Hi all!

First of all I want to invite you back here on Monday when I will have an Encouragement for Today devotion running on Proverbs 31 and Crosswalk.com. Along with it we’ll be offering a fun girlfriends giveaway package to someone who leaves a comment here on the related blog post. Be sure to tune in! (Do you ‘tune in’ on the Internet? Perhaps I should say ‘click over’? )

Today starts a stretch of jam-packed days for me. I am speaking tonight at a church about a half-hour away from my home. It was a contact that came to me through Proverbs 31, but happens to be an old college friend! We haven’t seen each other since she played the piano at our wedding in 1986!

After that, Mitch has a double -header tomorrow and then Todd is laid off all next week. It will be a mixed blessing. Less money, but I get 2-3 days to finish writing a new book proposal I have been plugging away on.

Oh, and did I mention, when I write it, I’ll be ALL ALONE!!!!!!!

Okay Karen…calm down.

I also will be writing at a friend’s condo. It is cute. It is clean. It is all picked up and rid of clutter.

My house lately?

Not so much.

Busyness breads clutter.

Suffice it to say its been pretty busy around here lately.

It reminded me  of a sidebar in my last book The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized. I thought I’d leave you with it this weekend. Perhaps it will help the little (and not so little people) in your house keep clutter and dirt at bay, not to mention we sometimes too-busy women.

The Ten Commandments of Clutter-busting

1. If you got it out, put it away.
2. If you eat, open or unwrap it, toss the wrapping, peel or paper in the trash.
3. When you walk in the door, don’t put your stuff down, put it away.
4. When your clothes are dirty, put them in the hamper. The floor is not a hamper.
5. Deal with your own papers or you will be issued a fine.
6. If you see something out of place and you are walking anywhere near where it really belongs, be nice. Pick it up and take it back to its home.
7. If you open a door, drawer or cupboard, shut it.
8. Clean up after yourself after you shower. Towels don’t belong on the floor, but on the bar. Toothpaste spatters clean up great with wet toilet tissue. Would it kill ya to wipe down a mirror?
9. Unfinished projects do not belong out in the common quarters. Take it to your room.
10. Be strict with yourself but gracious to others. And don’t forget to smile, saying please and thank you.

Well…I’m off to study my speaking notes, de-clutter a bit, sit through a double header and TAKE OFF!!!!

What does the weekend hold for you?

Happy Weekend everyone!

I usually cringe at generalizations.

You know, stereotypes; lumping an entire group of people into a box.

Like “The _______ (nationality) are so ________ (bad character trait).” or “Those ___________ (teenagers, sports participants, drama club members) all are so ____________ (strange habit or behavior).”

Now, sometimes the generalization makes complete sense. Perhaps many of the people in that group exhibit that behavior. But I doubt all of them do. So, I try to be careful not to lump them together.

However, sometimes in the lumping, a compliment is paid.

A few weeks ago I was at my office-away-from-home. It is a newly remodeled McDonald’s in the area where our high school son practices baseball. Since he is home schooled, a freshman and can’t drive alone yet, I must take him. There is only one varsity baseball program in the state so we must cross a few county lines in order to get to his practice.

Once there, it isn’t advantageous for me to come home due to the distance. So, I settle myself into a booth and sip a coffee by the fireplace (yes- this Mickey D’s has a beautiful fireplace, comfy retro chairs and a large flat-screen TV). I try to get a little writing done, answer emails or work on lesson plans.

One day as I was leaving, I decided to get Mitch a fruit smoothie to sip on our way home. As I stood in line, a frail, elderly woman was in front of me ordering a meal. She seemed distressed, her face reflecting her frustration as she fumbled for her change, trying to get the correct amount out of her purse.

Once she’d paid, she gathered up the bag of food and her drink and tried to head for the door. She was also carrying a large purse that way swinging off of her shoulder and nearly knocking her, and all her food, over.

I hopped out of line and followed her to the door.

“Oh….how am I going to do this. Oh my….oh dear…I can’t…..” she mumbled to herself, trying to shift her weight and her cargo while pushing open the door at the same time.

“Here. Let me get that for you.” I uttered as I held the door open for her and steadied her drink. “Would you like me to carry your food to your car?”

She stopped dead in her tracks, her bright blue eyes looking up at me with gratefulness. “Oh dear……why you must still have a grandmother living that you love…. to be so kind to an old woman.”

“No ma’am, I don’t.” I answered. “I just love Jesus and He wants me to help you.”

Her face suddenly softened and her eyes reflected amazement as she shook her head slightly and said. “Oh my….Of course. You people have been so helpful to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

You people.

She meant “You Christians”

It made me wonder, how had other Christians helped her out in the past? Did they feed her a meal? Rake her yard in the fall or shovel her driveway in the winter? Had they given her a ride to the doctor’s?

She didn’t identify herself with the group saying “Oh thank you for helping a sister out.” No. She referred to me–and others who loved Jesus–as “You people”

It drove home again for me the age old truth, more is caught than taught. And it assured me that people are watching.

And lumping.

What do they see?

I am saddened that often when I am “lumped” with other believers, a compliment is not paid. I have been told all of the following:

By a waitress: “Christians are the worst tippers in the world; especially after a big Sunday supper out. Sometimes they leave no money at all.”

By an acquaintance back in college: “You are a Christian? So do you stand out in front of the science building on your campus and scream Bible verses at people telling them they are all going to hell for believing in evolution? I don’t believe in evolution. I was just trying to go to class.”

By a sweet, mis-guided teenager from a broken and violent home, looking for love with her heart and announcing it with her body: “Oh, I tried going to church once. There was a sign on the front door that said ‘All are welcome but please dress appropriately.’ I didn’t know what appropriately meant, but I knew it wasn’t me. So I turned around and left.”

Please don’t mis-hear me. There are issues in the Bible God (and I) feel very passionate about. Issues God wants us to take a strong stand on IN THE PROPER FORUM.

He also want us to speak and answer with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

If the watching world sees hate, misplaced condemning judgement and a bunch of Christians who walk around looking as if they’ve been baptized in prune juice, tell me again—why oh why would they want to become on of us?

My prayer today is that more of us….and that I….would always be lumped in the “You people” group my sweet McDonald’s friend saw.

The following ditty was scribbled on the inside of my Bible in college:

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day, by the things that you do and the words that you say.

Others read what you write, whether faulty or true.

Say, what is the gospel according to you?

Okay—here is the dealio:

We at Proverbs 31 are hosting a tour of blogs today where you will have a chance to win a free scholarship to the She Speaks Conference.

Cec Murphey, known as “The Man Behind The Words” is an author and mentor. He has had 108 books published, 17 of them fiction, and written 700 articles. His first book came off the press in 1975 and he now publishes three or four books a year. He is a wonderful supporter of Proverbs 31 and has graciously donated several scholarships to She Speaks. One gal will be chosen to receive a scholarship as a result of today’s tour of P31 blogs.

Since we have had a few contests lately for writers, this one will be for a speaker or want-to-be speaker or woman in ministry. (Hey….ya gotta know how to speak if you are in ministry, right?)

Simply visit any (or all) of the P31 websites listed in my sidebar and leave a comment. Here are the rules:

• This is for women who have never attended She Speaks.
• And, it is for women who would otherwise not be able to attend. If you can afford the conference – please do not enter to win a scholarship.
• Comment should briefly tell us what winning would mean to you in answering God’s call to speak.

We will randomly select a winner from the blog comments. So the more blogs you comment on, the greater your chance of winning. You have until Friday at midnight to leave your comment.

Okay…..comments please. I hope to see you there!!!!!

Sweet Blessings,

Dear Victoria–

Please keeps your “Secrets” to yourself.

I do not like seeing your pretty clothing, meant to be underthings, parading around as outer-things. Oh and with certain parts of a girl’s (or woman’s) anatomy hanging or dangling out.

Thank you very much.

And Dear Joe—Yes, you Mr. Boxer,

That goes for you too.

How fun to live in a day and age where your manly underpants come in so many colorful styles and patterns!

I enjoy looking at them when shopping for my boys’ clothing needs.

I do not enjoy looking at them when I am standing behind you in line at Target…..with Granny, whose hearing may be going but whose eyesight is just fine. (Good thing we have her heart pills with us)

So…..both of you……could you cover up please? It would make this mama very happy.

Why you’d even be my heroes. Yep, “Joe and Vicky for prom king and queen”, I’d say.

Right now I say ” Quit showin’ your skivvies already!”

The End.

Granny-panty Blessings,

If you have time today, please tune into The 700 Club. My Proverbs 31 sister Wendy Blight is being featured telling her story of surviving rape and learning to trust God. Click here for more info.

__________________________________________________________

This morning, I am headed to the gym to work out before starting school with the  boys. I’ll hit the treadmill and run…okay jog/walk….a mile or two.

Further east in Hopkinton, Mass., my niece Laurelin and my nephew’s girlfriend Jessica are getting ready for a run too. However, their jaunt will be just a tad bit longer.

When the runners line up and the starting gun sounds, they will take off in the 114th running of the Boston Marathon.

26.2 miles!

We know their bib numbers and can track them throughout the day. It will be fun to see how their many months of training pay off. What is most amazing to me is that my niece asserts that she has never thought of herself as a runner.

Oh she used to run two or three miles, but nothing more. Then, she got the notion in her head to try to run a half marathon. Even after training for and completing that feat, when asked if she was “a runner”, still answered no. Because running isn’t something she has done all of her life nor something that comes easily, she somehow didn’t feel she could identify herself with that term.

In fact, it wasn’t until just a few short days ago, after training for months, sometimes at the crack of dawn, or in the driving rain or freezing snow, (or sometimes in all three!) that the notion actually popped into her head, “I am a runner. A marathon runner”

No need to compare herself to those for whom it comes easily, those who are built like natural runners, have been running for years or come from a long line of runners.

No ma’am….she is every bit a much a runner as those athletes.

In the race of life I have met many women who are running hard after Jesus. They desire to know and obey Him; to experience the full life He has planned for them and to help others do the same.

However, I often meet sweet souls who feel discouraged because in the race for heaven they don’t think of themselves as “natural runners”.

They see others who come from a long line of Christians, prominent in their local church. Or women who can quote Bible passages without turning a page, while they still need to rely on the table of contents.

They don’t know the “lingo”, nor all of the songs everyone else seems to have memorized. Or they haven’t always lived a crystal clean life and subtly it seems that they feel disqualified in a way.

But the wonderful news about living life with Christ is that none of this disqualifies you indefinitely.

Man looks at the outward; God sees the heart.

How you start isn’t nearly as important as how you finish.

If you love Jesus and are sold out to Him, you are a runner!

Believe it! And then….

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Running alongside you,

Hello sweet cyber-friends.

I am wowed.

And almost wordless.

The wowed thing happens to me peroidically.

The wordless thing….hardly ever.

When God prompted me and I penned last Wednesday’s Proverbs 31 devotion, I had no idea with how many women that piece would resonate. As the devotion was posted, with a link to this site, the comments here began to pour in.

Each time a comment is posted, I receive an email. Now, usually there are more comments than usual on a “devo running day”. However, when that little “ding” that alerts me to new emails began to sound so often I it sounded like a constantly ringing doorbell, I knew something was up.

By the evening, there were over 500 comments.

This morning when I hopped on, there are nearly 1,000.

Wow!

Wordless.

And I am still wading through reading all of the comments. I was without Internet access last Wednesday-Saturday due to the play and today and tomorrow I will be mostly off-line due to school and baseball so it may take a while, but I have committed to read all of the comments, though I can’t be sure I can answer the many questions also asked.

Oh sweet ones….you don’t know how much I wish I could! However, first things first. My family needs me a ton this week, so my cyber-family will have to wait a bit I will try to address the most common ones in future WLW posts.

Now, If you were one of the gals interested in the topic (weight loss cyber-support group) Please check back in on Wednesday when our regular Weight Loss Wednesday will continue (only now there will be much more than 80 of us!) I’ll explain further how it works and tackle a topic that pertains to weight loss, exercise and the whole “gettin’ healthy” thing

For now, I am off to the airport to take Kenz so she can fly home to Charlotte, NC. It was great having her home for Easter and Spencer’s Homeschool Performing Arts presentation of Seussical the Musical. Four shows last weekend and the cast, crew and directors did an AWESOME job!!

Now we are diving back into school (only 6 weeks left!) and baseball season is full tilt. So, I shall switch from sitting my fanny in a theatre seat to parking it in the ball park bleachers4-5 nights a week.

And I’m thankful I get to do it. (Okay….well, just on the days when the weather cooperates. Those cold and rainy Michigan days watching a double header kinda stink.)

So off I must fly….but not before I announce two things.

First, my friend and fellow P31 gal Glynnis Whitwer is holding a contest to give away a free scholarship to our She Speaks conference this summer. And to win it, all you have to do is write an article that would be appropriate for publication in the P31 Woman Magazine.  We’ll pick one article as the winner.  In addition to winning the scholarship, we’ll also publish that article in the magazine. Click here for more info.

Finally, I need to announce the winner of last Wednesday’s great Weight Loss Jump Start giveaway. The winner of Lysa TerKeurst’s book Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl, the weight loss jump-start goodies from me and Shari Braendel’s turquoise jewlery piece is:

Shannon McCleney : Timestamp: April 7, 2010 at 12:58 pm

Please email me your home address at : karen@proverbs31.org   Congrats!!

Well…..

I’ll be back soon with something to say; But first I must be off on my merry way;

Now I’ve not lost my mind, no I’m no silly goose: I’ve just spent too much time lately listening to Seuss!

Wowed and Wordless Blessings,