The Love Offering Guest Blog Series Archives - Page 22 of 49

Discovering the Power of Meaningful Mealtimes By Ryan Rush

Jun 6, 2024

You may have noticed that the number of families that have regular mealtimes together is in decline. Some estimates say that in the past twenty years, the frequency of family dinners has dropped 33 percent. The Atlantic reported that “the average American eats one in every five meals in the car, one in four Americans eats at least one fast food meal every single day, and the majority of American families report eating a single meal together less than five days a week.” 1

She Did What She Could by Ginger McPherson

May 30, 2024

On the corner of my cluttered desk, almost to the back, sits a wrinkled sticky note with five simple words on it. On days when I feel confident and motivated, these words offer that little extra “atta girl” and make me smile. On days when I’m feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood, or just plain not enough—which have been a lot of days lately—these words are my lifeline. They keep me cooking that dinner I don’t want to cook. They keep me loving those who are hard to love. They keep me going, honestly, anchored in the knowledge that my best is good enough. It’s good enough for Jesus. Therefore, it should be good enough for me.

When Your “It’s Just…” Becomes Boundless Love by Jennifer Sakata

May 23, 2024

In the throes of comparison, I lost sight of my ‘little’ love offering that goes a long way. Her comment went something like this: “Well…every night, they gather as a family, and everybody reads for an hour. Even the parents.” What landed on my heart was this: You’re not doing it right. If you want your kids to succeed, you should do what they’re doing. I retreated, shamed for my ‘less than’ attempts to educate our sons.

Heart Gardening by Cheryl Grey Bostrom

May 16, 2024

My husband and I have climbed from our pickup to watch a red combine cross a cornfield between steep Palouse hills, a swath of stubble in its wake. When he spots us, a farmer friend slows the mighty machine, climbs from the cab, and waves. We wade to him through nine-foot stalks to talk moisture readings and earthworms, crop size and his newborn baby boy. He wrenches a fat cob from a standing stalk, strips the husk, and rubs dried kernels of seed corn into his palm.

Faith that Changes Everything by Cayce Fletcher

May 9, 2024

Earlier that morning with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, I opened up my bible to the story of Abram (who would later be called Abraham). A descendant of the chosen, righteous line of Seth, the story of Abram begins when he follows his father Terah to the land of Canaan. The Bible is never really clear about why Terah left to head that way or whether Terah believed in God. In either case, Terah never made it. He settled in Haran with his family and died there at a ripe old age.