Life Flip Shots – How YouTube is an Answer to a “Mom Prayer”
October 6, 2017 KimHarms

It has long been a prayer of mine that God would make me aware my children’s gifts and talents. And that He would help me to be a dream cheerleader not a dream squasher. I used to watch my friend, Cinnamon, (yes that’s her real name) and think, “She’s got this mom thing figured out. I want to be like that.” When my boys were just toddlers, I watched her let her 15-year-old daughter play in a band. She invited that band to practice (drums and all) in her house. And she supported them when they sought out coffee houses…

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Life Milk Cartons, Tears and a Change in Seasons
September 18, 2016 KimHarms

(In my September post at Inspire a Fire, I reflect on the change of seasons in life and reminisce about the day I sent my baby to school.) Homemade cheesebread with marinara sauce. “Oh no, what if Lewis can’t open his milk carton?” Those were the first five words on the back-to-school lunch menu and that was the thought that ran through my head sending a fresh waterfall of tears down my face. Yes, I read the school lunch menu and cried. And cried. And cried. That was several years ago, but I remember it like it was several blinks…

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Devotions Boy Mom Monday – Proverbs 23:22 – Parent and Friend
July 12, 2016 KimHarms 1Comment

Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. I had a friend years ago whose relationship with her mother was strained. They talked regularly. And though they honestly loved each other, it was not uncommon for their conversations to end in utter frustration. You see, they loved each other, but they didn’t really like each other. One expected too much, the other couldn’t let go of the past. I have lost touch with that friend and don’t know where her relationship with her mother stands today, but I…

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Devotions BOY MOM MONDAY – Proverbs 22:6 – Direction
June 27, 2016 KimHarms 2Comment

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child up in the way he should go and when he is old he will not part from it. Whew! That verse puts a tremendous amount of pressure on us if we read it to mean that if we raise our kids right, they will become followers of Christ. Putting the full responsibility of our children’s faith on our own shoulders will surely lead to feelings of failure when one of them strays. I love the following explanation of Proverbs 22:6 from Captivating by John and Stasi Elderidge. This verse is not a promise about faith….

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Life BOY MOM MONDAY – Proverbs 21:9 – Marriage
June 20, 2016 KimHarms

Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. When my husband’s little sister asked him to read scripture at her wedding, she gave him free reign to choose whatever passage he wanted and opened the door for his crazy shenanigans. Corey stood solemnly in front of the wedding guests and read Proverbs 21:19. “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” After the laughter subsided, he flipped to the New Testament and read a much more appropriate wedding passage. It’s…

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Devotions BOY MOM MONDAY – Proverbs 19:2 – ZEAL
June 13, 2016 KimHarms

Proverbs 19:2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. Zeal is a good thing. To be enthusiastic and passionate about a goal is a great first step. But if zeal is all we have, we won’t get far. After I watched Florence Griffith Joyner break world track records in Seoul in 1988, my 12-year-old self was going to follow in her footsteps. I would be a runner, and I would run in the Olympics (forget that those Olympics sprinters are not white girls.) So I went out of for track…

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Devotions BOY MOM MONDAY – Proverbs 18:4 Deep Waters
May 30, 2016 KimHarms

Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;     the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.   “He’s 14, and he’s taken to grunting.” Yep, those words came out of my husband’s mouth on a recent double-date, and they are oh so accurate. It is amazing how much can be said in a grunt. There’s the “yes” grunt, the “no” grunt, the “I’m so tired” grunt, the “I don’t care” grunt. I could go on, but you moms out there with teen boys probably know exactly what I’m talking about. Grunting is not my preferred form of…

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Devotions BOY MOM MONDAY – Proverbs 17 – Forgiveness
May 23, 2016 KimHarms

  Proverbs 17:9 He who covers an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Without forgiveness friendships become superficial. They become catty. They can even fall completely apart. When I began dating Corey, I kind of dropped the ball on a friendship with a close friend. Where I used to eat with Rachel at our kitchen table, I now would head over to Corey’s apartment or go out to eat with him. My study dates with Rach became my study dates with Corey. And all the movie nights Rach and I used to have? Well, now I…

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Life Protecting Our Kids In a Porn Saturated World
May 16, 2016 KimHarms 4Comment

“No parent can protect their child from seeing pornography. Any mother right now will probably say, ‘Oh no, I pray over my child’, or “I home school and so therefore I can protect my child.’ When I hear this, I look that mother right in the eye and say, ‘You will lose your child. You, cannot protect your, child, from, seeing, pornography! They will see it. What you must do is, as a responsible mother and father, is prepare your child for the first time they will see it, and it will probably be before eight years of age in…

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Devotions BOY MOM MONDAY – Proverbs 16:25 The Right Path
May 9, 2016 KimHarms 1Comment

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death. Our family enjoys backpacking together. Following a trail in the woods away from regular life gives us quality uninterrupted family time, great exercise and an appreciation for all the modern conveniences we enjoy in our day-to-day. You know, like beds and toilets. 🙂 But it is important to stay on the trail. Veering off can lead to injury and/or getting lost. A couple years ago, one of our boys decided to walk along the rocks in a river. Not a big…

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