The Happy Gardener

by Janel Breitenstein | Apr 13, 2018 | beauty, work

Last week I told my husband, “We may need to make a bit of a budget in springtime. For your wife’s happiness, in the form of plants.” I started a few seeds, truth be told, in January. And then there was the twenty-cent seed rack: Canterbury Bells....

Wanted: Friends Who Know Darkness

by Janel Breitenstein | Apr 10, 2018 | challenging, children, closeness and intimacy, compassion, enduring love, faith, fear, friendships, grief, quotes, relationships

Recently I went to a friend’s house on a dark day. (Even now, it is hard to type this. I might be crying a little.) I’d been hanging out with her and her two-year-old son, Henry, every couple of weeks or so as they got their feet back under them after his...

Freebie Fridays [INFOGRAPHIC]: Helping Kids Deal with Their Fears

by Janel Breitenstein | Apr 6, 2018 | children, faith, Family, fear, helping others, Ideas, infographics, kids, listening, Parenting, prayer, relationships, shareables

We were on our way to the local aquatic center with friends in my trusty, dented little Subaru. We passed a few yard signs for our small town’s upcoming election. I was listening to my 10-year-old chat with her friends about how excited they were about...

What Ails You: On the Drive for Healing that Propels Us Forward

by Janel Breitenstein | Apr 3, 2018 | helping others, relationships, sharing your faith

I talked to a man a few weeks ago whose perseverance I’ve gotta admire. He was in a bad place–really hurting. So he called a local support group (get this!) six times, when his message wasn’t returned, to get connected to the help he needed....

14 Great Paradoxes of Jesus’ Death [printable INFOGRAPHIC]

by Janel Breitenstein | Mar 29, 2018 | free download, Gospel, Holidays; Occasions, infographics, Printables and Freebies

As we prepare to celebrate Good Friday, I’m marveling at these paradoxes bound up in Jesus’ death: all we gained through his loss. Hope it increases your overwhelming adoration like it does mine.  (PRINT IT HERE, and feel free to share if you like it.) Who...