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Hindsight is 2020. With that sentiment in mind, reflection for growth, I’ve decided to do this post.  On New Years Day 2020, I had friends over for an old-fashioned get-together. Remember those? They are my favorite form of hanging out. The beauty of this day was seeing our children, all at varying stages,  playing with board games and talking with each other. The TV was off, and it was not missed. It felt like a scene from another time, and I thought this may be the start of a new tradition. Well, that won’t be happening this year, thanks to Corona, but I’m not mad.  Because as Corona reared its ugly head, I remember being asked what’s one word that comes to mind as you navigate this new reality; I replied fortification. At the time, I felt I wa...

‘Twas the Night Before a Single Mom’s Christmas By: Jennifer Maggio ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the place,Only mom was stirring, as she washed her tired face.The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that something good might soon be there.The children were nestled all snug in their beds;While visions of Phones & IPads danced in their heads;And mamma rushed and rushed about – to and fro,Scrubbing the floors, and then….the commode.Mom quickly moved to the very next task.It was the laundry, dishes, and then…the trash.She paused for a moment for one bite of supper.Then, back at it again, with no one to help her.After her house was spic and span,She rushed to the kitchen – recipe in hand.She pulled out the flour, the sugar, and milk,In no time, she’d ...

This phrase has a hold on me this year. “All is calm, all is bright.” My heart yearns for this. You will recognize this second line of “Silent Night” describing the first Christmas. As we sing, we’re tempted to picture Mary and Joseph haloed in light in a nice clean stable, surrounded by serene animals, a shepherd or two, and a couple fluffy sheep. There is a holy hush over the scene as God looks down on the birth of His Son. But is that really how it was?   Realistically, no. Mary became an instant unwed mother and Joseph her silent partner—oh the gossip! They hardly got used to the idea when he and Mary were ordered to join thousands of others headed to their ancestral homes to pay taxes. They traveled ninety miles with a host of angry, oppressed Israelites.  The noise whe...

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love hot cocoa, Christmas decorations, Christmas music, snuggling under a blanket watching Christmas movies, egg nog, parties, and all the traditions that Christmas brings. I love seeing family and friends that I haven’t seen in a while. I love the reminder of childhood memories with aunts and cousins baking pies in the kitchen. But, let’s be honest. Christmas can be one of the most difficult times of the year for many, and especially for single parents. My first Christmas as a single mom is one of my saddest memories. My infant son and I spent the day alone. I was a brand new mom, and I struggled to find my way. Could I even be a good mom? I often wondered. I stared at my baby most of the day, as I laid in bed and cried. The...

Scripture writing plans are incredibly simple, yet incredibly effective for helping us read, interpret and absorb the Word of God. Rather than simply letting our eyes pass over a verse and perhaps miss its full meaning, writing Scripture down helps us absorb each word and really think through what the passage before us is saying. Each day in January you’ll have the opportunity to write down a verse. We suggest using a journal where you can add any additional mediations or prayers that the verse brings to mind. Click here to download the January Scripture Writing Guide! Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity  

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NIV. Christmas is different this year,like so many other things of 2020.My living room should be half-decoratedtwo days after Thanksgiving, butnot a single nativity has escaped the shed.Packing boxes crowd the house instead. Though Jesus in our hearts resides. Christmas eve will be different this year,like so many other church services these days.If we light a candle for Silent Nightour two or three candles won’t burn very bright,no chorus of voices will loudly ring.Virtual services the new normal thing. Yet Jesus will never change. Christmas day will be different this year.For the first time in 25 years all will be quiet.I won’t wake my son from his slumberfor Christmas breakfast, stockings, and presents,to toss t...

I had not given her my attention before. Not like this. A fifteen-year-old girl. With plans. With dreams. With expectations for what her future would hold. Marriage. Motherhood. Caring for a home. Working alongside her community. A loyal daughter. A loving wife. A trusted friend. She was someone to be counted on, a person whose word was her word, a person whose actions reflected her good heart. I began to imagine what it would be like to have conversations with her.  So I ask God to direct my imagination so I can speak with Mary. I want to talk with her, ask her–sister to sister, woman to woman, mother to mother: What was it like to say yes to God? What was it like to let your whole world turn sideways? What was it like to carry the Son of God in your womb? That week, I let God help m...

It may have been a recession, or it may have been that our finances on paper seemed insufficient for our plans. It may have been when the timing seemed wrong for making such a huge decision. At one of these times when there seemed an obvious direction (of playing it safe or doubting God), I re-read Genesis 26 with its ominous beginning – there was a famine in the land.  Famine portends bad news, but in God’s economy, that’s not always the case. This chapter starts off with famine in the land then proceeds to show us God’s blessing to Isaac. When we think of famine, we think of hard times, lack, shortages, scarcity, suffering, and as my parents would say, ways to “make do” – using the little you have to survive. And there was a f...

From a global pandemic, political divisions, social unrest, and more, this year has been defined by uncertainly, loss, and conflict. However, as I was reading through the book of Joshua, I was encouraged by some of his final words to the Israelites.  “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15 ESV) Joshua knew that the Israelis had a propensity for following other gods. He also knew that their close proximity to other peoples would tempt them to stop serving the one true living God. What I love about his statement to the Israelites is two-fold.  First...

                One of my dearest friends and I have known each other for more than twenty years. Years ago, we both lived in the same apartment complex and often shared meals to save money.  We had very little to call our own. As young single moms, we had furnished our government-issued apartments, albeit sparingly, with previously-owned, heavily-used, furniture, bedding, dishes, and the like.  Often, we were the thankful recipients of other’s throwaways. We stretched every dollar farther than imaginable. We worked long hours and often had more debt than dollars. We clipped coupons, worked multiple jobs, held garage sales, etc. – whatever was necessary to ensure we provided for our young families. Th...

Scripture writing plans are incredibly simple, yet incredibly effective for helping us read, interpret and absorb the Word of God. Rather than simply letting our eyes pass over a verse and perhaps miss its full meaning, writing Scripture down helps us absorb each word and really think through what the passage before us is saying. Each day in December you’ll have the opportunity to write down a verse. We suggest using a journal where you can add any additional mediations or prayers that the verse brings to mind. Click here to download the December Scripture Writing Guide! Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity  

Contributing Image: Canva www.courtnayerichard.com Sometimes I hear people say, “I don’t know if I hear from God.” How about you? Do you ever speak those words? To the contrary, can you remember if or when the last time you heard from the Lord? Because the truth is, He does speak to us. He just speaks in a variety of different ways. In this week’s post, I’m going to share with you a few ways on how to know when God is speaking to you. Again, God speaks to us in so many different ways. If you’re a wife, He speaks to you when you’re getting ready to address something with your husband or when you’re about to disrespect him (or if you’ve already done it). The Holy Spirit might whisper to you, “So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must re...