I loved this article so much that I read portions of it out loud to my husband. It is so important for us to seek out a personal relationship with the Lord. It's what He wants!
Worship Through Relationship....Are You Seeking God's Face or His Hand? by Karen Wolff
Have you ever spent time with one of your kids where all you did was just "hang out?" If you have grown kids, and you ask them what they remember most about their childhood, I would bet they recall a time where you spent an afternoon participating in some fun activity.
As parents, it sometimes takes a while for us to discover that the thing our kids want most from us is our time. But oh, time always seems to be the thing we find in short supply.
I remember when my son was about 4 years old. He attended a local preschool, but it was only a few mornings a week so, very often, I had this four year old who wanted my time. Every day. All day.......
So I would play board games with him in the afternoons. I remember he and I would always claim to be "Champion of the World" when one of us would win. Of course, beating a 4 year old isn't exactly something to brag about on my resume, but nonetheless, I always made sure the title passed back and forth....sometimes.
My son and I both fondly recall those days as very special times when we built a relationship. And the truth is....I had a hard time saying no to my son after all that relationship building. I knew my son wasn't hanging out with me just for what he could get me to buy him, but the relationship we built meant that when he did ask for something, my heart was more than willing to consider it.
Why is it so difficult to see that as a parent, God is no different? There are some who see God as a giant Santa Claus. You simply submit your wish list and wake up one morning to find that all is well. They fail to realize that relationship is everything. It's the one thing God wants more than anything else. And it's when we take the time to seek God's face, which is simply that ongoing relationship with Him, that He extends His hand because His heart is open to hear all we have to say.
A few weeks ago I read an amazing book called, "Daily Inspirations for Finding Favor with the King", by Tommey Tenney. In this book it talked about the importance and relevence of Christian praise and worship in building a relationship with God. What impressed me was the author's insistence that praise and worship must be directed to God's face and NOT His hand. If your motive is to love God, to spend time with God, to truly want to be in God's presence, then your praise and worship will be met by God with open arms.
If, however, your motive is to try to earn a blessing, or to impress those around you, or even to fulfill some sense of obligation, you've missed the boat....Completely.
So how do you know if your relationship with God is centered around His face or simply His hand? What can you do to make sure your motive is pure as you praise and worship God?
Spend most of your time with God in praise and worship. Letting God know how much you love and appreciate Him never gets old to God. In fact, praise and worship is the key that opens God's heart.
Come to God just as you are with an open heart. Letting God see ALL that's in your heart, good or bad, lets God know that you value your relationship enough to let Him see it all and do whatever He needs to do.
Look for opportunities to offer God praise and worship in things around you. All you need to do is see a beautiful sunset or one of the many other wonders of nature to offer God praise and thanksgiving for that miraculous blessing. God appreciates a grateful heart.
Don't be afraid to show God how you truly feel as you worship Him. There are those who don't feel comfortable raising their hands or showing any emotion during worship services. Yet those same people can be found at sporting events or concerts whooping, clapping, and hollering as if it really mattered.
I'm not saying you have to jump up and down or shout, but simply standing with open hands shows God that your heart is open and you want to feel God's presence. And most importantly.....
Don't judge, look down on, or criticize someone else because they want to show emotions and energy as they worship. Just because you aren't in the same place in your spiritual walk as they are doesn't mean what they're doing is inappropriate or wrong. Concentrate on worshipping God yourself so your focus remains on building your own relationship with God.
Christian praise and worship can be one of the most powerful ways to help you build your relationship with God. There is nothing better than feeling the love, peace, and acceptance that you feel when God's presence is all around you.
But just remember, like a parent, God is looking for that ongoing relationship. When He sees your open heart and your desire to get to know Him for who He is, His heart opens to hear all you have to say.
What a concept......seeking God's face and then feeling the blessings from His hand.
For more help on this topic, go to "The Key to Unlocking God's Door"
About the Author
Karen Wolff is the founder of www.christian-books-for-women.com, a place where women will find info, tips, and help with issues like overcoming fear, jealousy, and building self esteem. Find book reviews, recommendations, and submit your favorite books so you can be a blessing to someone else.
Showing posts with label christians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christians. Show all posts
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Thinking Forward
This article came across my computer at the perfect time for me. For the last several days, I could have used some "forward thinking" in my life. My one and only child, a mere toddler, has been in rare form lately. I have been doing my best to justify his actions (you know the drill) - "Maybe he doesn't feel good;" "I bet he's getting his 2 year molars;" "He must be tired;" "He must need to get out of the house." No matter the reason for the crankies, they were there and they were driving me nuts! A number of thoughts ran through my head, including "why do I want another one?," and "why do I stay home?." I know these thoughts are irrational, but I can't seem to help it. Then he does something cute, like kiss me without being asked or patting my head. It's then that I know the answers to my internal questions.
Thinking Forward by Marsha Maung
Sometimes it appears as though there isn't any point in cleaning up the house because the moment you're done picking the things up, cleaning, mopping and sweeping, the kids are going to do their thing and everything's going back to...being a mess! And after spending a considerable amount of time mulling in the kitchen cooking up a storm, all you get is 'yuck' or 'I don't want to eat'. And just when you thought you could spend a couple of hours relaxing in the tub with a book you've started reading AGES ago, the kids are fighting and tearing each others' hair out.
You sit there and wonder...gosh, is this what I bargained for? Is this what motherhood is all about?
I voiced my concern to a close friend whom I knew wouldn't think I was looney or a bad mother and this is what she said to me, "Appreciate the noise and the ruckus that they create now because there will come a time when YOU have to make a whole lot of noise for them to notice you. It's far off in the future...but the time will eventually come".
What she said struck a chord in me (although I sniggered in her face, rolled my eyes skyward and gave her a 'yeah, right' look) and I came home thinking. The kids were out in the in-laws' place, so, the house was pretty quiet then. There was nary a sound to be heard throughout my small but comfy condo. The only sound that I could hear was the sound of the fan spinning madly and my keyboard.
Sitting there, I imagined what it would be like to live in a home like this for the last 10, 20...or 30 years of my life. What an unbelievably scary thought? No kids screaming and knocking things over? No children to come complaining to you about how the other siblings have snatched his or her toy? No kids whining and pleading about that extra cookie before bedtime? What would life be like then?
It's when we do this type of forward thinking that we will appreciate the kind of noise that is here in the home now. We may define the noise that they make as 'stress' or 'annoying' but at the end of the day, it's precisely this type of noise that we will one day miss.
So, when you start thinking 'Is this what I bargained for? Is this what motherhood is all about', think forward and you'll start wishing that the day will never come.
About the Author
Marsha Maung is a freelance work@home graphic designer and writer who resides in Malaysia. She designs tshirts, apparels and print stuff for http://www.allmomstuff.com. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.marshamaung.com
Christian mom
Christian women
stay at home mom
stay home mom
Thinking Forward by Marsha Maung
Sometimes it appears as though there isn't any point in cleaning up the house because the moment you're done picking the things up, cleaning, mopping and sweeping, the kids are going to do their thing and everything's going back to...being a mess! And after spending a considerable amount of time mulling in the kitchen cooking up a storm, all you get is 'yuck' or 'I don't want to eat'. And just when you thought you could spend a couple of hours relaxing in the tub with a book you've started reading AGES ago, the kids are fighting and tearing each others' hair out.
You sit there and wonder...gosh, is this what I bargained for? Is this what motherhood is all about?
I voiced my concern to a close friend whom I knew wouldn't think I was looney or a bad mother and this is what she said to me, "Appreciate the noise and the ruckus that they create now because there will come a time when YOU have to make a whole lot of noise for them to notice you. It's far off in the future...but the time will eventually come".
What she said struck a chord in me (although I sniggered in her face, rolled my eyes skyward and gave her a 'yeah, right' look) and I came home thinking. The kids were out in the in-laws' place, so, the house was pretty quiet then. There was nary a sound to be heard throughout my small but comfy condo. The only sound that I could hear was the sound of the fan spinning madly and my keyboard.
Sitting there, I imagined what it would be like to live in a home like this for the last 10, 20...or 30 years of my life. What an unbelievably scary thought? No kids screaming and knocking things over? No children to come complaining to you about how the other siblings have snatched his or her toy? No kids whining and pleading about that extra cookie before bedtime? What would life be like then?
It's when we do this type of forward thinking that we will appreciate the kind of noise that is here in the home now. We may define the noise that they make as 'stress' or 'annoying' but at the end of the day, it's precisely this type of noise that we will one day miss.
So, when you start thinking 'Is this what I bargained for? Is this what motherhood is all about', think forward and you'll start wishing that the day will never come.
About the Author
Marsha Maung is a freelance work@home graphic designer and writer who resides in Malaysia. She designs tshirts, apparels and print stuff for http://www.allmomstuff.com. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.marshamaung.com
Christian mom
Christian women
stay at home mom
stay home mom
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
I like this article very much an am hoping I can make something like this happen for me.
Make Money Online by Building Momentum by: Liane Bate
The past month has been a very successful one for my online business in terms of traffic going up, number of new affiliates going up, and money in my pocket getting heavier. This really inspires me because after admitting to being lazy about my business over the hot summer months, I am just slowly starting to get back into the swing of things. I am just slowly starting to return to my daily to-do list after having made it more manageable and motivating for me to complete on a daily basis. I am not fully back where I should be in terms of work I need to be doing, and yet, it was my most profitable month ever. I have to say this really motivates me to work even harder, and be more consistent if I really want to make money online. I've realized that you can do this too by building your business momentum. Many people who want to make money online start a new program with the hope that they will make millions overnight. This just isn't realistic no matter what some online business owners may tell you. I've seen the effects that building momentum can have on your business. I've been through some ups and downs and everyone will experience these. But if you give up on your online business even before a year has passed, you don't even have the chance to get the momentum going, or see that next upward swing in your results, and it will come if you put the time and effort in! Let me explain by example what I mean by building momentum so that you can make money online…There are four ways I have done this, which are: Forum posting; Article writing; Blog posting; and Link generating. Forum posting means that you join some discussion forums on business related topics, or topics related to whatever your website is about. It's free to join these forums, and a great way to get yourself into a community of other people who are doing exactly what you are doing. You can share ideas, ask questions, look for information, help others, make new friends, and find out what all the top dogs are up to. At first you may think this is not at all really vital to your business and a waste of time. Well, think again! I have made sales simply from offering helpful advice in forums after someone followed my signature link to my site. A friend of mine who frequents a fishing forum told me that people won't even pay attention to you unless you have made over 500 posts. I thought he was full of it, until I had 500 posts, advanced in my status, and then had 1000+ posts. Believe me, people will pay attention to your posts the more you have because they can see that you have been around for a while and must know what you're talking about. This isn't to say you should go and spam the forums. That is a no-no! Make useful contributions to the forums and offer something of value on a consistent basis, and you will be building momentum for your business through forum posting. Article writing is the next way I have built momentum for my business. Again, this is something you don't do overnight – not if you write your own original articles like I do. This is one of the best ways to advertise your business these days. Provide an article with useful information, and submit it to an article distribution service that will distribute your article to thousands of publishers with your online business links at the end in the author bio-box. You'll be amazed at how fast your links get dispersed around the net – One-way links pointing back to your site! I have also found that the more articles you write, the more of an authority you become in your niche. The more articles you have to your name, the more people will realize that you have something valuable to offer, you can be trusted, and your readers may decide you're worth buying from. Similar to article writing is blog posting. The more frequent your posts, the more traffic you will get to your site. I recently found a tool on the net that allows you to type in your blog address to get a monetary value of what your blog is worth. Now I have posted my own articles, as well as other people's articles to my blog, and have added special news and reports in addition to that. According to the value I got for my blog, I need to beef up my blog even more! Obviously this takes time, and that is my point when I refer to "building momentum". If you quit early on, you will never have the chance to make your online business work for you or make money online. Finally, link generating is another means I have used to build momentum for my business. The search engines don't even like it if you gather links too quickly because they see it as a deliberate attempt to get a link back to your site. It is recommended that you gather links slowly, maybe 10-15 new links per week, and you want thousands of links pointing back to your site! This, too, will take time, and over time, you will see your link popularity grow if you continue to gather links by writing articles, posting your URL to the link directories, linking to the internal pages on your own site, commenting on blogs, posting in forums, and so on. Building momentum means taking the time, and making the consistent effort to build your business. It means not giving up pre-maturely, thinking nothing is working for you, and that you are not making any money online. If you take consistent action over time by posting in forums, writing original articles, making frequent posts to your blog, and getting as many quality links pointing back to your site, then have what it takes to make money online!
About The Author
Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, and is a member of Success University and the IAHBE. Visit: http://www.honestmoneymaking.com/ and http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com/blog/
Make Money Online by Building Momentum by: Liane Bate
The past month has been a very successful one for my online business in terms of traffic going up, number of new affiliates going up, and money in my pocket getting heavier. This really inspires me because after admitting to being lazy about my business over the hot summer months, I am just slowly starting to get back into the swing of things. I am just slowly starting to return to my daily to-do list after having made it more manageable and motivating for me to complete on a daily basis. I am not fully back where I should be in terms of work I need to be doing, and yet, it was my most profitable month ever. I have to say this really motivates me to work even harder, and be more consistent if I really want to make money online. I've realized that you can do this too by building your business momentum. Many people who want to make money online start a new program with the hope that they will make millions overnight. This just isn't realistic no matter what some online business owners may tell you. I've seen the effects that building momentum can have on your business. I've been through some ups and downs and everyone will experience these. But if you give up on your online business even before a year has passed, you don't even have the chance to get the momentum going, or see that next upward swing in your results, and it will come if you put the time and effort in! Let me explain by example what I mean by building momentum so that you can make money online…There are four ways I have done this, which are: Forum posting; Article writing; Blog posting; and Link generating. Forum posting means that you join some discussion forums on business related topics, or topics related to whatever your website is about. It's free to join these forums, and a great way to get yourself into a community of other people who are doing exactly what you are doing. You can share ideas, ask questions, look for information, help others, make new friends, and find out what all the top dogs are up to. At first you may think this is not at all really vital to your business and a waste of time. Well, think again! I have made sales simply from offering helpful advice in forums after someone followed my signature link to my site. A friend of mine who frequents a fishing forum told me that people won't even pay attention to you unless you have made over 500 posts. I thought he was full of it, until I had 500 posts, advanced in my status, and then had 1000+ posts. Believe me, people will pay attention to your posts the more you have because they can see that you have been around for a while and must know what you're talking about. This isn't to say you should go and spam the forums. That is a no-no! Make useful contributions to the forums and offer something of value on a consistent basis, and you will be building momentum for your business through forum posting. Article writing is the next way I have built momentum for my business. Again, this is something you don't do overnight – not if you write your own original articles like I do. This is one of the best ways to advertise your business these days. Provide an article with useful information, and submit it to an article distribution service that will distribute your article to thousands of publishers with your online business links at the end in the author bio-box. You'll be amazed at how fast your links get dispersed around the net – One-way links pointing back to your site! I have also found that the more articles you write, the more of an authority you become in your niche. The more articles you have to your name, the more people will realize that you have something valuable to offer, you can be trusted, and your readers may decide you're worth buying from. Similar to article writing is blog posting. The more frequent your posts, the more traffic you will get to your site. I recently found a tool on the net that allows you to type in your blog address to get a monetary value of what your blog is worth. Now I have posted my own articles, as well as other people's articles to my blog, and have added special news and reports in addition to that. According to the value I got for my blog, I need to beef up my blog even more! Obviously this takes time, and that is my point when I refer to "building momentum". If you quit early on, you will never have the chance to make your online business work for you or make money online. Finally, link generating is another means I have used to build momentum for my business. The search engines don't even like it if you gather links too quickly because they see it as a deliberate attempt to get a link back to your site. It is recommended that you gather links slowly, maybe 10-15 new links per week, and you want thousands of links pointing back to your site! This, too, will take time, and over time, you will see your link popularity grow if you continue to gather links by writing articles, posting your URL to the link directories, linking to the internal pages on your own site, commenting on blogs, posting in forums, and so on. Building momentum means taking the time, and making the consistent effort to build your business. It means not giving up pre-maturely, thinking nothing is working for you, and that you are not making any money online. If you take consistent action over time by posting in forums, writing original articles, making frequent posts to your blog, and getting as many quality links pointing back to your site, then have what it takes to make money online!
About The Author
Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, and is a member of Success University and the IAHBE. Visit: http://www.honestmoneymaking.com/ and http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com/blog/
Okay, so this article came to me at a perfect time. Just as I am starting to consider an at-home business. Knowing these steps and putting them into place before I begin will help me manage my time and help me remember the reason for doing it in the first place. Thank you Jill Hart! She also has a wesbite for me to look into - Visit www.CWAHM.com.
I am so excited! There is more information out there for Christian Stay At Home Moms than I thought.
Steps To Get Your Priorities Straight At Home And In Business by Jill Hart
Operating a successful home-based business is a time-consuming endeavor. This is doubly true as work-at-home moms in that we are responsible not only for the success of our business, but for our family as well. We must be self-reliant, self-motivated, and discipline ourselves in order to attain success in both areas.
When running a business from home, it's easy to let the phone calls, emails and paperwork keep you tied down, making you feel that you don't have time to take a break or to spend quality time with your family. Maybe you've noticed that you spend a little more time than you'd like in front of your computer or on the phone. Maybe you see your kids acting out, trying to gain your attention. Perhaps you are seeing that this isn't the work-at-home dream you envisioned. You started out with such noble intentions, but maybe the excitement of success in your business has caused you to lose sight of the REAL reason do what you do each day. It happens to so many of us, but don't worry, help is on the way.
Below are five ideas to prioritize your life and business:
1. Be honest - You probably didn't start your work-at-home career to climb the "corporate ladder" of your at-home business. Chances are that you started your business with the best of intentions - to be able to be at home with your children, to contribute financially to your family, or simply to have a little spending money of your own. Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to show you the things that you need to change.
Take a moment and honestly ask yourself how you've been handling the time commitment of owning a business:
* Are you spending too much time on the phone, the computer, etc? * Are your kids spending more time than usual in front of the TV? * Do you snap at your children because of the stresses of your business? * Do you worry about your business - to the point that it distracts you when you are with your family?
2. Make a list - Sit down and write out a list of things that you see that you'd like to change. This can be a list of things you can do differently to limit the time you spend on your business; or a list of ways you can "de-stress" so that you can deal kindly with your family.
3. Log your time - Buy a notebook or create a spreadsheet that you can use to log the time you spend on your business each day. Make a column for each day across the top and a row of half an hour increments down the side. Every time you sit down at your desk, write "IN" in the box that corresponds to the time and day. Every time you leave your desk (or complete a task), fill the appropriate box with the word "OUT."
At the end of the week, total up the hours each day that you have spent on business tasks. Are you surprised or is it about where you thought you'd be? This can be a real eye-opener and show you in black and white if your priorities have gotten off track. Take special note for how much time you spend on e-mails and things that aren't billable.
Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/ also recommends that you plan ahead and schedule your time. Prioritize things and have the work that will require the most effort and concentration scheduled for your peak time. Try and not get sidetracked and stay on task focusing on what you need to do. You'd be amazed how much more work you can get done by simply changing how you work e-mails. If you only answer them at set hours, you save yourself from being online all day and not accomplishing much.
4. Take a break - If you get to the end of the week and your time log has you in shock, it's time to take a break. If you normally work during the weekend, make it a point to take this weekend off. Shut down your email, turn off the ringer on your phone and shut the door to your office. You'll be surprised at how refreshing this will be.
Use this time off to re-evaluate how you need to be spending your time. Try to plan out when you can work on your business without losing out on time with your children. If your children are in school, make it a point to stop working when they get home. If your children are still small, maybe you can limit work hours to naptime or, if possible, have a grandparent watch them once or twice a week to allow you a bit more work time.
5. Plan an activity - Now that you're ready to make a change in your routine, why not plan an activity once a week? This can be an outing with your child or just something simple like setting aside time to make cookies together.
If possible, find another work-at-home mom and hold one another accountable to keep to your new schedules. Make a weekly play date where your children can spend time together - you can talk business if necessary or decide to make it a "no business talk allowed" discussion time.
The years that you have at home with your children are a gift as is your business. The time necessary for each will be different for every family and situation. Take the time to find what works for you and set your schedule accordingly. Make it a point to evaluate your priorities every few months to make sure that your time in spent properly. The rewards will be well worth it, when your family not only is proud of your accomplishments in your business, but also more importantly your accomplishments as their mom. Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. This site is dedicated to providing work at home moms with opportunities to promote their businesses while at the same time providing them spiritual encouragement and articles. Visit CWAHM.com for additional information. Jill and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com (Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in Nebraska with their two children.
About the Author
Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms. CWAHM is dedicated to work at home moms. Jill & her husband, Allen of Christian Work At Home Dads reside in NE with their 2 children.
I am so excited! There is more information out there for Christian Stay At Home Moms than I thought.
Steps To Get Your Priorities Straight At Home And In Business by Jill Hart
Operating a successful home-based business is a time-consuming endeavor. This is doubly true as work-at-home moms in that we are responsible not only for the success of our business, but for our family as well. We must be self-reliant, self-motivated, and discipline ourselves in order to attain success in both areas.
When running a business from home, it's easy to let the phone calls, emails and paperwork keep you tied down, making you feel that you don't have time to take a break or to spend quality time with your family. Maybe you've noticed that you spend a little more time than you'd like in front of your computer or on the phone. Maybe you see your kids acting out, trying to gain your attention. Perhaps you are seeing that this isn't the work-at-home dream you envisioned. You started out with such noble intentions, but maybe the excitement of success in your business has caused you to lose sight of the REAL reason do what you do each day. It happens to so many of us, but don't worry, help is on the way.
Below are five ideas to prioritize your life and business:
1. Be honest - You probably didn't start your work-at-home career to climb the "corporate ladder" of your at-home business. Chances are that you started your business with the best of intentions - to be able to be at home with your children, to contribute financially to your family, or simply to have a little spending money of your own. Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to show you the things that you need to change.
Take a moment and honestly ask yourself how you've been handling the time commitment of owning a business:
* Are you spending too much time on the phone, the computer, etc? * Are your kids spending more time than usual in front of the TV? * Do you snap at your children because of the stresses of your business? * Do you worry about your business - to the point that it distracts you when you are with your family?
2. Make a list - Sit down and write out a list of things that you see that you'd like to change. This can be a list of things you can do differently to limit the time you spend on your business; or a list of ways you can "de-stress" so that you can deal kindly with your family.
3. Log your time - Buy a notebook or create a spreadsheet that you can use to log the time you spend on your business each day. Make a column for each day across the top and a row of half an hour increments down the side. Every time you sit down at your desk, write "IN" in the box that corresponds to the time and day. Every time you leave your desk (or complete a task), fill the appropriate box with the word "OUT."
At the end of the week, total up the hours each day that you have spent on business tasks. Are you surprised or is it about where you thought you'd be? This can be a real eye-opener and show you in black and white if your priorities have gotten off track. Take special note for how much time you spend on e-mails and things that aren't billable.
Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/ also recommends that you plan ahead and schedule your time. Prioritize things and have the work that will require the most effort and concentration scheduled for your peak time. Try and not get sidetracked and stay on task focusing on what you need to do. You'd be amazed how much more work you can get done by simply changing how you work e-mails. If you only answer them at set hours, you save yourself from being online all day and not accomplishing much.
4. Take a break - If you get to the end of the week and your time log has you in shock, it's time to take a break. If you normally work during the weekend, make it a point to take this weekend off. Shut down your email, turn off the ringer on your phone and shut the door to your office. You'll be surprised at how refreshing this will be.
Use this time off to re-evaluate how you need to be spending your time. Try to plan out when you can work on your business without losing out on time with your children. If your children are in school, make it a point to stop working when they get home. If your children are still small, maybe you can limit work hours to naptime or, if possible, have a grandparent watch them once or twice a week to allow you a bit more work time.
5. Plan an activity - Now that you're ready to make a change in your routine, why not plan an activity once a week? This can be an outing with your child or just something simple like setting aside time to make cookies together.
If possible, find another work-at-home mom and hold one another accountable to keep to your new schedules. Make a weekly play date where your children can spend time together - you can talk business if necessary or decide to make it a "no business talk allowed" discussion time.
The years that you have at home with your children are a gift as is your business. The time necessary for each will be different for every family and situation. Take the time to find what works for you and set your schedule accordingly. Make it a point to evaluate your priorities every few months to make sure that your time in spent properly. The rewards will be well worth it, when your family not only is proud of your accomplishments in your business, but also more importantly your accomplishments as their mom. Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. This site is dedicated to providing work at home moms with opportunities to promote their businesses while at the same time providing them spiritual encouragement and articles. Visit CWAHM.com for additional information. Jill and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com (Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in Nebraska with their two children.
About the Author
Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms. CWAHM is dedicated to work at home moms. Jill & her husband, Allen of Christian Work At Home Dads reside in NE with their 2 children.
Home-Schooling???
Here is an article I came across in my search for Christian Stay at Home Moms. I was pretty sure I have already made my decision about home schooling. As a former public school teacher, I am pro public school. That being said, however, I have many friends and acquaintances that home school their children. In almost every instance, their children are the most well behaved and considerate children I have ever come across. The moms also seem very organized and peaceful with their decision.
So, this article scratched the surface of something that I didn't realize needed scratching. Do I need to reconsider my personal perference? Perhaps I should visit author's websites and do more research of my own. The websites are listed at the bottom, but I will list them here for quick reference: www.momtime.net & www.FamilySuccess.org
What am I doing? by Cheryl R. Carter
What Am I Doing? By Cheryl R. Carter
As we make educational decisions, I think most of us often forget just how vulnerable we are to criticism. Within our human psyche is the need for approval, acceptance and affirmation. This need has long been documented by counselors, psychologists, and clergy. In fact, great literature is ripe with humankind's struggle to be accepted by others. Shakespearean readers will recall Othello closing soliloquy. He goes on and on attempting to validate himself. Sadly, it is clear he longs for the validation of others. His own insecurity gave birth to his ravenous jealousy. Even though he had a prominent position he still felt unsettled; he had to prove something. Ultimately, this unsettling leads to his demise and unfortunately the death of others. So, how does this relate to us as Christian home-schoolers?
Most of us still look for approval, affirmation and acceptance for the different educational decisions we made. I see this so clearly in the home education movement. I call it a movement because everyday our numbers are increasing and "nontraditional" home educators are joining our ranks. I see the need for approval, affirmation and acceptance in the area of competence particularly we unconsciously compete with traditional schools. No one will say that but they will point to test scores and model curriculum and our schedules after typical schools.
It is said you can tell a lot about a person by looking at the way he spends his time and his check book. I think we home educators might do well to slow down our schedule a bit and assess what we believe and to become more solidified in our decisions. Many home educators run their children from activity to activity and because we too wrestle with the school question and how we measure up. Oh, we deny it. We laugh at those who ask us such a question, but in our quiet moments, we struggle. We, too, wonder about our educational decisions. We wonder if we are doing the best for our children. We wonder if we are good enough as teachers, as parents and even as people. How do we teach our children patience when we throw a fit because they do not get the distributive principle the first time we teach it?
You know what I'm talking about. Am I being too personal? I know I'm in your private closet -the solitary place where only you go. Sometimes even God, Himself cannot get in there! We wrestle with our decisions and wonder about our competence and depend on others to validate us. When they do not validate us, then, we set upon a journey to prove them wrong. It's a vicious cycle we have to validate ourselves and this can only happen when we are honest with ourselves. That is the hardest part. New home educators are particularly vulnerable to a rigid school schedule. This rapid flurry of activity brings with it many other problems including physical exhaustion and burn-out. The problem with being in bondage to others criticisms is that we keep working to prove them wrong. However the most insidious thing is in the process to prove others wrong often we may lose our own identity or convictions.
A few years ago, I did something very radical involving my convictions, for five months I did nothing. That's right I did nothing. Nothing. No hockey games. No ice skating lessons. No soccer, no karate, no swimming, no coop, no dancing, no nothing! This decision was not made in haste. It was preceded by a very active school year and an exhausting summer. It was great. We got lots of schoolwork done, took trips alone when we wanted and sometimes we just spent the afternoon doing nothing! The kids developed new hobbies and even started to do a bit of creative writing and drawing. We were happy and at peace. I had nothing to prove to anyone. It wasn't long before the telephone calls started. What surprised me were the telephone calls from other home educators. One day a friend called
"Cheryl, what are you doing?'
"Nothing"
"You're serious about this nothing thing, aren't you?' No response. I do not answer questions for which there is an obvious answer.
"Cheryl, the kids need to do things with other kids"
Obviously, she did not include the neighborhood kids, nor her kids who were just over two nights ago, or the kids at the park, or the kids at church, or...well you get the picture.
"Cheryl, doesn't it bother you that your kids are missing out I understand wanting to do nothing but sometimes we have to do things for our kids socially" she pleaded, attempting to evoke a response from me.
No response. I as I like to evoke thought.
"Are your kids really enjoying doing nothing...? Just what are they doing? Be honest"
Okay. She had played the honesty card. Now I could have answered literally that I did not know at that moment what my kids were doing. You moms know what I mean when the house is too quiet either your bedroom is being painted with peanut butter, or your son is trying to retrieve his lizard from your hand held vacuum cleaner. Instead I opted to ask her a question, have you ever asked your children if they would like to do nothing."
"Well they have to do play basketball and the piano if they stop them will lose their skills.... (long pause obviously she was trying to convince herself she was correct) I mean I wouldn't know what to do if I did nothing"
Therein was the real issue. She had revealed her own uneasiness on the issue of being good enough for her kids. Haven't we been there? She had filled their time with so many other things to fill in the gaps she thought they were missing. I do not want to suggest that everyone who runs their kids around from activity to activity is wrestling with the affirmation issues, some are keeping up with the Joneses' (those invisible children who might do better than our children), others are just caught in the web of activity and still others are still trying to find the ebb and flow of their home school schedule. I am just suggesting that we be real with ourselves about why we are doing something all the time.
We have to face our fears head on. So let me be the first to confess. I am finite in my ability to school my children. I must lean on God. It is in my dependency albeit my confession of weakness that I reach out to Him. And you know what? When I call Him, He is there! He takes my hand and provides for me and pours intangibles into my children. He graces me with patience when I cannot understand why 5x + 4y= 17 cannot be graphed until I put it in the y = mx + b form. I do not trust that I will always have the answer to every school question my children ask, but I do trust I will always be able to get them an answer.
In the book of James we are promised wisdom and we only have to ask for it. Moms, we only have to ask. Can it really be that easy? Yes, it almost seems too simple. We must learn to stand strong and realize that with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37) And if he can part the Red Sea, surely he can help me understand how to multiply binomials...augh...in four different ways. Home schooling is really a faith walk for us at times. The challenge is to embrace our struggles in such a way that God can redeem them. As my Pastor often says God's glory is released when we give ourselves totally to Him. For truly in our weakness God shows He is strong. Ultimately we have to let go for Him to take hold.
That's why I often stop and take the time to assess what I'm doing. I am neither in a race nor competition with any school. I want to be anchored in what I believe because true strength is breed in stillness. God's voice is not found in the flurry of activity but in quietness. May I offer you a challenge? Look at your beliefs and examine whether or not what you say you believe lines up with your daily activities. Can you close the science book and sit at the feet of Jesus without thinking about the missed lesson? Can you sit in stillness with your children and not just follow a regimented schedule? Ultimately, we have to learn to say no to something to say yes to God. Should that surprise you?
God always tells us to be something before we do something. We think we have to do but God tells us to be. Hard concept for us adults to grasp...right? May we help our children to understand who they are is more important than anything they do. May our children be so purposeful and powerful that the enemy trembles when their feet hit the floor each morning. May they pursue the enemy and preserve in their faith. May they take back this country for God! May we all see it in our lifetime! In Jesus' name! Amen.
Cheryl R. Carter is the "crown" of her husband and the joy of her children. She and her husband serve the New York State Christian Homeschool community as NYC and Long Island LEAH Regional Representative.. Visit her website www.momtime.net . and www.FamilySuccess.org She is also the author of Chasing God and the Kids Too, Balancing a Mom's Most Important Pursuits. She illustrates how to best spend our time in her new book keeping God and family a top priority.
About the Author
Cheryl R. Carter is the "crown" of her husband and the joy of her children. She and her husband serve the New York State Christian Homeschool community in NYC and Long Island.Visit her website www.momtime.net . and www.FamilySuccess.org She is also the author of Chasing God and the Kids Too, Balancing a Mom's Most Important Pursuits. She illustrates how to best spend our time in her new book keeping God and family a top priority.
So, this article scratched the surface of something that I didn't realize needed scratching. Do I need to reconsider my personal perference? Perhaps I should visit author's websites and do more research of my own. The websites are listed at the bottom, but I will list them here for quick reference: www.momtime.net & www.FamilySuccess.org
What am I doing? by Cheryl R. Carter
What Am I Doing? By Cheryl R. Carter
As we make educational decisions, I think most of us often forget just how vulnerable we are to criticism. Within our human psyche is the need for approval, acceptance and affirmation. This need has long been documented by counselors, psychologists, and clergy. In fact, great literature is ripe with humankind's struggle to be accepted by others. Shakespearean readers will recall Othello closing soliloquy. He goes on and on attempting to validate himself. Sadly, it is clear he longs for the validation of others. His own insecurity gave birth to his ravenous jealousy. Even though he had a prominent position he still felt unsettled; he had to prove something. Ultimately, this unsettling leads to his demise and unfortunately the death of others. So, how does this relate to us as Christian home-schoolers?
Most of us still look for approval, affirmation and acceptance for the different educational decisions we made. I see this so clearly in the home education movement. I call it a movement because everyday our numbers are increasing and "nontraditional" home educators are joining our ranks. I see the need for approval, affirmation and acceptance in the area of competence particularly we unconsciously compete with traditional schools. No one will say that but they will point to test scores and model curriculum and our schedules after typical schools.
It is said you can tell a lot about a person by looking at the way he spends his time and his check book. I think we home educators might do well to slow down our schedule a bit and assess what we believe and to become more solidified in our decisions. Many home educators run their children from activity to activity and because we too wrestle with the school question and how we measure up. Oh, we deny it. We laugh at those who ask us such a question, but in our quiet moments, we struggle. We, too, wonder about our educational decisions. We wonder if we are doing the best for our children. We wonder if we are good enough as teachers, as parents and even as people. How do we teach our children patience when we throw a fit because they do not get the distributive principle the first time we teach it?
You know what I'm talking about. Am I being too personal? I know I'm in your private closet -the solitary place where only you go. Sometimes even God, Himself cannot get in there! We wrestle with our decisions and wonder about our competence and depend on others to validate us. When they do not validate us, then, we set upon a journey to prove them wrong. It's a vicious cycle we have to validate ourselves and this can only happen when we are honest with ourselves. That is the hardest part. New home educators are particularly vulnerable to a rigid school schedule. This rapid flurry of activity brings with it many other problems including physical exhaustion and burn-out. The problem with being in bondage to others criticisms is that we keep working to prove them wrong. However the most insidious thing is in the process to prove others wrong often we may lose our own identity or convictions.
A few years ago, I did something very radical involving my convictions, for five months I did nothing. That's right I did nothing. Nothing. No hockey games. No ice skating lessons. No soccer, no karate, no swimming, no coop, no dancing, no nothing! This decision was not made in haste. It was preceded by a very active school year and an exhausting summer. It was great. We got lots of schoolwork done, took trips alone when we wanted and sometimes we just spent the afternoon doing nothing! The kids developed new hobbies and even started to do a bit of creative writing and drawing. We were happy and at peace. I had nothing to prove to anyone. It wasn't long before the telephone calls started. What surprised me were the telephone calls from other home educators. One day a friend called
"Cheryl, what are you doing?'
"Nothing"
"You're serious about this nothing thing, aren't you?' No response. I do not answer questions for which there is an obvious answer.
"Cheryl, the kids need to do things with other kids"
Obviously, she did not include the neighborhood kids, nor her kids who were just over two nights ago, or the kids at the park, or the kids at church, or...well you get the picture.
"Cheryl, doesn't it bother you that your kids are missing out I understand wanting to do nothing but sometimes we have to do things for our kids socially" she pleaded, attempting to evoke a response from me.
No response. I as I like to evoke thought.
"Are your kids really enjoying doing nothing...? Just what are they doing? Be honest"
Okay. She had played the honesty card. Now I could have answered literally that I did not know at that moment what my kids were doing. You moms know what I mean when the house is too quiet either your bedroom is being painted with peanut butter, or your son is trying to retrieve his lizard from your hand held vacuum cleaner. Instead I opted to ask her a question, have you ever asked your children if they would like to do nothing."
"Well they have to do play basketball and the piano if they stop them will lose their skills.... (long pause obviously she was trying to convince herself she was correct) I mean I wouldn't know what to do if I did nothing"
Therein was the real issue. She had revealed her own uneasiness on the issue of being good enough for her kids. Haven't we been there? She had filled their time with so many other things to fill in the gaps she thought they were missing. I do not want to suggest that everyone who runs their kids around from activity to activity is wrestling with the affirmation issues, some are keeping up with the Joneses' (those invisible children who might do better than our children), others are just caught in the web of activity and still others are still trying to find the ebb and flow of their home school schedule. I am just suggesting that we be real with ourselves about why we are doing something all the time.
We have to face our fears head on. So let me be the first to confess. I am finite in my ability to school my children. I must lean on God. It is in my dependency albeit my confession of weakness that I reach out to Him. And you know what? When I call Him, He is there! He takes my hand and provides for me and pours intangibles into my children. He graces me with patience when I cannot understand why 5x + 4y= 17 cannot be graphed until I put it in the y = mx + b form. I do not trust that I will always have the answer to every school question my children ask, but I do trust I will always be able to get them an answer.
In the book of James we are promised wisdom and we only have to ask for it. Moms, we only have to ask. Can it really be that easy? Yes, it almost seems too simple. We must learn to stand strong and realize that with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37) And if he can part the Red Sea, surely he can help me understand how to multiply binomials...augh...in four different ways. Home schooling is really a faith walk for us at times. The challenge is to embrace our struggles in such a way that God can redeem them. As my Pastor often says God's glory is released when we give ourselves totally to Him. For truly in our weakness God shows He is strong. Ultimately we have to let go for Him to take hold.
That's why I often stop and take the time to assess what I'm doing. I am neither in a race nor competition with any school. I want to be anchored in what I believe because true strength is breed in stillness. God's voice is not found in the flurry of activity but in quietness. May I offer you a challenge? Look at your beliefs and examine whether or not what you say you believe lines up with your daily activities. Can you close the science book and sit at the feet of Jesus without thinking about the missed lesson? Can you sit in stillness with your children and not just follow a regimented schedule? Ultimately, we have to learn to say no to something to say yes to God. Should that surprise you?
God always tells us to be something before we do something. We think we have to do but God tells us to be. Hard concept for us adults to grasp...right? May we help our children to understand who they are is more important than anything they do. May our children be so purposeful and powerful that the enemy trembles when their feet hit the floor each morning. May they pursue the enemy and preserve in their faith. May they take back this country for God! May we all see it in our lifetime! In Jesus' name! Amen.
Cheryl R. Carter is the "crown" of her husband and the joy of her children. She and her husband serve the New York State Christian Homeschool community as NYC and Long Island LEAH Regional Representative.. Visit her website www.momtime.net . and www.FamilySuccess.org She is also the author of Chasing God and the Kids Too, Balancing a Mom's Most Important Pursuits. She illustrates how to best spend our time in her new book keeping God and family a top priority.
About the Author
Cheryl R. Carter is the "crown" of her husband and the joy of her children. She and her husband serve the New York State Christian Homeschool community in NYC and Long Island.Visit her website www.momtime.net . and www.FamilySuccess.org She is also the author of Chasing God and the Kids Too, Balancing a Mom's Most Important Pursuits. She illustrates how to best spend our time in her new book keeping God and family a top priority.
Networking Tips for Moms At Home by Demetria Zinga
Plenty of christian moms today stay at home. After a year of battling the decision to quit my job, I finally "put my foot down", as they say, and returned home to raise my daughter. It wasn't the easiest decision, but, let me tell you, it sure wasn't the toughest! I enjoy every minute of being home to raise my child. Furthermore, being home has done wonders for my family as a unit, and drawn us closer together. When I was working my full time job I barely had time to prepare a decent meal. But today? I'm a health nut, and so is the whole family (ha)!But now, there's another dilemma. Being a stay at home mom has not affected my personality, of course, so I still have a lot of creative energy pent up inside! I thought to myself one day, "what better way to use this energy than to work towards a goal--perhaps start a business?" Not only would it bring in a nice supplementary income for my family, but having a business (or craft or hobby) would enhance my creative skills and strengthen my business expertise. I call it the project of my lifetime.The first thing I did was a little soul searching to seek God's direction for the type of business or project He would have me to embark on. I realized right away that although my personality was suited for several types of business ventures (selling crafts, designing websites, or providing secretarial services), I would soon either have to narrow it down to one choice, or start a business that combined all or most of my skills and interests. For me, choosing the right business was the hardest part. Once I settled on freelance web design and writing, it soon became my ultimate goal to find out as much as possible about these particular industries. In my thought, education and information is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. My goal was to be a professional in my field. This is where networking is highly important.If you're like me, the internet is probably one of the very best tools you can use for research. Not only is it a few feet away from me as I embark on my daily chores, but I keep my computer on at all times. Thankfully, we are using a broadband connection and can stay online 24/7 without having to worry about tying up the phone line. This, I should stress, is very important for moms who have businesses that require them to be online quite often, but who will need access to the phone as well. Once online, I begin my networking research by going to a search engine. My favorite one is Google (www.google.com) just because of its enormous searching capabilities. As a former library assistant, I can attest that Google is highly recommended in the academic and librarianship fields. I search for information in my fields using as many search terms and combination of terms as possible. With each result that I feel is important to me, I visit its webpage and bookmark it for future reference. Once I've bookmarked a bunch of pages, I go through each of these websites and study them, taking notes on what I feel is important to me in my field. I promise, you will find contacts this way, and it will be so much easier to network once you have a list of people whose companies and organizations you have researched online. In addition to an internet search, I feel that it is also important to find any books or other publications that are related to your industry. Study them and find out more about the authors. Find out if they have websites and how to reach them. Now that you have a compiled list of contact people, it's time to work the list! Before contacting these people individually (they are probably very busy), see if they offer newsletters, or other mailbits. You are looking for information on how they got where they are today. Remember, you are the amateur. They are the professionals. So, any information you receive from this contact list regarding their biographies and information on the field itself is important enough for your notes. Take plenty of notes, and keep them in a file folder. Every time you find a new piece of information on your subject matter, drop it in your file folder. And finally, if you absolutely need to contact your list of professionals for more information, I would recommend sending an email.But don't forget about networking with fellow amateurs! You can make some of your best friends and closest contacts online by joining mail lists such as Yahoo groups or MSN groups. These groups along with technologies such as Instant Messenger make it easier for you to find people with similar personal and professional interests and literally network with them on a regular basis. You will find out so much about your industry and probably learn more from each other regarding your profession than in any other way.Last but not least, be sure to network with the most important contact of all: your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember that it is He who gave you the passion and the calling, and it is He who will be with you each step of the way on your new journey.Happy networking!-- Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.
About the Author
Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.
About the Author
Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.
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