worshiper, wonderer, writer – seeking to encourage faithfulness in Christian women
Before I had children old enough to even understand what we were doing, a wise momma suggested this idea of keeping a memory box each year. It’s become one of our family’s favorite traditions, and can really be started anytime! Through this idea developed one of our family values - the art of remembrance. "I …
Continue reading "January Family Tradition: An Annual Memory Box"
Trying to do anything intentional with a two-year-old can feel a bit like walking with them on roller skates, pulling them along while they try to balance and don't yet know how to even pick up their foot and glide! I recently had a friend share with me that one of her goals for the …
Continue reading "Sowing seeds with toddlers; my answer to how to disciple a two-year-old"
It never fails; when I go through the process of my powersheets (from cultivatewhatmatters.com), a theme begins to show up through what I journal and sketch as I pray through a focus for the upcoming season. Contrary to the past several years, I didn't really have a lot of big, audacious goals that came to …
The post-Christmas blues. It hit me even harder than usual this year, which is weird because I had it all planned to be the opposite. You know, I had planned on leaving the decorations out until the twelfth day of Christmas, and keeping the Christmas music playing, and other similar festivities. But, for some reason, …
Continue reading "Obedient, cheerful generosity over practicality; some post-Christmas reflections"
The Proverbs 31 woman. When you read those words, what is your first reaction? (If you've never read it, go take a moment and read it first.) Perhaps an anxious overwhelm and biting of nails as you wonder how you could possibly imitate her? Or do you swing in the other direction and smirk with …
Continue reading "Where is joy really to be found? Cheerfulness in our duties"
Years ago we heard the idea of giving gifts that fit into these categories... something you wantsomething you needsomething to wearsomething to read For the most part, this guides our gift-giving for our children, although there are times when something we want to give them doesn't necessarily fit into these categories...and that's fine. 😉 I'm …
Continue reading "Christmas Gift Ideas based on what we’re gifting our children"
It’s that time of the year when our schedules fill up quickly, and we usually can slip into one of two ditches if we are not careful. One ditch involves never slowing down long enough to consider and choose family rhythms and traditions due to the feeling of being overwhelmed by all the things. When …
Consider this blog post the "what the Gaineys are doing for Advent and Christmas" post. I simply wanted to get this shared sooner rather than later in case you're considering plans for your own family. However, I have a more important post that will be coming next regarding the principles behind family rhythms in Advent …
In Part 1 we talked about Christian faithfulness and how obedience in our work glorifies God. One of the ways our work can be God-honoring is through it's implications for how it affects the church, too! I've been learning through this webinar that one of the greatest ways we can encourage others around us is …
One of our pastors preached on the parable of the talents recently, and the truths in this teaching seemed to coincide with several ideas that God has been teaching me lately regarding faithfulness in my work. Be sure to check out the sermon here. If you're not familiar with this parable that Jesus tells, it …
I found it interesting recently in my reading through the book of Mark 5 the reaction of fear that appears on two different occasions. The first occurs at the beginning of Mark 5, when Jesus crosses the sea into the country of the Gerasenes. He immediately encounters a demon-possessed man whose condition seems hopeless - …
It sounds odd, right? Most Christian women wouldn't claim to be submitting their time and energy to other women rather than their husbands. However, about a year ago, a friend shared a podcast with me that convicted me to see how I was doing that very thing. Now, if you ask most Christian women who …
I know the busy season of holidays can come upon us rather quickly, but I wanted to share a resource that my family will be using for the weeks leading up to Reformation Day (October 31), Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christmas, and sometimes Easter, tend to be holidays that Christ-followers try to celebrate in an intentional …
Continue reading "Intentional holiday plans…both for homeschooling and non-homeschooling families"
When we first moved into our neighborhood ten years ago, we were the youngest family, surrounded mainly by elderly couples. We didn’t have children at the time, and the neighborhood remained pretty dark and quiet on Halloween night. But through the past decade, younger families have slowly moved into the area, which has encouraged us …
I read a very familiar passage during my time in the Word recently. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the …
Continue reading "The Race Set Before Us; Fighting the “if onlys”"
In Part 1 of this post, I addressed the ditches we can slip into regarding the topic of self-care. While both ditches focus on ourselves rather than the Lord, they will yield nothing more than bitterness and temporary self-glorification. Since I'm talking a lot about the second ditch of elevating self-care, please let me caution …
Continue reading "Part 2: Sustenance in Christ alone yields a dutiful, glorifying life"
I believe an idol has crept into the church today that possibly started withwell-meaning purpose. Most idols usually do, after all. Self-care has become a popular topic in society lately. I thought about listing a few of the quotes that appeared when I googled self-care, but I'll just let you try it yourself. Many of …
As mentioned in Part 1 of this topic, despite the depravity of the human heart, we tend to go on heaping expectations on each other. And these expectations often go unmet, and we respond with shock, bitterness, anger, etc. about practically everything. Why do we do this? I think the answer can be seen in …
Continue reading "Replacing horizontal expectations with a vertical hope, Part 2"
I recently chatted with a dear friend who is about to move overseas to do mission work full-time. As part of the training she undergoes beforehand, she takes an inventory of her expectations in practically every area. Just hearing about it overwhelmed me, so I cannot imagine what she is feeling about having to do …
Continue reading "Replacing horizontal expectations with a vertical hope, Part 1"
While traveling on our 2021 family vacation, I began a travel journal more as a way for me to remember and record God's goodness as we traveled on our longest trip yet. So many people enjoyed our journeys, so I decided to put it in one massive post here, just for fun. I tried to …
Continue reading "Our 13 Day Colorado RV Vacation Travel Journal"
We've been preparing for our longest RV trip yet, which means making far too many pink and orange highlighted lists and checking them a gazillion times a day. When it came time to order groceries (Instacart is my best friend), I requested 12 bananas. My shopper even asked in the chat to clarify, "You want …
Continue reading "Freedom in Christ, even in too many bananas"
Like Jesus, we need to be resolved to have fellowship with our Father. It won’t simply happen. It doesn’t have to look one single way, but the determination to do it needs to be there. This can even look differently in various seasons, but if we value it, we will make it happen somehow because we …
I started this blog series with a focus on how we need these rhythms of returning to Jesus' feet for renewal. But let's take that one step further. We also need these rhythms to help us remember. Remember when we walked through Mark 6? Well only a few short chapters later, in Mark 8, we …
Continue reading "Pursuing Rhythms of Remembrance leads to Self-Denial and Deeper Dependence on God"
As we endeavor to trust our Great High Priest and pursue rhythms of renewal, there will undoubtedly be times when interruptions come our way. How do we view these and with what attitude can we approach them? Are they actually interruptions? That's what we're going to begin examining this week as we continue our journey …
Continue reading "Rhythms of Renewal: Responding with compassion like Jesus to the interruptions"
As mentioned in my last post, I want us to take a moment to look at Jesus, our great high priest, and some patterns we see for how he lived his human life, specifically as explained in the book of Mark. This week, we'll begin by digging into what we can observe about Jesus from …
Continue reading "Seeking Rhythms of Renewal and Responding to the Immediate"
In last week's post, I began this topic of habit training for ourselves by focusing on morning rhythms of renewal, and the foundation for understanding our need for this. I know you're likely ready to get to the how of this, but I think it's helpful to continue focusing on the principles behind why we …
When I first started to pay more attention to my own health and fitness habits after becoming a mama, my goal was simple: to lose weight and have more energy. The Lord took that simple desire to begin to show me where I needed to develop discipline in many areas of life, and one of …
Continue reading "Habit Training for Mamas: Why do we need rhythms of renewal?"
Biscuits with bacon or sausage every weekday morning. I can still remember my dad asking how many biscuits I wanted for the day as I pulled my drowsy self to our round, wooden table and joined the rest of the family. I then watched him scoop out peanut butter and pour honey over the pile …
Would you describe any circumstances in your life recently as feeling like a battle? Even if you, like me, don't leave your home much and are simply encountering daily life with your own family, there can be days where it feels like we are fighting for something. I recently found encouragement and exhortation from a …
Continue reading "When God fights the battle but still calls us to be on the battlefield"
“Jesus stole my marshmallow!” The indignant eyes of my almost three-year-old glared at me in disbelief as we examined his first resurrection bun—the classic crescent-wrapped marshmallow that disappears after baking and symbolizes an “empty tomb.” Previous visions of theological discussions to help my child understand substitutionary atonement were instead dashed and replaced with the ideology …
Continue reading "The art of remembrance in our family traditions of Easter"
“Above all else, love each other deeply” (1 Peter 4:8 NIV). I’ve been so struck by these words recently that I even purchased a watercolor painting of this passage on Etsy, and hung it on our living room wall. Why? Because it’s definitely an area where I need improvement in my own heart and home. …
Continue reading "Modeling and teaching love: It starts with Christ"
How to respond to weariness - consider cultivating remembrance of God's goodness, truth and beauty.
How did God take me from being fearful about homeschooling to being excited about it in ONE WEEK?
We started easing back into our rhythms and routines this week, as well as creating fresh ones, and I've been so encouraged by the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart through this process. You see, I love a plan. I love structure. And I fully believe we do well to have plans in …
It's no secret that I've read like 6 books by Sally Clarkson in 2020. I'm truly so grateful for how God is using her wisdom to help shape my heart and our home to be more like Jesus. I highly recommend listening to her podcasts or grabbing a book (or 6) that she's written! One …
Continue reading "A New Tradition: Christmas Tea menu and the heart behind it all"
A different kind of transformation that reflects how stewardship with my health has affected stewardship with my heart and home through the years.
Consider giving this unique and impactful gift to your family this year
The beginning steps I took when I first felt God shifting our family to consider homeschool, and how he directed our desires through others.
How are we to respond to bad attitudes and bad behavior in our children? Although we seldom feel like it, we need to draw near to them.
A glimpse into some things I learned about my momma following the death of my father.
A few weeks ago I received an email about planning for Advent - and I was SO grateful for the reminder! Honestly, I've never thought about it this early, and I've enjoyed spending the last few weeks really thinking through and considering what we plan to do this year for the Advent season. I wanted …
We held our first book celebration tonight and it was enjoyed by all, I think! (Warning: contains spoiler alerts😉.) This was my first time reading Heidi and it was truly delightful. I simply forgot to celebrate the end of our first two read alouds this school year, but was determined not to miss a chance …
Continue reading "Simple but Special: Book Celebration of Heidi"
How God began to prepare my heart for our switch to homeschooling long before I realized what He was doing.
When others hear that we chose to switch to homeschooling pre-COVID-19, I receive lots of questions as to the reason why. Let me start by saying this: By sharing, I'm certainly not indicating that every family should do what we're doing. Goodness, I have PLENTY on my mind with my own family...I don't have energy …
Continue reading "Why We Chose to Switch to Homeschooling Part I"
Almost since the beginning of homeschooling, I started receiving reactions from others regarding our choice to switch to homeschooling from public school. Countless times I've heard reasons why others could never do what we are doing. Now, the point of what I'm sharing is not to prove that everyone needs to homeschool. However, so many …
Continue reading "Reasons why I’m an unlikely homeschooler."
I was struck by these words through the Message translation of Philippians 1 recently. Since motherhood is the course that marks most of my days, it caused me to pause and consider: how often do I go to bed at night and awaken each morning with this perspective? Now, I don't mean to liken motherhood …
Continue reading "Can we hardly wait to continue our course?"
jami lee gainey 