity, is that just as we were walking through the door, bringing home that fifth baby, the phone rang. It was Sally. She had no idea of her timing, but it struck me hard and has never left me. Just as I was wondering where to turn for the warmth and wisdom of a mature woman of faith, there was Sally Clarkson on the phone. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Sally made me a better mother to that growing family. And I'm grateful beyond words for her voice, now, as I grow weary and the hill seems much steeper than I thought it would be. She tells me that I can do this, that together with my husband we can continue to grow in faith and holiness and raise Godly children, despite the tendency we all have towards sin.

These days, it's much easier to sit at Sally's feet. The internet is a grand and glorious thing isn't it? And so, it is with unbounded joy that I share with you  a new ministry for moms. Here is a treasure trove of wisdom as we persevere. Here is a lovely group of women to encourage you and warm you and keep you going as you endeavor to raise Godly families. We all need someone beside us to help  us, someone to keep us moving forward, to carry the crosses with us--it's a long, long road. This new collective is intended to be just that. I'm honored and humbled and ridiculously excited to be a part of it. Take a moment or two to hear Sally's heart in the vision for this endeavor.

The ocean of “mom blogs” on the Internet seems to grow wider and deeper every day. You already know that it is impossible to follow every good blog you find as you surf that ocean. If you did, there wouldn’t be much time left for mothering! So, you are right to want to know what makes Mom Heart Online different. Out of all the wonderful mom blogs wanting and deserving your attention, why should you visit us at MomHeart? Why is it worth your valuable time to spend time here.
​Mom Heart Online is spiritual harbor. We’re here not just to bring you in to stay, but also to send you out to sail. We are a place any mom can come to be encouraged, equipped, and enabled as a mother after God’s heart. We are here to inspire and engage your heart with great content that calls you to a high vision for your life as a mother, to create an online community of moms where you can network and interact with others who share your heart, to train you how to easily start and lead your own Mom Heart Group to continue in life what you find online, and to provide quality and original materials and resources that will fill your heart and mind with life-changing wisdom and truth.

Leave me a comment and let me know what kinds of things you like to read at MomHeart. Add MomHeart to your regular blog reading. You can connect via Facebook or Twitter.

Sally is offering a free copy of one her books to an In the Heart of my Home reader and I'm offering a free copy of her book as well. Your choice of book! Two chances to win:-)

Grab a button and come back and hang out with us often.

Mom Heart Online

 

And finally, please pray for this new ministry.

Have a very blessed and happy Thursday, my friends!

Lent ~ March 22

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Fast

Let go of self-recrimination. "There is still time for endurance, time for aptience, time for healing, time for change. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside" (St. Basil the Great).

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Pray

For a few minutes tonight, after your children are sleeping, kneel beside their beds. Let your breath rise and fall with theirs. Enturst them to the Father and thank Him for lending them to you.

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Give

Do not say, "In a minute" or "When I finish this" at all today. Instead, put aside your agenda ad meet their needs (and even some wants) immediately and cheerfully.

What's worse than a hard drive crash with no backup files?

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Perhaps you’ve seen the ad? A couple is readying for their wedding day. Independently, each of them is warned ominously that the end is near; they will lose everything. They begin to feel a little creepy, but move ahead toward the altar. Just before the ceremony begins, someone bursts into the church to let them know that all their computer files are about to be wiped clean. The “everything” they will lose is the everything in their computer. The point is that rarely we are warned before a computer crash, and we should invest in a backup system.

I’ll admit it. The ad got me thinking. My computer had been maddeningly slow for days. Every time I tried to click anywhere, that colored wheel just spun and spun. So, I bought an external hard drive and copied everything onto it. Please read the rest here.

 

Lent ~ March 21 ~ World Down Syndrome Day

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Fast

Give up an extra creature comfort this week: a Threebucks and change cup of coffee (or two or three), a pre- sandal season pedicure, a carryout dinner on a hectic baseball night. Note the money saved.

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Pray

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 27

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Give

Meet Albina. She's four and a half and lives in an institution in Eastern Europe. She is the orphan about whom our Lord speaks. She's never known the love of a mommy or a daddy. She's never had someone to read her bedtime stories, tuck her in at night, tell her she's beautiful, tell her she matters, tell her she's loved. There is a remarkable family waiting--wanting-- to take her home. Albina needs you. She needs you to remember it's Lent and we are called to give. She needs the spare change you saved above. She needs your prayers. Won't you take a moment to get to know Albina? There's a pretty amazing giveaway at the end of the post I just linked. Even more amazing, there is a little girl, God's own precious child, who is our chance to give To God today. 

(Psst: Patti tells me that whenever I link to one of the Reece's Rainbows fundraising efforts, my readers amaze her with their generosity. You've got a reputation for being very kind, indeed. Go you! And thanks so much:-)