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Create a Sparkle Box with your Kids

Linsey Driskill
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Create your own Sparkle Box from a shoebox, decorate one from a craft shop, or find the original fold-out Sparkle Box and book at the link below.
Leading up to Christmas, the family writes ways that each person has loved God and others on notecards and slips them in the gift box.
On Christmas morning, open Jesus’ gift box and read the cards aloud. The Sparkle Box will give our kids a more tangible understanding that loving him and others is the best gift we can give him.
For the original “Sparkle Box”, go to this link: http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sparkle-box-P005544567
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Disney Princesses and Women of the Bible: Encouraging Inner-Beauty in our Daughters

Linsey Driskill

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My most recently published article…

How do we encourage our daughters to focus on inner-beauty more than outward appearance?

My six-year-old girls love reading the Disney Princess books and dressing up. We’ve visited Disney World and enjoyed every minute of it (except the long lines!) – the magic of kids’ imaginations is heart-warming. However, one summer, as my daughters wore their princess dresses, I imagined them wanting to imitate women who love the Lord like Esther, Deborah, Mary, Ruth and Tabitha.

I began sharing story after story of women in the Bible who sought the Lord with all their heart. We read about Esther saving the Jewish people because of her bravery and loving God and others first. We talked about a simple girl named Mary who was courageous and carried Jesus, the Savior of the world. They learned that Ruth left everything to show compassion for her mother-in-law and that Tabitha cared deeply for the poor because of her love for Jesus.

Who do our daughters want to imitate? Who are their heroes?

The day my daughter, Gracie, told me she wanted to dress up like Esther, it was music to my ears. As we share Bible stories about beautiful hearted women who gained their confidence from God and loved the Lord and others, our daughters will want to imitate these women.

To continue reading the article, go to this link on church.org:  https://www.church.org/2017/12/05/disney-princesses-women-bible-encouraging-inner-beauty-daughters/

Indulging in the Richness of being “Face to Face”

Linsey Driskill

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As moms and dads, it is easy to hide away in work, piles of laundry, and children’s activities and tantrums, but we are not meant to walk alone. We need each other. In 1944, after hiding Jews in her home, Corrie ten Boom was sentenced to prison camps and solitary confinement. After a month, she was finally allowed to leave her cell for a shower. Simply seeing other women’s faces filled her soul and she wrote in her inspirational book, “The Hiding Place”, “How rich is anyone who can simply see human faces! The shower too was glorious: warm clean water over my festering skin, streams of water through my matted hair.”

“How rich is anyone who can simply see human faces!” We need each other. If you are connected, great, but if not, reach out to others and create relationships. Make the time. With whom can you be transparent and open? Who encourages you? Find that person, and make the time to be “face to face” or “phone to phone” if s/he lives far from you. My best friend lives 16 hours away from me in Pensacola, but we do our best to talk and pray together weekly. We need each other.

More often, let’s turn technology that distracts off and turn connection on. If some of those closest to you live far away, let’s benefit from technology by FaceTiming or picking up the phone to connect. But when we are with our friends, spouses, and children, let’s talk face to face, and be interested to learn about those sitting right across from us.

Corrie ten Boom was in solitary confinement and not allowed to speak, but we have the daily gift of being able to speak with each other. Let’s heed her words and indulge in the freedom and richness of being “face to face”. Share this with a friend to remind them of this great gift we have at our fingertips.

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’.” Jesus

Linsey Driskill

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Children crave clarity, not ambiguity, yet many times I have caved in and changed my “no” to “yes” or the other way around. When I do this, confusion sets in their minds, and they drive me crazy asking over and over if I will change my answer.

If our “Yes” remains “Yes,” and our “No,” “No,” our children are far more likely to take us at our word. In turn, they will learn to better accept others’ answers, and have boundaries themselves. All is not black and white and sometimes we will need to change our minds, but in Jesus’ words, we can strive to “simply let our ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and our ‘No,’ ‘No.’”

This Thanksgiving: So not what we Thought

Linsey Driskill

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As you know, everything doesn’t always turn out how we think it will. Tuesday, we began our ten-hour drive to meet our family in North Georgia. Our kids’ giggles filled the car in anticipation of seeing their cousins. At 9pm, we arrived to the hotel at the halfway point. But that darn stomach bug hit, and my hubbie was out of commission. The next morning after about an hour of sleep, and with Christian still very sick, we decided to drive back to Virginia so it wouldn’t spread to the rest of the family. By the grace of God, Christian sat in the passenger seat with a clinched jaw as I drove us home. Our kids’ giggles deflated in an instant.

But kids are so resilient and something remarkable happened. I waited for complaints and pity parties, but instead, along with some tears shed, our kids showed far more concern for their daddy. They put him above all else, and that brought joy to my heart. I wonder how much joy it brought to the Lord to see his little ones choose compassion over focusing on themselves. I love the Lord’s words. I love when he tells us that his will for us is to “give thanks always.” Those words change us when we take them into our minds and hearts, and they changed my kids’ attitudes that day.

Yes, it stunk that we didn’t get that family time we planned over a year ago. That Christian was sick and felt terrible. That I was in charge of everything. That I spent two days packing and unpacking. That our Thanksgiving food was from the Wegman’s buffet (although better than Chevy Chase’s turkey! Ha!). And that just the four of us gathered around the table to eat. When it was time for the tradition of giving thanks, we walked upstairs and stood in the doorway while my husband lay in bed. Each of us said what we were thankful for- there was a lot of love in that room. My mind can easily wander to that pity party, and it did, but I caught myself. I reflected on how thankful I am to have my three kids and my husband. I am thankful we have food and a home. I am thankful we know Jesus.

I am reading “The Hiding Place” and am in awe of Corrie Ten Boom’s bravery in saving so many Jews during the Holocaust. I think of the angst they must have felt as bombs exploded overhead and soldiers marched the streets. My own grandfather was Jewish, and it pains my heart to think of that hatred. He was a wonderful man in many ways. Stubborn and wonderful. Once we got home from our “road trip,” we read the story of Paul praising God in prison, and I am in awe of his strength while in chains. I think of my courageous and dear friend, Amy, who is fighting cancer, and the physical pain she feels so often- I am inspired by her faith through choosing prayer, thankfulness, and humor. I think of the hardships my dad faced as a child with his mom passing away at 49-years-old and the instability that came from her being married seven times, yet when he speaks of her, he glows. I think of all you parents who are raising kids on your own and how you are always the ones who do. everything. You are brave and strong, and you are not alone.

And my Thanksgiving didn’t quite turn out how I wanted it to? I am grateful. There is so much to be grateful for. What’s your thing that didn’t turn out how you wanted it to? How can you turn from bitterness to gratefulness? Everything doesn’t always turn out how we think it will. But, every day, every moment, we can choose faith, gratitude, Jesus.