Treasuring and Pondering as Mary did…

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

                “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
                        and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:13-20)

The story of Jesus’ birth is always inspiring; no matter how many times you’ve heard it.  But what I love most is how something new seems to pop-out each time scripture is read.

Notice with me… Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Speaking to our memories and experiences, this verse reminds me to keep close to my heart all the wonderful experiences of 2012.  Pondering each and treasuring all.

As we look to a new year, and close out the old, take this month to “glorify and praise God for all the things you’ve heard and seen.”  Enjoy time with family and friends, celebrating the birth of our Savior.  More importantly, take this opportunity to share the meaning of Christmas with others.

Winning @ Life, through Praise!

Praising is Power
Exodus 17:10 – 14

“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”

Wow – when Moses’ arms were raised, they were winning!  That screams PRAISE to me!  When arms are raised, when we maintain a stance of praise, we win!

Keeping our hearts turned to God continuously is tough.  Often times we praise Him during the good times and beg Him during the bad. But finding the ability, and support, to praise Him continuously is the key to winning at life.

I love that Moses had a great support system.  How nice it would be to have friends and family supporting you during trying times, times when you – like Moses – are tired!  When you just can’t praise anymore, when you feel that your life is in a never-ending state of being on the defensive instead of the offensive side of the battle.  Support is necessary to winning.  Don’t be afraid to seek support, someone to hold up your arms when the battle is long and your arms are tired.  More importantly, be ready to provide that support!

I just love this passage.  Our pastor taught on it last week, but with a different angle.  I just love how God meets me in His house and shows me what He has for ME thru each sermon.

The final verse I highlighted was the command God gave Moses to “write this on a scroll as something to be remembered…”  For me, that spoke to another act of praise.  Keeping record of God’s provision and blessings is so important.  I’m going to start keeping a Blessing Book, a journal type notebook to record God’s blessings in my family’s life.  It’s too easy to forget all that He does as we so swiftly pass from day to day.

Enjoy a blessed and winning life – praising your way through it every step of the way!

Your Sis in Him,

Jennifer

Reaching More People in Less Time

Work smart.  Simply put, there’s never enough time in the day to accomplish all we’d like.  As marketing and business development people, it’s crucial that we keep in touch with past and current clients, not to mention the prospects we are grooming.  But how?  How can we touch hundreds of people when we are busy catering to the everyday tasks our jobs require?  Think of ways to reach the most people, with least effort.

Going to meetings where you know that more than 1 client/prospect are is worth your time.  Maybe it’s a luncheon or networking meeting.  If you know you can “kill 2 birds with 1 stone,” go!

How about emailed newsletters?  Not boring, useless emails – valuable pieces of communication! Keep them short and informative.  The key to valuable communication is to provide clients & prospects with something useful!  Maybe include an industry related article or tips to increase businesses!  

 

Get creative and think of places, venues, and outlets to touch as many people as possible.  Just don’t get caught NOT talking to them at all.  Often times people get so busy putting out fires and tending to “hot” leads that they neglect the prospects, current, and past clients – each of which may become a “hot” deal of its own in time!  Happy Marketing!

Planning for Peace

As we enter the back-to-school season, planning is key to creating a peaceful home.  From church to homework to sports, chores, and your own responsibilities – peace is often times displaced by chaos. A peaceful home environment cushions and alleviates stress and tension in the home.  Children respond more positively and adults can process thoughts in a more relaxed and loving manner.  To create peace in the home is crucial for Christian living.  God offers peace as a gift and we must do our part to accept it.

So, how can a woman create peace in her home?  Whether she’s single, dating, married, or has children, every woman is an influencer of either peace or chaos.  Through planning and organization she can choose the road to peace.  Start with the following:

•  Schedule time for YOU!  Scheduling time to refuel, feed yourself   on God’s Word, and take care of yourself is the single greatest piece to  the puzzle of a peaceful home.    Decide when and how you will do that and stick to it.  Quiet time with God, exercise, and eating      healthy are all wonderful ways to create peace in you so that peace can     come through you.
•  Create a household   schedule.  Sit down and write out a schedule for      you and/or your family.  It should      reflect the time you get up, work and free time, meals, bedtime, etc.  And, don’t feel that it’s not negotiable;    it’s simply to provide a consistent framework to each day.  Create an ideal scenario and identify the      best time for each activity.       Evaluate how you’ve been doing things and don’t be afraid to change  it up like getting up earlier or putting the kids in bed earlier.  You’d be surprised what one week of a      new schedule can do for a family and when it’s a “rule” in writing,   everyone tends to respond more easily that when it’s just spoken. Once   complete, post it for the household to see.
•  Identify problem areas.  Whether it is a place always full of      clutter or a bad habit your family has gotten into, identify it and      change!  If it’s a clutter spot,      create a system using baskets or filing folders.  Make it simple to place items somewhere      that is still appealing to the eye.       Clutter makes us feel anxious so creating a peaceful environment requires      eye-appeal surroundings.

If your family has developed a bad habit like allowing the kids to watch tv for hours on end or watching non life-giving programs, change it.  Limit tv time, replace it with play or reading suggestions and write down the new rule.  Identify the shows you do and don’t approve of and make sure most are teaching a lesson about character, God, or academics. Creating a rotation is a good compromise.

Another popular habit is allowing children to eat when they like or what they like.  Oftentimes we get so busy that we allow things to slide by that we’d prefer not take place. It’s actually simpler, and takes less time, to establish a rule and stick to it.  So whether it’s you that’s eating at all hours of the day or your children, stop today and create a schedule.  In our home, dessert was requested every night (yum!), but we had to set a limit.  We decided that each member of our family could have dessert twice in a week’s time.  Any two days, their choice.  To make it fun for the kids, we allowed them to make Dessert Bucks and cash them in for dessert.  At the end of the week, they get the Dessert Bucks back and start a new week.  We use the same concept with tv time, we allow a certain amount of time for tv based on reading time, we call these Book Bucks.

•  Throw it away! The cost of peace far exceeds the perceived security of holding onto things.  If you haven’t used it in six months, consider donating or trashing it. There are even organizations that come to your house to pick up donations, load them up! If it’s valuable, consider selling it on craigslist.  You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make a few extra dollars.

Planning for peace is crucial to reducing stress, creating a love-flowing environment, and offering consistency in an often chaotic world.  Be the influential woman that guides her home in this way and find encouragement in knowing that we all struggle but know the One true source of our peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Fun and Quick house cleaning!

I’ve shared this with many friends and they all seem to think my methods provide a positive spin to cleaning.  I’m all about ease and lots of positive reinforcement!

When it comes to cleaning up, I find that the quicker I can see progress, the longer I can stay motivated.  I’d say I’m that way with most things come to think of it:)

Ok, bedrooms… I teach the kids to make the bed first.  It’s the focal point of the room and when it’s made, it feels like half the room is complete!  Once the bed is made put all the dirty clothes in the hamper (that’s IF they didn’t hit the hamper already – which I’m sure your kids clothes ALL went into the hamper as soon as they were dirty – but if not…).  Next, proceed to the “junkies” (as I call them), around the room.  All the small stuff.  Pull it all to the center of the room then put it all up on the beautifully made bed.  Now, you have a clean floor!  All you have to do is sort the stuff on the bed, vacuum, and you’re done!  The key is that the whole process is built on lots of positive reinforcement.  You see immediate progress every step of the way.

The living room is very similar.  We pick up everything and put it in one chair.  Instantly the floor, couch, and coffee table are clean!  Now, just sort the stuff in the chair, vacuum, and you’re done!

Apply this instant gratification style of cleaning to any room – clear clutter by the bulk and feel empowered to continue cleaning.  If there’s a room (like my laundry room) that just overwhelms you – do the same thing.  Go in and pull everything out so that you instantly see cleanliness!  Then begin to sort and shuffle to the proper place.

In a future post, I’ll write about Systems!  Systems are great – they work FOR you and save you time!

Happy, Positive Cleaning,

Jennifer

Are you a “people pleaser” – get RESTORED!

Do you consider yourself a “people pleaser”?  Always feeling the pressure to make others happy, receive their approval, gain their praise?  Do you find yourself putting others first, even when it’s taking away from you, your family, or your health?  

People pleasers are some of the greatest friends to have, they are always there for you, and prompt to rescue you from troubles.  However, being a people pleaser isn’t quite so great.  Take it from me, a recovering “pleaser”, it can be tough to say “no.”

My personal journey to recovery truly kicked off when I began to understand my value and worth in God.  It may sound silly, but it’s true.  “Pleasers” often times suffer from a condition called, insecurity   We tend to think more of others and less of ourselves.  When it comes down to the wire, we most likely choose serving others than caring for ourselves. Once you realize that your worth, security, and value come from above and there’s NOTHING you can do to EARN it – you’ll be set free!

Take heart….you  have hope!   If I can recover from this terrible thing, you can too!  

• Once you begin to realize that you are accountable to God, not others, you will begin to see things more clearly.
• Setting priorities and boundaries is crucial as well.  Always remember: God 1st, Husband 2nd, Children 3rd and go from there – and don’t forget about yourself!  
• Remember the 2 greatest commands: Love the Lord your God and Love others as yourself.  You can’t truly love, serve, or please others until you’ve put God (and His priorities and will) 1st and then loved yourself! 

Finally, realize that there are a lot of us out there!  Some of us are recovering and others are in full-swing “pleasing” mode – so beware!  Many times “pleasers” will actually be some of the worst offenders!  Not only do they put pressure on themselves, but they’ll inadvertently pressure you too.  When you feel pressure from someone to over extend yourself, step back, and look at the person applying the pressure.  Separate yourself emotionally, don’t accept the burden, and begin praying they find freedom.  Don’t take on their stress.  Don’t accept responsibility that’s not yours!

You are valuable, worthy, and RESTORED in Him.  The ONLY one you have to please is above, and He wants to take your burdens, not apply more!

Happy Recovery:)

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

We have a choice to think Positive – our health depends on it!

http://drleaf.com/thought_life.php

See what Dr. Caroline Leaf has to say about it!