By Alexis Busetti Originally published as an exclusive on FamilyChristian.com Photo by David Monje on Unsplash God with us. This is one of those miracles that I hope never grows old to me. The Creator of everything, living with His creation. We see glimpses of Emmanuel throughout all of history, but we celebrate the ultimate … Continue reading The Nature of God
Three Ways Church is Like Group Exercise Class
By Alexis Busetti Originally published as an exclusive on FamilyChristian.com Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash Recently I went to one of those group exercise classes at my gym. You know the ones I’m talking about. They range from old school step aerobics to kickboxing to yoga to aerial silks. This particular class was a … Continue reading Three Ways Church is Like Group Exercise Class
A Beautiful Obedience
By Alexis Busetti Photo by Dennis Ottink on Unsplash This article was first published as an exclusive on FamilyChristian.com I am by no means an expert skier (I think the term my husband uses for our whole family is novice to novice +), but we love getting out on the slopes. We’ve only been a … Continue reading A Beautiful Obedience
Free From Fear
By Alexis Busetti Originally published as an exclusive article for Family Christian Photo by Jonathan Sebastiao on Unsplash Historically I spent much of my life as a worry wart, my Grandma Joy said I came by it honestly, so I grew accustomed to seeking out scripture passages and stories about God saving. I looked up … Continue reading Free From Fear
Repenting for Racism
By Alexis Busetti I feel completely unprepared to write about this topic. In fact, this is the second draft of this article because I completely trashed the first one (that I spent days re-working and then published only to un-publish again). But because it’s important, I’m going to try again. I want to talk about … Continue reading Repenting for Racism
Run Your Race
By Alexis Busetti My dad used to kickbox. Like, competitively. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and since he had a martial arts school in my hometown I didn’t usually have to say much during those “my dad is tougher than your dad” debates in elementary school. As part of his training … Continue reading Run Your Race
Being Faithful in the Small Things – and Money is a Small Thing
By Alexis Busetti You’re at a backyard barbeque on a sweltering Texas summer evening. You’re chatting with friends, happily enjoying yourself, sipping your tea when all of a sudden your tablemate smacks you on the back of the arm. You spin around and before you can get out what you want to say, she claims … Continue reading Being Faithful in the Small Things – and Money is a Small Thing
Parable of the Lost Necklace
By Alexis Busetti Originally published on Family Christian Jesus gave them another parable: “There once was a woman who had ten valuable silver coins. When she lost one of them, she swept her entire house, diligently searching every corner of her house for that one lost coin. When she finally found it, she gathered all … Continue reading Parable of the Lost Necklace
Identity Crisis
By Alexis Busetti Originally published on Family Christian Ever since I was in college I have struggled with who I am. I have participated in and led Bible studies on identity in Christ and often felt like it was a concept too intangible to be grasped. Thankfully God is never far from us or our … Continue reading Identity Crisis
6 Things I’ve Learned From Observing Sabbath
By Alexis Busetti Originally published in August 2019 on Family Christian I’ve noticed a trend lately among evangelical Christians - the rebirth of Sabbath observance. Taking one day a week off and dedicating it to worship and rest. It’s beautiful! And for me, it’s familiar. Back in college (almost two decades ago) a small group … Continue reading 6 Things I’ve Learned From Observing Sabbath
Fill Your Tank
This week the gulf coast has been bracing for the potential hit of Hurricane Barry.
Salt of the Earth
By Alexis Busetti Originally posted on Family Christian My husband and I have never built a house. We have several friends who have done it and the process seems incredibly overwhelming to me. I can’t even fathom making all of those decisions. It’s the details. I’m a detail-oriented person (and I tend to be rather … Continue reading Salt of the Earth
Joseph Had a Plan
By Alexis Busetti Originally posted on familychristian.com The biblical feast of Passover is coming up in a few short weeks and Jewish people all over the world (and more and more Christians as well) will celebrate with a traditional seder meal. There will be matzah, time with family, and a retelling of how God brought … Continue reading Joseph Had a Plan
Form and Function of Money
The truth is, money is multi-faceted. It can even be beautiful! Just like a jewel that catches the light and shines differently depending on how you turn it, each of money’s proper uses stand out depending on your perspective.
What’s Next? Paying Off Your House!
I can't wait for you to get to know my guest on this post! Her name is Keturah Franklin and she blogs over at Gently Defined Mama. Trust me when I tell you the pics of her kids are amazing on Instagram and she definitely has a sense of style, but that's not what first … Continue reading What’s Next? Paying Off Your House!
5 Ways Money is Like a Chainsaw
By Alexis Busetti Money is a tool, right? We have all heard the misquoted Bible verses about money being evil. We might even have some ideas floating around in our heads about people who have money, like lots of it, like more than us. They must be inherently evil, or surely they have at least … Continue reading 5 Ways Money is Like a Chainsaw
17 Ways to Eat Real Food on a Budget
Guest Post by Dena Norton of Back To The Book Nutrition I am so excited about this guest post by my friend Dena! She and I have known each other since our now elementary aged daughters were babies. She is the owner of Back To The Book Nutrition where she blogs, shares incredible recipes and … Continue reading 17 Ways to Eat Real Food on a Budget
Manna? What’s that?
By Alexis Busetti Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” Now it happened that some of the people went out on the … Continue reading Manna? What’s that?
Why is it So Hard to Be Financially Transparent?
By Seth Busetti As we help more and more families with their finances, I have come to believe the hardest part for most people is not the numbers, but rather adopting the practice of financial transparency. This includes opening up, not just about what they earn and what they spend, but how they organize their … Continue reading Why is it So Hard to Be Financially Transparent?
Are You Ready for Middle Aged Money?
By Seth Busetti My mind doesn’t really want to accept that at 39, I am middle aged. But it is true. My kids are no longer babies. My beard is equal parts gray and whatever color it used to be (my beautiful wife Alexis has managed to fend off the effects of aging!). Sometimes I … Continue reading Are You Ready for Middle Aged Money?
Cistern & Grove Featured Links
Giving and Receiving on Family Christian New Blog Post: Fill Your Tank Articles from Alexis on Family Christian! New Podcast Interview: She's Got Gumption! with Wendy Olson, special series Things We Can't Talk About in Church - Money Recent Blog Post: Form and Function of Money Podcast Interview: Creation Refined with Monica Harris, Episode 11 Podcast … Continue reading Cistern & Grove Featured Links
How to Spend a Financial Windfall
Congratulations! You just came into a significant sum of unexpected money! Now what? When you receive a financial windfall whether it comes in the form of a tax refund, bonus, inheritance, or some other unexpected lump sum, chances are you have already imagined what you might do with that kind of money. You may be … Continue reading How to Spend a Financial Windfall
Cistern & Grove Videos
Alexis sits down with Rabbi Michael Vowell to discuss financial stewardship, generosity, and healthy mindsets on money. https://youtu.be/94iTW4ZoGHU Here is a detailed video walkthrough of our Excel Budget Template. You can download the spreadsheet for free. https://youtu.be/zjoLeecZVD8 There are three essential steps to getting your finances on track. Watch to find out more. https://youtu.be/0cnR_h9QvfU In … Continue reading Cistern & Grove Videos
Tips for Budgeting Rookies
I spend a lot of time listening to people talk about their financial goals. At the top of the list are usually paying off debt, saving more money, and preparing for the future. These are great motivators! But these alone do not allow for realizing these goals. There's a very important ingredient. The dreaded "b" … Continue reading Tips for Budgeting Rookies
No Power Steering
There are two car stories that have been so significant to my family's financial life I want to tell them both upfront. The first of those stories is here....
Welcome to Cistern & Grove
Cistern & Grove: What's in a Name?
My husband and I went through dozens of name choices (some pretty humorous like "Brunhilde Business" after our sweet 150 lb. mastiff) before finally deciding on Cistern & Grove....
From Acura to Adoption
From the time my husband and I were dating, we were always open to the idea of adoption as a way to expand our family....