Female in Motion

That is the exclamation that I heard from my harried friend, Deanne, at her birthday party on Saturday. She was explaining to Jacque and I how she had been working overtime every day so far back she couldn't remember, caring for a sick husband, chasing grandkids, keeping house, doing chores (they have a horse!) and planning a family get-together. Yup, she had it bad! You know what I'm talking about...those days when you're so bogged down with the cares of this world. I know precisely what you're going through. It's a woman thing. We feel the need to be everything to everyone in our life. No, we can't possibly disappoint anyone. And who gets the short end of the stick? We do. We give it all to our families, our marriages, our jobs, our homes, our churches...but there is precious little left for ourselves and our faith. Exodus 20:8-9,11 (KJV) 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 11 For in six days the LOR...

Have you ever noticed how getting down on your hands and knees and scrubbing a floor really makes you feel better? I had a few worries that I was working on this morning, and couldn't concentrate on my work. What's the first thing I do? 1. Cry 2. Eat 3. Pray 4. Clean something. Okay, I know my priorities are completely out of whack. It should be: pray and clean and then there would be no need to cry or eat. But alas, I am human. And so I cried, then ate, then prayed and then scrubbed the life out of the kitchen linoleum. After that aerobic workout, I felt good and tired and took time out to pray again. I had a much clearer head then. As a woman, I think I have problems sorting out all the emotions I feel. Sometimes they get all in a jumble and knotted up. That's when the urge to scrub strikes hard. There's just something peaceful about a dirty floor, a brush and hot, soapy water. Two of the emotions that were left in that kitchen were frustration and anger. I didn't...

I had the privilege to speak to the United Methodist Women of Madison Avenue United Methodist Church in Derby, KS this evening. My mom is a member, and I grew up in that church, so a few there still remember me. (This did not work to my advantage. They know all the dirt!) The subject of my speech was "Female in Motion: Finding Your Own Personal Mission Field." I really connected with these ladies and we had fun discussing life after kids and balancing all the things that women do every day, while still finding time for themselves and their spiritual lives. Sharing my passion for writing and speaking was really cool and I hope to be able to make speeches a regular thing in my life. Ask yourself some questions: 1. Am I satisfied with my life? 2. What's next, Lord? 3. Where is my mission field? 4. Can I become a Female in Motion? *** I got the proofs of my photo shoot yesterday. If you want to see them, check out my Facebook page. Please let me know which ones look like some...

The Hubster teaches the adult Sunday School class at our church, and yesterday he related an interesting story I had never heard before. Kind of funny, because when you're married to someone for nigh on to 30 years, you pretty much hear them all. This one was new...or rather old...and it stuck in my heart. When he was a teenager, The Hubster and one of his friends were driving through Winfield one evening. As he drove down a dirt road on the edge of town, they passed a large, two-story home. Just after they passed, The Hubster's friend looked back and exclaimed, "Look, that house is on fire!" Indeed, the entire back side of the home was engulfed in flames. The two teens whipped around and pulled into the driveway. While The Hubster pounded on the front door, his friend rattled the window. They could see the family gathered in the living room, watching television, unaware of the inferno in the other room. The boys pounded harder, shouting now: "Fire! Fire!" W...