Dear Mushka,

Every Summer, I choose a few skill activities for each of my children to work on and a heart "theme" for us to focus on as a family. This helps keeps me intentional as I mother and also gives direction to our days. 

Here's what this Summer looks like: 

Skill Activities for my boys

Do a puzzle alone and with joy 

Be able to "read" quietly for 20 minutes (snacks help this)

Write all letters (for my 4 year old, just something to work towards)

Put shoes on and off by himself (for my 2 year old)

Ride bike without training wheels (for my 4 year old... check!)

Swim without floats (for my 4 year old)

Learn to use words before screaming (for my 2 year old, ha!)

Heart Focus for our family: Prayer! 

We're memorizing The Lord's Prayer (to the tune of Barney's "I love you") and spending meal times talking about what the words mean. 

We're also learning to be quick to ask for God's help as we exhibit fruits of the Spirit, trusting in His capabilities instead of our own (failing) strength. 

We reference this art print frequently, which also helps the boys learn their letters. I'll say "which fruit should we pray for in this scenario with your brother" and one of them will say "love!" or whatever and then they'll find it on the print and maybe even write out the word or trace it. 

These are simple goals, but they're effective and so helpful as we long to make Christ's name great in our home and beyond. 

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works | Titus 2:11-14

I wanted to expand and share about this particular verse because I think we think of grace as being the unmerited compassion of God, meaning we get salvation even though we don’t earn it. This is true! But our culture also seems to throw the word around as an excuse for not reading the Bible or praying- grace, grace, grace!

Praying and reading our Bibles is not what saves us nor are they the end goal- The goal is to know and love and serve and glorify God more deeply and fully. The above are just ways we get there.

But what Titus 2:11-14 teaches us is that not only does the Grace of God bring salvation, it also trains us to renounce (formally abandon) ungodliness and worldly passions. In addition, it trains us to live self controlled, upright and Godly lives.

So I think we do ourselves a huge disservice when we just say “grace!” as an excuse for something we’re not doing. Anytime we put something good above The Great it becomes a problem. 

Yes, we are human and we can’t expect perfection from ourselves. But let us start to recognize that God’s grace offers us continued growth to be the people Jesus calls his own!

Let’s be women who remind each other of this kind of grace. Don’t settle for half versions of grace.

I am so honored to live with zeal for Jesus and His goo works with you! Read Titus 2:11-14 on your own today and pray for grace to renounce worldly passions and live a self-controlled life.

Katie and Robert did a Q+A interview on the Dear Mushka’s IG stories a few weeks back answering some of your questions about theology.

Today they’re defining some difficult biblical terms to help you better understand the Bible and what you’re reading and how we behave as Christians.

Justification

Justification addresses your position before the Lord regarding righteousness. It’s a one-time change from death to life. It has nothing to do with you and what you have done, it’s 100% an act of God and when he moves you from death to life and you are positionally made righteous.

This is where God sees the righteousness of Christ when He looks at you even if your behavior doesn’t change.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the progressive renewal of your mind, body, soul (yourself) over the whole course of your life. This is the process of becoming more righteous throughout your life and is the ongoing pursuit of righteousness.

Why does justification and sanctification matter?

It praises Christ for what He has done. If you understand what Christ accomplished on your behalf and what the Lord credited to you, then you’re able to more fully and accurately praise and worship Him.

If you don’t understand what God did for you it’s harder to appreciate it. So knowing this helps you praise him for it!

It also helps you guard the Gospel from people adding to it. Having a good understanding of these terms and what they mean keeps others from telling you what you need to do to be saved and from adding untruths to it.

These terms also matter to encourage others towards holiness. There’s a temptation to think we’re safe and good, that the Lord looks at us with love and it doesn’t matter how we live, but the Bible makes it clear that this is far from the truth. It tells us to encourage our brothers and sisters to overcome sin. You CAN resist temptation and pursue a holy life.

Do we Sabbath?

We Sabbath following our interpretation of it where we use it to refocus, pause and rest. We like to work from a place of rest after focusing on the Lord instead of resting from work. Of course there are days when we're emailing or doing some work on a Sunday, it does happen.

Christians do it differently, we don’t think there’s a “right” way to do it. We’re not strict about it but do see it as a beautiful tradition. We practice the Sabbath as best as we can to praise the Lord by resting, enjoying our family, trying not to work (I stopped posting on IG on most Sundays).

Our Sabbath will continue to change and look differently over the years but the posture of it will remain the same. Praise and worship!

I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished. -George Muller

For years, I'd sit down to spend time with God & then pause because I didn't actually know what to do next. I felt like I was wasting my time, staring at a random Bible page or throwing prayers up based on whatever popped into my groggy mind. 

After reading this book, I decided to come up with a consistent routine for how I spend my time with God in the morning. Do I stick to it 100% everyday? No way. But it allows me to come prepared and make the very best use of my time with the Lord.  

I hope seeing this written out helps you prioritize your own time in God's presence. I'm not superwoman, and different seasons of life allow me different availability. But what I know is that I will never, ever regret meeting with my Lord & Savior every day, and He is worth the very best I have to offer. 

6:00 Alarm goes off. I get up immediately; that snooze button is dangerous! If I'm feeling extra tired, I quickly pray for energy and joy. God is so faithful to give it! I go to the bathroom, feed the cat, and fill my bottle of water. 

6:10 Sit in a chair in my office with my basket that has everything I need in it. Bible, prayer notebook, memory verse box, pencil, post-its (for brain dumping), etc. Having everything there and ready for me is crucial. Also: water, a blanket, and kleenex! 

6:10-6:15 Work my way through my scripture memory box. I use the system I wrote about here; it's such a quick and effective way to store God's words deep in my heart. When I'm ready for a new verse, I'll also use this time to write it out on a card. 

6:15-6:45 Read my Bible. You can read about the chronological plan I'm using right here. Most days, this looks like 3-4 chapters at a time. After I read, I think through a few questions; sometimes I write the answers down and other times I reflect in my head.

What necessary context do I need to remember from what I just read? What does this text show me about God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)? What does it show me about myself (sins I need to confess, examples to follow, promises to claim, etc)? And then how would these answers change my life if I took them seriously (what false ideals could I throw off, why might God be showing this to me now)?

Thinking through these answers allows me to move from reading God's words to meditating on them. If you've never done this before, it's where I've seen the most transformation in my own life. God's words are living and active... and it really helps to reflect on them beyond zooming through the assigned chapters.

6:45-7:00 Pray. First, I pray the ACTS acronym regarding what I've just read in the Bible. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. It helps solidify what I've read and allows the information to go from my head to my heart.

For example, if I just read about God leading the Israelites out of Egypt, I'd praise His strength and power; I could confess the times I don't trust Him to bring me out of a hard situation; I may thank Him for His constant leading in my life or for the examples we have in Exodus; I could ask Him to deliver me from a hard time. Something like that :) 

Then I use these sheets for other specific needs; I talk all what that looks like for me in these Instagram story highlights. Basically, I have a few things I pray for daily and then I flip to my day-of-the-week page and pray for those things/people. 

It feels funny at first, but praying aloud is a great way to stay focused and alert. I find myself less distracted, and more aware of who I'm talking to when I actually say my words aloud. Try it! 

7:00+ My boys start to stir at 7:00 which usually ends my morning time, but if I have a few extra minutes I listen to a worship song and/or read a chapter of a God-focused book I'm working my way through. I may also evaluate my goals, write down wonderful deeds of the Lord (Psalm 9:1), or sit and meditate on a specific verse. These last three things are all in my prayer notebook so I have them there at the ready!

In our home, we use passages like Deuteronomy 6:5-7 to help aid in our parenting and daily rhythms. 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 

We certainly aren't perfect (far from!) but are frequently evaluating and adding ways to keep our home Gospel-centered.

Here are ten practices that help us.

1. The first is simple, and it's to let them see us reading our Bibles. I can tell them until I'm blue in the face that I value God's words, but they'll only really understand it when they see me physically choosing my Bible over other activities. Often times, I'll re-read what I've read in my quiet time (which takes place before they wake up) while they're awake so they can see me using my Bible in everyday life. Bonus: It also helps my reading sink in when I see the same words more than once.

This is the Bible I use, but I recommend most Study Bibles. The ESV is my favorite translation. 

2. We try to start our mornings off with a time of praise and devotion to to God. Right now, we're working our way through Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, and have really enjoyed the simple thoughts that provoke good conversation. I read over breakfast, they ask questions, I try to give everyday examples.

Then I lead them in a prayer that relates to what we've just read so they can practice talking to God and sharing their hearts with Him.

Lastly, we sing a hymn together. Mostly, it's me singing and them acting crazy (real life), but they're seeing how to worship God and this practice helps to start our day off right. No matter what, we've worshipped together and that's a beautiful day. 

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3. We usually read a Bible story every night before bed, but we may move this to our morning devotion time when we're done with the above book. Regardless, The Jesus Storybook Bible is a favorite, but we've also used The Big Picture Bible and hope to use The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible this year to intentionally teach our children more about the Holy Spirit. We read one story at a time and point out characteristics about God.

As you choose a children's Bible, look for one that keeps God the main focus and not ourselves. After all, the Bible is a book about God! 

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4. We try to play scripture-to-song music at least once a day (usually during lunch). We love Seeds Family Worship & Sing the Bible. Often times, we find ourselves humming + memorizing scripture without even thinking about it. I still remember some of the scripture songs I learned as a child, and hope some of these will stick with our children, too. God says His words never go out void, and I pray the scripture they're hearing softens their hearts to God's truths. 

Having your favorite worship music on in the background is a great idea, too. 

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5. An older & wiser friend once told me that she used the Fruits of the Spirit to parent and something clicked in my mind. I didn't have to overcomplicate it or come up with our family values; they were already there for me to use! So now we talk about each one, point out when someone is acting in that way vs not, and pray for the Spirit to lead us towards these characteristics through His power. It's simple & helpful as we learn to love one another. 

I made this art print for Dear Mushka, really for my own self, and have it framed in our house where I see it frequently. 

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6. At dinner, we're working towards reading a Psalm together and then talking about it. We open up our "adult" Bibles and let them listen in as Robert and I talk about what we just read.

If you haven't caught on, mealtimes are are an excellent time for us to re-focus our thoughts towards Christ. They're expected and predictable, which helps all of us establish good patterns and habits. Do we do it 3 x day, 7 days a week? Of course not. But when we've worked 21 times into our week, we're much more likely to do it 10 or 15 times than if we'd casually tried to do it when we thought about it. 

We have a Psalm only Bible that stays at the table. I also love this guide to the Psalms to spark conversation or help me understand a specific Psalm. 

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7. Beyond our Bibles, we're growing quite the collection of Gospel-themed books to read throughout our days. Reading is a skill & passion I want our boys to develop, and I think it's important to put high quality, engaging, beautiful books in their path. Here are some of the ones we read over and over (and over) again!

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8. Scripture Memory is an area I want to grow in (for myself and my children!) this year. Last year, we started with Psalm 23, one verse at a time, until my four year old memorized the whole thing. We practice it a few times a month, but this year we're starting to use The Child Pack-- a scripture memory pack I created for Dear Mushka, just for children :) I tried to a year ago and we weren't ready, but now feels more right. 

One verse every two weeks. That's doable! And then I'm going to create them one of these boxes so we're constantly reviewing. I think I'll add this to our morning time together; it will only take a few minutes. 

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9. We'd also like to grow in the area of serving others together. James 2 tells us that faith without works is dead, which really means that we can talk the talk all we want, but the proof of our faith and love for Jesus will come when we walk the walk. I want my boys to see that this world is full of need, and that God has equipped us to help one another through our actions. 

One intentional act of service a month is my goal, but truthfully I pray it becomes a way of life for our family-- constantly looking for ways to serve and love our neighbors. 

Ideas: Taking meals to new mothers, visiting our elderly next door neighbors or local nursing homes, donating money to adoption fundraisers, volunteering at various organizations around town, putting together care packages for those in need, sponsoring more children though places like Compassion International, etc. 

10. Lastly, we want to be a family who prays together, always. We want to see a need and drop to our knees before our Father right away. Sometimes, this looks like praying when an ambulance zooms by. Other times, it means we ask for God's help as we learn to love our siblings instead of kicking them. 

We also want to be quick to give God all the glory when we have a fun day, see a beautiful sunset, eat a good meal, etc. 

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Of course (of course!) we don't do all of these things all the time. And the good news is that it's totally okay. We can rest assured that it is God who draws hearts to Himself, not our good actions. These are all ways we aim to intentionally plant seeds in our children's lives and set them up with lifelong habits to draw them close to God. But it is HIM who does the watering and growing. 

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. -1 Corinthians 3:7

Little has encouraged my soul and grown my faith more than the stories of Godly men and women who have gone before me. After all, we have a whole chapter in the Bible dedicated to recounting the faith of incredible people from the Bible (Hebrews 11) and the Psalms are full of directives to pass along God's wonderful deeds to the next generation. Hearing others' stories of lives lived fully, boldly, and faithfully is part of how we grow our own trust in the goodness & greatness of God! We see Him show up for them and our hearts start believing He'll do the same for us. Because He will. 

I try to read at least a handful of Christian biographies every year and thought I'd share some of my favorites (or to-reads!) here. 

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS FOR DIRECT LINKS

1. This is my current read, and I'm absolutely loving Brother Andrew's story. I can't wait to see how he gets from where he is now to where I know he ends up! 

2. Katie Davis grew up just a few miles from me with a very similar upbringing. God used her story to open my heart up towards adoption + increase the boldness in my prayers. Her second book, Daring to Hope, was just as beautiful. If you haven't read these, order now or find them at your library. 

3. Elisabeth Elliot has been a spiritual mentor in my life, and this book forms the basis for her subsequent ones. If you don't know her & her first husband's story, it will blow you away. Read on. 

4. Dare I say The Hiding Place is one of the dearest books I've ever read? If you didn't have to read it in High School, read it now! And then read all her other books because oh my heart, Corrie is just the sweetest spit fire for the Lord. In My Father's House tells about her life pre- The Hiding Place and Tramp for the Lord tells about what happened right after The Hiding Place. 

5. My brother told me to read The Heavenly Man and I'm so glad I listened. His story is incredibly different than anything we experience in the Unite States and my eyes were opened & challenged. I almost think I need to re-read this every few years as a reminder that God is so (so) much bigger than I allow Him to be in my life. 

6. Noel Piper put together this book highlighting the stories of five faithful women... and their extraordinary God ;) It's an excellent place to begin if you're just starting to read biographies (it's a pretty small book) & would be extra fun to read with a group of women. It's always fun to see which woman's story ends up speaking directly to each person's heart. 

7. Ah, George Muller. Few people have encouraged my prayer life like him. This book moves a little slower than the others, but I was so blessed by it. 

8. Oh Sister, you want to read this. It helped me understand both the Muslim faith  & the Christian faith in a deeper way and had me praising God for appearing to people in dreams. So good. 

9. Probably all of you have heard of C.S. Lewis-- this is his book that talks about how he went from being an atheist to a Christian. It's enlightening and beautifully written. 

10. Another Elisabeth Elliot book, but this time she's telling the story of Amy Carmichael. I actually haven't read this, but I'm off to order it ASAP because I've heard only the best things about it. 

11. Real talk: This has been sitting on my shelf for a year. It's a big, intimidating book! But I know it's going to be amazing when I actually dig in. Have you read it?

12. Last, Evidence Not Seen. There is something extra special about women reading the stories of women and this is a beautiful one. 

 Have a favorite? Let me hear it on Instagram! @dearmushka

The other day, a follower on Instagram asked if I had any book recommendations for her teenage daughter struggling with self-worth. I remember sitting in those struggles myself (oh, the angst!), but hadn't read a book on the topic in a long time.

As usual, you all came through. Here are the top ten suggested over and over again by you! 

(CLICK EACH PHOTO FOR A DIRECT LINK)

1. Enough, Kate Conner || Many of you suggested this one and I believe it also comes with a version for both adult & teen to read together, and a study guide, too. Lots of resources here!

2. Lies Young Women Believe, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth || I haven't read this book, in particular, but I'm a huge Nancy fan and know this book will be full of nothing but truth & wisdom. She also has a version for adults as well as many other online resources. 

3. Tailor Made, Alex Seeley || This was one of the top recommendations. I haven't read the book, but I read all about it + the reviews and it looks beautiful. 

4. Authentic Beauty & Set- Apart Femininity, Leslie Ludy || Both of these Leslie Ludy books were recommended countless times... it looks like she's onto something here! 

5. Captivating, John & Stasi Eldredge || Oh goodness, I remember reading this book as a young girl and feeling like it was written just for me. I still can't look at a starfish without thinking of it. I'm so glad to hear that it's still a widely-suggested book for teen girls today! 

6. In His Image & None Like Him, Jen Wilkin || None Like Him was the book God used to remove my low body image, turning my eyes off myself and onto Him, instead. In His Image is just as wonderful. I highly recommend both; they're full of Godly wisdom and truth.

7. Live Fearless, Sadie Robertson || I haven't read this book, but I adore Sadie and think she has a heart completely set on following Jesus + leading other girls to do the same. I imagine her words here would be exactly the truths so many teens long to hear. 

8. Uninvited, Lysa TerKeurst || I listed to a podcast interview with Lysa and she sounds like she has a heart of gold. I haven't read this but gosh, the subtitle sucks me right in. We've all had these feelings!

9. His Revolutionary Love, Lynn Cowell || Many of you suggested this or the 365 day devotion by the same name. 

10. Girl Defined, Kristen Clark & Bethany Baird