Sunshine in My Nest

Life in 21st-century America has become lonely. A lot of us long for not just friends but rich friendships that go past the surface level. Today, I’m going to talk to Hunter Beless about how she has developed rich gospel friendships even in the middle of military life, and ministry life.   What was the hardest stage of life for you to make friends? How did you learn to develop relationships genera...

I don’t know what your experience has looked like, but for a lot of us, coaching our kids through the teen years makes us nervous. Especially knowing if handled well, it’s also a pivotal time of faith formation. So I'm chatting with Jen Oshman about what it's been like to raise her daughters and watch them walk forward into adult life.  First off we will find out what kind of teenager Jen was What...

In the next few weeks, we are digging into our faith more deeply. Last week we kicked off a brand-new project called the “Legacy of Faith” series. I've hand-picked people I respect most for each topic, so I'd love it if you invite a friend to join you, and let’s grow to be more like Christ together.  I don’t know what your experience looked like, but for a lot of us middle school sucked. T...

We are back this week to keep talking about what itlooks like to live a Legacy of Faith. Last week we talked about what it looks like when kids love Jesus really young. If you’re like me maybe you’ve struggled with not having a “fancy” testimony. Abbey and I talked about the benefit of exposing little ones to faith from a young age and if you’re an adult in the life of a kid what a gift that is to...

Today we are kicking off our series by talking about life in the early years. Jesus takes discipleship of and empathy with little ones VERY seriously. To successfully have gospel empathy with little ones, and how to effectively disciple them we have to be intentional. So let’s dig in! Welcome to Sunshine in My Nest, Abbey. Tell us about yourself and your stage of life, but more importantly what ki...

If you listen to this podcast, I know you’re the kind of woman who wants to dig into her faith more deeply. I want to more-systematically help you do that! I’ve been working on a brand-new project called the “Legacy of Faith” series. Over the next several episodes, we are going to walk through the life of a woman of faith womb to tomb. Walking out faith is compared in the New Testament as a race....

He put his Spirit on them to guide them. Before the law was taught to people and it was a standard to which they were held. Now the law of God was written on their hearts. God’s Spirit was in them to whisper conviction of sin, but also to cause his nature to grow from them. We see in Galatians 5:22-23 that what grows from a person who is marked by the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience... etc. A...

The other day someone posted something like "If you'll just take the time to get organized, life will be easier." Usually, I would find that to be true and agree with it. When I read the post, I had spent 6 hours the day before cleaning, and looked around me; kid clutter was everywhere.  The daily demands of motherhood at face value don't seem like much, but like a steady dripping, it can become o...

In David, we find a “type.” God sets him up as king and a good kingdom on earth to show us what he wants to do in Heaven. Under the first half of David’s rule, people find peace, prosperity, and justice. But we also see David sin dramatically and the peace is broken. We are left longing for a true and better king! When we understand this promise of “kingdom” to David it allows us to better underst...

I did not grow up in a tradition that practiced Lent, and honestly, I've not read or studied anything about it as a practice. What I do know is a lot of people announce they are giving social media up for Lent, and I know it is the time that leads up to Easter. It seems kind of like Advent, but I could be totally off. When I saw Amy Gannett had written a resource for lent I wanted to learn all...

The beautiful thing about the law is that it gives a glimpse of what God values. In it is love, justice, and peace. It leads us to a better relationship with God and one another. But we can’t live it perfectly. What Romans shows us is that the law does something even more beautiful for us now. It shows us the gifts we are given in Christ. We are no longer held back by the law alone but empowered i...

Last time Amber and I talked she taught me the concept of literature being "mirrors and windows." That means the gift we get through books is our own experiences reflected(mirrors), but they also allow us to peek into someone else's world (windows). Viewing books this way has made me better balance the selections I'm choosing to read, so they feel like they belong, but also develop empathy!   I no...

As our verse reveals, on this side of eternity we feel homeless. We long for something, someone, or someplace better. Jesus’ death to take the punishment of the broken covenant, allows us the favor of all that was promised. Believers can now look forward to eternal belonging in a heavenly land. SHOW NOTES: ⁠⁠- Dig Deeper - get the verse card and study questions here. ⁠⁠ -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Our homes have become places where we go to escape the rest of the world. A phrase I heard a few weeks ago has stuck with me as we are experiencing "self-imposed solitude." With that mentality has come rising depression. Our homes have gotten bigger, but the entertaining spaces aren't. Our private areas are expanding. Let's explore what it would look like to reclaim the historic...

The Psalm you read this week points to the promise of preservation. The continuation of days reveals that we are held by the one who holds the world. God has not held our sins against us but placed them on his son. We are sent with the great commission to “Go tell all the world...” SHOW NOTES: ⁠- Dig Deeper - get the verse card and study questions here. ⁠ -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Sta...

I don't know about you, but I'm a full-fledged history nerd, especially when it comes in story form! I've invited Leah Boden take us through Charlotte Mason's story! Leah has dedicated her career to applying Charlotte Mason's philosophy, but who was she as a person?  How did you first "meet" Charlotte Mason? Can you start at the beginning of her story? What was Charlotte Mason's life like for her...

When God came in the cool of the evening he told them their rebellion would bring death, pain, and corruption. Then God killed a lamb (sacrifice), provided clothes to cover them(memorial), and made a promise. One would come who would defeat the power of the serpent. Because of Genesis 3:25, Psalm 91 makes sense. God isn’t promising we will never face trouble, but that he will be our ultimate deliv...

Sometimes my passion for being in the Word starts to wilt a little bit. Chatting with people who love Jesus and reading his word encourages me to see it in a new light, or inspire me to dig in deeper. I've met with Maggie a couple of times in  person at conferences and I'm always inspired by her passion for studying the Bible! I Most of what we have talked about is Bible stuff and fashion (one thi...

The past couple of months I’ve found myself constantly overstimulated. Then I started to notice that every time I had a quiet moment I popped my air pods in to listen to an audio book, or podcast. I started to wonder if I was stealing from myself all of the moments of silence that would naturally have occurred in my day and filled them with noise. I picked up Sarah’s newest book and found the word...

Meditation is a cultural buzzword, that a lot of Christians have a knee-jerk reaction toward. Yet, we are called to meditate all through the Bible. Meditation is something I've felt a pull toward studying this year. So I've invited Quina on to talk to us about it!  How is meditation a different spiritual discipline than prayer?  When did meditation become important to you?  I've read your children...

On Risen Motherhood Laura has talked about how motherhood is joy-filled and hard. The two are so intertwined it can feel a bit like a moment-to-moment rollercoaster. (I'm the best/I'm the worst) Laura reminds us that hard life circumstances can lead us back to the foot of the cross. When we are weak it shows how desperately we need Jesus. But how? When we are already sipping cold coffee while doin...

Christmas is a time of rejoicing. It’s a time to think about what has become commonplace. We’ve spent a month reminding ourselves of what a miracle our redemption is, and today we rejoice in it! SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join thousands of women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to g...

Praising God’s work is a theme we can trace through the whole Bible. It’s often after God has shown Himself the mighty rescuer of His people. Christ’s death allowed people outside of Israel to enter His church. This expansion of his kingdom gives us even more reason to celebrate His salvation with one another. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for...

The more we understand how loved we are, the easier it is to proactively love those who are put into our lives. I want to wrap up with 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” When we imitate the love of Christ it is a glimpse of the kingdom He is bringing. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study...

When we understand His glory it doesn’t just sit in our own hearts, but it’s contagious in the best possible way. When we see and understand what He’s done for us, it begins to ooze out of us. Spreading love and joy to those around us. This is just one piece of the way the Kingdom of Heaven brings peace on earth! SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ f...