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Author Archive
As Much as Possible, as Far as it Depends on You, Be at Peace With Everyone
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- What is my motive in confronting this other person/group? If your answer reveals a desire for revenge, to put the other person in his/her place, or something of that flavor, please wait until your emotions have calmed down enough to handle the confrontation with respect for the other person.
- Am I ready to accept that the other person may not respond the way I would prefer? Take the time to release your expectations and desires to your heavenly Father. Going into the confrontation with an agenda can put both you and the other person on the defensive if/when things don’t go your way.
- Is this safe? Not to be melodramatic, but the truth is that some confrontations are unwise because the emotions involved can escalate in some situations putting one or both people at risk for harm—either verbally or physically. If it isn’t safe, don’t confront (or don’t go it alone). Common sense applies here. (As shared in detail in the above section.)
- What do I hope to gain? If you recognize that the importance is that your voice be heard, and not that the other person respond the way you desire, then you are probably ready to confront.
10 Legitimate Work From Home Opportunities for New Moms
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Until you get used to the changes, being a new mom can wear you out. It can also make working outside of the home a bit more difficult than you expected. Many mothers are very creative and entrepreneurial with their new found time at home, and revel in their ability to earn money while staying home with their new bundle of joy. You may be surprised at the variety of opportunities there are for you to work from home.
- Bilingual Technical Advisor – If you have skills in technical support and are fluent in a second language, you may want to consider becoming a technical support advisor. There are positions available for day, evening and overnight shifts, depending on the company you work for. Businesses need tech advisors to help keep thing running smoothly around the clock, and often find that hiring telecommuters is more efficient than maintaining on-site call centers.
- CEO/Executive Director – Usually when you think of a CEO or ED, you imagine someone in a corner office with a spectacular view. Now, thanks to the Internet and advances in technology, you can run an organization or company from the comfort of your home. If you enjoy a challenge, have the qualifications and experience necessary for the position and you know how to keep the lines of communication open, it’s definitely worth looking into. Read More→
GUEST POST: Jesus Loves You
Posted by: | CommentsJesus loves you. No, I’m really serious. Jesus loves you. I know you have heard it from your Sunday school teacher, your Christian friend, in that chain email you got the other day, and from that bumper sticker on the car that cut you off this morning. You have heard it so much that its meaning and power may have diminished in your heart and mind. I say this because God’s love for us is not some cliché that simply looks nice on a T-shirt or sounds good in a song. His love is power. His love is freedom. His love changes things.
My concern for my sisters is that in this fallen world our hearts may have been wounded so badly and bruised so severely by unhealthy relationships, abuse, and sin that we are afraid to believe in God’s true love for us. So we say we know He loves us but because the true knowledge of His love has not penetrated our hearts and minds we have not been changed by it, we have not been empowered, we have not been set free. But God’s love for you does give power, it does give freedom, and it does in fact change things. Not just things, but YOU.
Do you feel lonely? His love means adoption into the family of God. Do you feel lost? His love means purpose. For the weak His love is strength. For the confused, His love is identity. For the trapped, His love is freedom. For the fearful, there is strength. For the sick there is healing. For the broken there is wholeness. For the guilty there is forgiveness. All because of God’s love. But most of all, for the sinner, His love is Eternal Life! Read More→
The Unburdened Heart: Forgiving When A Person Has Changed
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Reconciliation in itself is like a dance in the beginning. You expect disappointment. Harsh words and lashing out have always been the way you’ve communicated. You are used to walking on eggshells.
It’s what you have grown to expect; and yet, now that person is showing up when she says she will. She is doing what she promised. He responds with grace or an attempt at grace. He isn’t perfect, but he is different, and it’s hard to know what to do. In a sense, you are waiting for this person to mess up.
That is awkward at best.
I understand awkward. My husband (sorry, babe) has no rhythm, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love to dance. When he first approaches me with his untraditional dance moves, I laugh every time. I can’t help it! If everyone else is moving to the right, my husband is going to bust a move to the left, and do it with enthusiasm. I don’t try to correct him anymore; I just go with it and have fun.
Maybe you aren’t sure whether to go right or left. It takes time to develop a rhythm that works together.
It’s not your responsibility to make a person whole again. It’s an impossible task. But there are questions you can ask to help as you start fresh.
Has my loved one changed?
If the answer is yes, take an honest look at why you may still be struggling. If it’s trust issues, then identify those. There have been conversations where I have had to say, “This isn’t you. This is my issue. I’m still struggling in this area, but I’m working on it.” That’s an honest response that allows me to take responsibility for my part in the reconciliation.
Am I giving this time?
It’s okay to take baby steps. On television, reconciliation is painted as this magical moment where everyone walks away arm in arm; but when the cameras go away, reality hits. Reconciliation takes time and prayer and working through conflict to start fresh. The relationship is worth it, and over time those issues lessen, get resolved and heal.
What is one small step toward a fresh start?
Let him or her know that you see and appreciate transformation. And while you are doing that, there’s a little bit of transformation going on inside of you too.
: As a writer and speaker with the national Proverbs 31 Ministries, Suzie Eller serves along side a stellar team of women, including Proverbs 31 president and best selling author, Lysa TerKeurst, reaching millions of women through national conferences, radio, the Proverbs 31 Magazine, and specialty conferences such as She Speaks and She Seeks. Suzie writes monthly for half a million women through the Encouragement for Today daily devotional. She is also the host of founder of Moms Together, a Facebook community of 13,500 moms, and the creator Live Free, a Facebook community that reaches 6,500 women every day.
Read the first chapter of Suzanne’s book!
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GUEST POST: Trusting God with Your Success
Posted by: | CommentsBeing a work-at-home mom certainly has its challenges, especially time management. You want a healthy balance between spending time with family and working towards your professional goals. Unfortunately, in today’s society we are bombarded with messages that tell us in order to be successful you must work your fingers to the bones, work a vast amount of overtime, and sleep? Who needs it?
However, many times people do a lot of work without actually getting much accomplished. This is because many people try to follow the world’s methods of obtaining success which leads to a definite lack of balance and a cycle you do not want to start.
I do believe in the value of hard work, but my recent studies in God’s word have also made me a true believer in the value of resting in God.
For the past few months I have been studying the book of Joshua. Joshua was called by God to lead God’s people from wondering in the wilderness into a land they would call home, their Promised Land. Although this was a land God promised to give them previously; there were still obstacles they would have to overcome before they could enter the land. Mainly the land was already occupied. Read More→
GUEST POST: Look No Further
Posted by: | CommentsI have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10bNIV
I was recently gifted a subscription to the Oprah Magazine. With every magazine there is a new way to make your life better and more fulfilling. Robyn Okrant author of “Living Oprah” actually spent an entire year following the advice Oprah provides. When it comes to “living your best life”, Oprah always seems to come up with the next “best” thing that promises to leave you more satisfied, better, and happy.
In the parable of the hidden treasure Jesus says in Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Notice the parable ends here. He does not go on to search for more treasure. He found all he needed. There was no need to look any further. When we discover Jesus and truly understand His worth in our lives everything else is second place and there is no need to look for anything else. We have found all we need in Him.
Jesus Christ offers everyone the “best” life. He offers a redeemed life filled with joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment. In order to live that best life, we must put Christ first in our lives. You will fall into a dangerous cycle if you think anything or anyone else will give you true satisfaction because the pleasures of this world are temporary, new ideologies will be replaced by newer ones, and the comforts of this world can leave us feeling bored and unfulfilled. Like the parable, everything must fail in comparison to our relationship with Christ. Jesus Christ, now and forever, is not just the next best thing, He is the best. Look no further.
© 2012 Christina Patterson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christina Patterson is a wife, mom, and founder of Beloved Women’s Ministry (www.belovedwomen.org). She has a passion to see women reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and fulfilled in knowing who they are: His Beloved. She has her Masters in Theological Studies from Liberty University and lives in Waldorf, MD.
Guest Post by Author Joanna Weaver: Thru the Word 2013
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I’m loving all the rich “Thru the Word 2013″ dialogue we are having at my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/becominghis. (Find out more about this at the bottom of this post.)
If you haven’t begun reading through the Bible this year, it’s not too late to start. You can go to www.becominghis.com, print off your reading guide and start today. If you’d like to read the same portions as the rest of us, just click on January 1st and start with Genesis. You can use the reflection days scattered throughout and at the end of the month to catch up.
COUNT DOWN TO A HAPPIER FAMILY: 10 STRATEGIES TO TACKLE ENTITLEMENT AT HOME IN 2013
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Kay Wyma, ‘Recovering Enabler’ Now the Author of ‘Cleaning House,’ Shares Top Tips for Teaching Kids How Capable They Can Be
A Dallas mother of five kids who worked in the White House and earned an MBA in international finance has tackled a really tough task—pushing back against the “entitlement mentality” she helped to develop in her children. In its place, Kay Wills Wyma instills competence and confidence born from helping them develop the skills and traits needed to launch from home successfully.
In her book Cleaning House A Mom’s Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement Kay details her yearlong effort to help her kids learn the joy of accomplishment and capability. Following are 10 strategies for parents resolving that 2013 will be the “Year Entitlement Ended” in their homes.
10. Be honest . . . with yourself and with your kids. The first step to change is admitting, “I have a problem.” Welcome to Enablers Anonymous. It might not be pretty, but we’ve all driven here on the road paved with good intentions. Read More→
Business Etiquette Resolutions
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Do you want to grow your business this year, attract more customers, keep your current ones and increase your bottom line? If you answered “yes” to any of those, here are my top ten business etiquette recommendations for you.
1. Be on time for meetings, presentations, workshops and networking events. People who habitually arrive late send a clear message that their time is more important than everyone else’s. They develop a poor reputation, and they miss out on information and opportunity. Keep in mind that if you are not five minutes early, you’re late.
2. Pay more attention to your professional attire. Resolve to dress like the polished business person you are. People do judge you by your appearance. Your 9-5 wardrobe should be different from your after five clothing. Read More→
3 Simple Ways to Save Money on Back-to-School Supplies
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by “The Money Saving Mom” Crystal Paine
1. Start Early
Don’t wait until the last minute to get your back-to-school shopping done. Not only is it stressful to wait until the last minute to shop, but you’ll also spend a lot more money.
Big store chains like Target and Walmart, drug stores like CVS and Walgreens, and office supply stores like Office Depot and Staples begin their back-to-school sales a number of weeks before school actually starts. Start picking up the best deals each week (like the $0.01 bargains at Staples or the free-after-rebate offers at Office Depot) and by the time when most people begin their back-to-school shopping, you will already have most of your shopping done — and all for pennies on the dollar!
Read More→
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