Entering the Next Chapter

Merriam Webster defines transparent as having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering bodies lying beyond are seen clearly. Living a transparent life is not easy. It requires a large amount of vulnerability and honesty with not only others but also with yourself. I think this can be especially difficult for people who wish to portray a particular image to others and some of the people who struggle the most of this are Christians. It can be so easy to try to put on a façade or a mask and try to pretend to be what you consider a good Christian to be. The devil uses our pain, shame, and guilt to keep us in a prison of isolation and lies. When I was in high school I began my battle with depression. I had become so good at acting like the happy-go-lucky Christian girl without any care in the world that even my closest friends and family had no idea how deep my pain was. It wasn’t until I could no longer bare the weight of the depression and began inflicting s...

Hello everyone,  I thought I would start off my introducing myself. My name is Faith and I am a wife, a mother of two beautiful girls, a friend, a daughter, a sister, blogger, and a child of God. My blog is Daily Struggles and Uplifting Scriptures I often blog about what things I struggle with and how God is teaching me.  This is Abigaile my 7 year old  This is Elizabeth my 1yeaa Told you they were cute. At the beginning of the school year I began our first year of homeschooling. It is tough at times but I love being in control of what my daughter is learning, being able to help her at her own pace, and her curriculum. One of the books that we were reading last week is a Christian book about different Christian heroes of the past and present. This particular book was based on the life of George Muller. Now I had never heard of him before and just in case you hadn't I figured I would put a quick background to who he was from what I have learned.  ...

When I was little and walking around the grocery store with my mom I ran into one of my school teachers. I remember feeling completely shocked and confused. I wondered what she was doing outside of school. That was the moment I realized that my teacher was a real person and had a real life.  As I have grown older my views of people have slowly shifted and changed. I went from having one dimensional view of people to having a more detailed understanding of them as individuals. I noticed this happening after having Abigaile. I went from being the babysitter of many families to becoming the friend of the parents. My view of my mom changed completely. When I was young she was just my mom but now I see her as my mom, a wife, a daughter, a woman, and a friend. This change in our relationship has bettered me as a person because I am able to learn so much more from her and from others.  In the last two years I have gotten to know two amazing women. I have known them all my life bu...

Let me start by saying that I don't consider my daughter to be black... I see them as biracial because that is what they are. They are half Irish and half African American. But what I have learned is that, in general, society considers them to be black. For example, President Obama is considered the first black president.. not the first biracial president. Shortly after having Abigaile my husband told me that his family considered her to be black... "one drop of black in you makes you black." I didn't understand that logic because it is based off of old racist slavery thinking. I will raise my daughters to find pride in both sides of their background and I will raise them to be educated on the history of their complete background.  I am a white mother of three beautiful black daughters. This is an account of some of the things I never considered before becoming a parent and some of the concerns I never knew I had. Having never faced many of the issues I was complete...

Again it has been a while since I have written and a lot has happened. So what's new? My hubby has a new job... thank the Lord. It is a day job that is closer to home. I really enjoy getting to spend some time with him after the girls go to bed and it is much easier to not have to keep the girls quiet during the daytime.  Eb turned two years old... and she is acting it. We began the fits and pushing the boundaries.  We now have a new addition to our family. Charlotte was born on August 9th and is our third daughter. She is a very good baby, not that any babies are bad babies. Abbie started 3rd grade. I miss writing but often when I am under a lot of stress and am feeling down I don't do well with writing. Between the two year old and waking up every two hours for the newborn I am exhausted and feel like a shell of myself.  After having Charlotte I weigh less than before I was pregnant and I am trying to keep it off. I am making sure I eat plenty of good nut...

I wanted to respond to the many "Christians" who say that they are going to heaven because they are "good" people. I heard the Pope mention that Athiests will go to heaven if they do good works. Instead of ranting about what I think, instead I am just going to put scriptures that go against it. The vatican did say that they did not back what the Pope had said, but I still think it is important to respond because so many people in general believe it to be true.   (*I am not Catholic but I still found it shocking.)  Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—   not by works, so that no one can boast. Luke 18:18-29    A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you sh...

Warning: This is me getting on my soap box. As always I do not expect anyone who does not share my beliefs to follow my beliefs. I also do not apologize for honestly giving my thoughts and beliefs, but am more than happy to hear your views from you... so please share in the comments section.  Today my girls and I went to visit my parents church which is lead by Pastor Sharp. What he brought up was the way we conform to the world instead of rejecting the views of it. I think that often we end up conforming to the world's views through slowly compromising, most often through a process we call "Political Correctness".  This is a picture of the Grand Canyon. What amazes me is that they think the shape of the canyon is caused by wind and water (the river). It is said that a constant drip of water can shape and wear down a stone or rock. This reminds me of American Christians. We are built on such a strong foundation. We are built on the rock but through allowing just...

There are a ton of sites that have recipes that you can prepare ahead of time and freeze. Some of my favorite recipes can make enough for two meals (feeds 3-4 people), one to bake that day and one to freeze for later.  I love to spend a Saturday and make a bunch of meals ahead of time so when things are crazy during the week I can just throw them in the oven and go... the other good part is the time you save. By cooking ingredients together at the same time that work with multiple recipes. It took me about 3 hours to prepare 7 meals from 4 recipes. It also saves money because I use similar ingredients for some of the recipes.  Meal #1: Roasted Chicken Meal #2: Lasagna (My Hubby's Favorite) * Meal #3: Chicken Pot Pie (One of My Favorites)* Meal #4: Creamy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells* *- Recipe can be split to make two separate meals or can feed 6-8 people I do not claim to have created any of these recipes, they are ones that I have found and my have ...