Announcing a A New Website

When we brought our firstborn son home from the hospital nine years ago I could scarcely take my eyes off him. I remember silently creeping into his room when he was sleeping just so I could take another look. He was so very beautiful. After nine months of discomfort (read: misery) and and the excruciating pain of labor, I now had this perfect little child in my arms and he was everything I could have ever hoped for.

That’s pretty much exactly how I feel about MY NEW WEBSITE.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but seriously y’all, I put some hard labor into this thing and now I LOVE IT.

I love it and I want you to be a part of it.

As I began preparing to (very soon!) publish workbooks to accompany my book, His Word Alone; A call to put down your Bible studies and pick up your Bible, I realized I needed a more expansive site to fit everything in, so I got to work.  After countless hours on chat with tech support, and YouTube instructional videos galore, I can finally introduce you all to the finished product…

www.HisWordAlone.com

Well?!  WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!  Go ahead and take a peak!!  I’ll wait right here.

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Ok, now be honest.  Do you love her, I mean it, as much as I do?!

That would be pretty weird if you did, because I’m strangely obsessed with it right now, but do you at least like it a lot?!

So, what does this new website mean to all you faithful earlymorningmama.com subscribers?  If you elected to follow earlymorningmama by email, then you should be good to go.  I will transfer all earlymorningmama email subscribers over to my new website address.  HOWEVER, if you follow through any other means (such as only via WordPress), then you’ll need to sign up to receive email notifications from the new site.  It’s super easy.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the home page – http://www.HisWordAlone.com – fill in your email address and voila!  You and I can stay in touch just like in the good ole’ days.

If you’re not sure which way you signed up with me initially, then go ahead and sign up at the new site.  I’ll make sure to delete any duplicate email addresses and no harm done.

I really can’t express to you how sincerely grateful I am to you all.  There is no shortage of people clamouring to be heard in this big world of ours, and I don’t take for granted the fact that you have elected to hear me.  That is significant.  And I am so deeply encouraged by you.

If you enjoy the new site, I would love for you to share it with your friends.  I believe the workbooks my publisher, Rockenbaugh Mountain Revival, and I will be putting out soon will be incredibly beneficial to those hoping to grow their understanding of Scripture.

And that is my heart in all of these efforts – that people would come to know and love God through the determined study of Hiw Word.

I would appreciate any help you can offer by directing people to my site and the resources I offer.

Ok, friends, I think that’s it for this small little corner of the internet I have had the great honor of hosting these last three years.  I’ll see you over at HisWordAlone.com!

Early Morning Mama, signing off.

 

 

Discipling your Children “as you go”.

As a stay-at-home mom of three young boys, I’ve spent a large majority of the past 9 years in the presence of my children. I’ve gone through phases where this felt good, and right, and the very place I wanted most to be.

I’ve also gone through phases where I felt as if my whole life was passing before my eyes as I changed diapers, calmed tantrums, and wiped little noses.

I’ve cried tears of joy as I watched another little one take his very first steps, and I’ve cried tears of frustration at the end of another day where nothing seemed to have been accomplished.  (And I may have, on occasion, cried for both of these reasons on the very same day.)

To be a mother is to be capable of feeling all of these conflicting feelings all at the very same time.

But through it all, the Lord has graciously grown within me an understanding that what He has put before me at this very stage of life is by far the most important work I’ll be given in this life.  The work of discipling my children. 

As followers of Christ, we are called to make disciples.  To spread the good word of God’s good work far and wide (Matthew 28:19).  And as parents, our children are our primary disciples.  They are the very first ones we usher toward Christ.

But in the hustle and bustle of everyday living, how do we do that?  How do we live out the Lord’s command that we teach our children to follow Him in the midst of diapers, dinner, and toy dinosaurs?

Read the rest of the post over at RockThis.org by clicking on the image below…

Follow Early Morning Mama on Facebook HERE.

Learning to Pray the Jesus Way (A blog series on The Lord’s Prayer) Part 1: A Disciple’s Request

Several years ago I wrote a 6 week study on The Lord’s Prayer.

I wish I could say that it was divinely inspired.  That I felt a particular calling to write this particular study at that particular time to the specific group of women I taught that spring.  The truth however, is that I was more inspired by the practical demands of the situation than the Holy Spirit of the Lord who ordained the whole thing anyway (unhindered as He was by the last minute coming together of details that had me on the edge of my seat.)

There are times when the Lord works in the least convenient way possible, demanding that we drop everything and make a complete about-face to follow Him in a particular situation.  Fortunately for me,  He can also be quite sympathetic to the many practicalities of our everyday lives and graciously meet us even when we’re flying by the seat of our pants.

I’m grateful for His ability to weasel His way into even our least inspired choices, because the truth is I chose to write the study on The Lord’s Prayer not because I was particularly interested in it, (sounds horrible, I know) but because it was…short.

And I was in a time crunch…

 

Continue reading at RockThis.org by clicking on the image below…

Follow Early Morning Mama on Facebook HERE.  Connect with an amazing community of Christian women on the Rock This Facebook group HERE.

Merry Christmas!

I’m truly grateful for you all who read and follow Early Morning Mama.  Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from me, Chris, and our boys!

Follow Early Morning Mama on Facebook HERE.  Connect with an amazing community of Christian women on the Rock This Facebook group HERE.

 

5 Principles That Will Revolutionize the Way you Read the Bible

Bible literacy is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart (which you may have already picked up on if you hang around here a bit).

I talk a whole lot about what Bible literacy is, why it’s so important, and how we can get there in my book, His Word Alone:  A call to put down your Bible studies and pick up your Bible.  If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet, pick one up!  And once you do, let me know what you think. I would honestly love to hear from you!

It is my fervent desire that all Christians would come to know and love God’s Word.  The reason I am so passionate about the serious, intentional, and individual study of the Bible by Christians is because His Word is the very means through which the Lord has claimed my heart and transformed my life.

His Word has met me right where I was at the time, no matter where or when.  His Word has relentlessly pursued me through the hard work of marriage, the endless delights and difficulties of raising small children, every insecurity and uncertainty a thirty-something-stay-at-home-mom could muster, and all the other ups, downs, ins, and outs of everyday life.  There is no pain to which God’s Word does not speak, no joy that it does not birth.

And perhaps the most beautiful thing of all these is this:  When we commit ourselves to the reading and studying of His Word, God Himself meets us there.  I know this to be true.

But I also understand that setting out to study the Bible on your own can be intimidating.

So, I’m here to help.

In my last post, I gave some tips on how to begin reading and understanding the Bible, including 5 questions you can use to guide yourself through any book, chapter, or segment of Scripture.  In today’s post, I’m going to tell you 5 things I wish I had known about the Bible before I even began studying it.  These 5 principles will change the way you approach Bible study by widening your viewpoint of God’s Word and correctly orienting you to it.  So let’s get to it. Click on the image below the read the rest of the post!

 

Book Release! And a Conference!

So, this has happened…

And I really couldn’t be any happier about it.  I love this book.  Yes, I know I wrote it and so that makes me maybe just a wee bit biased, but hear me out.  This book addresses an issue that I know many of you struggle with.  I know this because I have talked with many of you about it.  I know this because it is an issue I struggled so mightily with myself.  For years I studied books written about the Bible instead of studying the actual Bible.  For years I listened and read and thought about what others said about the God of the Bible instead of entering into the Bible to meet Him there myself.  For years I used Bible studies as my only Bible study instead of venturing into the pages of Scripture myself.  And when it finally occurred to me that I was studying around the Bible but not really studying the Bible, I decided it was time to put down my Bible studies and pick up my Bible.  That endeavor has not disappointed.  The Bible is the very means through which God has claimed my heart and transformed my life and that is why I am so passionate about women learning to navigate the pages of Scripture for themselves.   My heartfelt prayer is that the Lord would use this book to bring anyone who has struggled to know Him in and through His Word to met Him there.

Pick up a copy for yourself HERE!  And if you do, drop me a line and tell me what you think.    Seriously, I want to hear from you.  I’m no big time blogger and I still recognize most of the names/email addresses that subscribe to this blog.  I truly and honestly want to know what you think!  Tell me!  And because I’m no big time blogger, I need your help in spreading the word.  Share the book, the link, this blog with those who might be interested!

And as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one post, there’s this…

That’s right, I’ll be teaching a couple of sessions alongside a few other AMAZING teachers and speakers in Nashville at the end of the month.  If you’re in the area, I’d love for you to come out.  You can buy tickets HERE.  If you’re not in the area, we’ll be live streaming so you can get to us that way as well.  Find more info on that HERE.  We’ve done absolutely everything possible to make this available to you, so join us!

Ok, I think that may be about all the HERE’s you can handle for one night so I’ll sign off for now.

I’m grateful for you ladies!

In His Name,

Summer

 

White Christians & Black Lives: How can we do better?

God’s Word addresses the hard things.  It goes with us into the difficult places.  It leads, guides and carries us to what is good and right.  When we don’t know what to do, or say, or how to even begin making things better, His word has an answer.  So what does God’s word instruct us regarding issues of racial tension and social justice?  Read my latest post over at rockthis HERE.

Stay connected!  Make sure to check out the rest of the Tribe at rockthis.org today!  Connect with earlymorningmama on Facebook by liking my page HERE.

Mirror, Mirror

This is a topic I revisit often, because I so often find myself needing to revisit it. Here it is for you again, too. Follow me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/earlymorningmama
for more from early morning mama each week.

early morning mama

I’ve spent a lot of time staring into the mirror lately. I’m aware of how vain that must sound, but middle age is hard on a girl. Maybe it’s the result of having three babies in four years.  Or perhaps it has something to do with the twenty-seven total months of pregnancy that resulted in those babies, the three solid years of nursing said babies, or all the child-rearing, toddler-wrangling, middle-of-the-night-time-soothings and everyday-life-still-a-happening that went on in the meantime, but dang am I all worn out now.

With each passing year that pushes me deeper into my thirty-somethings, it is becoming increasingly more obvious that my body was better suited for youth. The boundless energy that I use to know has long since fizzled into a 9 o’clock bedtime (that’s for me, not the kiddos – God forbid). The natural brunette tresses that use to come, well… naturally, have started needing…

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Inhibited Love

Time and again, I have faced my own inability to obey the first and greatest commandment: to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might. Not because I don’t want to love God in this way, but because the human heart can get pretty beat down in the process of living life. Can you relate? This morning, read the good news in God’s word written specifically for the weary-hearted like you and me…

early morning mama

My six year old son jumped out of our car and ran alongside a stream of children rushing into school.  I paused for a moment as I watched him go, making sure he got safely inside.  At the door of the cafeteria he turned around, obstructing the flow of students, waved his arm high up into the air and hollered at the top of his little lungs, “Bye, mom!  I love you!  You’re the best!” He turned and walked away. The other children look my way briefly, curious to see this creature so worthy of a kindergartner’s adoration.  For a second, things stand still.  I ponder that moment in my heart.  Then time unfreezes, and everyone continues along their way.

With three young children in the house, such shows of affection are still common in our home.  We hug a lot.  Give tons of kisses.  Hold tiny hands.  Tickle.  Laugh…

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Fathers and Grace

I wrote this post last year in the days leading up to Father’s Day. As I reflect on the very great gift my dad is to me this Father’s Day, I wanted to share it again.

early morning mama

I remember the day my father apologized to me. It was probably about ten years ago now. He and I had both been working hard at our relationship that was hard to work. It had been that way for a long, long time. Through the years, we kept on keeping on with the gritty task of restoring a relationship that had been broken. Lots of dinners and lunches out with slow conversations as we struggled to acquaint ourselves with each other. I say acquaint because although there had been no real lapse in our relationship time-wise, we had ceased knowing each other in the way you cease knowing someone when you hold on too long to an idea of who that person is that doesn’t fit them anymore. So to say that Dad and I were getting reacquainted doesn’t quite fit because neither of us were at all who we…

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