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Resource Page for Military Wives (and those who love them)

military

My Words from Home

20 Sure-Fire Ways to Love Your Military Neighbor {and her family, too} ~ printable {Read about it here}

A Prayer for Military Spouses

When You Can’t Be with Whom You Want for the Holidays ~ The day may not look like you hoped, but keep your heart open for His miraculous gifts, His just-try-it recipes for different but good tasting memories.

50 Reasons Why You the Military Wife Deserve a Standing Ovation ~ Because you’re a veteran of your own kind.

6 Things to Say that Won’t Encourage Military Wives ~ Because I’m often asked how military wives can be supported, and this is just another way to answer that question.

Love Thy Military Neighbor ~ Just some ideas to keep in mind.

The Helpers ~ Giving comes at a cost, but we don’t let this stop us.

The Truth about Home and Moving Often ~ Because so much goodness exists beyond a goodbye.

A Ball, a Breakdown, and a Basket Case ~ Fun stuff!

Because It’s No Small Gift ~ Because what our military families give is important and valued.

Deploying or Not Deploying? That is the Question ~ How to thrive when life feels in limbo.

On Being a New Year’s Rebel ~ thoughts on my husband’s retirement from the Air Force after 26 years of service.

 Other Places I Visit:

When the Worst Happens (and How to Give the Best Help) ~ at (in)courage

When the Road to Your Dreams Holds Unwelcome Views ~ Guest post at Holley Gerth’s place.

For the Heroes and Those Who Love Them ~ at (in)courage

Making Connections When Your Location Keeps Changing ~ at (in)courage

What to Do When You’re in the Desert ~ at (in)courage

A Thank You to the Veteran and a Prayer for the Military Spouse ~ at (in)courage

My eBook:

Serving You-01 cover

Serving You: 31 Days of Encouragement for the Military Wife by Kristen Strong

My Odds and Ends:

Cultivating Community, Military Wives, and Raising Teens ~ a podcast with Kat Lee.

Insecurity, Comparison, and the Military Life ~ an interview with Lisa Buffaloe of Living Joyfully Radio

My Pinterest “Military” Board

My Pinterest “Military Wives” Board

Other Books from Authors I Trust:

Heroes at Home: Help and Hope for America’s Military Families by Ellie Kay

Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green

Faith Deployed Again: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green

Military Wives’ New Testament with Psalms & Proverbs: 90 Days of Encouragement and Hope by Jocelyn Green

God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn

Hope for the Homefront: Winning the Spiritual and Emotional Battles of a Military Wife by Marshele Carter Waddell

Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home: Hope and Healing for Families Living with PTSD and TBI by Marshele Carter Waddell and Kelly K. Orr

When War Comes Home: Christ-Centered Healing for Wives of Combat Veterans by Chris Adsit, Rahnella Adsit, and Marshele Carter Waddell

Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston.

A Cup of Comfort for Military Families: Stories that Celebrate Heroism on the Homefront by Colleen Sell

Inspiring Blogs

Sara Horn

Wives of Faith

Faith Deployed

Helpful Websites

Cru Military Ministry 

Operation We Are Here

Christian Military Wives Fellowship

PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel)

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On Instagram

Hey there, dearheart! I’m Kristen, and welcome t Hey there, dearheart! I’m Kristen, and welcome to my little corner of the world here in the Colorado woods outside Colorado Springs. 

I wondered if you’d want to go inside, pull up a chair ‘round the fire, and hang out a bit? 

If you’re newer, here's a little about me: 

I like: 
▫️Country and classical music. 
▫️Most hot teas and cocktails with bourbon. 
▫️The beach and the mountains. (Why must we pick one over the other?) 

I don’t like: 
▫️Muffins (They’re just sad cupcakes with no frosting.) 
▫️Long winters (God shows His sense of humor by placing me in CO!) 
▫️Cruises (In spite of being told otherwise, I did, indeed, feel the ship moving.🥴) 

👏🏻I’m a mighty fine encourager, and if you do/say/wear something I genuinely love, I’ll let you know it and/or tell others about it. 

🙁I sometimes let fear dictate what I do or don’t do, and that’s exacerbated by my bossy inner critic. 

🙅‍♀️I don’t like mean people. BUT I can be awfully sarcastic, and sarcasm is often just mean in cuter clothing. 

😢A friend and I talked recently about how raising teens and big kids has us tender to the touch, often with tears just below the surface. 

💙Speaking of kids, I’m mama to three hilarious, hard working, and big hearted kiddos—twin sons and a daughter—whom I adore. 

❤️I’m wife to a USAF veteran, David, (raising my Polish pottery mug of hot tea to the military spouses here!), who’s also an all around amazing, amazing fella. 

📚I wrote two books called #GirlMeetsChange and #BackRoadstoBelonging. I love to help folks see their change and lack of belonging it often brings in a more hopeful light—because difficult change is never the end of things. God’s grace and goodness are. 

☕Thank you for being here—I’m passing you a virtual cuppa your favorite hot beverage and a cupcake (sorry, no muffins). 

💬This is more than enough about me. Tell me something about you! 

📷 Photo by the gorgeous and gorgeously talented Jen Lints of @jenlintsphotography. 

#FridayIntroductions
The sun sets on a downright delightful month of ha The sun sets on a downright delightful month of having all the chicks back in the nest. We puzzled, Uno’d, and played a new game called Knope for President. (So fun!) We watched Mandalorian all together, and David and I started a Netflix show called Turn. We had tea (and coffee!) at 4:30 each afternoon like some kind of Brit wanna-be’s. I cooked like a crazy person because cooking is the most predictable Enneagram 2 thing I do. Pot roast, spaghetti, and baked casseroles, oh my! Plus, 21 year olds who’ve had a semester of fending for themselves on the food front are mighty appreciative when dinner magically comes out of the oven. 

Said 21 year olds are back at college now, but I’m thankful for the good memories that stay with the rest of us Strongs after they’ve left. This last month held hard stuff for many of us, I know, but I hope it left you with some good memories as well. 💛
If your life looks anything like mine, difficult c If your life looks anything like mine, difficult change that started in 2020 didn't give one whit about the new year and walked right with you into 2021. Your change could be more broadly felt like fallout from a lingering pandemic, or it could be more individual —marital, parenting, job, or relational struggles that refuse to let go. 

Or  it could be both, one worsening the other.

If you’re weary from the loneliness that change can bring OR tired of resenting change altogether (and seeing it only through a lens of anxiety and frustration), consider giving #GirlMeetsChange and #BackRoadstoBelonging a look.

Our difficult change may not be going anywhere, but our outlook on it can. 

With both books holding 200-ish reviews on Amazon and a 4.8 star rating, I still get the loveliest messages about how they’ve helped folks welcome a hopeful view of change and where they belong. 

Visit my profile for links to both! 
#fromthebookstack
#whereIbelong
#changemanagement
#anxietyreducer
#fearmanagement
#livingfaithfully
My daughter read that this past Christmas season, My daughter read that this past Christmas season, Christmas light sales were up 300% compared to years past. We may leave ours up for another week or two, and I’m 300% okay with that. 

In the wise words of @iamtabithabrown, it’s my business. 

It’s also my business how I choose to respond to something—indeed, it is a choice. Will I be thoughtful or defensive? Will I be someone who displays or douses the light of Christ? 

In our work to love our neighbor as ourselves, may we be a people who persevere and refuse to stop using our own unique God-given light to dispel the dark. People are desperate for it, and this work matters.
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