Distractions! How to Overcome the Enemy's Most Used Weapon

 Earlier this year, I began posting to my blog after over a yearlong hiatus. I had every intention of publishing weekly posts that were entertaining and empowering. However, as I got back on my computer today, I realized I hadn't written ANY posts since January! How did THAT happen?! Three months had gone by before I knew it! Well, the answer is probably one that you have experienced, too...I got distracted!

Distractions are one of Satan's most used tactics to separate us from what the Lord has called us to do whether in ministry, in mentoring or who we disciple, or what church we are called to attend. I believe that by causing us to think on other things, besides the Lord and His will for our lives, we begin to lose sight of God. And while we don't necessarily see that we are being distracted, we are slowly being pulled away from the Lord. C.S. Lewis wrote in "The Screwtape Letters," that the following methods are "useful" by the father below (Satan):

1) Keeping our minds on our inner life and aggravating the most useful human characteristic: the horror and neglect of the obvious. In other words, causing us to focus on things that don't matter over the obvious things in our spiritual walk, such as prayer and reading The Word.

2) Causing our prayers to be innocuous by making sure we believe our prayers to be  very "spiritual" and focusing on the sins of others rather than our own. This causes us to view those we are praying for as less and less real people and seeing their faults instead.

3) Everyone has a particular tone that they have taken with someone that they know are irritating to another. Satan wants nothing more than for us to be annoyed by that and ultimately by our loved one that is speaking.

4) Allowing us to have double standards for us and others. Judging the words of others with an oversensitive interpretation of the tone and context. We've probably all seen this before when a loved asked something innocuous, but we "hear" a tone, so we respond to what we believed we heard. This is all a tool of Satan.

So how do we combat all these methods? A lot of them seem like things I experience in everyday life! Well, we do the opposite of the methods meant to distract us.

1) We focus on the Word, stay in prayer, meditate on the Word, repent when we've sinned, and keep other believers close to keep us accountable.

2) When we pray for others, we don't need to know what the details of the problem or issues of others are. We simply need to know that "God knows" the situation! From here, we can establish fervent prayers that will avail much!

3) Check our tone! Oh, boy! This one hits close to me because I know that I DO take a tone with my husband and with my mom. That tone is something I have control over, and I CAN choose to NOT use it, especially when I feel frustrated or irritated or if I've had a particularly stressful day.

4) This goes right along with the "tone"! We ARE responsible for how we respond to others. Just because someone else has taken a tone doesn't mean we have to reciprocate! In this case, it's best to pause, take a deep breath, ask the Lord to help you with your response, and then, in love, respond. 

Now, I am not saying replacing these things in our lives will be easy. I know each of these will take time to implement into our daily responses. But the more we focus on the Lord, His will, and how WE are doing in our spiritual walk, the closer we will draw to Him and His protection in times of trials and challenges.

~Lyn

Come for the journey, stay for the friendship

One Word for 2025

 Every year since 2013, I have chosen One Word to help focus my life, my vision, and my calling for that year. If you look on the sides of the blog, you can see some of my past years' words. I've chosen words such as success, intentional, flourish, and imagine. Last year, my word was surrender. This year, I chose a word that expressed my desire to cling to the Lord, maintain my ministry to young adults, and not allow me to give in to failure and defeat. My One Word this year is....

I chose this word to remind me that if I commit my works to the Lord, my plans, in His will and with His guidance, will succeed. I do sometimes need reminding that I must walk in integrity, following through with things I've committed myself to completing, too. How easy it can be to simply lay it on the Lord and tell others, "That season is over for me for now..." when in reality, the Lord has NOT released you from that commitment! I struggle in this area because I don't see aa many young adults attending our meetings like they did two years ago. But in the past year, I've had to privilege of mentoring some pretty amazing young people on a one-on-one basis. That's what the Lord had for me to do, and so that is just what I did. Who am I to tell God HOW to run the ministry HE gave me?!

Finally, be flexible, moldable, and teachable with the word you chose for the year. Allow the Lord to show you how you can grow and mature and move deeper into the talents and calling He has put on your life. He has equipped you to do something only YOU can do! Trust Him to hone your skills, talents, vision, and dreams so that you can learn exactly what you were created to do for His Kingdom!

~Lyn

Come for the journey, stay for the friendship

Empty Nester? I Say Bird Launcher!

 As a mom of 8 kids, I imagined that they would all grow up, live near me in our town, have me watch their children, and we would celebrate every holiday and birthday together. When we moved to Florida, I realized that was not going to be the case. Sure, we had chosen to move, but certainly the kids would find a way to make US a priority and come visit. Well, that's not always what happens. My husband and I do go back to Colorado to visit our kids and grandbabies, and sometimes they come here to visit. But not for holidays or birthdays, really. You see, I had this idea that OUR family was supposed to be the priority for our kids...but that's not how God intended it, at least from my perspective.

What the Bible Says-

When each of my children were married, THEY became a family! We might say, "We gained a daughter," or "We gained a son," but really, we launched a FAMILY! That's what is supposed to happen when our children become adults and are married: they create families. My role as their mother stretched beyond preparing them for adulthood (I don't know if I did that very well...), and I became a bird launcher, giving them confidence to spread their wings and soar in t

his thing called adulthood. Each of our children has thrived in life, but they also know they can still call me or my husband to ask advice if they need it, or just call to chat. Would I like my kids to come see me more often? Of course! Do I want them to prioritize my husband and I over their own family? NO! I want my kids to feel confident in going and doing things with just their families and not feeling bad for it! I want them to begin to foster love, confidence, security, and independence in their children, just as we did for them when they were little. 

I believe that the best thing we can do for our children as they grow and move into adulthood, marriage, and parenthood is to support their efforts and give them confidence to become independent families. Our children will always be our babies, no matter how old they are, and they won't cease being our children just because they get married. Helping them to create solid foundations in their families is a priceless gift we can give them.

When you feel as though your children are no longer a part of your life or that you're an empty nester, just remember that they will feel love, supported, and confident when we don't pressure them into prioritizing OUR family over THEIR family. You've done a great job raising your children, mama. Now give them the freedom to do the same!

~Lyn

Come for the journey, stay for the friendship

Welcome back! New season, new blogs posts, and new topics!

 Wow! It has been a few years since I came here to join you all in our journey with the Lord. In upcoming posts, I'll share some insight as to why I've been absent, but for now, let's talk about what is coming for Super Mom the Illusion!!

New Season-

In 2021, my husband, mom, and I moved from Colorado to Florida! It had been a goal for my husband and I to retire here, and the timing aligned beautifully. We quickly found a wonderful church and the people there became our family. I'm not sure how to describe the feeling of just becoming friends with someone yet also feeling as though you've known them for years, except to say, it was a God-ordained joining. When we moved, our kids (all adults at that point!) chose to stay behind in Colorado. That was a difficult transition since we had NEVER lived anywhere without children! The loneliness I felt as a mom, knowing my kids didn't need me, was almost unbearable. I questioned whether we had mad a mistake in moving. But now, three years later, the kids are thriving as productive adults. I talk to most of them weekly, which makes the days go by faster. After our move, my husband took a job as a truck driver, a position he had in Colorado. But this time, he was over-the-road, not regional as he had been, so instead of being gone for a couple of days at a time, he's gone 2-3 weeks at a time. More loneliness began to overwhelm me. The Lord started to whisper in my ear what He had called me to do. I'm called to write, so that is exactly what I intend to do! With this new season, I'll be posting weekly topics on being an "empty nester," getting involved in your church and community, and how to combat loneliness in our senior years.

                            New Blog Posts-

If you've read this blog in the past 10 years, you know that I used to post Christian book reviews. Well, the good news is, we're bringing that back! I had a goal several years ago to read at least 12 books in a year. Since I was reading books and posting reviews of them, that year, I actually completed almost 20 books! As an author myself, I also want to encourage you to write your story. Someone may be waiting to hear what you have to say...and it may just change their life! 

New Topics-

As I mentioned earlier, I'll be posting on being an "empty nester," (though I refer to it as being a bird launcher!), getting involved in your church and community, and combating loneliness. I'll be sharing insights into weekly Scripture reading, what the Lord has shown me through sermons, and cleaning and organizing hacks, vision board and prayer board creation, and so much more. I have some new things in the works, too, that will hopefully be premiering in June, but there are still some details to work out. I'll keep you posted on that!

Finally, I want to hear from YOU! What things are you interested in reading, learning more about, or just want reassurance that you're not crazy or alone in?  

So, starting in February, get ready to jump back into Super Mom the Illusion!!

~Lyn
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!

Super Mom: The Empty Nest Season

 I enjoy when my children call me just to share their day or week with me. Though we are as far apart as nearly 1,500 miles, those phone calls and texts just seem to make the miles disappear. It's like we're just a few blocks away, like it was before we moved from Colorado to Florida. 

Then, there are those times that make the miles seem endless. Holidays apart from our children are the most difficult for me, especially Thanksgiving and Mother's Day. I truly do enjoy seeing all the social media pictures of the moms with all their children, and even  their grandchildren, too! But my heart is missing the parts of my children and grandchildren during those celebrations.

I saw a video that said that when a woman is pregnant, the cells of her baby cross the placenta and go into the mother. They never go away, and they always remain a part of her. WOW! That's an amazing thing God has done in us, Mommas! You see, we long for our children and feel like something is missing when they are apart from us because something IS missing! It's in these moments, when are children aren't near us that we can take comfort in the fact that they will always be part of us! 

~Lyn

Wives of Integrity Online Conference

 I wanted to let you know about the 2023 Wives of Integrity Online Conference, which kicks off THIS THURSDAY. As more details come out, this event just keeps getting better and better - and you don’t want to miss it!

I can’t wait for you to hear from the 40+ Christian marriage experts being featured and learn the best strategies to experience God’s design for your marriage. It’s going to be absolutely life-changing for those who attend!

You’re going to hear from me about "Preparing for and Thriving In Your Empty Nest Years"!

You’ll also hear from some of my friends, including:

Carlie Kercheval

Jennifer Daly    

Holly Haynes

And a whole lot more!

These presentations are totally free to you until Wednesday, May 17th at midnight, as long as you’re registered! Here's my personal link:

Wives of Integrity Conference FREE registration

You can also get your hands on the ALL-ACCESS PASS for a reduced price right now. With it, you’ll get unlimited, lifetime access to all 40+ workshops, workbooks, and bonuses worth their weight in gold! The All-Access Pass price goes up on Thursday!

Check it out here!

I can’t wait to see you at the conference and to hear your favorite takeaways.

Click here to grab your free ticket!

~Lyn 

P.S. Know of any other wives who could benefit from this free event? If so, hit the SHARE button and send this to them right now before you forget. :)

Super Mom: The Empty Nest Season

 I knew my children were growing up. I knew they would eventually move out of the house and start their own lives with their own little families. But honestly, I didn't know eventually would happen so quickly in my life! I've been a homeschooling mother since 1994! My children have all graduated, drive their own cars, have their own jobs, and have their own homes. My husband and I have successfully raised our chicks, and they have flown from the nest. So what happens now? And what am I supposed to do with myself now that I'm not raising and educating my kids?

I wish there had been a manual or a preparedness book to prepare me for the massive amounts of emotions that seemed to overwhelm me in those days after we left Colorado and began a new season (and a wonderfully warm one at that!) in Florida. But there wasn't, at least not that I had found. And so, I am hoping to prepare you mamas who still have little ones, and maybe not so little ones, for what to expect. Kind of a "What to Expect When You're Expecting An Empty Nest"!

I want to assure you that your children will still need you! You haven't stopped being their mother, you haven't ceased being a mother at all. You're role will likely become more that of a friend and a counselor. Being a mother isn't just who you are and what you do. It was a role you had for a season. I want you to consider some things that may help prepare you as your children begin moving out of the house. What did you do in life before you had children? What were some activities you enjoyed, places you visited, and events that you looked forward to? Are those things that you still enjoy and have interest in?

If I can help another mama transitioning from actively parenting to empty nest, then I'll gladly share all I've learned. The truth is, though, none of us will transition in the same way. Some of us watch as our children leave for the military or get married or go off to college far from home. Some of us will move away from our grown children and perhaps our grandchildren. Some of us will mourn the loss of our "babies" as they move on with their own young lives. Some of us will rejoice that we finally can enjoy time with our husbands in more spontaneous ways! Some of us will have happy days while others seem to be sad all the time when we think about our children not being in the home anymore. Some of us will talk to our children daily and others may talk to our children once every few weeks. 

I searched for ways to ease what I was feeling, but none of them fit me just right. So, here I am sharing with you what I'm going through in hopes that it will prepare you for your own journey into this new season of having an "empty nest."

If you're already an empty nester, what tips would you pass on to women who are approaching this season?

Lyn~

Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!