Being thankful can be difficult in good times.

Add in times of struggle, moments of challenge and the stresses of every day life and being thankful can be even more difficult.

But what about when God asks us to be thankful FOR the struggles, challenges and stresses?

“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18

What if He is using these uncomfortable circumstances for something good in our lives?

Charles Spurgeon once said,

I’ve been thinking about this quote.

Kiss the waves

Being thankful for the waves

Remembering that the waves, the struggles of life throw us against the Rock of Ages.

“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2

The waves can be annoyances, frustrations, problems or challenging circumstances.

The waves can be your washer breaking, getting rear-ended while driving to the park, your kids not getting along, your day not going as planned, a miscommunication in marriage, an unexpected expense, a problem with a friend.

Continue reading Being Thankful – Learning to Kiss the Waves at Our Goodwin Journey.

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“You have family mottos?”

“Yeah… Well, we have these phrases that my dad taught us. My mom added some too.”

This is a common conversation when people are talking to our girls.

The next question is always “What are your family mottos?”

Soon, three Goodwin girls are reciting by memory our list of fun family mottos that are a part of our family culture.

They are good mottos to live by and things that our girls can fall back on throughout their lives.

I shared a few of our family mottos briefly in this post but I’ve been asked by some of you to expound a bit and share them all.

Apart from family devotions and parenting ahead, these family mottos are at the core of raising our girls especially in their teen years.

What is a motto?

Dictionary.com says “an expression of the guiding principle of a person, organization; a sentence, phrase, or word expressing the spirit or purpose of a person, organization.”

What is a family motto?

A phrase or slogan that is a guiding principle for your family or a sentence that expresses the purpose or spirit of your family.

Continue reading Family Mottos – Good Mottos to Live By at Our Goodwin Journey.

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Families in transition face some monumental challenges in the weeks and days leading up to a major life transition.

We are realizing again how traumatic, overwhelming, exciting and emotional these global transitions can be for the whole family.

For families in transition, finding the resources, help, and needed support can be difficult.

Especially for families in transition around the world on constant repeat.

For our family, we all sense the next transition and begin feeling the effects about 2 months prior to the move.

We all feel the emotions building. We all experience the mixed mental challenges of being here and being there at the same time.

So many decisions, goodbyes, frustrations, to-do lists and challenges come into play each day through a cross cultural move.

Stress rises, tensions escalate and tears flow.

Random meltdowns for kids and parents alike are normal for families in transition.

Sometimes teachers notice, sometimes friends feel the tension, sometimes close family sees the effects of another move. Generally, people aren’t sure what to do or how to help.

But what can we all do to help families in transition get through the moving season in healthy, good ways?

Continue reading Tips for Strengthening Families in Transition at Our Goodwin Journey.

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You are on the hunt for something fresh… newsletter ideas to get you in the writing mood.

You know it is time to send out your next newsletter but you just aren’t sure what to say.

You wait another month. And then another.

And pretty soon, it has been ages since you’ve last communicated with your support base.

Or, you send out newsletters regularly but no one opens them. No one responds to them.

Not only do you spend hours trying to get yourself to actually write the newsletter, when you do start writing, out flows this amazing, deep, full-of-numbers, picture-packed, newsy ebook that even your mom thinks is too long.

You probably spent a whole day designing the colors and the fonts and editing your pictures to be just so.

Only to have it go unread by the hundreds of people you’ve sent it to.

So why do it? Why should we send out newsletters?

I’ve been asked a few times recently for my thoughts on writing newsletters.

“We desperately want to write newsletters that people will excitedly read and not cast aside because they’re long and boring.” – new blog reader

Newsletters are important.

Continue reading Newsletter Ideas For Overseas Workers at Our Goodwin Journey.

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Looking for real, lasting, life changing methods and solutions?

Are you looking for things that will drastically impact your daily life?

For me, this happens when I’m reading the Bible and a certain phrase stands out from the rest.

A verse that jabs my heart and tugs at my conscience.

I quickly grab my journal and a pen and write the verse down. Maybe taking a highlighter and marking it in my Bible. Maybe I write it on a small white card so I can memorize it while I do the dishes.

Maybe you find yourself doing those same things when God’s word speaks to you in life changing ways.

However we choose to mark the moment, it is a precious thing when God speaks. His voice lovingly brings peace, correction, conviction, hope, direction and if we let Him, purification.

I’ve come to realize a beautiful pattern to the purification process.

I can sit and write in my journal all day long about how God is speaking to me. I can stand at my sink and memorize the time away.

Continue reading 10 Life Changing Phrases that Purify at Our Goodwin Journey.

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