Articles & Musings to Encourage and Inspire

We MUST Pray for the Next Generation!

We MUST Pray for the Next Generation!

We know that praying for our children and our grandchildren is important, but do we live as if it's important? Are we a people committed to praying for the next generation? Are you committed to praying for your children? For the children in your church? How committed...

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Deeply Wounded by a Church

Deeply Wounded by a Church

About 7 years ago, I was deeply wounded by a church.  I know I am not alone in this. Many people, many Christians have been wounded by a church or a member of a church. An unfortunate pattern has emerged in these modern times, and it is one I almost followed as...

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Our Trip of a Lifetime Fell Short

Our Trip of a Lifetime Fell Short

Recently my husband and I were gifted a trip to Spain. Yes, you read that right. And yes, I still can't believe it. I have only been out of the country four times in my 50 years. Two of those times were mission trips to Central America. The third was a quick drive...

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Ravaged by Fire

Ravaged by Fire

2015 That was a really painful year for me. The kind of pain that shakes a person to their core. 2016 Don't even get me started on the pain of that year! I seemed to find some sort of rhythm in the pain, but just when I'd settle into a place of "this is painful, but...

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How God Provided for What We Didn’t See Coming

How God Provided for What We Didn’t See Coming

We didn’t know that night that Hannah would get sick, withdraw from school, and never make it back to Pepperdine. We didn’t know it would take her three years to fight her way back, just to study online. But the Lord knew. And He provided for what He knew was coming.

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Fight!

Fight!

My mom, Ruth Baer, wrote this back in 2018. It somehow fell through the cracks, so having just read it recently, I realized, yet again, there is nothing new under the sun. This was true then; this is true now. Parents and grandparents, take this to heart! ~Becky I...

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Exalt Him

Exalt Him

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. How are we already here again? Wasn't it just yesterday that we were gathered together with family and friends around our turkey-potatoes-cranberry-sauce-pumpkin-pie tables? The years are flying by! This reminds me how fleeting I am;...

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Am I Qualified to Lead a Family Ministry?

Am I Qualified to Lead a Family Ministry?

At our most recent FamiliesAlive board meeting, we concluded our time together as we normally do, in prayer over one another. These prayers always include praises mingled with grief, a crying out to the Lord our gratitude for the things He has done and our entreaty...

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Palm Sunday has my Heart in a New Way

There has always been something special about Palm Sunday. The waving of palm branches. The singing and shouting of "Hosanna!" The young worship dancers leading our hearts to praise in a different way. I am always moved as I read of Zechariah's prophecy hundreds of...

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Why Silent?

The last time I wrote a blog was March 2020—exactly 2 years ago. This “break” from writing and sharing and posting was both intentional and unintentional. Intentional because I knew the Lord was instructing me to be silent. Unintentional because I had no idea that His...

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How Coronavirus Gave Us an Unexpected Gift

Do you ever feel like your family is a part of this rat race of life, like there’s never enough time in the day to do all you need to do, let alone do the things you want to do? Do you ever wake up desiring a slower pace, wanting to spend time in God’s Word, and find...

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Not Quite the OCEANS I was Asking for

Not Quite the OCEANS I was Asking for

Have you always been given what you ask for? Have you always been given what you ask for right away? Have you always been given what you ask for in the way you actually want it? We’re not always given what we ask for, simply because it’s not part of His purpose. We’re...

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Relationships are More Important Than Bacon

I know. I know. Some of you might disagree with me (I almost disagree with myself). But, these were the words Jesus spoke to my heart the other day. I was headed to church early to serve as a greeter at the South Doors. I love to welcome faces I recognize, new-to-me...

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From My Heart to Yours — I Am NOT the Potter

As I spend some time in the book of Jeremiah this morning, I'm reminded of the work the Lord does in my life and in the lives of my children. This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."...

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The Dangers of Short Term Missions

My husband and I recently returned from Costa Rica where we spent 9 days with 20 students and several other leaders building homes, and participating in ministry through soccer. It was an amazing trip. One that most of us will not soon forget. The Lord used us to come...

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There are NO “Should-Haves” with Our God

By Becky Shultz Curriculum Developer, FamiliesAlive Homeschooling mom of 6 Here I am. Again. Sitting in a similar place I was sitting in one year ago. Only this time, I already know the Lord's reply. He has given the same patient reply every single time I go down this...

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One Thing We Must NEVER Do As Parents

by Becky Shultz Got kids? Then you've got wonderful blessings - gifts from on high! You've also got disagreements, issues, messes, worriment, and trouble. And the older those kids get, the bigger the problems get, the more difficult those difficulties are to handle....

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Are You Perfect?

by Ruth Baer When my granddaughter Hannah was about 7 years old, she made an observation about me as we all sat down to dinner. “Grandma, I’ve never seen you sin.” What would you say if your child or grandchild said that to you? Would you be proud or happy that she...

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Helping Your Kids Build a Devotion Time with God

by Samantha Hanni One day when I was about nine, my mom came home from Mardel with a book for me. It was my first devotional book, with a colorful cover and fun stories that drew me in each day. I have vivid memories of this book (for some reason) and to this day, I...

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How Can I Be Grateful When My Heart’s Not in It?

By Ruth Baer Have you ever had one of those days when everything seems to be going so well? At work, at home, at church – both privately and publicly? You’re in the Word and praying for all on your heart? God seems to be on the throne in your experience, and life...

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How to Deal with Halloween?

By Laura Cooper Does Halloween have you going crazy? It does for me! For a very long time, Halloween has been a source of debate and confusion in the Christian community. Many families, including my own, have wrestled with this question: How should we deal with...

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Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire!

By Michele L. Brown My 9-year-old stepdaughter had gotten into my purse and helped herself to gum without asking, and when I picked the wrapper up from the floor she tried to say her friend had given it to her. This particular lie was actually the third blatant lie I...

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Enjoying the Process

by Becky Shultz It all began 23+ years ago when we found out we were expecting a baby girl. Laura Elizabeth Shultz slowly made her entrance into this world, but quickly stole our hearts! I remember being stopped while out for a walk or moving through a grocery store....

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From My Heart to Yours – Enjoying the Process

by Becky Shultz It all began 23+ years ago when we found out we were expecting a baby girl. Laura Elizabeth Shultz slowly made her entrance into this world, but quickly stole our hearts! I remember being stopped while out for a walk or moving through a grocery store....

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Back to School Ideas Round Up

As the new school year kicks off, this is the perfect time to do a little family tune-up by breaking bad habits and starting good habits. Here's our round up of the best practical ways to improve your family life! 1. Put Jesus First • Start the habit of daily time...

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We ARE Ready

by Becky Shultz I sat down to write a blog yesterday. Here's how it went: Lord, please give me the words you want me to share. *cricket* *cricket* *cricket* So writing a blog turned into 30 minutes of praying and thinking and crying. I thought about this past year and...

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From My Heart to Yours – We ARE Ready

by Becky Shultz I sat down to write a blog yesterday. Here's how it went: Lord, please give me the words you want me to share. *cricket* *cricket* *cricket* So writing a blog turned into 30 minutes of praying and thinking and crying. I thought about this past year and...

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When Tragedy Strikes

By Vicky O. It is 1:00 a.m. on July 20, 2000, and I am alternating between sitting and laying on my bathroom floor crying out to the Lord, “Why?” I am so weak that I cannot get up; I can only cry and pray. But “Why?” and “Why us?” seems to be all I can say in between...

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The Pinterest Trap

Last night, I fell victim to the Pinterest Trap. Let me set the scene for you: I get married in two weeks, and I am right in the throes of wedding planning. It was late, and I had been working furiously for hours. At the moment, I was scouring Pinterest, looking for...

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Storytellers

by Ruth Baer We buried my Aunt Tense a few weeks ago. She was 94, lived a long life and died peacefully in her sleep. Her son, Larry, led the funeral service. All of us gathered together to say our last goodbyes – we came from near and far. There were the Colorado...

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God is Bigger

By Hannah Shultz 20-year-old sister of 6 This life is full of moments, moments that range from extreme joy to the deepest of sorrows, moments that range from perfectly healthy to deathly ill, moments that range from peak strength to valley-low weakness. As we journey...

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Tips to Try at the Table

By David Baer, Executive Director of FamiliesAlive In Dolores Curran’s survey work, over 500 counselors, pastors, teachers, therapists, and other professionals who routinely worked with families ranked “table time” as #13 out of a list of 56 possible traits of a...

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The Shape of Sunday

by Rachel Scott When I was a child, Sunday meant going to church and singing my heart out. After church, my family and I would head to my great grandparent’s farm in Carol County, Virginia to enjoy a meal around the table and an afternoon of play.  I remember riding...

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Let Go and Let God

By Mindy Thomas Mother of 9(!) in Texas I love when things are neat and tidy. I enjoy a scrubbed kitchen, a freshly made bed, a pressed shirt, a new car that smells like leather, clean windows and door pulls, sparkling refrigerator shelves and clothes organized by...

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Family Planning

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Christ found me when life was playing out just the way I wanted. I was 24, married to my college sweetie with a good job in a new city. I was grateful. Being raised by a single parent, life before college was a tale of humble...

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A Word

By Marianne H. Homeschooling Mom in Colorado Sometimes I get ahead of myself and of God. I am a forward thinker, envisioning the future. Several years ago, the Lord, in His attempt to slow my mind down to the present, asked me to focus on One Word for the entire...

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Beauty from Ashes

During the first snow of the winter here in Colorado, I was reminded how peaceful and fresh the world seems after a snowstorm. My children, however, didn’t seem to notice the beauty or the tranquility that came with it. In fact, they were more like their own small...

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Walking Alongside is a GIFT

As I think back over the past couple of weeks, they seem to me to be a blur. Having been home for three days now, in some ways it feels as if I never left, except for the fact that we're about to enter the month of October. In other ways, being out in California,...

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From My Heart to Yours — Calendar Session

Two weekends ago, my husband and I were able to get away to the mountains for a wonderful, relaxing time celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary. It was glorious! We took drives, walks, sat outside listening to the birds, sipped tea and coffee, read (my reading was...

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Calendar Session

Two weekends ago, my husband and I were able to get away to the mountains for a wonderful, relaxing time celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary. It was glorious! We took drives, walks, sat outside listening to the birds, sipped tea and coffee, read (my reading was...

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His Best-Laid Plans

When I get to spend time with the East Coast Shultzes, I find that I get to see life from a different perspective. Being around loved ones I don't get to be around very often has a way of doing that. I married into the Shultz family and I sometimes joke that I married...

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From My Heart to Yours — His Best-Laid Plans

When I get to spend time with the East Coast Shultzes, I find that I get to see life from a different perspective. Being around loved ones I don't get to be around very often has a way of doing that. I married into the Shultz family and I sometimes joke that I married...

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Respecting G’ma

I LOVE summertime -- vacations, family visits, pool time, trips up to our Colorado mountains, eating just about every meal on the deck, laid-back, lazy mornings. My favorite time of year. Last week we had family (my aunt, cousin, cousin-in-law, and their 2 little...

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From My Heart to Yours — Respecting G’ma

I LOVE summertime -- vacations, family visits, pool time, trips up to our Colorado mountains, eating just about every meal on the deck, laid-back, lazy mornings. My favorite time of year. Last week we had family (my aunt, cousin, cousin-in-law, and their 2 little...

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From Little Girl to College Graduate

As many of you know, this month has been a big one in the life of our family. Less than three weeks ago we cheered, celebrated and rejoiced as we watched our eldest, Laura, walk across the stage to receive her diploma from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. That...

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Salt Lake City & Unmasking Untruth

Last week the boys and I went on another school adventure. This time to Salt Lake City, UT. In preparation, we did a little study on the Donner-Reed Party, Mormon pioneers, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Mormonism. We hit the road, entered Utah and followed the...

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Gone Are the Days of Resurrection Eggs

Easter. I love Easter. Holy Week celebrations, family gatherings, the smells, the food (HAM!!!), the traditions, and...the ham! 😉 Seriously, my mom used to say, "We need to buy two hams. One for Becky and one for the rest of us." I do love me some Easter spiral ham....

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Bible Illiteracy

The Shultz family is currently on a road trip in AZ. In fact, it’s 6:30 a.m., freezing cold, so I’m sitting in the warm-ish bathhouse of our campground. Needless to say, my blog is going to be short and sweet. Well, short and to the point. 🙂 I had a conversation a...

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From My Heart to Yours — Bible Illiteracy

The Shultz family is currently on a road trip in AZ. In fact, it’s 6:30 a.m., freezing cold, so I’m sitting in the warm-ish bathhouse of our campground. Needless to say, my blog is going to be short and sweet. Well, short and to the point. 🙂 I had a conversation a...

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My Sand-Eating, Child-Biting, Hair-Cutting Daughter

Hannah Ruth Shultz entered our world on March 2, 1996. She was our second daughter, so we felt prepared, convinced we knew what to expect. Daughter #1 was 2-years-old. We were pros. 😉 For the first 8 months of her life, things went effortlessly. Out of six labors and...

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God’s a Bit of a Show-Off

Do you ever find yourself questioning the Lord? His timing? His purposes? His lack of moving in a way you want? I do. You'd think I wouldn't. After all, I've known the Lord my entire life. I've witnessed the movement of His hand time and time again. I've read and...

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When We Walk Along the Road

Last week the boys and I took school on the road again. We explored and adventured through the great state of Texas. I seriously have only been there once, and that was for a world sport stacking competition, so I spent most of my time in the hotel or at the...

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A Different Kind of Resolution

I'm sitting here preparing to say goodbye to two very special daughters as they head back to CA later this week. One -- Laura -- will be finishing up college (seriously...we'll be heading to her graduation in May). The other  -- Hannah -- will be completing her first...

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