For me, Easter won't look normal this year. For many Easter is a big fun celebration full of color, new outfits, egg hunts, family gatherings and much more. But for others, it can be a time of loneliness, isolation, grief, heartache, and even not worthy of the grace preached. Join me on this episode as we talk about what it's like when Easter isn't normal.

Holy Week is here!! As a Christian I believe Easter is one of the most important days of the year. It is because of what Jesus did for us on the cross that we have grace. While I believe it is importance to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, its just as important to remember the events of the whole week leading up to His death. In this episode I talk about those events, how to celebrate them, and ways to navigate Easter conversations with kids!

You can find the scripture references for Holy Week events here.

Guide to leading a child to christ.

This weeks episode is a special one, one very near and dear to my heart. My son has Down Syndrome, so as we approach World Down Syndrome Day I’m talking about what Down Syndrome is, our story, and way you can join us in advocating! Join us on March 21 (3.21) as we celebrate Down Syndrome! 

Give the episode a listen and let us know if your life has been touched by someone with a little extra chromosome 💛💙💛💙

You can order WDSD merch here: https://www.theabidingfamily.org/wdsd2024 

Be sure to order no later than March 14th in order to get it before March 21st! 

Coffee chat episodes are time to sit down with some coffee and catch up! A time to reflect, and talk about random in things in life! 

Some topics in this months episode:

✨coloring my hair at home for the first time 

✨life advice from Grandma Lola 

✨grief

✨life with Auggie lately

✨infertility

✨challenges of being a mom to a kid with special needs

✨things unique to living in Alaska 

✨idea for a parent course 

Give it a listen and let me know if you can relate!

Coming out of last weeks episode I was thinking about how in dark times we can lean into the goodness of God. We can do that when we are firm in our faith foundation. When we lean into our testimony, personal experiences, scripture knowledge we are leaning into our personal theology. In this episode I talk about what theology is, and then share what it is I believe. I believe if you are going to allow me a space to have spiritual influence in your life, you need to know what I believe.

Full honesty, the last two weeks have been rough, and I did not want to record this week. So, I pivoted on topic and in the process found a reminder that I needed. God is MY shepherd, it's very personal. He knows the struggles and heartache of the last two weeks, and He guides me through these valleys. God isn't just my shepherd, he is your shepherd too!

Growing up in the southern baptist world Lent + Ash Wednesday were a bit taboo. To me it seemed that it was thought of as less-than. Jesus didn't instruct so we shouldn't do it. LOL there are so many things Jesus didn't instruct that we do! As an adult I've dived deeper into what Lent + Ash Wednesday are actually about. I've concluded when we approach them with a heart posture that is a humble desire to grow closer to God, it's a beautiful practice to participate in.

Join me on this episode as we dive into what Lent + Ash Wednesday logistically, its history, should we participate and how to participate and finally how to talk to our kids about this practice.

Join me, Ash, as we sit down for a cup of coffee and time of reflection on January 2024. Coffee chats sound a little different than my typical episodes in that they're a bit random. In this episode I talked about vacation, infertility, miscarriage, living in the "and," challenges of toddler mom life, and what I've been learning in scripture. I hope you enjoy our coffee chat and time of reflection, and maybe a little bit of getting to know me better. What shall we talk about in next months coffee chat?

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and that leads us to talk about LOVE! Not just any love, but God's love. This year I have put together a Gospel-Centered Valentine's Day for kids guide to help parents and kid-influencers connect valentine's to the most important love. You can download your copy of the resource at theabidingfamily.org/resources.

In this episode I briefly addressed the romantic portion of Valentine's Day and the importance of preparing ourselves to have conversations about love, sex, and other things that come this topic. I highly recommend birds-bees.com to help prepare you for talking to your kids about puberty and sex.

Following up on episode 3, how do we know if a biblical resource is to be trusted? In this episode I talk through things to consider when looking at a resources, Bible translations and a brief history of how we got today's Bible. While yes, I give you some of my go-to resources, my goal is not influence you with a particular resource, rather my goal is to equip you to develop your own faith.

Resources Mentioned:

-Engaging the Christian Scriptures by Andrew E. Arterbury, W.H. Bellinger Jr., and Derek S. Dodson (there is a new second edition published in 2021)

-NRSV Baylor Annotated Study Bible

-the Bible Project

-The Mosaic of Christian Belief; Twenty Centuries of Unity and Diversity by Roger E. Olson (an introduction to Theology)

*I do get a small commission on items purchased through Amazon links above