Tag: bhwbook

A Good Routine this Fall

Linsey Driskill

God, let me never quench my kids’ creativity. Even though I’m hurdling and ducking under ropes and lights to vacuum, my kids are getting older, and when I see these moments of creativity still, like making a balloon volleyball court out of lights, bricks, an old crib mattress, haha! and all the rest, it’s just awesome.

They teach me about the opportunity I have to enjoy, to relax, and to still have fun. Life is so hard sometimes, and it can be so easy to sit in that. Sometimes we need to. But let’s not forget to come up for air, and to enjoy the silly, the fun, the simple things of life too, like made-up volleyball courts, blasting music when we’re finally getting around to vacuuming, being goofy with our kids, and just talking with them and enjoying them.

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If you’re looking for a fun devotional about women in the Bible to do with your 6-10 year old daughter, you can find my book at the following places (and soon to be at Mardel’s Bookstore!): Amazon,  Barnes & Noble,  ChristianBook.com,  Books-A-Million,  Target,  &  Focus on the Family

How the book works:
☀️Read 1 story a week
☀️Focus on the “Words for your Heart” verse that week
☀️You have all week to do the simple “Daughters in Action” prompt & “Creative Fun” Activity which help you connect with your daughter. ❤️

It’s a 40-week devotional you can do at your own pace. You can pick and choose which activities you’d like to do, do them all, or it can be a 40-Day Devotional if you don’t do the activities and only read the stories of women in the Bible. 

I love this sweet pic of a mom & daughter reading through my devotional book together. 😊 Now is a great time to get in a habit of seeking the Lord together! 

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I pray that your week is led by the Lord, filled by Him, and that you are able to BE in today. And, I pray that the Lord meets you right where you are.

Hugs,

Linsey

Fun Announcement!

Linsey Driskill

Good morning, everyone! I’m excited to let you know that I just started working with For Girls Like You, a non-profit ministry to tween girls (7-12 years old) and their parents. We were founded by the late Wynter Pitts (mother of four daughters) to provide a simple way to encourage young girls to know their worth in God. We publish a bi-monthly, Christ-centered magazine for tween girls (forgirlslikeyou.com), various devotionals, fiction books, activity books, and digital resources for tween girls.

We partner with churches, schools, and nonprofits all over the country – if you know of any who might like to get the magazine to girls they serve, that would be great if you’d connect us or email me at Linsey@forgirlslileyou.com (no “d” in Linsey) to let me know.

If you’d like to subscribe to get the magazine, you can use the Promo code Friends5. My girls have really enjoyed getting the magazine and seeing other girls their age who love Jesus! Click below to check it out:

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If you are looking for a fun way for your kids to keep some Scripture in their hearts, check out my Creative Fun activity from chapter 3 of my Devotional (a Focus on the Family resource): “Courage and Compassion-Jochebed, Shiprah, Puah, and Pharaoh’s Daughter”. The “Words for Your Heart” memory verse is 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” You write each word in the hop scotch squares and say each word as you jump in the square. When we finished playing, we all had memorized the verse!

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A Great Easter Activity!

Linsey Driskill

This is a great practical activity for our kids to do from my Devotional to show them that we are forgiven of our sins through Jesus! Thank you, Lord!!! Happy Easter!!!❤️

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I turned 44 a few days ago (34 at heart!). This is the first birthday without my dad here. I was so grateful to be able to celebrate with my three kids, Bates, Brooklyn, and Gracie, and my husband, Christian. I did miss so much hearing my dad’s words for the first time ever – “Happy Birthday, Linsey.” Those simple words. I know you’ve experienced your own difficult things – joy laced with sorrow. 

As our eyes are opened more and more to this world, don’t we see more and more of the pain here? And, also more and more of the joys here? Life on earth means carrying both.

I am constantly reminded that even though we might feel like settlers here, we’re not. We’re not meant to stay here. We are meant to be with Jesus forever. Peace forever. That will come one day. In the meantime, Lord, would you heal our hearts of the painful things that hurt. Would you open our eyes and hearts to love the sweet moments you pour into our laps? Show us how to carry both, the pain and the joys. Thank you that you always have done that very thing. Carried the pain and the joy together. Especially through giving Jesus for us – the pain in Jesus giving his life for us, & the joy of eternity that came the instant He was raised to life. The forever forgiveness, and pure joy that came with that. Oh God, thank you! We don’t take that for granted. Thank you that we can choose you, that we can enter Life with You by simply giving you our hearts. Oh we do, Lord. Help us in the meantime, Lord, to see your kingdom here, to weep with those who weep and to experience your kingdom, to rejoice with those who rejoice and to experience your kingdom, to let your love lead us, guide us, be in us, so your kingdom is here with us, a moment at a time. We love you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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A Fun Way to Serve With Our Kids

Linsey Driskill

My kids had a lot of fun doing the Creative Fun activity in chapter 8 from my Devotional about Deborah. The activity is to be a leader like Deborah was by planning a volunteer outreach and creating an invitation for your friends to join you! After we sorted clothes for the ministry, Families of Hope (they provide clothing to kids in foster care), my daughter decided to create a mermaid tail blanket for a girl who has to go into foster care. She cut the fabric and sewed it together with her sewing machine. It is so cool to see how the Lord prompts our hearts to love others as we take small steps in serving. Let’s encourage our kids to be leaders through loving and serving others. Here’s the invitation she created and the pics from it. If you do the Creative Fun activity with your kids, I’d love to hear about it too!

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Fun “Quiz” about Women in the Bible & Showing Our Kids Grace

Linsey Driskill

My book was featured in the magazine, For Girls Like You, this month! It’s a fun “Quiz” with activities about 5 women in the Bible from my Devotional – see if you can guess who’s who! (Click on the Article below to make larger & zoom in so it is easier to read.)

For Girls Like You Magazine speaks so much life & encouragement to 6-12 year old girls. Subscribe to the magazine here and use the discount code BHEART10 for $10 off!

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When one of our kids does something wrong, isn’t it easy to want to prolong their consequences? To continue giving them one after the other after the other?

My ten-year-old son said something very hurtful to his sister. I was surprised and very upset. I told him that out of the heart the mouth speaks, and that he needed to check his heart and what he’s been putting into it (something I can say to myself often as well!)

I gave him a few natural consequences that I felt got to the heart of things. After a while of being in his room, he came downstairs and asked for forgiveness from his sister and they worked it out.

She was watching a TV show and he wanted to join her. At first I said no, but then I thought, Wait! He already had several consequences – why I am dragging his forgiveness out. It’s been worked out.

I needed to show him how grace gives new opportunities and lets go of the wrong. The consequences had gotten to the heart of the issue. And, he was remorseful.

As parents, it can be quite easy to give consequence after consequence when we are so upset with our child. Don’t get me wrong, consequences are important, and some need to be big and some small. But, once they have had the consequence we decided upon, and we still harbor bitterness in our hearts toward them, that’s just hurtful to both of us.

What if God held onto every fault we had, every mistake we had, and disciplined us again and again and again for the same bad decision we had made? Eeks, we’d be disciplined constantly.

Our kids need to have a standing of grace and forgiveness and newness afterward, just like we have with God through Jesus.

As I was standing in the kitchen with my son and stirring the dinner, I changed my answer, and chose not to dish out more consequences. I gave him a hug, and I said, “You can watch the show. This is what grace looks like. You’ve had your consequence and now we’re moving on. You’re forgiven and I love you.”

I had a new mindset, and let go of what was said and looked forward.

I could see relief in his heart. He’s got such a great heart, but sometimes, he says or does hurtful things. I also try to love well, but I sure say and do hurtful things sometimes as well.

God, I am so thankful for the grace that comes with Jesus. I need it so much.

And, my kids need it so much.

We all need it so much.

I want my kids to experience what grace looks like. After they’ve done the wrong thing and had a consequence (or a simple redirection if that’s what’s needed), I want to show them what it looks like to move on, to do our best to forget and forgive, to give a clean slate, and then to call out goodness in them, to see goodness in them, and to see them through Jesus’ eyes.

Lord, help us do that. Help us to have wisdom in parenting, in giving consequences, and in loving our kids like you love us. Help us offer the beautiful, freeing, accepting, and redeeming grace you have so graciously given to us. In Jesus’ Name we ask this. Amen.

Today is a new day. Let’s start over and go love our kids and our families.

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Check out my New, Fun Mother-Daughter Devotional
(geared to 6-10 year old girls)!