Thoughts are Things - Lisa Clark

Have you ever heard the saying, “Thoughts are things”? I heard it recently and I really thought about it, no pun intended.

I get in trouble when my thoughts turn ugly, then I open my mouth.  My thoughts often become things and those things are WORDS.  And my words are often a direct reflection of my heart.  Ugh.  And those words are usually spewed at the ones I love most. 

If I want my words to be pure and holy, then I have to start with my thought life.  I have to take captive EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT.  HOWWWW??????? My brain is on overload most of the time and I’m busy! How can I think before I think? Anyone?

Here’s what The Message says:

2 Corinthians 10:5

            The world is unprincipled.  It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair.  But we don’t live or fight our battles that way – never have and never will.  The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.  We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.  Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 

Don’t you love The Message? I do.  Here’s the King James Version – “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.  Pondering.  Pondering.  Take every thought captive.  To the obedience of Christ. 

When my thought life is devoted and obedient to Christ, my words fall into submission to Him as well.  Thoughts are things. 

How? Pray.  Read God’s word.  Fellowship with Believers.  Serve.  Meditate on His word.  Pray. Fellowship.  Love.  Serve.  Share the gospel.  Repeat.  Go. 

Family Traditions - Tori Miller and Angie Tingle

This Christmas our family was blessed to spend some time at Sky Ranch Ute Trail in the beautiful snow covered mountains of Colorado.  This was a first for us to see Sky Ranch Family Camp covered in gorgeous mounds of pure white snow and all the trees perfectly flocked.  The time away was intentional to make some incredible memories without the fuss of tv’s, wifi, cell phones or internet! But the added snow created the perfect backdrop of us all spending time together snuggled by the fireplace with our quilts coloring, reading, painting, playing games, or cooking!

All In Devotional by Stacy Davis - God is Sovereign

Family Fun Icebreaker: What area of your life do you need to control better?

Topic Question: How is God Unique?

Today’s Big Idea: God is Sovereign

To understand God’s uniqueness a little more, focus on another truth that
scripture teaches: the sovereignty of God. Sovereign means that God is in
control of everything all the time. You and I can’t control all things; we are
barely in control of our own actions. This fact makes God unique. In the
scripture passages listed, God shapes mountains, moves the wind, gives His
thoughts to humanity, and He moves mankind. All of this activity happens
exactly at the moment that He wants it to happen. Every event in life
happens according to God’s plan. Since God designs each person’s future,
He is able to assist in all possible outcomes; nothing is a surprise to God!


Talk with God: Read the scriptures aloud.

For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the
winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind…"e Lord God of
Heaven’s Armies is his name. (Amos 4:13 NLT)

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
(Proverbs 16:9 NISB)

Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do
whatever I wish. (Isaiah 46:9-10 NLT)



Walk with God: Read aloud and discuss.

Some people today question God’s control of all things. They actually
believe that nothing is in control, which is a pretty scary thought. If nothing
is in control, you need to question all of the organization that you see in our
world. For example, think of the seasons; without God’s divine structure,
the seasons cannot exist. Our universe works like a clock, where every
creature has a purpose and a cycle of life. Therefore, God’s ability to control
is evident through both the instinct of creatures and the existence of seasons
in the world.

Discuss with your family: There is a comfort in knowing a divine, loving
God is in control. Do you think it is realistic to believe that God is in
control? What helps you believe this idea?

Prayer suggestion: Pray for God to help you trust His control.

Morning Expectant Prayer - Terrie Chevaillier

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly- Psalm 5:3

How should I pray for my kids? What should I pray?  When should I pray?

There is a lot of direction found regarding these questions in this verse.

What: Pray

When: In the morning

Who: Me to the Lord

Why: To lay my requests down before Him

How: With my voice and waiting and watchful expectation

I love this truth as I have applied it to my life in regards to parenting and marriage.  You know there are times when you just feel that you have done all you can do and unless God intervenes, you don’t see a way or an answer.

I have seen that it’s in the expectant waiting that my faith grows.  His Word encourages us to lay these things that tempt us to worry and fret and to exchange our doubtful heart to God for an expectant heart that believes that we will see Him work in our situation.

Depending on what season of life you are in, it might be tough to wake up before kids and get in prayer time.  Just do what you can whether its’s before they leave for school or as soon as your drop them off.  Accountability helps too.  There have been seasons where I would get up early and check in with a few of my friends in a group text message who also wanted to spend some extended morning time in the Word and prayer.  We would just text, “up” and it helped when I didn’t want to get out of bed so early and pray. 

Pray about it and see how God might lead you to grow in this area in 2016!

All In Devotional by Stacy Davis - God is Eternal

Family Fun Icebreaker: What is a positive early memory about your life?

Topic Question: How is God Unique?

Today’s Big Idea: God is Eternal

This section focuses on how is God unique. Scripture explains to you that God is eternal; He does not begin, and He does not end. God was not born as you were born. God does not die either. This fact makes God unique, but the truth about God’s eternal nature is often difficult to understand. God made everything that exists. In our world, things begin and end. Remember, however, that our understanding is limited. There is much more to our world that is beyond our knowledge. God is beyond our understanding, too. There is more to God than you are able to understand and, when that happens, God asks you to trust Him through His Word. He divinely inspired people to write these ideas down in scripture so you can understand certain truths about Him.

Talk with God: Read the scriptures aloud.

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and
the world, from beginning to end, you are God. (Psalm 90:2 NLT)
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
(Colossians 1:17 NLT)

Walk with God: Read aloud and discuss.

Probably everyone’s main question for God when they get to heaven is: “God, where did You come from?” The concept that God did not begin at some point is a struggle for many people to understand; the parallel truth that God does not end can be equally difficult to handle. You simply need to accept this idea with a childlike faith for now, and ask God about it later in heaven.

Discuss with your family: Is God’s eternal nature a struggle for you to believe? What helps you accept the truth that God is eternal?

Prayer suggestion: Pray for God to help you believe the message He gives
you in the Bible about His eternal nature.

Mary and Her Mom - Lisa Clark

I love the mother/daughter dynamic.  Guess it’s because I’ve got two daughters and was a daughter myself.  Fancy that.  But it always gets me thinking at Christmastime about the dynamic between Mary and her mom.  Was her mom a mess when she heard the news?  Did she take it personally, “Where did I go wrong?” You know the drill. 

My imagination leads me in a different direction though.  I have to think that God picked Mary because she was precious in His sight.  She loved Him with her whole heart.  She was raised to know God and loved Him with her whole heart.  Her mom must have been a rock star! Right?! Way to go Mary’s mom! You did it, girl! You raised the mother of the Messiah! Props!

So this godly woman raised by a godly woman had to tell her godly mom she was pregnant. 

Think about it.  Ponder that moment in your mind.  Mary’s mom’s heart must have sunk.  She must have thought about what others would say.  The church ladies.  What would they say about her as a parent? The rumors.  I don’t know if it showed on her face before her daughter, but inside she must have been heartbroken.  She was just a mom. 

And yet God prepared her for this moment.  It was because she was the parent she was that God chose her child to give birth to the Savior of the world.  This moment wasn’t about her as a mom, it was about her daughter’s destiny.  It takes spiritual maturity to go from “where did I go wrong?” to “God is in control.”

Having eyes to see God’s plan takes daily determination to sit at His feet and bask in His glory.  Worshipping Him on a daily basis.  Getting to know Him through His word.  Then our gaze stays on Him and we are less likely to make it about us. 

Oh, to be like Mary’s mom. 

From a Daughter's Perspective - Taylor Slack

For starters, if you haven’t met my mother, you’re missing out. And honestly, you could call her right now, and she wouldn’t hesitate to set up a time to chat over hot chocolate (because that’s just who she is and she likes hot chocolate more than coffee). Over the years, I’ve gotten the blessing of having quite a few of these chats; some harder than others, but always a blessing because they were with the best mom out there. I know I may be slightly biased, but I can live with that. 


Lora Slack - a God-fearing, single mother of three girls who loves baking cookies, laughing, Hallmark movies, dancing with her eyes closed, and is a beast of a financial advisor. Not only is she my mother, but has also come to be my best friend.  To try and describe her in words would be doing aher a complete disservice, but if I can give you a light glimpse of the phenonmenal mom she is, I’ll take a chance. Out of respect for all of you, I have narrowed it down to three characteristics/ actions of my mom have impacted me and still continue to do so.

1. My mom is genuine. She is confident in who the Lord created her to be and doesn’t put on a façade or show for people. When you meet her, you actually meet her. You see her strengths and her weaknesses. You see where she depends on the Lord, trusting in Him more than herself.  She is real and honest- in the good times and bad; she doesn’t pretend like everything is going just perfectly when it’s not. For a daughter (especially a perfectionist and people pleaser), this is huge. I grew up seeing a woman who made mistakes, who wasn’t perfect, who was the same person around everyone, and who was confident and content. My mom taught me what it looks like to be who you are, living dependently on the Lord.

1. My mom is patient. Growing up, I didn’t always see that. I took her for granted and never understood what an impact her patience had on me. But watching her raise my two little sisters, I step back in awe. I don’t know how she does it, but she is beyond patient, all the time. Yes, she has her breaking moments, but more often than not I see her on the floor doing algebra, cleaning up the mess we left in the kitchen for the 18th time, letting 13-year-old hormones run their course so the issue can actually be discussed, waiting in the car for 3 girls trying to get ready for church, and the list could go on for days. In these actions, I see her patience and in her patience I experience her love for me and see an example of what it truly looks like to selflessly love.

1. My mom is joyful. Not the happy all the time, smile plastered on her face joyful, but the deep, peaceful joy that comes from knowing and loving Christ. She certainly laughs a whole lot and will keep you smiling from ear to ear, but she is also the one that will sit with you, listen for hours, hold you, and remind you of truth. I used to believe that being joyful meant you had to “be happy all the time,” but my mom has taught me that joy comes from a dependence on and hope in Christ- nothing can shake that. So, from the adventures in canoes where we all end up in the water hysterically laughing, to the countless late night cookie baking parties,  to the moments where the situation wasn’t exactly what we hoped for, I have witnessed what joy in the Lord looks like and acts like.

I honestly could write for days about my mom, our relationship, and how blessed I am by her. But I think the best thing I could say is thank you Mama. Thank you for always being there for me, for making my lunch day after day, caring for me when I’m sick, for letting me learn how to fail and get back up again, for being the best cheerleader, for laughing with me until our stomach hurts , for always listening, for teaching me about Jesus and showing me His love, for everything else you do every day, and for being a rockstar of a mom. And to all the moms- thank you for loving and raising us well. No matter how many times we roll our eyes or walk away, we are beyond thankful for you and love you a whole lot.