I've moved......

Join me?
Dishes & Doctrine

The end of an era.....

This is me.

I'm actually not sure how old I am in this picture, but my hair is pretty amazing! Don't you think?

Although, this picture makes me cringe a little bit now, amazingly, I don't think it stood out much back in the 90's. As time passed and styles changed, I slowly changed with them (even if I was a little behind what was currently trendy).

Change is good! At some point, I had to admit that curled and hairsprayed bangs weren't "me" anymore and that is similar to what has happened here at A Steady Rain.

I didn't have a clear focus when I began A Steady Rain. I just wanted to document God's daily blessings! What a huge topic, right? It was a great fit for me as I learned the ins and outs of blogging. As God has graciously taught and molded me over the last six years, I have developed a love for stretching my mind a bit. I enjoy reading articles (and occasional books) on deeper theological topics. I pick my husband's brain constantly about questions that confuse or intrigue me.
I'm also quickly seeing that those topics are actually extremely helpful in motherhood. The more I know my God, the more I love him and can pass that on to my children.

I feel like the time has come to leave A Steady Rain. I'm moving to an online home more tailored to the topics that I'm passionate about and I'd love it if you'd join me!

The paint is still drying and I need to hang a few more pictures on the walls, but while you wait, I'd love for you to sign up to receive the new posts in your email when they are ready. I'm even planning on a bi-monthly newsletter with extra gospel centered encouragement and reminders for you. You'll receive a special free gift for being such wonderful guests at my new home!

Invite your friends to join us at Dishes & Doctrine or the new Facebook page! I'm excited to remind each other of the gospel and learn how to apply doctrine to the mundane (and crazy) days of motherhood.

Thank you for your support and kindness here over the years!

This isn't goodbye. It's just a new hairstyle!

Love you all!

R&R...

As a pastor's family we so appreciate the times when someone uses their resources or possessions to bless us! An acquaintance (now a friend) who owns a lodge and cabins about an hour away offered for us to come stay for FREE as a little getaway before the school year began! 

There was no cell service or internet which was actually pretty amazing! We needed that uninterrupted, focused time to regroup as a family! 

This was our cabin! It was SO cute inside! 

The boys had fun playing baseball in the woods next to our cabin. 

The weather was just gorgeous the whole time! 

The creek was FREEZING but the that didn't stop the boys from having tons of fun!  

We even went fishing and both of the boys caught something! 

We came back refreshed and relaxed (as much as we could be with three busy kiddos) and ready to jump into the end of summer activities at church.
We also officially started homeschooling this past week! I'm sure some updates and pictures will make their way to the blog and Instagram from time to time!

How has the end of YOUR summer been?

Motherhood is the reason not the excuse....

I feel like Satan is gaining a foothold in the hearts of busy women (namely young moms). We as moms are obviously extremely busy in a way that doesn't compare to any other job we ever have in life. We have kids demanding our attention constantly which is draining emotionally and physically. Many of us have jobs to help our family financially. We are involved in church ministries and work hard to take care of our husband's needs.

But more and more, I'm seeing a neglected area of our life -

Bible study

I see moms  (myself included) using our motherhood as an excuse to not study God's Word.
I completely understand that you might not have time to sit down in a quiet room with a cup of coffee (especially one that's still hot) and spend an hour studying passages in an exegetical manner.

We forget how blessed we are in this age of technology though. There are podcasts and videos constantly circulating the Internet that point our eyes back to Christ and His Word. For instance, one of my favorite Bible teachers has a podcast of her local Bible study group. I love to turn it on while I'm cooking dinner. Sure, my notes have grease splatters all over, but I'm able to fill my mind with Scripture while doing daily tasks. We may have had more of an excuse if we lived back in the pioneer days and had to churn butter, mend socks, and grind flour all while looking forward to our one church service in town on Sunday.

The farther I get into this thing called motherhood (and life in general), I'm realizing that Bible study isn't just a good idea that will make me feel better about my day. Instead, when I miss it, it leaves me spiritually weak and vulnerable to depression and self-sufficiency!

I want this generation of women to be Scripture warriors. How are we supposed to train the next generation with weak, watered-down understanding of God's Word?
Motherhood is the reason, not the excuse to deepen our knowledge and love for the Bible and ultimately the heart of God.

A group of ladies from my church are studying the book, Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin. If you need help, direction, or focus for your Bible study, I highly recommend reading this book. I love her passion for Bible literacy in this generation.



*This post contains affiliate links*

How to take control of Facebook {so it doesn't control you}......

If you're anything like me, you've had days where you want to walk away from this whole Facebook and social media thing! Recently, I took control of my Facebook feed by using one of it's built-in features.
It may not seem like rocket science, but it's been super helpful for me! To explain, I recorded a vlog for you!!



Email subscriber or can't see the video? Click HERE.

Do you have any suggestions from your own social media experience? Have you found ways to take control of your interactions online? Share in the comments!

Speaking of Facebook! I'd love for you to join our A Steady Rain Facebook Community for other resources and encouragement!

Let me introduce you....

Have you ever experienced the social awkwardness of talking to someone for a while and realizing that you have no idea what their name is or even if you've ever been formally introduced? Too much time has passed to suddenly say, "I'm Rachel! What's your name?".

It hasn't always been consistent or polished, but I've been writing here for almost six years. I've shared thoughts and struggles, favorite recipes, and music suggestions. I've introduced you to some of my favorite authors and books and shared many scripture passages. I talk about the gospel a lot!
It hit me this week, though, that I've never formally introduced you to the most important person in my life. In fact, I wouldn't even be writing this if it wasn't for Him.

His name? Jesus Christ

He is God who put on human flesh in order to live among us. He lived His 33 years here on earth without a single misstep or misbehavior. He displayed His heavenly love and power to those around Him by healing the sick, raising the dead, and mending broken hearts.
He was falsely accused of wrongdoing and faced the punishment reserved for the worst of criminals. His final breath on the cross was taken bearing the heavy weight of sin committed by every man, woman, and child throughout all of time.
His story doesn't end with His death, though. After three days in an Israeli tomb, He rose again conquering death and sin. His work of redemption was finished!
He encompasses the "good news" I talk about so much here!

 In the book of John Jesus says, "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

The relationship I have with Jesus is not an exclusive friendship. In fact, His work on the cross was completed for you too. The beautiful thing about His love is the fact that you don't need to introduce yourself to Him. He knows everything about you already! He is both your Creator AND Redeemer and He proved the depth of His love for you through His sacrifice on your behalf. He made a way for you to have a relationship with a holy God (which could never be done by your own efforts). 
I John 1:9 says that if you confess your sin, your brokenness, and your need for a Rescuer, He is faithful and just to forgive you. 

I would consider myself a terrible friend to you, my sweet reader, if I didn't take time to introduce you to the One who is The Friend. He offers you the gift He purchased for you. Will you personally accept it? 



P.S. Maybe this post confused you or you have never been introduced to Jesus before. I'd love to answer any question you have! Email me at rachel(at)asteadyrainblog(dot)com or leave a comment below!

I do's, birthday fun, and new ventures......

How 's your summer been going so far? I just love sleeping in just a little bit later and going on family walks at 8:00 at night! As usual, we've had no problem keeping ourselves busy. Here's what we've been up to....

At the end of June we flew to Dallas, TX for Adam's brother's wedding. There are 6 boys in his family. Four are now married - only two to go! 

The wedding was at a venue called the Cotton Mill and it was just absolutely stunning!! All of the kiddos were in the wedding and the boys just loved wearing their brand new cowboy boots for the day! 

Isn't this door amazing? 

The bride and groom! 

It's hard to believe but our little Miss Sunshine turned 1 this weekend! We had some of our friends over for a fun summer party!

She kept squealing in excitement at her gifts and adored the attention from her friends!  Her cake was no match for her either!

One of our biggest prayers as parents is for guidance with our children's education. The last two years, our oldest has really enjoyed going to our local public school. He's made several friends and has developed a love for reading. When Adam started his new position at church though we started to find more and more conflicts with the school calendar and his wacky ministry schedule. We were enjoying our family day off while he was in school and as soon as he would get home, Adam would head off to his evening meetings.
We're hoping that a more flexible schedule will be one of the benefits of our decision to begin homeschooling this Fall! Yikes! It makes me nervous to type that!
I am super excited to have the opportunity to spend time discipling the kids on a daily basis using God’s story of redemption as the basis for our academic learning and to allow flexibility in our schedule to expand their horizons with music, outreach, travel, etc....
I'm praying this new venture will point my eyes to Christ and drive me even more to His Word!

What about you? How's your summer going? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!