Parenting Archives -

You Are No Ordinary Mom

By Samantha Evans

I came across this old picture of my daughter in my Facebook memories. I thought it was so cute that she was wearing her brother’s medieval armor while cuddling her baby doll. I didn’t realize God would later use this image to paint a vivid picture of my role as a mother, and to remind me that I am no ordinary mom. Guess what? Neither are you. As believers, we have weapons available to fight for our children with authority, hope, and confidence. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul uses the imagery of a soldier ready for battle and assigns a spiritual…

Parenting, Relationship Building, Spiritual Growth

Four Lessons from King Solomon’s Life

By Samantha Evans

In Proverbs 4:3-9, King Solomon remembered his father’s words to him: For I too was a son to my father,still tender, and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me, and he said to me,“Take hold of my words with all your heart;keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding;do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you;embrace…

Parenting, Relationship Building, Spiritual Growth

Don’t Let Fear Keep You from the Mountain Top

By Samantha Evans

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 When I first married my husband, I had no idea family ski vacations were so high up on his happiness list. I grew up in a beach town in Mexico, and I didn’t see snow until I moved to the U.S. as an adult. On top of that, I was not what people considered outdoorsy or sporty. We live in Texas, so I thought surely my husband would get over his ski obsession at some point, right? Not…

Parenting, Personal Development, Relationship Building

Breaking Generational Strongholds

By Samantha Evans

Have you heard Kari Jobe’s new song, “The Blessing”? Such a beautiful song inspired by Numbers 6:24-26 which reads: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Just when you think the song can’t get any better, Kari belts out this powerful declaration: “May His favor be upon you, and a thousand generations. In your family and your children, and their children, and their children.” Doesn’t that sound wonderful? More than anything, I want to pass on…

Parenting, Relationship Building, Spiritual Growth

Celebrating Effort Regardless of the Outcome

By Samantha Evans

“Mom, we have to be the first ones to get to school tomorrow morning!” my daughter announced with excitement. Her Language Arts teacher was going to assign poems for the school’s annual declamation contest, first come, first serve. My daughter, who was in 6th grade at the time, wanted to recite Shakespeare’s “Is This a Dagger Which I See Before Me?”. She knew to have a shot at making it to the finals she had to choose one of the High School level poems, and she wanted to make sure she could get her first pick. This came as a…

Parenting, Personal Development, Relationship Building

Learning a New Language – Speak Life!

By Samantha Evans

"The tongue has the power of life and death." Proverbs 18:21 Just like with any skill that’s worth attaining, learning a new language takes a lot of practice. English is my second language and I attribute my ability to speak it fluently to three main things – desire, input and lots and lots of practice. I lived in the U.S. for a year when I was in 5th grade and that was very helpful. It definitely provided me with a good English foundation. However, once I moved back to Mexico I only had some English classes in middle school and…

Marriage, Parenting, Personal Development, Relationship Building, Spiritual Growth

Renewing Our Minds

By Samantha Evans

As moms, it is important to us that our children grasp the truth of who they are in Christ. We know they were created by a loving God who carefully chose their gifts, talents, and abilities because He has a plan and purpose for their lives. But they also have an enemy, and his goal is to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10) everything good about them so they don’t accomplish the purpose for which they were created. One of the most effective ways he has discovered to sabotage their future, is by attacking their identity and making them feel…

Parenting, Relationship Building, Spiritual Growth

Having a Vision for Your Family Trips

By Samantha Evans

Our family loves to travel. We love to visit new places, meet new people, and share new experiences together. We’ve learned a lot of “dos and don’ts” for family vacations along the way, but one thing we had not thought about doing before was to have a vision for our trips. Typically, we have a general idea of the itinerary, and go on our merry way hoping for the best. Most of the time that works just fine, and we have a great time together. But there have been times where it would have been helpful to discuss expectations ahead…

Marriage, Parenting, Relationship Building

Encourage Teens at Work

By Samantha Evans

My sixteen-year-old son has been working at Chick-Fil-A for several months now. He has learned a lot of valuable lessons during his time there. Some of these lessons have to do with responsibility, managing a schedule, and such. But one lesson that has made a long-lasting impact is the importance of treating people who are serving you with kindness and respect. I personally know several teens who are currently working at drive-through restaurants. I’ve known eight of these kids and their families for a long time, and they are very dear to me. All of them have shared stories with…

Parenting, Relationship BuildingEncouraging teens, Teens at work

The Days Are Long, but the Years are Short

By Samantha Evans

Yes, I still have the Christmas tree up in my family room. No, it was not my idea. Those who know me well know my Christmas decor is down by January 1st every year. I like getting it done while we’re still on break so I don’t have to worry about it once we get going with school and activities again. I’m also very practical and somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to home decor. So as much as I love Christmas, I prefer not to have a big tree in my family room (in place of my side…

Parenting, Relationship Building