• Beach Lessons,  Blessings,  Leadership Lessons,  Lessons,  Trial

    Step On In

    Today’s question to ponder: Do you trust God today in whatever you are facing? If you are in a pleasant place that might be easy to answer “yes”. If you are in a difficult place, it might take some time to get to that answer. Or you may choose not to trust God right now. If that is where you are, perhaps God is asking you to take a step into the water, not knowing what is below or in front of you. In Joshua 3 and 4 we see a powerful example of obedience and faith. After wandering 40 years in the desert, Moses had died and Joshua was…

  • Blessings,  Generations,  Lessons,  Unity

    ALL Women…Something to Teach, Something to Learn

    The first time I was asked to lead a conference, I was clueless how to write a conference outline. But the person asking me to lead assured me she would help me, and she did. Little did I know God was preparing me to eventually lead and teach in a national ministry vocation. She nor I had any idea at the time, but she taught me something she knew that prepared me for that position to which God would lead me. Now in retirement I am asked at times to help another woman walk out her ministry calling and because of my own experiences, I have the joy of raising…

  • General,  Generations,  Leadership Lessons,  Unity

    Younger Women…Be Humble and Keep Asking!

    Last week I wrote a post to older women as a result of an email I received from a younger leader. You can read that post here. Today I want to address how younger women can be catalysts to bridge the gap to connect with older women. First of all, you need to understand a couple of things about older women (I’m talking mostly about Boomers and older, although as I said last week we are ALL older and younger than someone). Here are a few myths these women may be believing: “I do not know all the answers, how can I mentor a younger women?” “My stories are sacred and…

  • General,  Generations,  Lessons,  Trial

    Older Women….Share Your Story!

    All of us have a life story…one story with many chapters. Have you ever thought about how God showed up in every chapter and that He can use that chapter to touch the life of someone else? Why, then, do older women sometimes fail to see the impact their life can have on younger women? Why do they sometimes fail to share the tough stories of their life story? Stories of failure, pain, weakness, hardship and sin?  What could be holding us back?  (BY THE WAY…ALL of us are older than someone so we are ALL older women! Smile!) I had an email last week from a young leader who…

  • Blessings,  Lessons,  Trial

    Faith Under Pressure

    I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. One of my daughters recently wrote a long FaceBook post making this point very clear. Here is what Alycia Neighbours posted (and I share with her permission): So I’m going to preach y’all a sermon… Faith Under Pressure James 1:2-4 The Message (MSG) “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not…

  • Lessons,  What I'm Reading

    Are You Blooming in Real Life?

    One of my daughters has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and a very quick wit. She always has an immediate thought and quick response to any situation…and yes, sometimes it gets her into trouble. But I’ve laughed with her over her comments a million times and I love it! Maybe that is why I loved reading Kayla Aimee’s new book, In Bloom. Her stories are told with the same type of  quick wit and sarcastic humor as my daughter. But another reason I loved this book is how honest Kayla is about life (also like my daughter) and how, in the midst of real life, God wants us to…

  • Blessings,  General,  Leadership Lessons,  Lessons,  Trial

    Blessed in the Mess

    If I asked you to describe your life right now, how would you respond? Would you include any of these words: difficult, overwhelming, disappointing, mysterious, painful, answerless, frustrating? If so, I so get it. But do you realize that amidst our mess God has blessings for us? The Lord showed me this one morning as I drove to work after completing a 3 day fabulous, but exhausting, conference (the biggest leadership event we host). Several things had occurred during those 3 days that weren’t part of the plan, so the stress of coordinating and hosting this conference grew beyond my expectation. During the conference, my mother (who had dementia) had…

  • Lessons,  Trial

    Stuck?

    What do you think of when your hear the word “stuck”? Perhaps your car has been stuck in snow this winter. Or maybe like me, you’ve been stuck in sand with your car! I think about the Israelites who were stuck in the wilderness even though it was of their own doing due to disobedience and lack of faith in God’s provision. Maybe this is just where you are in life. Not where you used to be but not where you want to be? Ever feel like that?  Perhaps you feel like you are in a foggy valley and surrounded by mountains on all sides with no way out. I know…