I come from a long line of celebrators and joy-finders. I am an optimist by nature thanks to my upbringing. Lately, I've noticed doubt and earth-level rationalism lacing my thought patterns. I've hesitated over praying for something when logic and circumstances clearly point another direction. I've sought to protect myself from what seems like another unanswered prayer.

The weekend approaches with promise. It's virtually impossible to begin a weekend, or any season of life, without expectation. We approach wedding days, due dates, holidays, mealtimes, and Saturday mornings alike with a picture of what it will be, a definition of what it should be, or a dream of what it could be.

Almost 2 years ago, I held a phone in one hand and a newborn in the other. I was desperately seeking encouragement from my exhausted, immobilized state. I found Help Club for Moms through a YouVersion Bible reading plan and filled my dry bones with the Scripture rich encouragement. Even then, while looking for a way to keep myself going, God impressed something bigger on my heart. I knew this was for South Africa too. It’s for the nations - a community of moms encouraging moms in the love of Christ - we all need it.

Here is a very up close and personal article I wrote for Help Club for Moms. It’s a look inside the typically unblogged, un-glamorous realities of daily life. It’s geared toward moms for the ministry, but there’s some real truth and real talk for everyone!

I stopped eating sugar three years ago. Yet I keep making those dadgum No Bake Cookies every year as though they are the recipe for joy. The great news about 2020 is that we get a fresh start on EVERYTHING. We get to re-think how we do things and why because every.single.thing. is different.

Have you ever tried to make a change with no idea how to start? But you knew you needed to change? Whether it is health, marriage, family, or a bad habit, big changes are daunting. The minute I look at the whole enchilada of transformation awaiting, I feel overwhelmed and would rather curl up into a ball than start that ever-so-tricky and usually unrewarding step one.

Hello from Sleep Regression City! Little Jam and I are having regular late-night rendezvous in the nursery. The last two weeks have been a bit of a blur. I’ve grasped for quiet times with my Bible as much as I could, but have hardly cracked a page. Lifa (who does not sleep like a baby, but sleeps like a normal human being who sleeps all night) gets up at 6am every morning to have an uninterrupted quiet time.

Invasion of privacy doesn’t really exist in the Ladd house... because there’s not much privacy to invade. Chris and I share passwords to everything and copy each other in on emails or messages to a person of the opposite sex. All of Lifa’s online chats and access to devices are routinely checked. We see what kids are talking about, how they communicate and what is shaping their worldviews. Because of that, I want to say this to all the grown ups in the world: