The Heidi St. John Podcast

Are you suffering from a loss? You are not alone, even if it may really feel like it. Listen in as Heidi and Durenda encourage you from their own experience with suffering.

Scriptures Referenced

Psalm 23

Isaiah 51:11

Lamentations 3:19-26

Resources

Through the Eyes of  Lion, Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power –

What will you do when the unthinkable happens in your life?

Her parents called her Lenya Lion because of her ferocious personality and hair that had been wild and mane-like since birth. But they never expected that, five days before Christmas, their five-year-old daughter would suddenly go to heaven after an asthma attack. How do you walk out of an emergency room without your daughter?

In Through the Eyes of a Lion, Pastor Levi Lusko shares the eye-opening truth of the power of hope in a world that is often filled with pain, suffering, and loss. He says, “This book isn’t a manual for grieving, but a manifesto for high-octane living, and through it I want you to see that God made you for a purpose. There is a wild and wonderful calling on your life, a microphone in your hands. Jesus wants you to look at the adventure of your life through His eyes, the eyes of a Lion.”

Part memoir but all overtly instructive and deeply inspirational, Through the Eyes of a Lion gives readers the tools they need to face their fears and turn their journey into a roar story.

Chapter themes include:

Don’t rely on the naked eye

Run towards the roar

There’s no such thing as a wireless anchor

Let God use your pain

Cue the eagle

What we do in life really does echo in eternity. You are destined for impact, and there’s not a moment to lose!

When God Weeps, by Joni Eareckson Tada -If God is loving, why is there suffering? What’s the difference between permitting something and ordaining it? When bad things happen, who’s behind them–God or the devil? When suffering touches our lives, questions like these suddenly demand an answer. From our perspective, suffering doesn’t make sense, especially when we believe in a loving and just God. After more than thirty years in a wheelchair, Joni Eareckson Tada’s intimate experience with suffering gives her a special understanding of God’s intentions for us in our pain. In When God Weeps, she and lifelong friend Steven Estes probe beyond glib answers that fail us in our time of deepest need. Instead, with firmness and compassion, they reveal a God big enough to understand our suffering, wise enough to allow it―and powerful enough to use it for a greater good than we can ever imagine.

A Grace Disguised, How the Soul Grows through Loss, by Jerry L. Sittser – An expanded edition of this classic book on grief and loss―with a new preface and epilogue Loss came suddenly for Jerry Sittser. In an instant, a tragic car accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife, and his young daughter. While most of us will not experience such a catastrophic loss in our lifetime, all of us will taste it. And we can, if we choose, know as well the grace that transforms it. A Grace Disguised plumbs the depths of sorrow, whether due to illness, divorce, or the loss of someone we love. The circumstances are not important; what we do with those circumstances is. In coming to the end of ourselves, we can come to the beginning of a new life―one marked by spiritual depth, joy, compassion, and a deeper appreciation of simple blessings.

There is a lot of drama, especially surrounding the holiday season. But there are ways you can learn to avoid it, and in fact, that's exactly what the Bible tells us to do!

 

Hebrews 12: 14

Romans 12: 18

Proverbs 15:1

 

More Like This From The Busy Mom

How to Make Peace with Family – Christmas is right around the corner.  All of our preparations – the gifts, the decorations, the cooking and baking – will soon culminate in some sort of family gathering meant to inspire faith and fellowship.  While family gatherings at Christmastime can be a great source of joy, in some circumstances they can become a source of stress, or even in extreme cases, dread. Childhood memories may be fond but as we grow and become independent adults, often our viewpoints and values take different paths. This can cause a lot of friction, but with some careful thought and the preparation of our hearts we can make peace with our families this Christmas.

 

 

 

There is no shortage of Christmas movies to be found, but we still thought we'd share our family favorites to help you narrow down your list.

Humorous

Elf

Jingle All the Way

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Home Alone

Eloise at Christmas

Santa Clause

Family Drama – Good for Children of All Ages

Annabelle’s Wish Frosty the Snowman (Original)

Muppets Christmas Carol

Charlie Brown’s Christmas

Drama – May not Hold Attention of Younger CHildren

All I Want for Christmas

Miracle on 34th Street

Little Women

White Christmas

Holiday Inn

The Bells of St. Mary’s

It’s a Wonderful Life

Christmas in Connecticut

A Christmas Carol

Take heart, busy mom! There are some things you can do to reclaim order in your home while your children still live there, but it involves some child training on your part. You can do it!

 

Resources

The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight

Beyond the Chore Chart by Kimberly Eddy

Have you tried to get your children to help out around the house?

Do you stress out over the state of their messy rooms?

Do your children ignore your carefully crafted chore chart?

Is it easier for you to just do the job yourself?

Do your children view helping out around the house as punishment?

If you answered yes to any of these, then, Beyond the Chore Chart: Chores, Kids, and the Secret to a Happy Mom is just for you! When it comes to books on chores, we moms need something that would go beyond just hanging up an age appropriate chore chart up on the wall, and assuming everyone would catch on and start helping out. There’s a process to getting your helpers to really help you out, and in this book I share my own tricks of the trade, getting your little helpers to become big helpers!

Learn the secret to getting your kids to help you with household chores, without yelling at your kids.

Why training your children step by step to do each job prevents frustration for you and them.

How to teach your children, at different ages, to help with chores.

Ways to make helping around the house fun.

…and more!

More Like this From The Busy Mom

How to Assign Age Appropriate Chores for Kids

The Danger of Entitlement and How to Avoid It

Chores and Your Children

These days there's a lot of pressure to spend a lot at Christmas, but not every family has an unlimited Christmas budget. Heidi and Durenda are here to encourage you that it's okay to limit what you spend at Christmas and give you some cheaper and free ways to celebrate with those you love!

 

Resources

Gifts in a Jar on Pinterest

Essential Oil Gift Recipes

The Busy Mom Gift List

Printable Christmas Coloring Book

Printable Christmas Unit