Ah summer. That sweet time of year where life slows down—where there’s no agenda and lazy afternoons are spent at the pool; where the only decisions to be made are what to read next and what do we want to grill for dinner tonight?
Well, not so much. At least for my family. We’ve been busy non-stop since school ended. It’s like we are making up for lost time, doing ALL THE THINGS. Traveling. Enjoying the great outdoors. Spending time with friends and family. Serving. Summer camps. Appointments. Sports practices. Projects.
You know, all the things.
I thought I’d catch you up on a few things we’ve been up to. My oldest attended a Summit Ministries camp at Covenant College in June. It’s a camp that helps teens learn to discuss their faith, engage culture, and develop a biblical worldview. My son talked for days afterward about his experiences. I highly recommend it.
Earlier this month I tagged along with our church’s youth group on a trip to Eastern Kentucky where we helped repair houses damaged by the floods this past spring. Our original trip was cancelled due to the pandemic and we had to pivot to serve a different ministry in a different location. The teens adjusted well to this change and over the course of the week learned to do things they’d never done. So did I! I discovered that I enjoy mudding drywall; it’s quite satisfying! We also attended a local bluegrass concert and everyone got on the dance floor.
With all our activity, I haven’t written much for the blog or for anywhere else. But I am in the editing process for two projects I finished this past spring. Like Our Father: How God Parents Us and Why That Matters for Our Parenting will release with Moody Publishers sometime next spring. Stay tuned to hear more about it. I’ve also written a follow up book to Tell God How You Feel, titled God Hears Your Heart. You can expect to hear more about that next year as well. This summer, I’ve also enjoyed doing some webinars with readers in Mexico about Los ídolos en el corazón de una madre.
Do you read Tabletalk Magazine? It’s a devotional magazine published by Ligonier Ministries. I will be writing for it every month during 2022. Keep an eye out for my weekend column!
After more than a year of cancelled speaking engagements, opportunities have picked up for me since the spring to speak at women’s ministry retreats and other events. I’ve been busy preparing for upcoming events both locally and in other states. I’ll be in Pennsylvania and Nebraska next month and look forward to speaking on relationships in the church and the fear of the Lord, respectively.
I have a new position in women’s ministries at my local church: co-coordinator. Our women’s ministry team is headed up by an older and a younger woman. In case you were wondering, I am the older woman of our duo. I’m excited to serve my church in this way. In addition, over the past year I’ve been working with my pastor on developing a counseling ministry to women in crisis. We’re hoping to launch it sometime soon.
How about you? What has your summer been like?
