Maryville Moms

By Emily Effler When you were a very small child, you began forming opinions about marriage, andyou’ve been building on that foundation ever since. While watching your parents, othercouples around you, and your TV, you slowly began forming conclusions in your mindabout what the wife should do, what the husband should do, what the normal [...]

For the record (for those of you who’ve been my teller at the bank, cashier at thestore, or anyone else whose interested), I do NOT have multiple personalities. Today I had a wonderful few hours to myself to shop and peruse the grocery store at my leisure. A cashier asked me if I had everything [...]

When most of us think of adultery, we think of some woman in a low-cut shirt wearing too much lipstick.  Or a sleezy dude at a bar slipping his wedding ring in his pocket.  Of course these people are out there, but the fact is, most people who cheat didn’t go out looking for a [...]

Bunnies don’t lay eggs.  If you follow a bunny, you’ll find a trail but I can promise you won’t want to eat what he leaves behind.  How did the Easter bunny become associated with eggs? The first practice of mass egg distribution can be traced back to 15th century Germany.  The German settlers who arrived [...]

Righteous! For those of you who have ever been to church at some point in your life, you’ve probably heard about salvation by grace.  It’s a basic doctrine that evangelical churches adhere to, which basically states that a person is made alive to God (born again) by His grace, through faith (believing Him).  However, in [...]

Digging in the dirt does something to the mind and body.  Fresh air, sunlight, and dirt…. ahh yes, spring is in the air. The great outdoors offers more than recreation. There are so many health benefits associated with just being outside.  I read the article Why Gardening Makes You Happy and Cures Depression.  The post compares [...]

Okay, so maybe I”m not wearing a muumuu… but a bath robe isn’t much better. With the beautiful weather we’ve had, a lot of time has been spent outside.  Barefoot.  With that said, a lot of trips have been made through the house from the backyard to the front, or to the fridge, or to [...]

“God wouldn’t want me to be unhappy.”  You can justify almost anything you do with this line.  Many people (including myself) have used it as a basis for divorce.  It’s tricky because it’s sort of true.  That’s how Satan gets us.  The best lies are always based on truth. Yes, God wants his children to [...]

I have recently been stricken with a case of “Mommy Brain”.  I’m not sure if you have heard of this, but most of you have probably had your own bouts of it in the years since holding your first bundle of joy.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, “Mommy Brain” is the [...]

Just when you think you’ve found a rhythm, something changes.  You adjust to your child’s nap routine, then he drops a nap.  You finally develop a system that works while the with the parent’s day out schedule and then spring break happens.  I’m not so sure that we’re supposed to be comfortable.  Between kids and [...]

I just stumbled across a funny editorial in The Washington Post, of all places. “OK, so only my husband voluntarily CHOSE to live with me…the other three, and the dog, I either made or bought, so I try to give them a break. After all, with me as a mom, sometimes it’s like being given [...]

by Elise Klepatz “Let us therefore strive (labor) to enter that rest…” Hebrews 4:11 Sounds like a paradox, doesn’t it? If you’re laboring you’re not at rest, right? Well, the kind of laboring I’m talking about here certainly isn’t childbirth! This kind of labor involves renewing your mind to the truth of the gospel. It involves taking [...]