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What  happens when they stop saying I love you? By Nicole O’Dell My preteen daughter, Emily, is at a precarious stage. She’s 12. I know, I hear the sighs and groans from those of you who have walked this road. I have a 15-year-old daughter who put me through a little bit of motherly angst right around the age Emily is now. My older daughter pulled away from me for a short time, not very long, and copped a bit of an attitude, again, just for a short time. But Emily…… [more]

“The Lord is my strength and shield….” Ps. 28:7 All strength and peace is found in the Lord. No doubt about it. But in addition to seeking to deepen your relationship with God, there are some practical tips that I have found give single parents great hope, once accomplished. 1.  Find the strength to move into financial security. Now, I know some of you out there are laughing as you read and maybe even thinking, “Well….gee, Jennifer, that’s a great idea. I’d love to find fin… [more]

This would normally be a Hot Buttons post, but I’m going to take the opportunity to share the big news with Hot Buttons subscribers in case you missed it in the other postings. First of all, here’s a portion from the press release: CHOOSE NOW MINISTRIES PRESENTS CHOOSE NOW PUBLISHING, BRINGING ISSUE-DRIVEN FICTION & NON-FICTION RESOURCES TO FAMILIES Real life happens. Paxton, IL—With a focus on guiding families to victorious relationships and choices, Choose NOW Minis… [more]

  By Sherri Wilson Johnson Recently, when my daughter came home for a visit, we somehow ended up in her old bedroom closet digging through boxes of “treasures” she didn’t have room to take with her when she moved out. After a few minutes of giggles over the things she’d formerly considered as keepsakes, we stumbled upon a box that contained her old journals and photo albums from church camps and mission trips. A common theme ran throughout them, whether they were supposedly d… [more]

by Bethany Jett We talked about being Untouchable last month, by waiting to date instead of jumping into the arms of the first guy who shows interest. Being untouchable has its perks, as it makes your desirability level increase since no guy has been able to experience the wonderfulness of your attention! We want what we can’t have, and all. So what do we do while we’re waiting for Mr. Wonderful? Sitting around doing nothing sounds like a big fat bundle of boring. Well, girlfriend, I… [more]

Obedience, by Lynn Cowell Have you ever had the feelings of excitement from doing something completely wrong? ~Click to Tweet For awhile you had watched from afar, then up a little bit closer and next thing you know, you’re right there completely wrapped up. And you know, it wasn’t so bad! In fact, it was quite thrilling. At least at the time. Scary isn’t it? How quickly we can slink to doing the one thing that not so long ago we judged another for doing? How did it h… [more]

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of the “if only” trap? By Erin Bishop I have. It started when I was in the sixth grade and sometimes I still get in this trap as a 37 year old wife and mother. Here are some of the “if only’s” that have gone through my mind over the years: If only I had that brand of jeans, they would like me. If only I had those shoes, they would like me. If only I had blond hair with highlights, they would like me. If only I … [more]