PRAISE AND COFFEE

Connect, encourage and inspire… Now available in print! Six Praise and Coffee Conversations to help you facilitate a Praise and Coffee group (or any small group or personal devotions) as you gather in coffee shops or around kitchen tables. No preparation required. Invite two to twelve friends to a coffee shop/restaurant or around your kitchen table. It’s that easy! Consider these six conversations a springboard. Do not hold rigidly to them, instead let the conversations serve

He never intended you to dance alone. Trust Him. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Proverbs 3:5 The Message Bible #womensministry #depression #MOPS #encouragement #brokenheart #frustrated #trustGod #SueCramer

Have you been feeling God call you to step out? Do you want to start something organic and let God direct the movement and conversation? You don’t have to wait for permission to grab some girlfriends or the lady at the bank who’s been on your heart and go for coffee. We want to help you facilitate connection, encouragement and inspiration… We are very excited to announce that our first in the series of Praise and Coffee to Go’s is available on Kindle for $2.99 Available on Am

Loneliness is not about being alone, it’s about not feeling connected. Rest In Peace Robin…you will be missed Robin Williams death has set our thoughts again on the desperate truth of depression and our human need for connection. Connections are what make life worth living. God is all about connections. The Bible is overflowing with stories of connection. Connecting us to Him and then to each other. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your

Taken from my “Real Moms of West Michigan” segment on Star 105.7 every Tuesday at 7:05 AM… We have never had more information about parenting available to us, but often we’re still baffled about how to deal with situations with our kids. I think that is because the more important part of parenting is not WHAT we do but WHO we are to our kids. All the parenting skills in the world can not compensate for a lack of connecting with them as a parent, as an authority and as the on

Lauren (3rd grade) and I are reading about Anne Frank during homeschool. I love this quote: A giving heart is filled with joy and contentment, but a person striving for stuff or control never has enough. #parenting #homeschool #AnneFrank #giving #MOPS #SueCramer

Taken from my weekly segment on Star 105.7 with Tommy and Brook… A key to our children’s security is showing them that they have value. Today I want to talk about a way that we might be DE-valuing our children without even realizing it. Time-outs. We all know that there are times our children need a minute or sixty to process and consider their actions, but how we give them a time out could make all the difference. We have to be careful that when we give a child a time-out we

In the world of winning ball games, honor roll and weather related Facebook status’s many moms are not letting on that there is a deep and painful struggle going on in their homes.  Children are dealing with anxiety at alarming rates and its affecting families, schools and the lives of good Moms everywhere. At some level all kids deal with anxiety, but when it hinders our families from functioning in a healthy manner, we need to pay attention and help our kids through it. I w

Whether or not she was trying to earn His approval, love or just impress everyone; she missed the point and I know that I have too. Anybody else? Mary knew that the most important thing happening was at His feet. Listening, learning and resting in His love. Shouldn’t this be easy?? Shouldn’t it come naturally?? Yes, I think it does, but many of us have forgotten how to live instinctively. We know in theory that we should put our family first, that God has given us the gift of

Three Tips for Stronger Marriage: 1. Forgive– the fire goes out when you water it with forgiveness. “Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph. 4:32 The Message 2. Communicate– your spouse is not a mind reader, tell him/her how you feel and use phrases like “I feel…..” not “You always……” 3. Play– Do something fun together. Set aside life’s worries for a time of connection and laughs. “It’s bett

Taken from my segment with Tommy and Brook on Star 105.7. Tuesdays at 7:05 AM. First off let me say, I get it, I understand. I’m with you in the trenches of this one friend! We can all relate to being an angry mom at times and it doesn’t feel good to us or our kids. There is no doubt we have a tough job- I think it’s the toughest job there is. The kids are bickering, they’ve disobeyed or talked back and we’re yelling or worse…and then we feel awful. We feel like a failure. Fo

Obviously an endless supply of Sourpatch kids candy, DS games, new bikes and a new iPhone would be top on their list, but apparently our kids want a few other things from us too. I’ve been talking with Tommy and Brook on Star 105.7 for the last several weeks about survey results of what else our kids want from us. You can listen to my segments on my Star 105.7 page or read about them here: Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in. Come say goodnight. Another good idea is to

I watched this video this morning and just had to share it. I think this resonates with every one of us. If for no other reason, watch is for the laughs, he is so funny. But this is also for: All the moms who worry about their kids not doing well in school. All the students that feel they’ve been put in a box or they just don’t fit in. (And may I add, good for YOU!) All the parents of children and the kids wrongly labeled ADD or ADHD. What if. What if, God just has a differen

Taken from my segment on Star 105.7 in West Michigan with Tommy and Brook… Last week as I spoke to a MOPS group I looked at the tired eyes of those moms who feel buried in laundry and overcome with planning dinners and driving to practices and doing homework (on the way to school because the night before they said “no, mom I don’t have ny homework”), and I just want so badly for them to grasp how important their roles are in their child’s life. I have 4 kids, three are grown

Taken from my segment on Star 105.7 with Tommy and Brook… Is publicly shaming our children an effective way to bring a positive change when they’ve made serious mistakes? Experts and this real mom say no. Kids need to be able to trust that their parents will watch out not only for their physical well- being but also care for their emotional health. Our job is to provide loving guidance not humiliation that demeans our children. It’s ok that our kids feel guilt over their bad

Taken from the Star 105.7 Real Moms of West Michigan segment: Photo by KarieMurrayPhotography.com It’s a new year and I know that many moms have made the traditional New Year’s resolutions to eat better, lose weight, quit the bad habits and all that, but NOW it’s time for the Mom resolutions. I have 3 mom resolutions that I think we all should commit to: Say yes more. Say ‘yes’ more to playing with your kids. I know what a challenge this can be with a busy life, but next time

Women are hungry for more. We’re tired of sitting back and listening, we’re ready to lean forward and join the conversation. It’s time to lean in and add to the conversation. Learn more about starting a Praise and Coffee in your community. Lean in ladies! You have so much to add to the conversation. #womensmagazine #womensministry #friendship #magazine #faith #MOPS #PraiseandCoffeeNights #fear #SueCramer

Taken from my “Real Moms of West Michigan” segment with Tommy and Brook on Star 105.7… Listen here: Real Moms: Four Things to Talk to Kids About And as long as I had the attention of West Michigan, I had to share a little something for my hubby! You can listen to my ‘Real Moms of West Michigan’ segments on Star 105.7 with Tommy and Brook every Tuesday morning around 7:05 AM. If you are not in the West Michigan area you can listen on iHeart radio #parenting #RealMomsofWestMich

Taken from my “Real Moms of West Michigan” segment with Tommy and Brook on Star 105.7… I know that you are so organized and probably have all your shopping done, right? OH wait this is the REAL moms segment…and if they are anything like me…they are still a few minutes away from having it all wrapped and under the tree! My tip to get ready for Christmas is: personalized gifts! It’s the perfect time to order those personalized gifts for Christmas. Picture frames, mouse pads, mu

I couldn’t wait to get up to Grand Rapids for Artprize, it’s the largest art competition in the world and it’s only a half hour from my house. I live in the country now but I’m from Grand Rapids so I love getting back to the city! Denise and I took it as a great opportunity to have coffee at Schuler’s book store and then enjoy lunch at Cinco de Mayo on the Monroe Mall. We stopped in to the studio to do my “Real Moms of West Michigan” segment on Star 105.7 with Tommy and Brook