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Read MoreAre your parenting batteries depleted?
Could you use some encouragement and inspiration to help you on the parenting journey? Would you like some tips and ideas for ways to have fun and to make memories with your child? Then you’re at the right place and we’re glad you’ve joined us! Eighteen years sounds like a long time—but you really have just 18 summers . . . and we want to help you make the most of them.
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Read MoreSo how did the Just 18 Summers® brand come about?
My pastor, Rev. Ralph Sexton, dedicated a baby at church one Sunday. As the parents walked off the platform, he said, “Don’t forget, you have just 18 summers. Take time to make some memories.” Whew, the poignancy of that slammed into me and I knew at that moment that God wanted me to do something with that thought.
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Read MoreWe want Just 18 Summers® to be about YOU.
We’d love to hear from you with your thoughts, ideas, and ways we can help you on the parenting journey.
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Read MorePlease help us spread the word about Just 18 Summers®!
Post about us on Facebook and Twitter. Tell your friends and family. Tell your pastors, family ministry leaders, and organizations about Just 18 Summers. Let’s encourage and strengthen families across our nation and the world!
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Recent From A Happy Home
Recent From A Lasting Faith
Recent From A Cherished Family
Most Recent Articles
Train Up a Child
In the small town where I grew up, “turning out” was a big deal. A person turned out right when they got a steady job, got married, had a family, and stayed in the same church in which they were raised. It was the formula hovering over each parent, judging their success or failure. Nothing fueled gossip or categorized social strata as much as how offspring turned out. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it,” (Proverbs 22:6; NASB). On four Sundays, my husband and I dedicated four different children. I remember each occasion. I also remember feeling uncomfortable with my parenthood visible for all to see and sensing that I was inept at the task. Our first child, a baby girl, cried (aka screamed) all the time, every day. Not knowing how to calm her was all too obvious from the podium. The second slept through it all like an angel, but our two-year-old with us on stage was, well… two. The third struggled in my arms and pulled at my hair while the other two danced around us. The fourth, let’s say we invented a new type of dedication. I watched while my husband showed off our son like the...
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A Passion for God
It’s something I pray for every day, and it’s highly effective. Father, please give my family a passion for You, Your Word, Your wisdom, Your will, the people of Your world, for prayer, and for holiness. We can find inspirational reminders all around us. Let’s get started. HEARTS I have a few decorative hearts in our home. Seeing them reminds me to ask God to give us a love for Him that consumes all other passions, attaining the highest treasure of life, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37 NKJV BIBLES While opening our Bibles each morning, let this activity remind us to pray that our loved ones are drawn into God’s Words as they awaken. Let’s ask God to speak to them specifically in their circumstances, things we may be unaware of that help them comprehend that He is there with them and for them. And let’s ask Him to give them a profound wisdom and understanding of the Bible that drives them to deeper study and greater influence—with a confidence to boldly and effectively communicate His truth in this present darkness. He loves this prayer and longs to fulfill such a request. GROOMING When washing or brushing hair,...
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Turkey Tales
The temperatures have dipped, and the nights are getting darker, which can only mean one thing – we’re inching closer to Thanksgiving and to the end of fall. November is recognized as the month of thanks, largely because of that 4th Thursday of the month turkey focused celebration. As you go about your preparations, inviting relatives to dinner, purchasing cranberries and turkeys, and placing the required cornucopia in the middle of the kitchen table, I want you to think...
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Thank You, God, for Everything
“Thank You, God, that we got to have waffles for breakfast. Thank You that we played Uno today. Thank You that we went to Pop and Tutu’s for dinner. Thank You for my jammies and my stuffed monkey and my pillow and…” I stifled an impatient sigh as my five-year old prayed back through her day, giving thanks for both big and little blessings. Her prayer must have delighted God’s heart, but for this weary mom, it prolonged what...
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A Mother’s Legacy
Ding! A new text message lit up the screen of my iPhone. I opened it to find a long note from my mom containing a list she’s compiled of over 350 names and attributes of God. The day before she and I had chatted about my fascination with learning God’s names as a means to knowing Him better. She mentioned that she thinks through the alphabet and corresponding names of God as she falls asleep at night. I had...
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In Everything, Give Thanks
The month of gratitude is upon us. Treat each day as a gift and give thanks to God accordingly. Practice an attitude of thanksgiving every day throughout the month of November with the family. Give thanks for little blessings, huge miracles, and everything in-between. Encourage a grateful heart for the next thirty days, until it becomes such a habit that you can’t help but express thanksgiving on a daily basis. Make every day a holiday and enjoy November with...
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Be a Yes Mom
My birthday was hijacked nine years ago when my son was born. I joke about it to this day, but am only partially kidding as I now spend the majority of my birthday doing what he wants to do. It’s not that I actually mind, but I do have to put my foot down at times like when he wants McDonald’s for every meal. This year, however, I decided to be a yes mom. I wanted to say yes...
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