2020 has been crappy in lots of ways. I don’t need to list them all; you’ve lived it, too.
But it has also been an awakening of sorts, to our rawest priorities and the soul’s craving for quiet, for relationships, for peace. My family has built a stack of precious and unexpected memories this year that might not have been planted nor bloomed under our typical routine of busyness and noise.
And I’m grateful.
So when I think back to the goals I set my for myself and my family this time last year, and how COVID caused many of them to scatter or halt, I wonder if it makes any sense to set goals again this year at all. I mean, if we’ve learned anything it’s that plans are best held loosely. Pivot is the word.
Yet there are some goals you and I can establish and pursue regardless of our circumstances. Goals to grow closer to God, to know Him better, to teach His wisdom to our kids. Those kinds of goals are far different from my 2020 list (build a house, book more speaking engagements, take a spring break vacation—ha! thwarted, thwarted, and thwarted). Personal development isn’t always a tangible, measurable achievement. Yet it is perhaps the most valuable goal of all.
So this new year, I want to encourage us all to choose growth, even in the midst of a stifling situation.
What does that look like for you? Maybe it’s a personal Bible study, or a family devotion, or hiding in the closet with a prayer journal and a bag of M&Ms. {What, is it just me?}
No matter where we are or what the world looks like outside, God is WITHIN us, and He will never leave us. He doesn’t quarantine, amen? We have access to Him every moment of every day. And investing in ourselves—the people He thought up and loves unfailingly—and in our relationship with Him and with the people He gave us… that’s just smart planning. No matter what the year may bring.
Below are some opportunities to invest in YOU and your family this coming year. These are activities I’ve either created or been personally involved in and highly recommend. They all have a similar purpose: to encourage and equip you to face 2021 with a renewed hope. Jesus is already there, after all. We can move forward with confidence, unafraid.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Equipping Godly Women Conference
Would you like to read your Bible more consistently, enjoy God’s Word more, or get more out of the time you do spend reading Scripture? Here’s a chance to learn how.
Equipping Godly Women is a free online Christian women’s conference coming to your computer January 18–21. This fun virtual event is designed to challenge, encourage, and equip you to fall in love with God’s life-changing Word like never before. Over the course of four days, you’ll hear from twenty speakers {I’m one of them!} on topics including:
- How to Fall in Love with God’s Word
- 7 Easy Tips for Better Bible Study
- Creating a Family Bible Study Routine You’ll All Enjoy
- Easy Bible Journaling Techniques to Fall in Love With
- How to Partner with God and Stand Strong
- How God’s Word Can Heal Your Heart
- How God’s Word Can Help You Overcome Crankiness {yes, that’s mine}
- and more!
Learn more about this year’s conference and grab your free ticket HERE!
SocialWised U
Tired of fighting with your kids about social media?
Wish that someone would help you communicate more peacefully with your child about screen time?
You wouldn’t give your child the keys to a car before going through driver’s ed, so why would you give them access to technology with training them how to use it wisely?
I’ve got the answer for you! It’s called SocialWised U.
SocialWised U is a 7-part e-course on a mission to “Prepare, Protect, and Empower” families with dual citizenship in the real and cyberworld. There are plenty of folks ranting about the evils of social media. But my friends Jami Amerine and Katie Reid—authors, speakers, freedom teachers, and moms to many—were quick to realize that those rants, while effective at scaring parents, were doing nothing to help families guide and educate their children in a world where social media is a leading source of communication.
SocialWised U explains how three parts of the mind work, while simultaneously teaching principles that will guide you and your children toward a healthy relationship with social media and each other. I had the honor of working with Jami and Katie to build their course site, which gave me the wonderful chance to preview their content. And it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before in the parenting e-course space. The combination of Jami’s calm presence and Katie’s enthusiasm will appeal to parents with kids at every age level and truly help reform your communication with your children.
If you have younger kids, this course is an essential foundation to setting them up for success with social media. If you have older children, it’s not too late. The course material can help reset their minds to make better choices online and in life. Jami and Katie have provided games and activities for younger children and candid teen talks for teens, and stimulating teachings for you, the parent, and so much more!
Ditch the lectures and start equipping your family to thrive on social media. This e-course includes:
- Image-drive videos
- Fun phone lockscreens
- Check Your Selfie, adorable children’s ebook
- Activity Guides for each Lesson
- Engaging characters for younger kids (illustrated by Jami)
- Candid Conversation about touchy tech subjects
- Conversational panel discussions
- Downloadable art
- Coloring sheet
- Games on-the-go
- Teen Talk videos
Whether your child has yet to log in or has multiple user names, SocialWised U will show you how to experience less panic when it comes to your kids and social media. Click HERE for all the details.
Intentional Parenting Bundle
Don’t let another year go by in a flurry of activity and reactions to the people and circumstances around you. Discover how to be a proactive, intentional, HAPPIER parent with this special bundle of my most popular resources:
- Let’s All Get Along—A parent/child Bible study designed to help siblings live in harmony (which means Mom can enjoy some peace, too!)
- The 5-Day Cranky Mom Challenge—A series of 5 videos and accompanying Bible study guides designed to lift you out of your grumpiness and enjoy your kids more than you scold them. Let the transformation begin!
- Fantastic Friendship!—A parent/child small group Bible study based on verses from the book of Proverbs, created to teach kids (ages 6-12) how to choose good friends and be a good friend.
- Parenting Backwards—My flagship online course designed to help you develop an intentional, proactive approach to raising today the kind of family you dream of for the future.
The total cost of these four products is $95, but in the Intentional Parenting Bundle you’ll get all four resources for only $37. That’s 60% off retail price! The bundle is only available for a limited time, as a New Year special. Click HERE for all the details and benefits.
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If I had a latte in my hand, I’d raise a coffee toast to a new year, a new focus on family and self {for all the right reasons}, and a renewed passion for following Jesus in everything we do. And on those days when everything falls apart and we mess up? Praise God for grace. It covers us every time.
Happy New Year, friends. I’m praying God will bless you BIG TIME in the coming year.
Much love,
Becky