tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7375768194155748702024-02-07T04:35:04.937-05:00The Girlfriend NetworkAn interactive blog for moms, by moms, to moms!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-5613032437642963312012-01-09T17:01:00.000-05:002012-01-09T17:01:25.484-05:00Printable Coupon for Courageous the Movie on DVD (Canada only)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexvYJS5V2LyjcdHviGUF7xrvoSwr_UJk3fn__iI3ePhYJpliH-UuCA2RRDjasN8UCPO5Hg_ixWx_7aYlljIqDe-MCnSt6DP9M0WdqgEjONQohMgf62-ElWH9dSrsiKY9N9GryUlcfIT1O/s1600/courageousmovie_coupon5off.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="141" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexvYJS5V2LyjcdHviGUF7xrvoSwr_UJk3fn__iI3ePhYJpliH-UuCA2RRDjasN8UCPO5Hg_ixWx_7aYlljIqDe-MCnSt6DP9M0WdqgEjONQohMgf62-ElWH9dSrsiKY9N9GryUlcfIT1O/s320/courageousmovie_coupon5off.jpeg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-24091618170146826912012-01-06T15:25:00.001-05:002012-01-06T15:25:02.381-05:00Another Absolute Must Read!!!!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12371170-the-resolution-for-women" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Resolution for Women" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Gu0pMdX%2BL._SX106_.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12371170-the-resolution-for-women">The Resolution for Women</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13362.Priscilla_Shirer">Priscilla Shirer</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/257332089">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
Like The Resolution for Men, I'm declaring this book an absolute must read for women and young women. <br />
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<br/>Today's culture has completely muddied the definitions of husband and wife, father and mother, which are completely contrary to the definitions the Bible lays out. As Christian moms and wives, we need to have these boundaries between the culture's definition and God's definition clearly set apart from one another--and choose to follow and implement and live out God's.<br />
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<br/>When we start making up our own rules, we open up a whole can of worms that can spell disaster for our children and our families.<br />
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<br/>Every woman, and every young woman who has visions of a glorious wedding and a healthy, happy household in her mind, needs to read this book to have God's desires for wifehood and motherhood clearly in our minds. <br />
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<br/>"God...has brought this book into your life for this particular season. He is calling you to make the hard yet necessary decision to face these chapters and the themes they present with a strong dose of courage, a prodigious amount of willingness to look inward, not outward, and a steady confidence in His Spirit to empower you to follow through on these resolves, regardless of how little your spouse or others may seem compelled to follow your example." (page 4)<br />
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<br/>I found the author's voice engaging and her stories and anecdotes poignant and vivid. Her focus being on the building up and encouraging of readers to view themselves and their roles as mothers and wives in a different light--in God's light--and strives to help us "stand as a living, walking, eating, breathing example of what God's grace can do with a woman He has set apart...."<br />
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<br/>I would have liked to have seen more Scriptural parallels and analogies to drive home the message of the Bible on these particular areas. The teaching is definitely there, but it would have been good to have more Scriptural back-up. I know she was trying to keep the lessons short, which was good, but I felt it would have helped tremendously with her overall message, if she took a passage (eg: 1 Peter 2:9-10 on page 53) and explored it in relation to the message of the chapter.<br />
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<br/>It's a completely eye-opening experience to look at value, self-worth, motherhood, wifehood...all the roles that God has called us to from His perspective rather than the one society claims is right. <br />
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<br/>Concepts like submission turn into issues of love and respect, rather than abuse and domination. There is no room for abuse and domination in God's version of family and marriage, and yet many in our culture, including many Christians still hold to this definition. God's message isn't based on domination and subjugation, but on love and grace. Many Christian denominations and world religions have taught for centuries that women are second-rate citizens not worthy of anything and use Scripture to back that up--when in fact Christ sets a completely different standard.<br />
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<br/>I believe both husbands and wives should read both books (The Resolution for Men and the Resolution for Women) so that they can be firmly grounded in God's purpose for that role in their lives, and so that they can keep each other accountable. The future of our marriage and our families depend on husbands and wives who are devoted to God and to each other, and to their God-given roles and purpose.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1586495-darlene">View all my reviews</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-71175676462470786832012-01-06T15:23:00.002-05:002012-01-06T15:23:42.457-05:00An absolute MUST READ!!!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12065788-the-resolution-for-men" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Resolution for Men" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F8V-y6DpL._SX106_.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12065788-the-resolution-for-men">The Resolution for Men</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/69521.Stephen_Kendrick">Stephen Kendrick</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/257324351">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
This is an absolute MUST READ for any Christian father, father-to-be, husband or husband-to-be -- and for every mother, mother-to-be, wife and wife-to-be. Very rarely do I get this excited about a book - and I have many on my bookshelf!<br/><br/>As families continue to crumble and fall and ex-life partners struggle to figure out why, it is imperative that the Church reinforce the roles of husband and wife that are very clearly laid out in the Bible and that husbands and wives take up the challenge of those roles instead of trying to define and live out their own as based on what society deems right and popular.<br/><br/>I would very strongly recommend that both husbands and wives read both the Resolution for Men and the Resolution for Women so that each can hold the other partner accountable for actions, inactions and ways of thinking that are not in keeping with God's ways and teachings.<br/><br/>Our families and children need strong fathers more than ever. Fathers/husbands that know the difference between loving and respecting and cherishing and being dominating and abusive and manipulative. Fathers, contrary to popular opinion, are integral to raising healthy, well-rounded kids, and to keeping a marriage together. When fathers negate their God-ordained role or abuse that role for purposes that God never intended, then families suffer. "A man cannot be passive about what Scripture tells him to do for his family and expect to be found faithful to God in the end." (page 3)<br/><br/>This is a lesson that every man, and every young man who has visions of being a husband and father in his life needs to read.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1586495-darlene">View all my reviews</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-41644780737103223182012-01-06T15:21:00.000-05:002012-01-06T15:21:54.714-05:00Still Worth the Read<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12302668-courageous-living" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Courageous Living: Dare to Take a Stand" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514aT3oshxL._SX106_.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12302668-courageous-living">Courageous Living: Dare to Take a Stand</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/809545.Michael_Catt">Michael Catt</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/257305573">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
I was very much looking forward to reading this book. After the whoopla about Courageous the movie, I was really hoping for a strong "accompanying" book that would help me (and the target audience) dig deeper into the renewed drive for men to step up in their families and retake the family leadership role that feminism has taken from them.<br/><br/>Let me preface my next thoughts by saying that I come at this review not only as a reader, but as a professional editor. My day-to-day work involves analyzing, correcting, reorganizing to get the message out of the writing most effectively.<br/><br/>I had a hard time turning off my editorial hat for this one. My comments have nothing to do with the message of this book, more the literary presentation of it. Others have given it a 5-star rating, so obviously they enjoyed it.<br/><br/>Despite the chapter headings, my main criticism about this book is it seemed disorganized, disjointed and jumped from one paragraph to the next. There was very little flow to this book. It gave me the sense that it was written under pressure and not really out of inspiration. Like the writer was struggling to come up with a message for a third book. I guess I expected the book to be more teaching oriented than it was, reinforcing the concepts from the movie and challenging men to take up the challenge if they hadn't seen the movie.<br/><br/>What I found is he seems to jump from one adage or anecdote to another and from Bible analogy to life application with no connecting language. I don't believe you have to play connect the dots with readers, but there is a way of drawing figurative lines that are obvious without being direct, and they're very effective at connecting with the reader. There were many Scripture passages or stories that could have been delved into to drive home his point, which, branched together with smoother transitions I think would have had a deeper impact.<br/><br/>I had a few issues with the expression of his political and doctrinal view points and name calling (bigots, racists, cowards), which could turn off many readers. There is a way to challenge people with certain viewpoints (bigots, racists) tactfully, but I found several areas of this book where the tone was outwardly offensive, as opposed to challenging; guilt-tripping and condemning instead of encouraging and compelling. God deals with everyone through grace; I didn't see any of that in this book. There is room for bluntness and telling it like it is, but to be effective it needs to be tempered with compassion and grace and backed up by Scripture. This book needed a whole lot more of this than it came with.<br/><br/>By the time I reached chapter 4, I was reading simply because I believed in the message and I wanted to see what other things he had to say. Chapter 4 was better, smoother. Perhaps it was the curse of the first three chapters - trying to get something written (early chapters are often rougher) and by the time you reach Chapter 4 or so, you've finally smoothed out your voice, your message, etc.<br/><br/>The entire intended message of this book, and the Courageous movement can be summed up in this statement from page 93: "Men are more committed to hunting, fishing, and sports than to Christ. They would never think of turning down tickets to a ball game or an invitation to a hunting trip, but they'll roll over and turn the alarm off if it's raining on Sunday morning. I don't care how old you are, you aren't a man until you take responsibility and live in accountability...If you spent as much time on your hobbies as you do on your walk with God, how good would you be at your hobbies? If you spent as much time on your walk with God as you do on your hobbies, what kind of man would you be?"<br/><br/>So many men today are plagued by "I'm good enough. I don't need to learn anything new. I'm good just the way I am." Women grab up Christian living books and desire to know how to become Proverbs 31 women and better wives and mothers, while trying to get a husband or father to read "How to Become a Godly Father/Husband" books is like pulling teeth. Where are the men who are courageous enough to want to learn what the Bible says about husbands and fathers, and to examine their lives and see where they need to make some changes, and then actually strive to make those challenges and hold themselves accountable to God's placement of them in their families. <br/><br/>This is the whole crux of the Courageous message and, like the author, I believe it is desperately needed. Men have been undervalued for so long that fathers have become unnecessary and expendable. But our families need strong, courageous men to take back the leadership role that God intended for them to have. Leadership that is respectful and understanding and involved, not domineering, abusive and disconnected.<br/><br/>Don't let my review of this book stop you on that journey. Perhaps you'll find something in it that will inspire and teach you.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1586495-darlene">View all my reviews</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-27609970394303922412011-08-25T11:59:00.000-04:002011-08-25T11:59:07.102-04:00Jiminy Crickets!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPkIUl9RT1UMkKZ_AxpdOzyqEfxVlzuhk2EYSq2Zb54xbHlpplKDtbbVttKS2zv1nnD9DR52FzEVNhWGBiAZJ9tgj1lwxAhZMazJ9fXqJ8tpNIh325HrDborWF_BGGnHCXRHW_5RMFrxz/s1600/IMG00065-20100928-1529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPkIUl9RT1UMkKZ_AxpdOzyqEfxVlzuhk2EYSq2Zb54xbHlpplKDtbbVttKS2zv1nnD9DR52FzEVNhWGBiAZJ9tgj1lwxAhZMazJ9fXqJ8tpNIh325HrDborWF_BGGnHCXRHW_5RMFrxz/s320/IMG00065-20100928-1529.jpg" /></a></div>This is not a cricket. It's a praying mantis. I'll get to the crickets in just a second...but this mantis is the reason for the crickets.<br />
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At the end of the school year, my teenage son came home with two "mantids" - baby mantises...they're really extremely cute, even for a bug.<br />
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Mantises are fascinating creatures, I learned several years ago from my now-ex who on a couple of occasions brought home an oothaca(sp?), which is an egg sack, about an inch in diameter, full of baby mantises, and we proceeded feed and raise them.<br />
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They are a natural pest control bug, eating pretty much anything in your garden or farm, and they are actually a protected species because they are of such great value to farmers.<br />
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When they're first born, they're really extremely tiny, about the same size as a mosquito. Normally, you're supposed to feed them "flightless fruitflies" but as those proved to be extremely hard to procure, I started feeding them mosquitos, and our two little mantids thrived and quickly molted several times. With each molt, which poses a death risk to mantises each time, the mantids get bigger and in later molts, they actually develop wings. For a bug, they're really quite beautiful, along the lines of gypsy moths, beautiful. And it's fascinating to watch them hunt. <br />
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Anyway...eventually, as you can imagine they get too big for mosquitos to satisfy them, so we graduated to dear flies, which only last five or six weeks. So what then. Crickets. Not the big black ones, smaller brownish coloured ones without exoskeletons. These you can get in most any pet store because they're nourishment for a number of other critters.<br />
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Well, the other day I had just picked up a whole bunch of these things of varying sizes and put them in an aerated box with clever little "tube holes" that supposedly made it easy for me to get the crickets out and feed them to the mantises. Yes, in the car. (Can you see where this is going?)<br />
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Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me to leave the tubes (which had caps on the end to keep the crickets from getting loose) in the tube holes. When I arrived home, I discovered that only about 10 of the 30 crickets I had bought were still in the box!! So 15-20 crickets were hopping around my car...and they are fast and hard to catch. Once they're loose you have very little chance of catching them because they like to find little corners or crannies where you can't reach. By the time you notice them and get to the place where they are to try to catch them, they're gone!<br />
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*sigh*<br />
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Oh, well. Now I've got the little cricket box figured out, but that doesn't mean they don't get away. I've lost a couple...<br />
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All for the sake of my son's summer science fair. *head shake*<br />
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Now, I'm faced with the dilemma of what to do with them for the winter. Since mantises are cold blooded, I can certainly keep them alive in the house, but they haven't gotten their wings yet (although they're pretty fine jumpers) and I'm reluctant to release them so close to the fall and without their wings. I had hoped by now to be able to release them, but the weather has grown chillier a little sooner than I anticipated and that seems to be affecting their activity level.<br />
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Guess we'll see!!!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-59992700690194126262011-05-28T21:29:00.000-04:002011-05-28T21:29:33.892-04:00TransitionsWow! I know, three articles in one day!<br />
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I think every mother/parent is familiar with the dilemma of managing time...I have a rather substantial stack of dishes and an icky floor and mountains of clean laundry and probably just as much dirty laundry (thanks to son #1) sitting behind me at the moment. Don't know that I'll ever have this particular dilemma actually solved.<br />
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But every writer at heart struggles with the balance of family life, working to get paid, and following what her heart is telling her that she needs to do. I've always known that I would be a writer, but I knew that what I wanted to write wouldn't be enough to live on...at least in the beginning...so I capitalized on some of my other skills -- editing, typing and organization -- to pay the bills. <br />
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Fifteen years of secretarial work finally morphed into an opportunity to work from home doing what I loved -- working with words. I wouldn't have changed my decision for the world (you couldn't pay me enough to get me into an office job), but it doesn't mean it was without its struggles.<br />
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It meant putting me -- someone who is somewhat obsessive over schedules and incomes -- doing a job that is predictable in every aspect. One day is never the same as the next and every month brings with it the uncertainty of whether or not I will actually have work, and whether or not payments will come in precisely when I need them to. There was also the challenge of where would the work come from. <br />
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I cannot go any further without completely acknowledging how much this is a faith lesson. For any other obsessive compulsive type person letting go of control over such a major aspect of life would probably have resulted in anaphylactic shock or something. But, surprisingly, I was completely at peace with this...and still am. The work I've needed has always come to me and the Lord has never failed to provide...which leads me to the next transition.<br />
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I feel I have reached the point where I can finally trim some of the work I advertise and focus on those few regular clients and finally, finally, finally, get writing for myself. I've started taking more weekends off and enjoying the time with my kids and relaxing. I've already adjusted my website to reflect my new priorities...and even though the changes seem rather drastic, they were logical and I have no regrets at all.<br />
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There are a lot of things lining up for the second half of 2011 and I won't spoil them by posting on them now...but let's just say this whole change of perspective is part of the plan. I'm tired of watching the year swoosh by and I still have no books finished, my music is still sitting there unpublished and unformatted and unrecorded, and I don't seem to have any better grasp on life and home than I did in the beginning. I'm usually one of those "grab the bull by the horns" type people. I'm tired of playing the "someday I'll" game. <br />
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Of course, one can't always just do whatever they want. Sometimes these things are a journey in and of themselves. There has to be a certainty that these choices are the right ones to make at that time...and I have that feeling.<br />
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The toughest part of this is regaining the work discipline I once had, which has been challenged because the boundary between home and work is so much more flexible. But then, that's one of the advantages to being my own boss--I get to pick my own hours, right?<br />
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Setting a schedule is much easier when someone else is giving you work that has to be completed by a certain point in time. It is much more difficult--I find, anyway--to keep that tight schedule when it's just me...regardless of self-imposed deadlines and daily target word counts.<br />
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But it's a drive I just can't squelch anymore. I have to do this to silence the hundreds of literary voices in my head and particularly the one that keeps reminding me of how many ideas I have sitting in my notebook waiting for me to flesh out. Well, the waiting is over. I can't take it anymore! It's time to let the voices out and get the pen and keyboard to work.<br />
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Will try to keep you updated!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-53634153710295809772011-05-28T07:39:00.000-04:002011-05-28T07:39:38.018-04:00Still Single? Mr. Right is Out There, I Know it!Not that I expect this post to drop Mr. Right into my lap...or...well...in front of me. <br />
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Some would say that nothing will really happen until my divorce is final...and I'm quite okay with actually waiting to do anything romance related until then, but I would just love to meet a guy and know the attraction is mutual and know that there will be someone waiting for me on the other side of this.<br />
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I'm trying to be patient, but I've never been patient when it comes to finding romance...which was probably how I ended up in my married/divorced situation in the first place. You think a girl'd learn! *hand smack on forehead*<br />
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After a 14-year loveless marriage, I kind of think I've waited long enough, but I guess the Lord has other plans. I'm on a couple of online dating sites...seems like that's where everybody goes now...and surprisingly this "great find" hasn't had much of a nibble...except from those who want to extort money out of a single mother of two or those who, after reading their profile, it's not great wonder why they're single.<br />
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Despite all this...I know he's out there. Somewhere.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-6854195753538204152011-05-28T07:33:00.000-04:002011-05-28T07:33:24.522-04:00Soccer Season BeginsWoohoo! Soccer season is here...rain or shine. Unfortunately this year it will be in the rain.<br />
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Today, along with the Dandelion Festival and Grand Opening of Kemptville's new library (which we will definitely be seeing later), my toddler starts his first of what I hope will be many soccer seasons. Not that they'll get much "real" soccer played. I kind of picture a swarm of children chasing a ball not really caring which goal they're headed towards. No throw ins or official goalie keeping...just a bunch of fun! Unfortunately, all this will happen before I'm really awake.<br />
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(On top of toilet training, I would really like to train my toddler to a) not wake me up before 6AM on a Saturday, and b) to not dig into the fridge or invade my desk while I'm trying to coax myself awake. Why can't he just play with his Buzz Lightyear or Lego or cars or something. *sigh*)<br />
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Anyway, I digress. Back to soccer...<br />
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My soccer season (women's house league) starts on Monday, apparently without the rain, but the fields will be good and soggy. Yay...soggy socks and cleats. :-( But I'm glad to say I have my prescription sunglasses. I had a pair for two years and then lost them. (Grrr.) And really can't play with the current glasses I wear, so they were a must get. Wish I could find my goalie jersey though. Found my cleats (yay...only because of my decision to pack summer shoes in a grocery bag instead of a box that I knew would get lost), and have a new pair of goalie gloves and knee pads.<br />
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I'm ready!<br />
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What summer activities do you or your kids participate in?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-88663916649126285142011-05-06T14:23:00.000-04:002011-05-06T14:23:53.303-04:00Battle of the WebsNo, not the innerwebs...well, perhaps, it is the innerwebs...the webs inside my house. <br />
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I love spring. I love summer. The sun is beautiful. It rains a little bit too much for my liking, but the flowers need it, right? I have to exchange my comfy cozy sweaters for tee-shirts, and my boots for barefeet. I have the enormous privilege to watch the seasons change along the water of a branch of the Rideau River.<br />
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But the start of spring also brings with it bugs! Spiders in particular. Black flies like to converge around my head. Okay. The mosquito hunt will soon begin. Wasps and hornets will terrify the beejeebers out of me. And in all honesty I can handle most spiders, but the new house we moved into in November seems to have come with these big ugly brown spiders in almost every corner. <br />
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I seem to have successfully escorted most of them outside, but why of all the 8-legged creatures did my house come with these ones. Ewwww!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-74768873752071558592011-01-29T13:47:00.000-05:002011-01-29T13:47:04.556-05:00Hey...Anyone still out thereLots shaping up for February which will make up nicely for a rather lean December and January, which was both a good and bad thing. Good in that it allowed me time to relax and keep stress free, and bad in that if there was any stress is was over how I was going to pay for things.<br />
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But the Lord has proved faithful in ways I couldn't have imagined and in ways that are truly miraculous because from a human perspective things seemed impossible.<br />
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I can't stay long...my toddler is just up from his nap...but just wanted to chime in. I will post an update on the past year in the next little bit. In the meantime, please feel free to chime in with your updates.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-91636073457786324162011-01-01T20:54:00.001-05:002011-01-01T20:55:54.896-05:00Welcome to 2011Hey, everyone!<br /><br />So sorry for the hiatus. Will be updating soon.<br /><br />But I wanted to thank you all for remaining "followers" even though there hasn't been much to follow, and to wish you all a Happy New Year.<br /><br />DarleneUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-44042384230381096012010-03-24T16:07:00.001-04:002010-03-24T16:09:17.442-04:00Sleepless Nights by: K.R. Pinkston“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)<br /><br /> “You know, maybe we should start a sort of sleepless military mothers club,” Laurie said. Michelle and I laughed, even though there is nothing funny about waking up every night and not being able to go back to sleep.<br /> <br /> The conversation among the three of us turned more serious as we discovered that each of us had different reasons for being up at night. Laurie explained that she got into the habit of checking her email in the middle of the night, just to make sure she did not have an urgent message from her deployed husband. Michelle, on the other hand, said that her toddler still wakes her up during the night. Once she is awake she cannot go back to sleep because she is thinking about their upcoming move to another duty station and all the things that need to be done. <br /><br /> My problem is that nobody seems to sleep through the night at our home – at least not on a regular basis. One night it is my husband’s phone ringing at two in the morning, another night it is our kitty meowing because he is lonely. If it is not our son turning on lights because of a nightmare, we can hear the neighbors’ kids crying. Then there are horses right behind our backyard making a racket, or it is people who are using part of the horse stables as an all-night party hub. <br /><br /> Just like Michelle, once I am awake I am unable to go back to sleep. My mind starts to race until it is time to get up. But is that all? After some soul-searching I uncovered the real culprit that is robbing my night’s sleep: it is fear. It is not a life-threatening fear, one that makes you turn around and run in the opposite direction, but it is a surreptitious fear, one that penetrates your mind like a thief coming under the cover of darkness. This fear is multifaceted and takes on different shapes depending on what is going on in my daily life.<br /><br /> At the top of my fear list is homeschooling. As a newcomer to homeschooling I am still very sensitive to people’s negative remarks about teaching a child at home. Since we are stationed in Germany – a country where homeschooling is illegal – we are staying in the house until local schools are out at noon to avoid questions and comments from well-meaning locals. Still, my friend’s concern whether I am really doing my child a favor by teaching him myself struck a sensitive chord. <br /><br /> After that, my list of fear includes worries about my elderly parents and their poor health as well as my friend who is battling breast cancer. Also, our two cats are old and suffer from chronic renal failure. Of course, fear does not stop there. Deployment of my friends’ and my husband is ever present in our lives and brings with it another set of anxieties. <br /><br /> Oddly enough, it is during those nights when I cannot sleep that I pray the most. When the world seems to close in to overwhelm my thoughts with failure and fear, the knowledge that God walks our paths with each and every one of us is very comforting. Even though our lives are surrounded by uncertainty He is there to guide us. <br /><br /> Lately I have tried to push away my worries with focusing on the love that God lets me experience every day. This exercise of the mind is hard in the middle of the night. Every time I fall into the hole of fear, I climb up by cherishing the time I can teach our child, by remembering the laughter and joy I have with my parents and friends, and by knowing that His love surrounds us. <br /><br /> Perhaps this exercise will never get me to sleep through the night. Still, I feel more peaceful during the day, knowing that I did not waste those sleepless hours by chewing over problems. Who knows? Maybe this is His way of getting me to pray.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-74712552468271756722010-02-08T05:51:00.001-05:002010-02-08T05:53:57.215-05:00A New Perspective - By: Katja Pinkston<span style="font-style:italic;">"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed" (Romans 5: 3-5a).</span><br /><br />I stand at the mouth of a cave. Its shape, its contents, its dangers and joys are hidden in darkness. Part of me does not want to go that way. It is easier to tread the familiar path than to venture out on your own. I feel doubtful, anxious and nervous; but, somewhere inside I also feel exhilarated and determined: we are going to make homeschooling work.<br /><br />Nearly three months after school began, we pulled our son out of school and started homeschooling him.<br /><br />I have never felt so uncertain of the road ahead. At night I laid awake second guessing if I should homeschool. What curriculum should I choose? What if our son doesn’t learn what he needs to learn? What if he becomes a social klutz? Do I really have what it takes to homeschool? I prayed and prayed for the right answers, when I knew them all along. My first lesson as a homeschooling mother has been to learn to let go. I must stop worrying. I must have confidence. I must trust in God.<br /><br />Searching the internet, I quickly became overwhelmed by all the choices in study materials. Even as I faced these difficult decisions, He led me to the right people to help. I discovered that we live near several homeschooling mothers at our overseas duty station and they guided me through curricula and lesson plans. After talking with these experienced homeschooling mothers and getting some tips from them, my confidence increased. Still, I knew it was not going to be easy.<br /><br />On the first day of homeschooling I got up half an hour earlier to meditate followed by a delicious breakfast. By eight o’clock our homeschooling adventure started with a smile, we finished at lunch and baked cookies in the afternoon. Not bad, I thought, until the second day of homeschooling arrived. On my way to help him with his first lesson in math, I bumped against the door and let go of my coffee mug that I had just filled to the brim with steaming coffee. The mug shattered on the tiles and bathed my kitchen in a mixture of cappuccino spots and ceramic pieces.<br /><br />Normally an accident like that in the morning would not have mattered too much, especially when he was still going to school. I would have nurtured my burned hand in a tub of ice water, cleaned the kitchen after the pain became bearable, tossed the shattered pieces into the trash and put on a clean pair of jeans. Now, however, a homeschooler waited for my help in the living room.<br /><br />“Mom! Are you coming?” He called out again. “I don’t understand what to do. Are you coming?”<br /><br />Clearly he had heard the commotion in the kitchen. “Just wait. Will you!” I yelled and grabbed the paper towels to stop the puddle of coffee running under the refrigerator. I don’t remember exactly how I managed to cut my heel in my frantic attempt to soak up the worst of the spill. This mess could not get any worse.<br /><br />I hobbled upstairs to get a big band aid and change clothes. My hand burned and my heel throbbed, but nothing was worse than the feeling of inadequacy. I knew I needed to forget the pain and start teaching instead of feeling frustrated and humiliated. All I could do is pray to God to give me the strength to make it through the day.<br /><br />At night I reflected on the tribulations of that second day of homeschooling. We did not get through all the lessons I had wanted to cover, nor did we have as much fun together as we did on the first day. I did not know it then, but the stark contrast between these two days would repeat itself. We have some productive days where everything falls into place; however, we also have some days where everything ends up being an ordeal.<br /><br />After the third week we both started getting used to the new routine. Keeping a routine has given me strength to see the light at the end of each day and rejoice in the opportunity to teach our child.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-38052198388628137262010-02-01T06:01:00.002-05:002010-02-01T06:07:31.828-05:00Acts of MercyToday's girlfriend devotional is about Mercy. It's one of those "churchisms" that is often very difficult to understand, even for someone who has grown up in the church - certain concepts still remain a mystery.<br /><br />This devotional explains things very clearly.<br /><br />I can't help but think, though, about the sacrifice of the mother in the story. That her heart must have been filled with despair to know that if her baby stayed with her, she should surely die. The only way her precious baby girl would live was if she gave her to a perfect stranger to take her another country knowing she would likely never see her baby again. My heart aches for that mother and hopes that someday she will see the fruits of that sacrifice. That she will know that her sacrifice did indeed save her baby's life.<br /><br />What a great lesson in selfless sacrifice from that mother, and what a great demonstration of mercy on the part of an American visitor to her country.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-30973377579503114002010-01-29T05:59:00.003-05:002010-01-29T06:00:52.037-05:00What's your Identity?What an incredible message from Sharon Jaynes in our Girlfriend Devotional, today! It speaks to me on so many levels and know it will to many women.<br /><br />No matter what your background and what you have on your agenda for today remember that you are a child of a King.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-15116903878799981182010-01-29T05:37:00.002-05:002010-01-29T05:42:13.921-05:00The Price of DreamsMarybeth Whalen from Proverbs31 Ministries posted this blog this morning about her struggles with balancing a writing schedule, momhood and her husband being out of work.<br /><br />Marybeth has always been very open and honest on her blog, and this is no exception. I find her post very apropos because I, too, am a writer. I am following my dream of working from home as a writer and editor and, yes, it does come with a price - multiplying dust bunnies, paperwork that never seems to get filed, mounds of dishes that never seem to go away. <br /><br />No, it's not what I envisioned when I decided to work from home and I'm working on my scheduling so I can actually get some of these things done, too.<br /><br />Anyway...pop on over to Marybeth's blog by clicking on the title above and see what she has learned through her experience.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-71728016934124862552009-12-24T05:36:00.002-05:002009-12-24T06:05:38.946-05:00Christmas as it isWe have a great girlfriend devotional today. Please take a few moments to check it out.<br /><br />While I'm stopped for a few minutes, I would like to thank all of you who follow my blog for following. I know I haven't posted much...at least not as much as I would like. Life got busy - both personally and professionally.<br /><br />Since October or so, I have come in contact with a couple of people who vehemently opposed associating Santa Claus with Christmas. One family comes from Switzerland where the entire tradition of Saint Nicholas originated (in Germany actually) and so they follow a different tradition. But something just kept hitting me whenever I talked to these couple of families. They were talking about the commercialism and how the gift giving tradition really has nothing to do with Jesus' birth. As with many traditions I have found out, we have applied Christian principles to things like the candy cane and the gift giving that originally had nothing to do with the Christmas story or the reason the tradition started in the first place.<br /><br />I have also struggled with the Christmas spirit for the last couple of years. The music is my favourite part of Christmas, but I also have a very giving spirit. I love participating in Operation Christmas Child. Every year our church sponsors a family for Christmas, so I enjoy picking up a couple of things and helping out in other practical ways.<br /><br />I had always done Operation Christmas Child up until two years ago. We had just bought a new house and really did not have the money. So out of necessity, I didn't do a box and I felt bad and guilty for not doing one. The same thing happened the next year. Understand that no one placed this guilt or sadness on me but me. <br /><br />This year, my decision was by choice. We still didn't have very much money, but I had grown a lot with the Lord over the past year and started to see Christmas much differently. I know my enjoyment of Christmas shouldn't be dictated by what I can and can't give. All God asks is that I do what I can. I had learned where to find joy in the Christmas season where I had struggled to find it before. I realized the joy to me wasn't in receiving gifts, it was in giving. So I turned the focus from me, to those I would give to and the love of those who would give to me.<br /><br />All this is leading up to a revelation for me - I wouldn't change Christmas for anything. No, Santa Claus really has absolutely nothing to do with the coming of Christ...but it's one heck of a blast! And I wouldn't change it for anything. Christmas has always been the highlight of my year. As I grew older and more mature as a Christian, it took on a different meaning. But I believe in a world that doesn't believe in hope and happiness and seems warmongering and chaotic for most of the year, Christmas - no matter how you celebrate it - is a time to slow down and enjoy one's family and, yes, have a little fun.<br /><br />We can do Christmas with the presents, I believe, so long as we recognize that they really have nothing to do with Christ's birth. It's so easy to become greedy. I want this. I want that. I'm constantly amazed at what commercials tell us that we need. New Blackberries and flat screen TVs that we put on credit and new car also bought on credit. Let's keep it fun. No one really needs these things. But it's so easy to get caught up in it. <br /><br />I have found since I've changed my focus off me and on to giving to my husband and children and family, the greed just hasn't been there. <br /><br />But while I would encourage people reading this to perhaps change their focus on the present issue - I wouldn't eliminate it. When I think of those families I know that don't do Santa Claus at Christmas - I know it would leave a huge hole of enjoyment and fun out of my life and I wonder if they ever wonder what they're missing. The thought occurred to me that perhaps this is what the Bible talks about when it says to be "in the world but not of it". Because of that, I believe everything we do as Christians needs to have a different perspective.<br /><br />I know I have found a different perspective this year and I'm so grateful for it. For the first Christmas in years, I have reconnected with the joy of Christmas - in a new way. It comes with being content with what I have, working hard to provide for my family and recognizing those things during this season that bring me the most joy. I know now that my "human" heart has been satisfied, that I can focus my heart on worshipping the baby Jesus. I'm now free and not bound by guilt or jealousy or greed. <br /><br />Perhaps it's because I have a baby of my own that I can really identify with the baby Jesus and the joy he brought to Mary. We sang a song in our Christmas play this year called "Come to Deliver Me" and it talks about all the baby attributes of Jesus - "Your tiny hands set the stars in the heavens, your cry brought day from the night. Your tender eyes saw the dawn of creation. Your fragile breath gave me life." We sing another song that has the phrase "the Father's love wrapped in a baby". I know this last one the song is talking about Jesus, but I truly see God's love wrapped in a baby every moment I look at Brent. And because I have Brent in my arms now I can really identify with the miracle of Jesus coming to earth as a baby.<br /><br />Anyway...this has been something on my heart for a while and I promised myself that I would post it in time for Christmas. I hope it will help you find a new perspective on Christmas and all that we do.<br /><br />Merry Christmas!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-20205748235522916372009-12-02T05:51:00.003-05:002009-12-02T05:57:51.443-05:00Life without LimbNick Vujicic... Perhaps you know that name. If you don't, look over at the Girlfriend Devotional for today and you will read part of his story. What an amazing story!<br /><br />So amazing, I went and looked him up on youtube and found a video of one of his talks. A must read and a must watch.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bL3GR4iAW0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bL3GR4iAW0</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O6OluBxGtM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O6OluBxGtM</a><br /><br />I'm amazed at some of the comments though.<br /><br />Anyway...next time you think you have it tough, remember Nick.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-29016563712311214452009-12-01T05:36:00.002-05:002009-12-01T05:38:51.326-05:00The Just-Right Present (Husband)Today's girlfriend devotional has me wondering if someone has been reading over my shoulder as I write in my journal. Well, obviously someone has and that someone knew I needed to hear this message.<br /><br />Perhaps some of you are at the same point in your marriage. Perhaps you've never really left that point of wondering if you married the right man. <br /><br />Hopefully, this devotional will help you see things in a new light.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-56156668871178981422009-11-24T05:48:00.002-05:002009-11-24T05:55:02.638-05:00Body ImageGreat Girlfriend Devotional today from Proverbs 31 Ministries.<br /><br />I struggle with body image issues, as well. Fifteen months after the birth of our baby angel, I still have a belly that makes me look 6 months pregnant. The weight loss that I had hoped would happen during this past summer's soccer season never happened because it was too cold (really! We thought we'd have sleet during our first game! - for those of you who don't know what sleet is, it is a mixture of rain and snow).<br /><br />While I've put myself on a more healthful and balanced diet - also in a bid to control hypoglycemia - and I've noticed a change particularly in my love handles, I still have an issue with the belly in front. I don't mind having a little belly. I know I'm never going to be flat, but neither do I want to be the size I currently am! So, I'm looking into seaweed wraps and registering for soccer again next summer with the hope that it will be hotter!<br /><br />But what a great reminder that God doesn't see us like that. What do we say to others when we receive compliments. Do we really believe that what they are complimenting us for is true? Or do we answer with our thoughts or mouths with "yeah right".<br /><br />Hmmmm.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-27188818031746350252009-11-16T05:41:00.002-05:002009-11-16T05:45:08.626-05:00Being the StillnessThis is the second devotional. This is written by an acquaintance of mine, Bonnie Grove. We are members of The Word Guild, a group of Canadian writers and editors who are Christian.<br /><br />Bonnie's book <a href="http://shopp31.com/talkingtothedeadanovel.aspx">Talking to the Dead</a> is a She Reads (Proverbs 31 Ministries) selection.<br /><br />Way to go, Bonnie!<br /><br />Great devotional, too. We all need those moments to be still.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-57984792951123980192009-11-16T05:38:00.003-05:002009-11-16T05:41:18.872-05:00Touch the Hem of His GarmentI had a difficult choice with the devotionals this morning, I will post the second one here in a moment, but I decided to add to our devotional list the above link (click on the title).<br /><br />I love the story of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus garment. Her persistence, her faith, and Jesus reaction. I also love Sharon's conclusion, that we are all valued. <br /><br />If you're feeling undervalued, today, let Jesus' words uplift your heart.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-53489765783299741322009-11-13T06:12:00.001-05:002009-11-13T06:14:11.622-05:00Video - Footprints In the SandYou've got to see this video. It is so powerful. (Tissue warning)<br /><br />http://radrevolution.blogspot.com/2009/11/video-footprints-in-sand.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LivingWithPurposeARadicalRevolution+%28Living+with+Purpose%3A+A+Radical+Revolution%29Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-4020273653368579932009-10-08T06:49:00.002-04:002009-10-08T07:06:58.465-04:00My Prayer LifeI love the challenge in today's Girlfriend Devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa TerKeurst, particularly the quotes from Nancy Guthrie from an article she wrote in <span style="font-style:italic;">Today's Christian Woman</span>. <br /><br />Because I'm a writer by nature--always have been (couldn't tell, could you?)--I express my prayers through a prayer journal. It started out as a diary when I was in high school. I have notebooks and duotangs and journals filled with my hearts desires, requests and thank yous, and conversations with God. But it's only really in the last year or so that my prayer journal has become more than a diary. It still is. I still talk to God about the ordinary things that happen. But, it's more than just getting these issues off my chest and into the hands of God. I now know and consciously use the time to listen to Him, to spend the last few moments of my day in His presence. I use that time to not only minister to my worried, tired brain, but to my heart and spirit.<br /><br />This has been compounded by my starting to read the Bible every night. I want to know what the Word says. I want to get to know God's heart better. To help with this, I keep another journal to help me keep track of what I've read, for one, and to help me remember what I've read for another. Surprisingly, I've never been very good for memorizing Scripture. I can remember the gist. I can recite many verses once someone else starts them. But I haven't been able to say Psalm 91:1 says....<br /><br />I knew I needed something more direct to help me study Scripture and not just read it, and also to apply what I read to my life. So, in my little note book, I summarize the passage in my own words and then jot down how that passage can be applied to my life. I've learned that some passages leave me stumped in that regard. It's not always readily apparent how some verses apply. I'm currently reading through the Psalms. Most of the Psalms have praises or a combination of laments and praises. But I've found there are some Psalms with no praise, which in my mind shows me that despite of the suffering of the Psalmist, the praise is the lesson that he has learned through the suffering. That's not always there. Perhaps the next time I read through the Psalms the meaning will become more clear.<br /><br />I also jot down a verse or two (if there are any) that really strike me.<br /><br />I have noticed in doing this that I am closer to God. I'm learning to be the "quiet, gentle" wife the Bible instructs me to be. I'm learning other things that can be applied to my life. I have learned what it is to finally understand that everything we have is from God. I'm still learning about truly loving Him. (I wrote about that a while ago.) <br /><br />You may not be a writer, but I still believe a journal of some sort--whether it's for tracking your progress through the Bible and what you've learned from your readings, or whether it's to jot down answers to prayer--is important. I know I wouldn't want to rely on my memory for some things.<br /><br />Anyway...I hope you take today's Girlfriend Devotional as a challenge to get beyond the asking God for stuff, and use the time to spend it in His presence. I've also learned that the more I spend time in God's presence, the more I want to spend time in His presence. I don't want to miss it. <br /><br />Remember prayer and getting to know God and getting "something" out of church isn't about you. It's about God. When we give God the praise He's due and give him the glory for what has happened in our lives, whatever that may be, as long as you do those things with your whole heart with the desire to praise him in the midst of your circumstances, you will always get something out the service...a closer relationship with God.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-737576819415574870.post-88323296476643649052009-10-07T07:13:00.002-04:002009-10-07T07:15:37.044-04:00Girlfriend Devotionals (Oct 7)Just to let you ladies know that I have chosen to put both the Proverbs 31 and Girlfriends in God devotional in the Girlfriend Devotional section today.<br /><br />I love the challenge in the Girlfriends in God devotional for today. Check it out!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0