Building Relationships through Missional Hospitality

**This post was originally written for the Heroic Life Discipleship blog. You can see the original post here. In my dining room I have a large map of the world with the words “Beautiful are the feet that go” written underneath. We just moved into a beautiful older style home this last summer. Until now, I have not had the wall space for a world map but have wanted one as a reminder to me of God’s heart for all peoples and of Jesus’ call to preach the gospel to every nation. Over the last year or so, my understanding…

New Years Update 2019

Happy New Years from the Biddingers!!! Major highlights of our year: The birth of our baby girl, Emma Louise. Emma was born on April 19th, 2018. Leading up to her birth our family seemed to be hit with all the lovely wintery sicknesses that we could get. Andrew and I both got really sick with bronchitis, and Oakley got the flu, a cold, and the chicken pox all in a row as we were both sick. Lol! Yes, lots of sickness and very interesting being almost due and all being down for the count. It was a little scary as…

Spiced White Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Michigan rainy days = the feeling of needing to bake cookies (fortunately I don’t give in every time 🙂 )! A few weeks ago I discovered this recipe on a cozy, rainy day when I only had a few spare ingredients in the house. I threw them together, and the result was cookies that I couldn’t stop eating (for real!) – with the perfect oatmeal flavor, spice, and mix of white chocolate chips and raisins. These aren’t quite like typical oatmeal cookies. They have a lot less oatmeal, to just add a touch of that oatmeal cookie flavor but with…

New Adventures: Letting God Take Us Into the Glorious Unknown

I have a confession. Throughout this season of my life, I have often found myself looking back at favorite times and wanting to relive those moments for just a little while. I often find myself thinking back to the amazing ways my relationship grew with God during my teenage years, the freedom I had to do things and go places as a single woman, being a part of the National Bible Bee, my high school volleyball team years, the abundance of time my husband and I had alone before kiddo number one came along, and many other favorites. My life…

A Happy 2017 Newsletter from the Biddingers

Dear Friends and Family, Happy 2017!!! I hope your holidays held many joyful celebrations and meaningful times with family and friends! As you probably know the biggest event of our year was the birth of our son. In September of 2015 we discovered that I was four weeks pregnant with a little peanut. We were happily surprised right before Christmas of 2015 to find out that we would be having a beautiful baby boy! By this time last year, I was getting quite big as I entered my third trimester; I stopped my cleaning jobs and started to transition out…

Life Coming to Dead People: Advent Thoughts for Christmas

Brothers and sisters together, hushed tones, hymns at the bedside, words whispered, approaching death, dark of night, last breaths, silent tears, goodbye tears; our daddy slips away. Body taken. A halting realization: we will never hear that “daddy” voice again. Memories are all at once swept into the past; no more sweet moments are given for the future (in this life). His touch, his voice, his presence gone. One hour there, the next begging to hear, to hug, to see, to talk to again. A body once full of life and personality, breath, and identity, the next minute empty and cold. Death. …

12 Simple Dates with Your Spouse

Are you up for some romantic dates with your spouse?! I hope you are, because I have some pretty fun ideas coming your way. 🙂 Andrew and I have enjoyed all of these dates in the last year and a half of our marriage, and they have been some of our very favorites. Some of these dates can be done out of your own home (maybe even after you put the kiddos to bed; no babysitter required!). Most of them are low-cost and oh so simple, while at the same time adding that touch of romantic sparkle. Sleepover!  Did you…

Colorado Vacation 2016 (and Cute Oakley Pictures)

On the 21st of October, Andrew and I headed for Colorado. We had been looking forward to this vacation for months, so we were pretty excited that it was finally here! Not only was Colorado the place where we both went to a Christian discipleship school (at separate times) that greatly impacted both of our lives, but it was also the place WHERE WE MET!!! Colorado holds a special place in our hearts to say the least. This time we were going back for our first big vacation since being married, our first vacation ever with Oakley, and to go to…