Featured | The Grit and Grace Project

When You Feel Weighed Down, God Comes Through

“Save him, Mama! I want to saaaaave the ant!” My 2-year-old was giving me very clear orders as she bobbed up and down in the pool, engulfed in her life vest. Her eyes, the same color as the aqua water, locked onto mine in a determined challenge. I studied that unfortunate ant caught in the swimming pool. He was large as far as ants go, and he was still moving. I brought my two hands together, creating a cup, and lifted him out of the water, setting him onto the ledge before us. He was out but still struggling to break away from the little puddle I created while scooping him up. He continued to move but made little progress. My […]

When You Feel Weighed Down, God Comes Through Read More »

A young woman wearing a red rain jacket practices chasing glimmers by leaning her head back and laughing in the rain

Here’s Why I’m Chasing Glimmers Instead of Goals This New Year

By Rachel Hagstrom / Purpose, Featured

“Glimmers are micro-moments of regulation that foster feelings of well-being.” —Deb Dana I’m over the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ mantra and the pressure of setting rigid goals for myself. It’s not that I don’t believe in personal growth or the power of striving for positive change—I do. Setting goals gives me a sense of direction and keeps me grounded. But here’s the thing—when I focus too much on chasing goals and pushing for self-improvement, I often miss something just as important: the small, meaningful moments scattered throughout my day. And I know I’m not alone in this. How many of us are living in a constant rush, juggling multiple roles, plowing through to-do lists, and running from one meeting to the

Here’s Why I’m Chasing Glimmers Instead of Goals This New Year Read More »

Humanity Comes Alive When Disaster Strikes

By Darlene Brock / Purpose, Featured, Life & Culture

Hurricanes Irma, Ian, and Helene… The outbreak of tornadoes in the Midwest… And, most recently, the wildfires consuming California… all devastating natural disasters that destroyed property and disrupted or even took the very lives of some who were in their path. The communities hit by these monsters no one can control are currently in various stages of rescue, recovery, and rebuilding. Ours is one of them. As we work through clean up, as we begin the rebuilding, we are found helping one another. In some cases, we’re meeting our neighbors for the first time. We pass their home every day on the way to work, but today is when we introduce ourselves before quickly asking how can we help. Opening Our Eyes

Humanity Comes Alive When Disaster Strikes Read More »

Why It’s So Important to Have a Mentor and to Be One Too

By Megan Miller / Relationships, Featured

For 12 years (or more) we are taught. Being enrolled in school gives us structure and a guidebook to living. We are given this safe bubble of trial-and-error in playtime, classes, and teams. Then we graduate with no syllabus or bell to tell us our next move. Post-grad life is scary, post-wedding life is terrifying, and post-pregnancy life is foreign. We go through all of these life-changes without a compass. Years ago the word mentor meant nothing to me. I didn’t need someone telling me what to do. Nor did I have the patience to coach someone up to lead a life they loved. “You do you, and I’m going to do me,” was a mantra of mine. Until I had no

Why It’s So Important to Have a Mentor and to Be One Too Read More »

Life In Flux? Remember This Truth

By Sharita Hanley / Faith, Featured

“Everyone here loves you,” my boss said, “and I don’t know if you know what has happened in the last four to six weeks, but we’ve lost a ton of business,” he continued, before explaining that I was being laid off because there was no work for me to do. I had experienced this before, so I knew what I had to do. I had to keep my emotions, pray, and get to work. Literally and figuratively. I just need to buckle down, update my resume, boost my skill set, and figure this thing out, I thought, as I left the unexpected video call. “I’m going to cry, pray, and obey,” I told a friend. “Feel what you feel,” she said, “but

Life In Flux? Remember This Truth Read More »

Announcing Smart Living In Small Bites Guidebooks!

By Darlene Brock / Life & Culture, Featured

Do you ever wish you had a guidebook for life’s challenges? Challenges that feel insurmountable, and you would love guidance from someone who has already traversed the road you find yourself on? Something easy to read that allows you to feel comfortable with your hurts, feelings, and thoughts? We created those books in the Smart Living in Small Bites series. The first four are on sale now in paperback and Amazon Kindle eBook. Hard Marriage, Suicide Loss, Anxiety Struggles, and Past Sexual Abuse are the first of the subjects we are speaking to. Our writers, just like you, have faced challenges with nowhere to turn. This shared experience led us to help others facing what we had already faced. Each book in the

Announcing Smart Living In Small Bites Guidebooks! Read More »

Raise Your Boy to Become a Strong Man

By Ashby Duval / Motherhood, Featured

As a mom of four boys, I am thinking of the attack on manhood lately. It seems like I know a lot of great women and not too many great, strong men. I guess it depends on what your deﬁnition of a great man is, but I think most of us can agree on what it is not. And that’s not who you want to raise your boy to be! Unfortunately, due to cultural inﬂuences and the period we live in, I believe there is a rise in the number of passive, lazy, and entitled “boys who can shave.” Men who still live in their parent’s basements play video games for as long as possible, thus putting oﬀ such beautiful privileges such

Raise Your Boy to Become a Strong Man Read More »

You Need to Talk to Your Teen Girl About Sex, Here’s How to Do It

By Dr. Zoe / Motherhood, Featured

Are you that mom who would rather stick an icepick through your eye than talk to your teen girl about sex (seriously, it doesn’t have to be that bad!)? Or maybe the idea of sex conversations makes you squirm a little. We need to talk, girlfriend! First, let’s talk about why you need to have the conversations. Notice I said conversations. This really should be an ongoing conversation that starts in preschool. But if you are behind the 8 ball, and even if you fear that your daughter may have already had sex, take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. It’s time to talk. The reason why research has demonstrated that abstinence programs have not been successful (teens who participate in

You Need to Talk to Your Teen Girl About Sex, Here’s How to Do It Read More »