I’ve shared before how reading to a child has a ripple effect that touches everything from their social skills to their long-term health and career paths. It’s incredible that just 20 minutes a day can offer such a massive advantage. Beyond the long-term benefits, it’s a simple way to turn the bedtime struggle into a predictable, meaningful rhythm that everyone actually looks forward to.
This time, I want to explore the surprising differences between a mother and a father reading to their child. While both offer the same foundational benefits, they each bring a unique kind of magic to the story. By using different linguistic styles and strategies, each parent creates a distinct environment that challenges and nurtures a child’s mind in its own important way.
Studies show that mothers use reading as a tool for emotional regulation and bonding. Their style is often more rhythmic and soothing, focusing on the nurturing aspect of the shared activity. Mothers often focus on labeling and describing. They ask concrete questions like “What color is that?” or “Where is the cat?”. Naming colors, counting objects, or asking the child to identify characters helps build foundational vocabulary and factual knowledge.
Dads are often more likely to use bridge-building talk. They ask abstract questions that link the book to the real world, such as; “Do you remember when we saw a dog like that? or “How do you think the character feels right now?” As for their style, fathers lean more toward narrative play. This might include using distinct voices for characters, physically acting out parts of the story, or turning the book into a “problem-solving” session. This encourages higher-level cognitive processing and imagination.
Individually, mothers and fathers offer distinct ways of seeing the world, helping a child’s mind and heart grow in balance. Beyond just learning new words, these shared moments bridge the gap between curiosity and understanding, anchoring the bond they share. 20 minutes a day of reading, at least until they reach school age can give a child an j credible head start and memories to last a lifetime. Oftentimes these healthy habits can stretch generations. Parents are not only molding their children, but their grandchildren and great grandchildren.
To me, this is proof of just how much weight words carry. Words can build up or they can tear down. They can help gain clarity or create confusion. They can tell the truth or they can hold deceitful lies. As parents, we are the first ones to hand our children these tools, and it is our job to show them how to speak with truth and listen with wisdom. The earlier we start that conversation, the stronger their world becomes.
Psalms 27:1 to 28:5, In-depth Study
Welcome back to another in-depth Bible study. Let’s dive into God’s Word together, seeking understanding and insight. May His spirit guide us as we explore Scripture.
Psalms 27
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalms 28
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
That concludes our lesson for today. Come back tomorrow as we continue right along in the Bible. Have a great day and God bless!
All Mothers Carry it
All mothers carry it.
The cry that can forever be heard.
The one that rattles your bones with a loss of words.
Like a hollow echo that goes unheard.
With a heavy soul and vision blurred.
It shadders your heart in two.
Wishing it was you
When a child cries in rue
And a mother has nothing left to do.
But be the hand that pulls them through.
As a mother of three, there has been a few occasions that my children cry out in pain. Whether from injury or heartache the pain is the same. It shakes your soul and breaks your heart. It is difficult to be the one who is suppose to fix it – expected to fix it– and in that moment, realizing you can not. The confusion, the fear, the hurt looking back at you from your childs eyes is something no parent forgets. Knowing, if it were possible, you would take their place if you could. But sometimes that isn’t possible, is it? Instead, sometimes we must be the hand they hold, that pulls them through. This will forever be, one of the hardest job a parent must do.
Psalms 25:8 to 26:12, In-depth Study
Welcome back to another in-depth Bible study. If you’re just now stopping by I highly recommend going back to the beginning, Genesis 1:1. This is an in-depth Bible study that follows chapter by chapter, verse by verse, Genesis to Revelation.
Psalms 25:8
8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
Psalms 26
A Psalm of David.
1 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.
That concludes our lesson for today. Come back tomorrow as we continue right along in the Bible. Have a great day and God bless!
Little Known Spectacular People
Who are some underrated people in history?
When I read the prompt today I had two particular stories come to mind. The first is the gentleman who created Coral Castle, Edward Leedskalnin.
Edward Leedskalnin did not see the world the way most people do. Where we see solid and immovable objects, he saw a puzzle of energy and balance. He spent his life proving that with enough focus, even the heaviest burdens can be moved. As the man behind Coral Castle in Florida, Edward worked alone and mostly under the cover of night to move and carve over 1,100 tons of coral rock. He was not a large man, standing barely five feet tall, yet he managed to create a stone wonderland filled with furniture, a telescope, and a nine ton gate that moved with a gentle push. He did not use cranes or modern construction teams. Instead, he used a deep understanding of natural forces to do what seemed impossible.
He was fascinated by what holds the world together and believed that everything from the smallest atom to the largest planet was governed by individual magnets. He did not view magnetism as a dry scientific topic but as a living and breathing force. In his book Magnetic Current, he shared his theory that magnets are the building blocks of nature. He believed that if you knew how to work with them, you could change how objects interact with the earth. For Edward, magnetism was the key to unlocking the hidden potential in ordinary materials.
Because Edward moved such massive stones by himself, people often whispered about levitation. While he never used that exact word to describe a magic trick, he did claim to know the secrets used by the ancient builders of the pyramids. He did not look at a stone and see weight. He saw a relationship with the ground. By using his own handmade tools like tri-pods, pulleys, and what he called perpetual motion holders, he found ways to make the heavy feel weightless. Whether he was actually levitating the rocks or just using a master level understanding of leverage and magnetism, the result was the same. He removed the friction between his vision and reality.
In the end, Edward took his true methods to the grave. He left behind a fortress of stone but kept the knowledge of how it was built entirely for himself. He showed that when you truly understand the pull of your own purpose, you can lift anything, but he chose to let the specific mechanics of his power die with him. He turned a quiet life into a permanent and haunting mystery. He leaves us to wonder just how much we can achieve when we stop looking at the obstacles and start looking at the shadows of the possible.
The second story is about Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs. This power couple transformed a degraded Costa Rican pasture into a thriving forest by dumping 12,000 metric tons of orange peels on it. Find the complete story here.
Psalms 23:1 to 25:7, In-depth Study
Welcome back to another in-depth Bible study. Let’s dive into God’s Word together, seeking understanding and insight. May His spirit guide us as we explore Scripture.
Psalms 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalms 24
A Psalm of David.
1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
Psalms 25
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.
That concludes our lesson for today. Come back tomorrow as we continue right along in the Bible. Have a great day and God bless!
Starting with Kindness: A First Glimpse of Emma
There is so much noise in the world right now, but the most important words are the ones we share with our kids before they go to sleep.
I believe we read to them because it’s the one time of day everything else actually slows down. It’s where the real connection happens.
I’ve been quietly building a collection of stories to honor those moments that happen when the world finally grows quiet. Because every story has its own heart, I’ve collaborated with four different artists to give each one a unique life.
Our first stop is the forest with Emma.
She is learning how to listen to the world around her, and she’s ready to show us all how to do the same.
👀 Keep a lookout—she’ll be arriving very soon. 👀
Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go
Illustrated by the talented Kaylee P E Norman. This is just the first of many stories to come.
Psalms 22:1 to 22:31, In-depth Study
Welcome back to another in-depth Bible study. If you’re just now stopping by I highly recommend going back to the beginning, Genesis 1:1. This is an in-depth Bible study that follows chapter by chapter, verse by verse, Genesis to Revelation.
Psalms 22
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
That concludes our lesson for today. Come back tomorrow as we continue right along in the Bible. Have a great day and God bless!
My Perfection
If you had to describe your ideal life, what would it look like?
If I had to describe my ideal life it would look something like this;
A modest house situated on a 100 acre woods. Ny family and I would be self sufficient, secluded and full of happiness. My income would come from my farm allowing me to spend my days with my children, animals, and plants. We would grow healthy, happy and content. In a perfect world, this would be attainable, yet it feels so unreachable.
When I was a Child
What’s a thing you were completely obsessed with as a kid?
When I was a child, I was rambunctious, bright and thought I could help the whole world. My days were often filled with wild imaginary adventures and enough mud pies to feed my entire family twice over. I had a profound fascination with animals and loved each and every one of them, especially the less favored, like bugs and snakes. My attention was often drawn to dolphins and horses. My room once was decorated in both themes, as if the ocean mural on my walls and galloping horse figurines places stegically on every availble surafce matched perfectly together. I would spend hours researching every fact and details I could consume, writing it down for a much needed future use. Every type, every characteristic, every natural habit, I memorized, fantisizing that one day I would be working with them. I would ride my horse into work like a true cowgirl and spend all day swimming with my ocean friends as a marine biologist.
Today, I still have a particular fondness of horses and dolphins and certainly my love for all animals has grown deeper. I am no marine biologist but the yearning of that little girl, lost in her own imagination of hopes and dreams, still makes an appearance from time to time.
Heather Congrove 