1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt

Hope Dads: Shepherd Your Family

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” -Psalm 128:1-4 Dads, this Psalm was directed at you and me.  Every time I read this passage, I want to say YES PLEASE!  This is the family life that we all want, a family that is flourishing! This is what we want for our family when we celebrate Fathers Day, when we go out in public, when we are on vacation… and this is what we want for our family ...

Saran’s Story

"A few months ago my life changed forever. I was about 6 months pregnant with our first child, a baby boy named Riley, and up until this point it had been a smooth and happy pregnancy. I dealt with those typical pregnancy symptoms, and even though those can drive you crazy, the thought of becoming a mommy was the most beautiful gift that I could have ever been given. On January 17th of this year, my husband and I both started having stomach pains before bed and we naturally thought it was probably something we ate. His pain was gone by morning but mine was intensifying. Nevertheless, I got up and got ready for work but was only there for a few ...

Identity: We Are Loved

Love stories. We've read them in books. We've watched them on tv and movies. We are drawn to the romance, the passion, the security. We long to know that true love exists and that it exists for us. That need for love, to feel loved, is in every person. The key is to make sure that the love that defines us is from the right source. In order to embrace our identity of "loved," we need to know where love is not found. Love is not based on appearance. Your hair, your skin, your weight, those things don't earn you love.  When we look in the mirror, we all see things we'd like to change. But what does God see? "The LORD does not look at the things ...

Betsy’s Story

"July 14, 2010, I waddled into the labor and delivery wing full of excitement and hope. This time it was real labor and I would soon be able to meet this long-awaited baby girl! It was my first time pregnant and it was a lot harder than anyone could predict. With active rheumatoid arthritis, my doctors and I had a master plan based on all the known research and statistics. I had an expert team of High Risk OBs and Rheumatologists monitoring every step. Most women with RA go into remission during pregnancy as the body turns its attention away from attacking your joints to making a baby. A week or two after stopping meds my hopes of going into remiss...

Identity: We Are Conquerors

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." -Romans 8:37 What exactly does it mean to be more than conquerors? The definition of a conqueror is a person who vanquishes; in other words a victor. Training: Picture an army of warriors who become victorious after a battle. How did they get to that point? They trained, they strategized, and they studied their opponent. They most importantly became confident in their leader and themselves. How should we expect to become victorious in our Christian walk? First we must become confident in our Savior, the one whom ultimately already won the battle for us on the ...

Shelly’s Story

"My husband and I found out we were pregnant for the first time on Father’s Day.  We were a little shocked but mostly overjoyed. Perfect pregnancy. Perfect delivery. And we did it again about two years later. We had two little girls but I wanted another baby. My husband was content with two children and we did not try again so we were very shocked when we found out I was pregnant for a third time. When we found out I was having a son, we just knew the Lord had plans better than our own. My husband is a football playing, hunting, fishing, sports loving kind of man so I just knew God wanted him to have a son. We eagerly awaited our son...

Identity: We Are New

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17 As mothers who have walked through the death of a child, it is easy to define ourselves by our losses — to feel unworthy, damaged, incomplete.  But, dear one, this is not the sum of who you are.  In Christ you have been made new!  You have become a new creation!  “And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” -Romans 6:4b This reality of being made new in Christ is achieved upon salvation. You were once blind to spiritual things, but God ...

Identity: We Are Free

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. -Romans 8:1, 2 Freedom. We all want it. We think it is owed to us. But what does it mean to be free. In America, we think of our freedom in terms of our rights. Our right to free speech. Our right to assemble. Our religious liberty. Our right to bear arms. In the 1970’s, women signified their freedom by burning their bras.  Teenagers have a distinct definition of freedom that mostly involves freedom from their parents’ rules. ...

Jenefer’s Story

Are you a writer?  Hope Mommies would love to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog.  Every Saturday we will be sharing another Hope Mom’s story in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow.  If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose please send a draft between 800-1200 words to editor (at) hopemommies (dot) org. ________________________ "On Mother’s Day my oldest daughter was going to be baptized by her Daddy. It was the most amazing thing to be 20 weeks pregnant sitting next to my little 8 year old, and watching my husband help our oldest profess her faith in our Savior ...

Identity: We Are Children

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." -Romans 8:14-17 ONE of the most precious themes in all of Scripture is that of the sonship of believers in Christ. This ...