Love… One Sip At A Time // A Valentine Tea Party
I started hosting tea parties in an older home propped as pretty as you please on the corner of a quiet street. A family of four in a two-bedroom, one-bath home made for a tight fit, and tea parties felt downright snug, but no one would change a thing. Some teas were scripture-based, and others celebrated holidays, but every time, the room filled with the scent of scones, floral tea, and...
Creative Ways to Serve, Play and Pray this Fall (Downloadable PDF)
Searching for creative ways to play, pray, and serve with your family this Fall? Let's set aside the TV, phones, and other devices because Fall is just around the corner, offering crisp winds, punkin' patches, football, and fur-lined boots. Yes, please! Gather the family—whether two or twenty—and choose a favorite activity to boost your time together and with the Lord. After all, a family...
Creating Restorative Time with God
The year didn't begin as expected. I hoped to grab a quick breakfast on the road so we could arrive at our family vacation spot earlier than expected, but Brian insisted we take advantage of the free breakfast at our hotel. (Brian also insists I missed my calling as an industrial engineer because I naturally gravitate to saving time. *wink*) We took the stairs instead of the elevator on our...
5 Ways to Boost Your Quiet Time with God this Year + Free Downloads + Giveaway
Maybe your quiet time with God is exactly as you like (yay!), but if you could use a little boost before this new year rolls out, this post is for you. To be clear, God and His Word never need a boost. The fact that we're invited to meet with the same God who created man from dust, split open the Red Sea, and wrote words on a tablet with His finger out of love for His people, still stuns me...
How to Put Your Mind to Rest at Bedtime
I'm convinced that my thoughts sleep during the day so they'll have abundant energy to run laps at night. Not so long ago, I went to bed at 9, or at least the body went down for the count. My mind, however, buzzed. I usually stay in the bed, hoping to fall asleep, but this time, I got up and pulled out a journal. It was midnight. After a brain dump, it became apparent that all the thoughts...
How to Redeem Your Time Every Morning + A Starbucks Giveaway
What do a cup of tea and redeeming our time have in common? (Not a tea drinker? Stick with me.) Years ago, in a charming old home on a corner lot, I invited small groups of women over for tea, conversation, and a focus on a particular book of the Bible or Scripture verse. There was also an annual Christmas tea and other types too. It was a sweet chapter in my life. (The subject of tea...
5 More Places to Pray this Spring + Starbucks Giveaway
Many of you enjoyed last year's post, "7 Places to Pray this Spring" so I thought you might enjoy a few more. Daring to step outside our comfort zones to talk with God reminds us how the faith walk is an adventure that was never intended to be squirreled away for safekeeping. It is flowing, never static. A verb, not a noun. In him, we live, and move, and have our being. (Acts 17:28) In...
Join the Scripture-Based Spring Scavenger Hunt + Amazon Giveaway Prize!
Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? There's something about seeking out specific items within a certain time limit that puts a pep in our step! Granted, most hunts are minutes long but this one is more about slowing our pace, encouraging us to pause and to see simple objects in the light of God's Word. We started creating scavenger hunts in the Creative Pauses Facebook Group last...
Books I’m Reading and Why You Might Love Them Too + A Starbucks Giveaway
I often choose books based solely on what I need or want to learn at the time. It's why reading for the simple pleasure of it is a goal this year. Maybe Nancy Mitford says it best, "As far as I'm concerned, all reading is for pleasure." Today, I'm sharing both types of reads and I hope you'll share your favorite(s) in the comment section. (Note: This post contains affiliate links which simply...