When family ties are strained and your role feels unclear, the path to stability begins by reclaiming the God-given authority that rests upon your heart. True leadership in your home starts with spiritual self-governance, a discipline that silences external noise and anchors you in Truth. Discover seven non-negotiable, biblically grounded keys that empower you to filter your counsel, establish safety, and love with compassionate boundaries. By shifting your focus from managing chaos to walking in divine obedience, you can navigate the complexities of adoptive parenting with renewed confidence. It is time to stop questioning your position and start owning the specific purpose God has ordained for you in this season.

A PRAYER OF RESTORATION*The following prayer is based on a Bible passage from 2 Corinthians 13.  When we don’t have the words to pray, we can trust God to provide them. Heavenly Father,I lift up my precious child/children to You, asking that they may continually examine their heart and faith. Grant them the wisdom and clarity to test their own feelings, thoughts, values and beliefs, realizing deeply that Christ Jesus dwells within them.

🎧 Listen to episode - Apple🎧 Listen to episode - SpotifyHave you ever wondered how a tiny seed, when planted in the right environment, receives nurturing care, and is given time to grow, can blossom into a beautiful plant? This natural process mirrors the journey many adoptive families embark upon. In the garden of family life, each member is both a gardener and a budding plant, contributing to and benefiting from the nurturing environment of the family. But as with any garden, there are obstacles along the way.

🎧 Listen to episode - Apple🎧 Listen to episode - SpotifyDespite growing up a farm girl. I’m not much of a gardener. I’ve done enough to admire the work and commitment of those who are. Ever planted a flower bed or vegetable garden with a very young child? You likely didn’t require them to do all of the work themselves. You probably did some prep work to acquire the seeds and get the soil ready. And I imagine you let them do the most fun and most pivotal part — planting the seeds. Doing the fun part helps motivate us to do the harder parts. As moms we have big jobs in the lives of our children and I know that as a Christian woman you are committed to do this important God-given job to the fullest (or else you feel demoralized and defeated).  

🎧 Listen to episode - Apple🎧 Listen to episode - SpotifyIn this introductory episode of my new series about what I’m describing as “planting seeds” in our adoptive families, I want to go over some of the obstacles you may face as an adoptive mom: obstacles to planting the good seeds, seeds of love, seeds of learning, and seeds of growth. You’ve probably seen and heard me say over and over again to keep learning, keep growing, and keep loving” and that’s as much an encouragement I want to give to you as it is a reminder and encouragement to myself. I wanted to dedicate this series of episodes to these three topics. So as we get into this series, I decided to first talk about the seven obstacles to planting good seeds in this introductory episode.

🎧 Listen to episode - Apple🎧 Listen to episode - Spotify{part 2}Last episode covered part one of this unilateral shift, the first in a series of three shifts that I’m talking about throughout this month of April when I’m recording these episodes, so if you have not yet heard part one, you might wanna go back and listen to that episode and otherwise, let’s dive in where we left off…ACCEPTANCE OVER ACCOUNTABILITYOne of the most transformative shifts a Christian mother can make is moving away from the conventional lens of personally holding our teens accountable for their problem behaviors towards a stance of acceptance. Acceptance doesn’t mean you like or agree with their choices, or approve problem behaviors. 

🎧 Listen to episode - Apple🎧 Listen to episode - SpotifyUNILATERAL SHIFT #1 of 3 — NEW VIEW ON PROBLEM BEHAVIORSDiscover how a shift toward an acceptance lens vs an accountability lens can change the way you view problem behaviors.A NEW BEGINNING: EMBRACING ACCEPTANCE FOR A MORE BALANCED, PEACEFUL HOMEDealing with Defiance… Disrespect…Dangerous & Destructive behaviors?Adoptive moms often find ourselves navigating an intricate maze of emotions and behaviors that can leave us feeling overwhelmed and overstressed…and seeking solutions to manage all of this, often through lenses of accountability and control/counter-control.

🎧 Listen to episodeWHAT ARE YOUR EASTER EXPECTATIONS?Hey ladies, today I wanted to share a bonus podcast episode as we go into the Easter weekend — today is Good Friday, the day that historically we think about when Jesus was crucified and then after tomorrow on the third day, on Sunday, the resurrection as Jesus came to life again as he had conquered death and also paid the price for all the sins of all the world. So this is a very important and key weekend in our Christian faith, and understandably one that we want to share with our families and with our children. But, if you’re like me, not all of your children or your family is following Jesus or following the Christian faith or your Christian values and what’s important to you. So while Easter may be the most important weekend, celebration and most pivotal holiday of the entire year for you or for me, it is not viewed the same for everyone. and it may not be the same for the other members of your own family so there might be some tension. 

🎧 Listen to episodeMOM ROLE QUESTION:When you think about your mom role I want you to ask yourself — and you can journal about this and pray over it but ask yourself — What do you realistically want your mom role to be like, and what do you think is standing in the way? I’d like you to get a notebook, journal or pad of paper for a journaling exercise today about how you envision your role as mom in the current season or the season that’s right around the corner.  What obstacles are you currently running up against? 

🎧 Listen to episodeDo you feel like you’re constantly on the defensive? Having accusations flung at you on what seems like a daily basis? From big accusations from the outside to constant smaller accusations inside the household holding you responsible for, well, everything! This used to be me. So I know how it feels. And it’s important for us to discern what’s truly our responsibility and to own up to it when we’ve missed the mark. IT’S IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY MISPLACED GUILT & BLAME THAT YOU AS AN ADOPTIVE MOM MAY FACE, BUT NOT ALWAYS TO STRIKE OUT IN DEFENSIVENESS. We have a little booklet from our Sunday school class made up of verses submitted by different members in the class; one member submitted this verse: Isaiah 54:17  “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and he will refute every tongue that accuses you. ‘This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord”