We are so excited to see our second book, Not Alone, release this week. It’s like being the mom of a newborn all over again! We’ve “carried” this book for over two years if you count the time God worked in our hearts to conceive it’s make-up and design. And now, here it is! I want to share with you one of my favorite chapters in this book—chapter nine, Challenging Kids. This is the chapter I knew would be in this book before I even knew what the rest would be. My heart is for moms of kids with chronic health issues, depressed teens, or any kind of ongoing challenge to know that our God is faithful and lives in these trenches with us. Through my own daughter’s depression and then cancer at age 14, we learned some valuable truths. Here’s a quote from that chapter:

“But during this time my daughter and I learned some of our greatest lessons of faith. We learned that a season of difficulty and trial didn’t define our entire lives. We learned that hope placed in Jesus rather than in our ever-changing circumstances would never fail. We learned that the value and impact of a precious moment could carry us through a day and shore up those places where hope lagged.”

In this chapter I also share some astounding miracles that God did during this time and some testimonies from other moms who have walked similar paths with challenging situations and questions like, “Why doesn’t Daddy love Jesus?” Moms, we pray this book will encourage and uplift you as you walk the challenging path of motherhood and raising your kids to know Jesus. It is the noblest calling I can think of, the most challenging “job” I’ve ever had, and one of the most rewarding and faith infused journeys I’ve ever taken. And remember, those days where you think you just can’t take another step, you are not alone. Our great big and able God is right there to help. Mom, you can raise godly kids, even the challenging ones. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) Dineen