Christmas

Navigating Through the Messes & Stresses of the Christmas Season with Your Spouse

Christmas equals Christ but Christmas also has the potential to equal conflict. The pressures. The overwhelm. The expectations. In this podcast episode, Eric and I discuss common marital concerns that the Christmas season brings as well as what to do to avoid the strife.   Click below to listen. SHOW NOTES: Choose oneness over grandma.…
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How to Avoid Being Overwhelmed this Christmas Season

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Luke 10:40 It doesn’t take much effort on my part to act like Martha wondering…
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How to Find Joy When Your Heart Aches at Christmas

I got the text message right after the church service ended.  It said, “Mom passed away yesterday afternoon.”  My eyes welled up with tears as I turned to share the news with my husband. My soul has ached over the last few days, and I’m finding it hard to enjoy this season because the reality…
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How to Experience Jesus at Christmas

It’s an odd title, isn’t it?  I mean, really, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, so why on earth would we have to seek Him to experience Him at Christmas? Well, I’ll tell you why…. We can so easily miss Him when we’re standing in long lines shopping for gifts, wrapping gifts, planning…
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A Hope-Filled Christmas

Are you in desperate need of a hope-filled Christmas this year? You are not alone. Chronically-ill during the Christmas season. A death of a parent on Christmas Eve. A parent walking out of my life on Christmas. No money to buy our kids presents. The reality of not having a home to live in. I’ve…
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How to Have a Gentle and Quiet Spirit During the Christmas Season

I might as well just leave the following space blank seeing how I haven’t mastered this pursuit! 🙂 Take any woman who wears the hat of a wife and mother (or grandmother) and then add Christmas to the mix and, well, the last thing you’ll probably get is a woman with a gentle and quiet…
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How to Create a Low-Cost to No-Cost Christmas

Since I wrote my recent post on, How to Have the Best Christmas Ever, it kinda struck a chord for many women.  I’m guessing my sisters’ in Christ felt it was okay to share their hurts and fears. And let me just say for the record…IT IS OKAY TO SHARE YOUR HEARTACHE AND PAIN!   That’s what…
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How to Have the Best Christmas Ever

Buying gifts, standing in long lines, tensions building in relationships, concerns over finances, experiencing a bit of frustration, irritability, and exhaustion in trying to do it all.  Yep, it sure sounds like the Christmas season is here! Sadly to say, the Christmas season hasn’t always been an enjoyable time of year for me. From feeling like…
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Spiritually Thriving (rather than surviving) Christmas

The Christmas season is here and with it can come a lot of  expectations, anxieties, and maybe even some bitterness! Let’s face it, eating a turkey leg while sitting  next to your great Aunt Edna can sometimes be a little trying.  Please know that I have not perfected the Norman Rockwell image of our Christmas…
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Jolene Engle

Hi, I'm Jolene.
I'm so happy you're here!

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