Do you have young kiddos?
Do you feel frustrated with finding time for God in the chaos of family life?
Many of us can relate as we recall those years or may even be going through them right now.
Most young mamas I coach or MOPS women I speak to express this concern.
Having time with God or even for God seems impossible.
In fact, my friend, Julia Roller, totally gets it.


Julia lives in San Diego (which is where Tom and I lived when our kids were little ones).
My kids could name sea creatures way before they could identify farm animals! I'm guessing it is the same at the Roller household! Shamu and Sea World were a huge part of our lives. When we weren't at Sea World, my kids played "trainer" in the backyard. Julia shares her parenting joy and a little southern Cali fun in one of her recent blogs: http://www.juliaroller.com/joy-parenting/
Julia picked me to take part in a game of blog tag. Part of the game is to answer four interview type questions about my writing life and then point you to another amazing writer who will be "IT" next week.
Here we go!
What are you working on now?

While working on this series, Becky and I also co-founded 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting. Our team is made up of moms and dads who are experts in their field (faith, family, parenting, education, adoption, single parenting, special needs, marriage, and more) Check it out. We also have a parenting blog you can subscribe to and a Facebook ministry page for parents. Right now we in the middle of planning a big conference in Minneapolis! HeartCORe Parenting Conference 2014. (very exiting)
I'm in the process of writing a book on prodigals with my daughter. I'm realizing many of us have young adults who are in a season of challenge and struggle. It is time we (the family of believers)were honest with each other and supported, encouraged, and loved each other rather than hide in parental guilt or shame. (Okay- I could get on my soap box here so...on to the next question.)
How does your work differ from others of its genre?
Parenting isn't just about behavior modification. If it is only about actions, the child's heart will harden. Eventually love looks like a conditional experience. Parenting the way God parents us is mixed with truth, justice, and natural consequences AND... discipline (training), mercy and grace (and sometimes punishment) . Love is choice we can make every day. Developing the child's character is a critical component to parenting with 1 Corinthians 13 LOVE.
Why do you write what you do?
I have found that unless I have lived it, I cannot speak on it or write about it. All 3 of my co-authored parenting books, have not just come from my professional background (licensed parent-family educator and certified elementary school teacher) but from personal experience so I can fully, honestly, humbly(!), and with a sense of humor relate to those parents or grandparents who read my books and are in my classes. I know it sounds a bit cliche but God definitely called me to this. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be an author!
How does your writing process work?
Organically I guess. The thoughts and ideas come a few different ways. One way is via the needs, concerns, and struggles expressed by the parents in my classes. Other ways may sound a bit strange. God will wake me up in the middle of the night, speak to me while I'm walking my dog, hiking ,running, or even when I'm in the shower. Becky has given me notepads to put by the shower and on my nightstand so I can jot things down before I forget! I am also a bit obsessive compulsive due to my huge passion for parenting and love for the Lord. This can drive my husband crazy! It is like... I get in the zone and can't stop!

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