My name is Kelly, but those who know & love me call me Kells.
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I am the wife to a wonderful man & the mommy to three precious children.
I created Sonshine with Mom to be a place to help mothers learn more about
biblical parenting, marriage, schooling, womanhood & homemaking…
and most importantly how to do it all FOR GOD.
In this community, I plan to share the struggles & victories in my life as an {imperfect} homemaker + I pray that those who join our co-op will also do the same. This gathering will occur on Monday’s & the destination will be kept private until you have officially joined the co-op + also as long as the weather permits us to meet, because it will be located outside.
I will give a little short story behind this co-op that my daughter & I have created together. Long story short, this first year of homeschooling has honestly been the loudest lonely we have both experienced & if we can be completely honest here... we have been craving true, long lasting friendships with people that we can grow together & to walk alongside God our Father. In the last year, God has been waking me up almost every morning between the hours of 3-4 AM with these vivid dreams about starting this co-op. He has specifically appointed me to reach the Christ fearing women of this world who want more out of this life.
There are some mornings where I cannot go back to sleep & I try so hard to fall back asleep... but I dream wide awake. So on those mornings, I get up + out of bed to journal out what exactly God is telling me to do, talking with God & getting deep into the word so that I can move in the direction that God is calling me to. So all the glory goes to my Lord Jesus Christ who has manifested this community that He is calling me to stir up here in my hometown & the one who also gives me grace each day as I learn to become more like Him.
In spite of the fact that I myself am still learning & working my way through this crazy maze called motherhood. Every mother fails at motherhood, many times on a daily basis. My mom had her moments of failure too. But a moment of failure does not mean you should give up entirely. “For a just man falleth seven times, & riseth up again…” (Prov. 24:16). Instead of giving up when I fell short, or worse yet, pretending it didn't happen, I openly admit my failures both to the Lord & to our children. I desperately want our kids to love + obey God, & God has been able to use me because of my humility. God doesn't bless a perfect parent (because there is no such thing), but he does bless a humble parent.
The humility of a Godly mother takes place on two fronts:
Humility before God
Humility towards her children A mother's humility before God recognizes her own weakness & her need to depend on the spirit of God each moment of the day. A humble mother keeps her focus on God, knowing that she cannot be a Godly mother through her own strength & wisdom. She digs into scripture, nurturing her own spirit & knowing that she cannot pour from an empty vessel.
When a mother is humble toward God, there is also a willingness to confess to him when she has messed up & acted out of the flesh rather than the spirit. Mothering from the flesh could show up in different ways… It might look like yelling at our kids in a moment of frustration, or it might look like pridefully patting ourselves on the back after what felt like a successful day.
Yet the most successful day in which a mother has operated without dependence on the Holy Spirit, is a failure to fulfill God's purpose. A Godly mother will recognize these failures & confess to God the times when her life has not reflected the new, Christlike nature. She will turn from reflecting the flesh & renew her mind to reflect the spirit.
As a mother, leading your children to Christ is the most important ministry you will have in this lifetime. Think about it… You want to be a witness for God. You want to bring others to Christ. You want to share the love of God with those you meet. Maybe you have even have grand visions of starting a ministry or simply just having a handful of mom friends to do life with.
BUT ARE YOU MINISTERING TO YOUR CHILDREN IN THE SAME WAY?
You are the one who gives your children their first impression of God.
You are the first person who will ever have an opportunity to witness to them.
While they’re young, you are the biggest influence in their lives.
This is why it is so important to view parenting as a ministry.
Because it is.
The Bible says that children are a blessing from the Lord; & it also says that we are to train them up in the way they should go & when they are old they will not depart from it. That’s what Sonshine with Mom is all about. Being aware that everything you do in your children’s lives has the potential to be an opportunity to minister to them. So my vision for this co-op is to bring awareness, encouragement, & practical resources to equip mom’s with what they need to train their children in the ways of the Lord. Literally everything from cleaning to schooling to our attitudes plays a big role in how effective our ministries as mothers are.
Here’s how this co-op can help you in that journey:
As Christians, we are sisters in Christ. And even though I do not + will never claim to, have all the answers… I have a passion, desire, & what I believe to be a calling from God, to help + encourage my brethren in Christ in strengthening their walks with God. My plans for Sonshine with Mom keep growing every day. I have so many notes, it’s getting a bit crazy!
EVERYTHING WE DO IN OUR HOMES & IN OUR LIVES AS MOTHER’S IS A MINISTRY:
How our attitude looks when we are doing things we don’t want to do
How hard we work at the roles we’ve been given by God
How much our relationship with God reflects in the things we do
How we respond to the lures of the world in light of our relationships with God
How we respond to our children’s attitudes towards us
and the list could go on and on…
Making new friends as an adult can be so hard! But sometimes it seems like it’s even more challenging as a mom, because you don’t have many adult social activities on your plate. And then being a follower of Jesus adds to the challenge because you want to make friends with other moms who have the same Christ-centered mindset as you. But you want to know something? Engaging in fellowship with other Christians is actually an essential spiritual discipline, even for moms (Hebrews 10:25).
I’m not making any promises of finding lifelong Christian mom friends by tomorrow! You will still have to step out & make an effort to engage with others in order to make new friends in this mom group. This co-op is for moms that are expecting a baby or already have children who want to get together to fellowship, eat, do crafts, have Bible studies & host fun events together… such as field trips with our kids. There is a lot of information within Christian communities out there that IS NOT Biblical. But if you pray for discernment, in the midst of the mess of motherhood… you will find a few real gems.
Sometimes it can be hard to find Christian ones specifically, but if you can... then definitely take advantage of them! As I’ve said before though, just be discerning. Because if you keep in mind that your children might be exposed to values that aren’t Biblical & you want to be intentional about their socialization in order to raise kids who love + serve God.
I’m not going to say that finding & making Christ fearing mom friends is easy. Because it isn’t easy for everyone. For some people it might be, but not for everyone. Matter of fact, I will tell you that it’s not impossible... It just takes some planning & effort on your part to put yourself in situations where you have the potential to meet new friends + then taking those opportunities to reach out to others. But making mom friends who are also believers sets a good example to your children as they learn discernment when choosing their own friends as well. It’s one more thing that you can do to be a good mom to them & an indirect way that you can teach them how to be more godly.
The very best way to ensure you get the most out of this group is to follow my personal blog & also plug into + be apart of the groupme app Sonshine with Mom chat. That way you can take advantage of all the exclusive tips, resources, freebies, offers, challenges, or anything that you may have missed from the weekly gatherings. I hope you’ll decide to join this community of mother's who are going through the same struggles, just like you.
You're invited to my co-op 'Sonshine with Mom' on GroupMe!
Click here to join: https://groupme.com/join_group/101638755/hgIiWw8c
Will you reach out to make new friends today?
God doesn’t want you to go at this alone. And while husbands are great for support & friendship, there’s a different type of need that’s met when you have a support network of other Christian moms who are right there in the trenches with you. So don’t wait for tomorrow, make plans to make friends with other Christian moms NOW.
Want to know how to find Christ following mom friends?
You can learn how to here at
the Sonshine with Mom Co-op group!
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COME AS YOU ARE.
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