Over-achiever or Workaholic? Test yourself...

So what do you do if you're an Achiever and work is play to you? It's not really a problem unless the relationships around you suffer.

Would your tombstone read: Wow, what a good worker!

 I pray mine doesn't read that way. I'd rather hear I accomplished more than the average person, but would always stop to love on my family, friends, and share the Good News!

Here's a test to check yourself. 

Over-achiever or Workaholic?

1. Do you live off a list?

2. Does checking off the list give you satisfaction?

3. Do you set regular goals (short and long term)?

4. Do you spend time with your family after work?

5. Do you love learning?

6. If you were able to stop working, what would you do:

a. get a new job

b. tinker around the house

c. volunteer regularly

d. create a plan to reach goals you haven't met yet?

7. Is your mind always busy?

8. Are you always looking for ways to streamline to gain more time?

9. Do you have boundaries in place to help you disengage from work to go home?

10. Do you have play or rest days regularly (and I don't mean once or twice a year)?

If you answered yes to all the above, and any one of a-d on #6 (or all of the above), you are an over-achiever. Workaholics have a real problem with addiction to both work and the guilt of deserving rest. They can be quite single-minded. Sometimes these are admirable traits. But without an accountability partner, justifying the bad habits of ignoring time off can be detrimental to your health, career, and family.

God made us exactly how he wanted us. The important lesson we need to learn is NOT to avoid who we are, but to embrace our God-given DNA. Like anyone with a gift, it must be honed and trained. The verse from Proverbs to, train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it, isn't about spanking and constant discipline to create a good person in society. It's about teaching a child reverence and obedience to the Lord. Left to run amuck, an over-achiever turns into a workaholic. Workaholism isn't funny. It's hard. It's a relationship breaker. Workaholism is a sin because it's simply gluttony. Glutton does apply to food. But it also applies to anything in excess. The sin of too much. Over-achievers must balance the deep desire to achieve with the much more important sense of involvement in relationships.

  

Did you miss the workaholic test?

Link to Workaholic Test on 9/25/12

**These tests are not scientific or medical replacements for counseling or medication. They are not to be used for diagnosis. They are to be used for discernment and to take to your doctor and ask for assistance should you need more balance in your life like me.

6 Ways to make a difference through conversation

People talk. A lot. But do our words really matter?

Does conversation change lives or make a difference?

I spoke with a gal who said every time she talked with a particular person, she left with her mind spinning through ideas, dreams, and goals. She looked forward to talking with her friend because each time they had a conversation, life changed. Her dreams get bigger with each connection.

Here are 6 ways to make a difference through conversation.

1. Be welcoming. Smile and allow the other person to feel safe with you. Hearts and minds open to new possibilities in a positive environment.

2. Listen to the concepts and words being shared. Don't assume you know where the other person is going with his/her idea. Even if you do, the other person may simply need to talk it out. I've solved many problems through voicing them to a friend. It's respect, but it's also beneficial to allow the other person the opportunity to express themself fully. You never know when the conversation has a surprise ending. On facebook, a parent asked how to help a teen earn money. Much of the norm posted a few minutes later. But I happened to have a few unique ideas about owning their own small business. Stop the conversation too soon and you may never hear the real need isn't for yardwork and babysitting.

3. Share ideas. What encouragement or knowledge do you have that will help? Now the interpersonal dynamics are taking off. The chat becomes fun, interesting, and often inspirational to both parties. Do you have articles to help your friend with New Year's Goal Support?

4. Share your dreams. When you have the courage to share your dreams, you inspire others to brave their own. Courage creates courage in others. It's magical.

5. Share the progress. What's changed since you last met? Are you closer to your goal? Are they closer to their goals? Celebrate progess in the moment and the big pay off will come. Our minds focus and draw us into the right direction to complete our goals when we celebrate by sharing the progress along the way.

6. Never nullify by being a Negative Nelly. Be sure to encourage ideas and not be a nay-sayer. You may not see the big picture, but many rejections turned into spectacular successes throughout history. There's no reason to squash someone's idea, dream, or goal. If you feel you must offer help to avoid trouble, ask first. "What do you think about..." or "May I share a hurdle I see?" Then also share a solution or an idea for a solution. If you don't have a solution, it may be an opportunity to stay silent.

Are there only 6 ways to make a difference through conversation?

Oh no, there are as many opportunities as there are people in the world.

Share your ideas on how to make a difference through conversation.

I'm sure there are some great ones out there :)

Always Learning

Techie stuff can get overwhelming for anyone. But where there's a will there's a way.

My son's college basketball team played a very important game. This was no ordinary game for us. No. It was determining 1st or 3rd in the conference. And it was 12 hours away. The stations here didn't carry his school althetics.

How were 7 people going to watch on this  monitor?

The only way we could watch it was by internet. I knew it could be done, but I wanted to share it with everyone else. My little mac monitor would make it tough for 7 people to see the screen. Other people mentioned hooking up my laptop to the TV. So my daughter-in-law and I scoured the house for various cords. Okay, we pirated old computers in the house, lol. If it wasn't being used, well, it was up for grabs. We managed to get speakers, laptop, and TV all working. Voila! We watched his team win 1st place via an intense battle in the last few minutes. 

This was the second time in my life that technology was astonishing to me while in the presence of an octogenarian. My mother-in-law and I kept looking at each other stymied by the leaps in human knowledge and ability. Just a few weeks before, we'd Skyped with her for the first time too so she could talk to her great-grandson. Wow! Something we'd thought only possible for James Bond is becoming commonplace. 

When I was 5, the astronauts landed on the moon for the very first time too. It was 1969. My grandfather was 86 years old. Our mouths hung open as we heard the famous words, "One big step..." Then we shot to the window to look up and see if we could spot the man on the moon! How was it we could see the astronauts on the moon on television?

Grandpa & Grandma Nelson with their 3 children during the late 1940's. (The little girl is my mom.)

My grandfather lived in the time of covered wagons and he saw the invention of the car, plane, television, telephone, and first men in space. He lived from 1883 to 1982. My mother-in-law's life overlapped my grandfather's as they both lived through the Great Depression, the World Wars (well she lived through WWII), and civil rights. When grandpa used the phone, even into the 1970's, the operator placed the call. My mother-in-law remembers this but she's lived to see the cell phone and all the crazy options on them and Skype.

I like the options technology gives me. I just really like the open admiration I see in people who have lived in a different time. Yes, my kids think that about me too now. ;-) 

Have you talked to older family about what life was like for them?

Have you thought about what older people have watched happen in their lifetimes?

Thanksgiving: The Musical?

Lots of families have a hard time visiting over a long day. Chats turn into criticism and irritation over old habits invade what's supposed to be a pleasant holiday.

What if you could change it this year by getting out of the rut?

For musical families, the change is easier than you think. Tell everyone to bring their instruments and have  a good old fashioned jam session.

What if you're not so musical?

Plan some silly moments around creating music with odd instruments and rhythm. Spoons, rubber bands, boxes, pots and pans, old glasses filled with water. See if guests can guess that tune. Then everyone divvy up the parts and try playing it. Start simple with children's songs and build up. The familiarity will give everyone confidence.

Try karaoke in the living room.

Pass out kazoos or penny whistles.

Put in a musical and create a sing-a-long.

Find Silly Songs from the Vegie Tales. (You'll be shocked at how many adults know them too!)

Using music in the background can add dimension and atmosphere. It can also bring back the 50's, 60's, and 70's! Teach the younger generation the dances from your generation. Get them excited about it by dressing for the event in costumes.

Talk about the history of your family and how certain songs remind you of significant family or historic events. Were any of your family members involved in those historic events? Protests, wars, the Great Depression, serving during a catastrophe all have huge impact on our country and telling those stories crosses generational lines. Did anyone become a hero or cross paths with a famous American? Play the music that helps you tell the stories. Share the stories that shouldn't be forgotten.

The idea isn't to show off your talents but to invite, encourage, and enlist everyone present to be a participant in the laughter and bonding.

May your gems of wisdom overflow and fill the treasure chests of those you love,
Angie

When A Man You Love Was Abused by Cec Murphey

When a Man You Love Was Abused: A Woman's Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation by Cecil Murphey

Just to let everyone know, I'm still reading this book but felt it was so important that I wanted to get some information out there to bring awareness for the courage it takes to acknowledge abuse no matter who you are. Please take note. If you don't need it, someone you know will.


Angie's Take:
Cec's vulnerability will help women begin to understand why the men they love act in numbness, hiding their emotions under a wall so thick they no longer are aware of their existence. What seems like neglectful uncaring is actually the inability to even find emotions long ago buried. Though there are very practical and helpful suggestions for women, loving a man who has been abused takes the help of Christ and Cec does not fail to acknowledge that important piece of the puzzle. Great opportunity to strengthen marriages and save many from destruction.

View all my reviews >>

A Courageous Beauty Interview: Sasha Townsend-Mrs. Tulsa America 2010

Angie: Today I have the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sasha Townsend: Mrs. Tulsa America 2010. She'll be competing soon for Mrs. Oklahoma America 2010 and then on to Mrs. America. She has some unusual interests that prove today's beauty queens are not the silly, self-centered creatures on the inane commercials lately. Each courageous beauty I meet proves how deeply they desire to make a difference in their communities and the world around them. After over 30 interviews so far, I have lost track of the thousands of volunteer hours worked by these stunning women as they gently orchestrate a better world for our children. Let's get to the interview: 

Angie: What is it that you believe so deeply in that you push hard to make it happen?

Sasha: I'm working to support families and address divorce.

Angie: Why do you feel it's important?

Sasha: I've lived it. My parents divorced when I was 13.

Angie: You are using pageants to help you build a platform. Which have you been involved with?

Sasha: Mrs. Oklahoma International 2008, Miss Seminole County FL 2001 MOA, Miss Adirondack International Speedway 2004 MOA. I also competed as a child in Miss Florida American Teen (CoEd. Title.)

Angie: What’s your degree?

Sasha: I have a BS in Psychology, masters in math, master’s in applied math.

Angie: How old are you?

Sasha: 28 in April.

Angie: How did you achieve all that at your age?

Sasha: I was pretty driven.

Angie: Why do you work so hard, why are you so driven?

Sasha: I’m just passionate about what I do. I set goals and plans and I want to achieve them now. I like breaking stereotypes. I like being a beauty queen mathematician. I just really like understanding how things work. I want to know the truth and help others to know the truth too. 

Angie: Why math?

Sasha: When you focus on solving a problem, focus on others, your focus is not on yourself, then self-confidence is not an issue. If you can ask, “What’s the solution here?” Who cares about what people are thinking of you if you are solving a problem. Put your energy into solving problems instead of thinking about yourself.

Angie: What motivates you?

Sasha: Banana Split program (helps children with divorce in NY), I brought it to the YMCA.

           

Angie: So you brought it in?

Sasha: Not at first. I was told, "you don’t have the credentials to do something like that. Maybe the interns who have degrees in family and child services can bring in that program, it’s really not your place." But I couldn’t work with these kids every day and do nothing!

I had knowledge and the license to run that program but my director wouldn’t let me. That’s when I started trying to use pageant titles to get programs for children of divorce and pushed to finish my education. I was an undergrad in psychology at the time.

Angie: What have you been able to do with your platform?

Sasha: I teach PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program.) The “Forever For Real Program” in Oklahoma. I also work for Blended Love, a nonprofit serving children of divorce in Tulsa. It’s my responsibility to help the nonprofit achieve its mission and meet its financial objectives.

Angie: Would you teach us some here?

Sasha: Absolutely!

The 4 communication signs that lead to divorce:

Escalation- go back and forth negatively, building in volume or raising the stakes or threats.

Invalidation- putting down the thoughts, opinions, feelings of your partner. Examples are cursing and calling names, subtle by “that was something obvious you should have known.” Calling the other person selfish- “Oh we can’t be selfish with our time, now can we?” Labeling the other person with a negative by assuming something you couldn’t possibly know about their motives.

Negative Interpretation- Interpreting someone’s words or actions more negatively than they actually are. If someone is five minutes late, you can assume they are doing it on purpose and have no respect for you or you can assume they are stuck in traffic.

Avoidance and Withdrawal-  is the unwillingness to get into an important conversation (avoidance) or the unwillingness to stay in an important conversation (withdrawal).

If the conflict is escalating, that’s when you take a time out. You have to come up with a strategy to handle the issue in a healthy way. You can’t possibly handle the issue in a healthy way when you are angry and upset.

Healthy couples learn to exit all 4 danger signs, stopping the unproductive conversation to cool down and regroup, when any of them occur.

Angie: How does a couple strategize?

Sasha: The first tool we teach is the speaker/listener technique. It’s often unnatural and uncomfortable. But natural and comfortable isn’t working so couples use this to talk in a safe way.

Angie: Speaker/listener technique?

Sasha: Yes, it allows you to understand each other and validate each other’s point of view.

We give the participants a magnet and we call it “the floor.” The speaker holds the “floor” and gets to speak. The other person listens and then paraphrases what they heard. Then they do this 3 or 4 times. The speaker can only speak for themselves. Mind reading or use of words like always or never are not allowed. The speaker just shares his or her thoughts and feelings. The listener is encouraged to screen out their own thoughts, to put themselves in the speaker’s shoes, and to remain from rebutting. Then the speaker gives the floor to the other person, and the roles switch.

It’s important to note that speaker-listener is about understanding each other’s viewpoint, and it isn’t about solving problems. There is another section of the curriculum entirely that deals with problem solving.

Angie: The Oklahoma marriage initiative offers workshops?

Sasha: Yes. Oklahoma Marriage Initiative offers free workshops led by trained volunteers. On the first day of class, I come in and teach the four danger signs, time out, and the speaker listener technique. We have couples practice with topics that don’t have much emotional punch. As the weeks go on, the couples practice with harder topics. In addition to the conflict-resolution model, we also discuss fun, friendship, personality, sensuality & sexuality, forgiveness, and commitment among other subjects. Our workshops are usually twelve hours long. We meet with the couples for two hours once a week for six weeks.

Angie: Who attends these workshops?

Sasha: Any engaged, married couples that want to learn to communicate better. Lots of counselors will refer couples. OMI also offers workshops and retreats for singles, couples in stepfamilies, new parents, and other special populations. Individuals can register online at www.ForeverForReal.com.

Angie: What are the results?

Sasha: Speaker-listener is one of the best techniques we teach. Couples say they feel like they can really use it, and they do use it. It really levels the playing field in couple communication. Speaker-listener is especially helpful for couples that include one that can argue and win, but that leaves the other one losing. That’s really a lose-lose. Speaker-listener takes the competition out of the argument. You agree to use the technique together, to consider each other’s feelings, and act as a team. Deeper emotions are revealed because you tend to take more time to articulate your feelings more carefully.

Angie: Back to you. What else have you learned about confidence and yourself?

Sasha: My grandmother told me I was no better than anybody else, I was just as good. You are valuable, but so is everyone else. You are free to be yourself, to be confident. You can allow others to be who they are and offer that and appreciate the diversity of God’s creation.

When you go into a pageant, some say you have to go in with confidence and win. Other people say to have no expectations. As a teen starting out in pageants, I wondered “Am I supposed to be confident or humble?” I’d see women that would say, “Do what ever you have to do to fix me,” in the same room with other women that are so full of themselves, bragging about all their titles. I really wondered, how can you possibly be confident and humble at the same time? 

Because of grandma’s words, I realized that each person has something to offer that others don’t. We become more a team. We need each other. We recognize others’ strengths as well as our own. We complement each other in ways that allow us to accomplish so much more together than we can alone. We appreciate what we have in each other. We can use compliments as genuine appreciation for someone.             

Angie: How do you handle negative feedback?

Sasha: I look at the facts. Is the person defensive? Sometimes we strike a nerve in a place a person needs change. It’s not about condemning, but building up. I used to focus on it a lot, I used to say, “how can I manage this and make it different?” Now I accept it for what it is. This is their opinion and I must have struck a nerve. It must be hard to be, for example, a single mom or a divorced parent. I try to phrase it in a way that shows I care. I try to make what I say and do constructive and not attacking or accusatory.


If someone has something negative to say, we can take it personally and get defensive, or we can dismiss it, or we decide if what they say has some element of truth to it. If there is an element of truth and there often is, I try to learn from my critics to become more effective.

Angie: Thank you so much for being with us today! Please come back and visit again and let us know how you are doing in the competitions.

The 2010 Naked Truth Singles Conference

Introducing the event in Memphis, TN I'll be speaking at in April.

It's a Christian singles conference. I'm thrilled to be invited and can't wait to meet everyone! ~ Angie

Call for submissions from Incredible Prayers book series compilation from Guideposts

Hello friends,

I have been asked to share this opportunity with you since I just submitted. Please read the information VERY carefully. I will not have further information but the email to communicate with is Jeanette Littleton atincredibleprayers@earthlink.net as she is assisting Jim Bell with this project for Guideposts. They are working on books 6-12 now.
This is a legitimate call for submissions.


I'd love to know... do you plan to submit? 
Angie

Submission Details:

Dear Valued Writer,
We are now in phase two of the Incredible Power of Prayer series and I welcome you to join us. Guideposts is launching a series of 12 books on various aspects of prayer and how people from every walk of life have been transformed through God’s response to their prayers. These books will be available by mail only, sent monthly as part of a book series promotion.

You may have contributed to the first three titles in this series (Praying from the Heart, The Healing Touch, and Expecting Miracles) or perhaps to my Cup of Comfort, Life Savors, or Love Is a Verb brands. Or perhaps I’m contacting you for the first time. Whatever the case, I eagerly seek your participation in this next phase of prayer volumes.

Book six, Love and Forgiveness, deals with relationships that have been strained or broken due to offenses against us, or our own faults. When we pray for love for those who mistreat us and pray for the willingness to seek restitution and restoration we regain our families and friends and change the hearts of our enemies. How was prayer the determining factor in a renewed love, forgiveness, and eventual restoration of relationships?

We would be pleased to consider as many stories for these three volumes as you wish to submit. We’ll look at stories of up to 2,000 words and prefer that they be at least 1,000 words. The stories should have a creative title, an attention-grabbing introduction, main body with a conflict or challenge, and a clear, satisfying resolution. They need to be descriptive, rooted in time and place, compelling personal experience stories with a realistic portrayal of the people involved. They need to be stories rather than testimonies, Christian living articles, and shouldn’t focus on mere feelings or mental states.

Most important, they need to revolve around prayer itself and not the circumstances of the story. These are themed books but the purpose is to convince the reader of the power of prayer in these situations.

We prefer original stories but you may also submit previously published stories that you have full rights for and are not currently in print with a major publisher. We pay $25 for stories under 1200 words, and $50 for stories over 1200 words. You may retain the right to publish the stories in magazines and in books with less than national distribution and not carried in nationwide bookstores.

We are accepting manuscripts for  until March 1, but the sooner you submit the better your chance of acceptance. We will notify you by April and send you a permission form if your story is a finalist.

Please send your manuscript attached to the e-mail rather than pasting text in the email window. Feel free to send your manuscript in normal manuscript formatting, with your full contact information—name, address, phone number, email address—and whether you’re offering First Rights or Reprint Rights at the top of each manuscript. Please include a biography of 30 words or less at the end of each manuscript. 

Please direct all inquiries and manuscript submissions to my colleague, Jeanette Littleton, at incredibleprayers@earthlink.net. If this email has been forwarded to you and you can’t submit to this call, but would like to hear about other editorial needs as they arise, please send us your email address and we’ll add you to our notification list. Also please pass this along to any writing or praying friends who might be interested.
Blessing to you and yours,
Jim
James Stuart Bell
Compiler, Guideposts Incredible Prayer series 

--
Do you have a plan to reach your goal?
Did you know courage, confidence, & wisdom are learnable skills?
Angela Breidenbach, Certified Personal Development Coach, can help you learn confidence skills and set a plan of action to reach your goal.
http://www.MyGemofWisdom.com
Angela's blog: http://GodUsesBrokenVessels.blogspot.com

Welcome Home: Our families journey to extreme joy

I'm so excited to welcome Kimberley Woodhouse as a guest blogger today. She has had such an impact in our society because her family was selected as an Extreme Make Over TV special. But did you know she is a wonderful writer too? You have to keep reading because she will inspire you! I have a copy of her book to give away today too! All you have to do is comment and give me a way to contact you if your name is chosen as the winner!

Please welcome and enjoy, Kimberley!





In writing this post for Angie’s blog today, I thought about my faith. And how many times I’ve imagined the Lord looking down at me, smiling, and saying, “Oh Kim, let’s grow your faith.” Because even with all He’s done in our lives—from miracle babies, to devastating diagnoses, to brain surgery, to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition showing up with a bus in front of our house—I’m still amazed and surprised at His goodness, grace, mercy, and love every day. I don’t want to be – “Oh ye of little faith” – I want to be – “Oh ye of great faith!” But I still have a long way to go to reach that goal.

I pray you all will take a journey with me through my book Welcome Home. It’s a hard journey, but also a journey filled with joy. I pray that you are blessed beyond measure by His unending love for all of us, and that through laughter and tears you will be able to see without a doubt that His joy cannot be taken away.

Today, I’d like to share a little story with you here…
Faith, Faith, Faith…Just a Little Bit of Faith
Do you remember that song? It's the first thing that popped into my head when I started writing this post. :)

My adorable and creative son, Josh, loves snow. And he calls the snow here in Colorado, "wimpy." But before I go on, there's more to this story...

When Josh was about three years old, and my daughter, Kayla, about twelve months old, we were in southern Arkansas. Josh had been fixated with the idea of snow, and so at bedtime - he did the only logical thing for a three-year-old to do - he prayed for snow.

The next day? It snowed thirteen inches. Yes, in a place where they never get snow - it really snowed! Josh told me that morning, "I got faith, Mommy!"

"You sure do, Josh... you sure do." I laughed, and my heart overflowed with love for my little boy with the faith of a multitude.

A year later, we were in Tennessee visiting my family for Christmas. They didn't have any snow on the ground, so guess what Josh did? You probably guessed it: he prayed for snow.

And do you know what happened next?

Yep. It snowed. A lot.

And the story doesn't end there. The next Christmas we were in South Louisiana. And I mean south, about-to-touch-the-Gulf-of-Mexico, south. They don't even know what real snow is down there... (I'm from there, so I can safely say that without offending anyone.)

But Josh prayed for snow. His little boy heart wanted his family to see the wonder of snow. The next day... we woke up to snow covering the ground.

Soon after, we moved to Alaska. Josh told me that God had a sense of humor, because He sent us to a place where he (Josh) wouldn't need to pray for snow anymore. :)

Now, some of you may be thinking, "All I have to do is pray for what I want, and I'll get it!" Ummm... no. But think with me for a minute about Josh's prayers. Josh didn't just pray for it. He had faith backing it up. A LOT of faith. Untainted by the cynicism of this world. He knew God could do it, and he prayed for it.

Again, just because you pray for something, does not mean it's going to happen - but we do need to pray in faith. Sometimes God answers "no", sometimes "wait", and sometimes "yes." If you were to pray, "Lord, I really need a new job..." but in your mind, you're thinking, "but it won't happen, I'm not good enough for anything else, I'll just be miserable the rest of my life." Are you really praying in faith?

Matthew 17:19-20 says, -Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you." - (NASB)

Some people, as adults, lose a lot of their faith. Their vision gets tinted with the view from the world, and the ugliness around them. Pessimism and cynicism and negativity seem to reign. But how about we put on that child-like faith? Isn't that what God wants?

Josh prayed for snow. And it snowed. He prayed for his sister when she had brain surgery, he prays every night for our family and friends. His faith is strong. He knows that God may not always answer the way he 'wants' - but he knows that His answer will be the right one. God is good, and HE is God.

Faith, faith, faith... just a little bit of faith.




Summary:
Overwhelming trials . . . met with overcoming joy.
Kayla Woodhouse is not your typical twelve-year-old. Due to a rare medical disorder, she feels no pain, doesn’t sweat, and needs protective cooling gear just to go outside. With her restrictive lifestyle; countless hospitalizations, including brain surgery; and the resulting mountain of hospital bills, what’s a family to do?

How the Woodhouse family has faced seemingly impossible challenges is a story that has captured the hearts of America. Millions of people have experienced glimpses of their lives on Discovery’s Mystery ER, The Montel Williams Show, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (recently voted one of the show’s all-time best episodes!).

Now Kayla’s mom, Kimberley, takes readers behind the cameras to reveal their family’s journey as never before told. From medical sleuthing to cross-country moves, from freak fires to battles with insurance companies, Welcome Home proves that truth really is stranger than fiction. This candid life story reveals both success and failure and demonstrates how, even during tough circumstances, to shift your life from heartbreak to extreme joy.

Peak inside the Woodhouse family’s life (and their famous house) with a 16-page photo insert.


Author bio:
Kimberley Woodhouse is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she’s shared at more than 600 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family's story have garnered national media attention for many years, but most recently her family was chosen for ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, and Discovery Health channel’s Mystery ER. Welcome Home: Our Family’s Journey to Extreme Joy, releases from Tyndale House Publishers September first. In addition to her non-fiction, she also writes romantic suspense and children’s books. Kimberley lives, writes, and homeschools in Colorado with her husband and two children in their truly “extreme” home. www.kimberleywoodhouse.com

No-Cost Big Reward Father's Day Gift Ideas

By: Sharon Lovejoy Autry and Laurie Lovejoy Autry

There we sat at dinner - a time that, in my mind, is supposed to be calm and non-stressful. (I've heard food digests better.) But, after a draining workday, little things can seem huge. The kids were planning yet another summer business endeavor which crawled all over my husband. He began lecturing the negatives of such an endeavor...point 1, point 2...I felt like we were in a business meeting. I must have rolled my eyes. I glanced at my daughter who wasn't listening to her father. She was looking at me. Her response to point 1 and 2: rolling her eyes.

Children do what we do . . . Boy, that's a scary thought for me. How do you treat your husband? Do you respect him with your words, actions, attitudes, eyes? I struggle sometimes when I feel so justified in my disrespect. Can you relate? I think the best thing we as moms can do to help our children to respect their dad is to treat him with respect ourselves. Here are some Father's Day (and everyday) tips to help our children respect their fathers:

A compliment a day goes a long way! Brag on your husband in front of your children (and in front of him).
Show me the love! Let your children know how much you love their daddy. Show affection in front of your children. They may say, "Yuck!" but it provides much needed security for their lives.

Instead of being put-out -Pray! Include your children in praying for dad's job, leadership, etc. Give him grace . . . Show him grace even when he doesn't deserve it . . . remember, neither do we. Nehemiah 9:17b says "But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love."

Phone Manners. Next time you are in the middle of something and your husband calls you on the phone, be aware of your tone of voice, are you respectful? . . . little ears may be listening and learning.

"Daddy's Home!" Be as excited to see your husband when he comes home from work as your children are! Make yourself stop what you are doing to greet him.

Choose your battles -When you think your husband is being unfair (and it's a battle you need to fight) talk to your husband in private; listen first and speak last. Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard over my mouth O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips."

Try these no-cost (big rewards) Father's Day gift ideas and see if it proves to be the gift that truly keeps on giving!


About the authors:
Laurie Lovejoy Hilliard and Sharon Lovejoy Autry are wives, moms, sisters and great friends. They are the founders of Mom and Loving It Ministries whose mission is to provide hope for families by encouraging and equipping moms. After these sisters and their families toured 40 states speaking and singing to thousands of moms, they settled in the North Texas area near their hometown of Whitesboro.

They've been featured on numerous TV and radio shows and have written Mom and Loving It: Finding Contentment in REAL Life, and Hold You, Mommy: Moments with God for Moms on the Go. Their musical CD, Hold You, Mommy has encouraged thousands. Laurie and her husband Charles, have four children, Sharon and her husband Pat, have three.

This twosome inspires audiences at their Mom and Loving It Conferences to move from simply enduring motherhood to enjoying it. Through their genuine hearts and relatable stories, moms are put at ease and challenged to be a "Mom and Loving It!"

To find out more about using their books as studies in your ladies group, having them for a conference or to sign up for a free monthly Mom-e-Moment visit them at http://www.momandlovingit.org

Dear Mom: Everything your teenage daughter wants you to know but will never tell you

By Melody Carlson

Here's a contest for this book! I haven't done one in a while. So this week, we are going to do two, count them, two in a row! What do you have to do to enter? Oh, I am so glad you asked...just post a comment today. I'll draw the winner tomorrow and then send out the winner's copy! (So make sure I can find you somehow.) -Angie


I've had 3 daughters, a niece and a foreign exchange daughter over the years. My only complaint is that this book didn't come out sooner!~Angie

Every mom knows how communicating with a teenage girl can be difficult, even impossible at times. One-word answers. Defensive conversations. Daily arguments. How typical for teens to put up such barriers. All the while, moms truly long to know what their daughters really think.

Best-selling author Melody Carlson, whose books for women, teens, and children have sold more than three million copies, bridges this chasm with trusted insight. She speaks frankly in the voice of the teen daughters she’s written for and she tells it like it is: struggles with identity, guys, friendship, and even parents—it’s all here. The straight-talk to moms covers such things as “I need you, but you can’t make me admit it,” “I’m not as confident as I appear,” and “I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom looks at a young woman’s heart and reveals to moms:

· how to talk to teens so they hear,

· how to connect despite the differences of perspective or years and experiences,

· and how strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

The lively chapters in Dear Mom can be dipped into topically or used as a read-through tool by moms and daughters alike to understand what motivates or deflates, troubles or inspires—and just in time for Mother’s Day and all the Mother’s Days ahead.

Author Bio:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than three million copies. Beloved for her Diary of a Teenage Girl and Notes from a Spinning Planet series, she’s also the author of the women’s novels Finding Alice (in production now for a Lifetime-TV movie), Crystal Lies, On This Day, These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking, and A Mile in My Flip-Flops. A mother of two grown sons, Melody lives in central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. She’s a full-time writer and an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.

Just in case you didn't win today, here's where you can get your own copy of Dear Mom.

Smart About Life

Okay, this is too exciting! I'm inviting you to an unusual event. One that came out of the creativity of a bunch of ladies just yesterday.

I am inviting you to join me, my Bible study group and our special guest, Deborah Dunn. She's the author of a book called
Stupid about Men: 10 Rules for Getting Romance Right.... She and I connected on Facebook. We got to chatting and came up with a fun idea. That fun idea blew up into an actual event.

Deborah offered to visit with our group on a phone conference. We thought that would be really fun and interesting. It would add a lot of oomph to the study we were doing using her book. WELL, then things took a creative turn! So we decided to invite other ladies. Now we thought it would be one or two, maybe a few, that would join us just because it would be fun and different. But then...Deborah mentioned she'd like to record it and introduced us to her recording friend, Rosey Dow.

So here is the result of that fun conference call yesterday. We turned our small group Bible study into an event for women all over our city. And then it grew to women all over the country. Why? Um, Why Not? We realized that, as women in a crazy and frenetic culture, we don't have the time to meet with our friends like we used to do in years past. We wanted to find a way to do that, to socialize and to encourage each other. So we're throwing a party. One that meets the deep need to connect to other women in this disconnected time.

Deborah Dunn is going to share about how to have better relationships with the men in our lives. Now we are inviting anyone who wants to attend because, well, why not? :-D So please come and join our Bible study May 7th at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard.

Smart About Life Event :-)
It's a one hour, fun teleconference for the ladies to visit with Deborah Dunn, author of Stupid About Men: 10 Rules for getting romance right. . . as she presents how to have better relationships with the men in our lives. Then we'll have a time to visit and catch up with gals we don't have enough time to visit normally. Friends welcome!

There are 3, count them-3, options to participate!

1. We invite any women in the area on May 7th at 7 p.m. to come to a potluck dessert social (bring simple desserts, who needs to clean up?) Dessert social will be held after the teleconference with Deborah Dunn, author of Stupid about Men: 10 Rules for Getting Romance Right.... To be held at Atonement Lutheran Church in Missoula, MT. It's behind the Southgate Inn on Brooks.
(Potluck desserts can be dropped off in the Fellowship Hall while we enjoy the teleconference.)

2. Anyone unable to come to Atonement Lutheran can dial into the number at 7pm on May 7th and listen in to the conference from anywhere in the country.
Phone number for listening:
305-908-8631
Use Conference ID: 585956# (you hit the pound key after.)

GREAT IDEA HERE **Some of our friends that are not in Missoula are inviting their friends to have dessert and join the event in small groups at their homes. We know of 2 already! They're just planning on putting it on the speaker phone and sharing dessert while they chat afterwards. How cool is that?! Feel free to have your own fun small group dessert social. Why not?

3. OR--anyone can pull up the website and join us by listening in too. Remember it is May 7th at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard.
The link will be http://SmartAboutLife.com
This link is just for the teleconference on that evening. You can find more about Deborah Dunn and her work at:
www.deborahdunn.com
www.blog.deborahdunn.com

This started as creative way to have a different Bible study for us, but it's turned into an awesome event. (It's totally free too because it is really is just our regular Bible study bringing ladies together in this fractured world to support our marriages and relationships.) Come and have a great time visiting, learning and then eating together.

Thank you! (And I'm bringing cookies.)
Angela

Don’t Let Me Go by David Pierce

Summary:

The true story of how a father and his teen daughter connected through an ice axe and well-worn running shoes.

One day after reading a book about a wilderness adventurer, David Pierce’s fifteen-year-old daughter Chera announced that she wanted to climb a mountain. What David heard behind that wish was a bold declaration: “I’m growing up, Dad—what are you going to do about it?” A few weeks later they bought matching backpacks.

Over a three-year period they climbed five mountains and ran in two marathons. Together they suffered sore muscles, bitter cold, sprung knees, shin splints, and broken spirits. But they also reveled in blazing sunsets, glissaded on a glacier, and celebrated numerous victories great and small. And in the process, they built an unshakable father-daughter bond that will stand the tests of time.

In Don’t Let Me Go, David Pierce—the husband of popular Christian comedienne Chonda Pierce—offers a down-to-earth, funny-yet-serious book for parents with the same universal appeal as Bob Carlisle’s heart-tugging song, “Butterfly Kisses,” only with well-worn running shoes and an ice axe.


Beyond a father-daughter relationship, this book is filled with humor and insight. You’ll discover ways you too can create strong, loving relationships with the important people in your life, as you make your way through the valleys and over the summits of life together.


To purchase the book online:
- www.Amazon.com
- www.ChristianBook.com
- www.FamilyChristian.com

Does trouble have meaning in our lives?

One of the things that bothers a lot of people is that pain doesn't seem to have meaning. I beg to differ. I've been working toward starting my life coaching business for exactly this purpose: to reveal the meaning in our lives through our difficulties. I love the verses below that support this concept.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-7 (New Century Version)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. 4 He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 5 We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. 6 If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have. 7 Our hope for you is strong, knowing that you share in our sufferings and also in the comfort we receive.

Understanding how other people feel is called empathy. Walking with them through their pain is called compassion. When we can reach out a hand and help them step over some of the rocks on the path because we've walked that path before, that's called sharing comfort.

I'm going to be moving into a new path for my life. I'm excited but very, very peaceful about the decision. It's been coming for several years now. I can look back and see the steps that brought me to this place. I can see where the hardships I've experienced were given to me as a blessing now in order to stand at this crossroad to make this decision. Sometimes hindsight isn't just 20/20. Sometimes it gives us a clarification of our purpose.

I'm going to base the next phase of my life on the verses above as I begin my life coaching certification and open up my practice next fall. I feel like everything has been building to this place, this time, this dream all along. Now I look back and can see 20/20. And I'm grateful.

Angie