Karen Ehman: Live Your Priorities. Love Your Life. » Blog

From Half Past Eight to Twenty-One

Karen Ehman — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:33:50 +0000

The winers of the He Loves Me dvd’s from Cindy Bultema are: Elizabeth, Lori, Niki, anonymous & Lisa Schorp. My assistant Kim will be emailing you for your mailing address. Congrats!

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Twenty-one years ago today, after twenty-three hours of labor and an emergency c-section, our daughter Kenna was born.

Kenna three hours old.

Later, joined by two brothers she prayed for, she grew into an arstsy, outspoken, outta-the-box, Jesus-lovin’ fashion plate.

Today, she resides in Charlotte, NC (left just weeks after turning 18) and is a full-time cosmetologist and part-time nanny. I thought today I’d run a piece I wrote in 1999 when she was 8 1/2.

She is coming home for her birthday this coming weekend and bringing her 17-year-old brother with her (who has been spending second semester of his junior year of high school in Charlotte too. Long “God story” for another day!) She’s smuggling my friend’s youngest daughter home with her for the weekend whom I love to spoil.

Kenna & brother Mitch on the day of his junior prom this year.

Needless to say, my mind is not on blogging this week! So, I will be taking this week off to prepare for their visit.

And I’ll be taking next week off to put the finishing touches on the 6-week dvd curriculum I am recording soon for my new book LET. IT. GO. How to Stop Running the Show & Start Walking in Faith. (releasing in October)

So, that means I will see you back here the day after Memorial Day.

Enjoy the ones you love—-both family and friends. The years fly by!

Half-Past Eight

A reminder of just how quickly the days fly by:

Dear Lord, Where has the time gone? It’s already half past eight. It seems just a minute ago the clock read one or two.

Just a while ago, you were so tiny, so fragile, and there was so, so much to do: Midnight feedings, endless rocking, learning to do all a new mother must do. I was scared. So were you—your tiny little fingers curled around mine—but we learned together, you and I, and the clock kept ticking.

Every tick, every tock, passed slowly, I thought then. I couldn’t wait to see you talk, then to walk, but each day seemed an eternity. And then your personality began to emerge. You cooed “dada” and strung together random words like a priceless string of pearls. What queen could buy these treasures?

First steps: “Oooohh”—Boom!—“Get up and keep going, honey!” First dresses: “Mommy, I pretty!” “Yes, you are my sweet.”Your first pony ride: I walked so close. You clung so tight. Before too long you begged me to let go. “OK, honey, but just for a moment.”

Everyone from doting grandmas to complete strangers told me how very quickly time would fly, but for me it seemed to march slowly on.

The clock soon struck three. Peter was there. And Flopsy and Mopsy and Cottontail, too.

So many hours we spent with them curled up in that old oak rocker. We left them only briefly; to visit with others.

Do you remember? Pooh and Piglet, Papa Small and Curious George.

They were our gang each afternoon before I lay you in your bed. You were too big by then for your crib. And besides, a new baby bundle of brotherly blue had taken over that corner of your room. “Shhh . . . baby’s sleeping. We’ll read one more and then off to bed, my lamb. It’s nearly half past three.”

Kenna 4. Mitchell 9 months.

The cuckoo clock cheerfully announced the arrival of four. With it came many new adventures. Your first trip to the dentist (you were very brave), staying all night at Grandma’s (how many cookies did you eat?), and Sunday School, birthday parties, and on and on and on.

No sooner had the cuckoo tucked back in and shut his wooden doors when the chimes rang out five times.

Is it five already? Where has time gone?

The chimes brought with them lace and frills and everything pink. We then spent our afternoons chatting over tea. Pooh and Piglet still visited at times, though not quite as often.

For the most part they were replaced with a new found friend. Remember? She met us in the old oak rocker faithfully each day. It was Laura. And Mary. And Carrie. And even that mean old Nellie Olson.

Oh how you loved their world! Your curls were replaced with two long braids; your pink with gingham blue. (It was Laura’s favorite too.) You wore that old bonnet strung down on your back and would answer only to “half-pint.” “Pa called Laura that,” you’d insist. So we churned butter and baked biscuits and I learned to answer to “Ma!” (What happened to “Mommy?”)

No time to question. Just look at the time . . . .

Six . . . and then seven. Maybe they were right. Time marched more quickly. You no longer needed me for books. Now you could read by yourself!

And often you did as that baby bundle of blue turned into a toddler who simply adored his Big Sis. So we journeyed to the library, blew off the dust and got reacquainted with Peter and friends. You introduced them to your brother who now occupied your lap. “One more time sissy, please just one more!” he would plead. “OK,” you’d answer. “But just this once, brother. It’s getting very late.” Oh, darling, if you only knew.

And now here we are at half past eight. Who knows at the stroke of twelve what you’ll be?

Kenna 7. Mitchell 3. Spencer 3 months.

The stork came again. Again he brought blue. “Two brothers. How wonderful!” came your reply to the news. This one came to rest happily upon your left hip. And there he remains perched as you now go about your day.

Mixing dough in the Kitchen Aid (what happened to your plastic play stove?) and answering the phone (what about the toy one with the curly cord you dragged behind you all those years. Where is it now?).

You’ve come so far, my baby. From scribbles on scrap paper mailed to loved ones far away to now answering e-mails. (Will you show me how to use it sometime?)

From ribbons and smocked dresses to bobbed hair and bell bottoms. Sometimes I feel as if I’m peering into a mirror from long ago.

“Your whole life is ahead of you!” strangers say to my girl. But not for me, for me time speeds by.

Help me make the most of this hour, Lord. I can never live it again. Just look at the clock on the wall. I’m afraid for this mom it is getting very late. Slow the time down dear Lord, please.

It’s already half past eight.

He Loves Me with Cindy Bultema (and a giveaway!)

Karen Ehman — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:43:19 +0000

The winners of a copy of Rachel Wojarnowski’s e-book on prayer are:

Jenny Albrecht, Jennifer O., Meka Yarbrough, Michele, Lourdes (Lou), Carol, Val, Susan Kostynick, Mary Ellen, and Karen. My assistant Kim will be contacting you if you were a winner through the email address you left. Congrats!

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I love meeting new people.

A few years back, while waiting in the airport after our Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference, I met a cute redheaded woman. Her name was Cindy.

She had been at the conference and was flying home to her home state of Michigan which is where I reside too.

Since that time, I have gotten to know her and her crazy, wild story that includes going from being a cocaine addict to being a fabulous Bible teacher.

Seriously.

She is a walking portrait of the transforming power of God.

Her smile is contagious. Her passion for God and ministering to women is inspiring.

Now, you can meet her too.

Cindy blogs at *She Sparkles* on the topics of faith, mothering, and living “Fat Talk Free” Cindy is also a sought after women’s speaker, Bible teacher, and encourager.

As a member of Carol Kent’s Speak Up team, Cindy loves encouraging women to use their gifts for Kingdom purposes. Her most recent project is a video driven Bible study titled “Red Hot Faith” with RBC Ministries, recently filmed on site in Ancient Laodicea. Look for ”Red Hot Faith” Spring 2013.

Cindy lives in West Michigan with her husband John and their children Jake, Benjamin, Amanda and Sarah. They are active in their home church, Ada Bible Church. For more about Cindy, visit her at www.cindybultema.com.

Cindy has a new project that I want to tell you about. AND you might even win one of 5 copies of this DVD project she is giving away.

AND Cindy will be featured this coming Sunday (Mother’s Day) on Day of Discovery. Be sure to catch the show.(Details below)

He Loves Me: A Woman’s Journey to Peace (DVD)

Discover how you can find peace, even in the most tragic times of life. In the DVD presentation, He Loves Me, Bible teacher Cindy Bultema shares her personal testimony of God’s power that healed and restored her from a life consumed by addiction, low-self esteem, and loss.

Gain a better understanding of God’s love and faithfulness from her experiences. Find hope and encouragement to help you on your own journey to peace.

Discover how God can reveal the truth of your identity, pull you through the most tragic times in life, and bring you to a place of peace in Him.

The complete program will available to view on May 11 at www.dod.org and will air on the ION Television Network this Mother’s Day at 7:30 AM EST.

(Purchase information at Cindy’s website www.cindybultema.com)

To be entered to win one of the DVD’s, leave us a comment on this post telling us who you would share this DVD on finding peace in life’s storms with. Or, if you can’t think of someone, since Cindy’s blog is She Sparkles, tell us your favorite sparkly thing.

Winner announced Monday.

One More Day

Karen Ehman — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:01:08 +0000

I have decided to leave Rachel Wojarnowski’s post up one more day since there was such an overwhelming response. And, great news! A cyber friend has offered to pay for 5 more copies of her ebook on prayer so tomorrow we will annouce 10 winners!

So, if you haven’t left a comment yet, scroll down to the next post to do so. (Those of you reading this in your email’s inbox will need to click on the title of the post to go to my actual site.)

Also, I am posting today over at Nicole O’Dell’s place Choose Now Ministries on priorities, lists and God’s plan B. Click here to read it.

Tomorrow, I will be back with a special guest and a wonderful giveaway, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Happy Tuesday!

What Does Prayer Smell Like? Giveaway with Rachel Wojarnowski

Karen Ehman — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:05:27 +0000

Congrats to the winner of Holley Gerth’s giveaway. It is……Rosey. Send your email address to my assistant at kim@proverbs31.org so we can forward it on to Holley. Yay!

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Do you struggle with prayer?

I don’t mean that you, as a follower of Christ, think it isn’t important.

I mean things I sometimes ponder like, if God is gonna do what He is gonna do anyway—being that He is all omniscient and all—then why pray in the first place? Or why at times do I pray continually only to continually get no obvious response? Is He busy? Or ignoring me? Or is He just slow? Have I done something wrong so He is refusing to answer?

If you’ve too ever wondered about the mysteries of prayer, you are gonna LOVE the new ebook by my friend Rachel Wojnarowski.

Seriously love it.

I was honored to get a sneak preview of it. (It releases tomorrow) and even more thrilled to be asked to write the forward! Now, before I ask Rachel to tell you about the book, let me tell you about Rachel.

Rachel is originally a small town country girl who converted to a suburban mother of seven by way of life happening.

She and her husband, Matt, enjoy caring for their busy family, whose ages span 9 months to 21 years and includes a special needs daughter.

Rachel leads community ladies’ Bible studies in central Ohio and serves as an event planner and speaker for special needs parenting groups.

She is a member of the Ohio Writers’ Guild and the National MPS Society; and loves to inspire others through her blog by sharing faith, family, and fun. Wife, mom, reader, writer, speaker and dreamer, you can find Rachel on Twitter and Facebook.

Hear her heart now:

Thank you for having me over, Karen! And thank you for writing the foreword for my ebook, “The Sensational Scent of Prayer,” releasing tomorrow, May 8th! I am thrilled to share a little about this ebook with you and your readers today.

Sometimes a book begins years before the idea of writing a book ever exists. In this case, God began to stir my heart to write a Bible study about Hannah, the mother of Samuel, about five years ago.

Many of us know her story; after all, it takes up less than two chapters of the Bible (I Samuel 1&2). But the miraculous power of Hannah’s prayer resonates with us because of the answer God gave her in the form of a son. Honestly, the fact that Hannah is the only woman in the Bible to have two recorded prayers had escaped my memory when I first began to study. And how did I miss that Hannah’s second prayer was ten verses long?

After studying Hannah’s story for almost a year, I had the privilege of teaching a summer Bible study and sharing the lessons God taught me with other women. I cannot begin to tell you the ways God provided confirmation to me through the women that His timing is impeccable and His plan is perfect. This study launched me into a more regular writing ministry through blogging in October 2009 and after writing out much of the study, I still felt a hunger to share more on Hannah and prayer.

On January 5, 2009, a portion of what I wrote in my prayer journal reads:

“I believe that God wants the Hannah study to be continued.”

Fast-forward to several weeks ago, more than three years later. I went out for a run and when I returned home, I told my husband that I felt the Holy Spirit impressing me that now is the time to release an ebook about Hannah. So there is the backstory to “The Sensational Scent of Prayer.”

What does prayer smell like? How is prayer related to the sense of smell?

Without revealing all the secrets of the book, I just want to encourage you to open your heart to prayer like you never have before, allowing the tangible concepts of this earthly world to transmit a heavenly message. A message that conveys just how much God loves to communicate with His children; this is why He loves “the sensational scent of prayer.”

Ok cyber friends. Rachel has generously agreed to giveaway 5 copies to 5 women who comment on this post.

So, tell us this. What do you most struggle with when it comes to prayer?

Any of the aspects I mentioned above? What else?

Don’t be afraid to be honest. We’re a safe gang of gals here.

Winners announced tomorrow.

You’re Already Amazing with Holley Gerth

Karen Ehman — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:00:40 +0000

The winner of Letters from Leanne & a $10 Bath & Body Works card from Tuesday’s post is: Lyn. Send your home address to kim@proverbs31.org. Be sure to tell her what you won!

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Ever feel the pressure to be perfect?

Look perfect.

Have a perfect marriage.

And perfectly behaved children.

A perfect house anyone?

How about a perfect job, extended family or past?

In the best-selling book You’re Already Amazing, popular blogger and cofounder of (in)courage Holley Gerth helps women understand and embrace the fact that they don’t need to do more, be more, and have more–because they’re already amazing just the way God created them to be.

As a licensed counselor and certified life coach, she knows what readers need to hear.

Like a heart-to-heart talk over coffee, reading this joy-filled book encourages women to forget the lies and expectations the world feeds them, instead believing that God made them for a purpose and that he loves them right now, at this moment, and always.

Holley takes readers on a journey of the heart to discover their strengths and embrace all God created them to be.

This fabulous author and regular girlfriend has agreed to give away a copy of her encouraging book to one of you who comments on this post. And you may also pick one item from the Holley collection from Day Spring. Click here to see it.

Tell us this, in what area of life do you most feel the pressure to be perfect?

Winner announced Monday.

Other Mothers

Karen Ehman — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:47:04 +0000

I’m over at Roomag.com with an article on the other mothers is our life. With Mother’s Day on our radar (bought my cards yesterday) now might be a good time to remember those other important gals in our lives. Click here to get to the article.

And if while there, you click on the “Like” button at the end of the article and then share it on Facebook or Twitter (and hop back here to tell me you did so) You will be entered to win this:

A copy of Letter from Leanne: The Beauty of a Spiritual Mother-Daughter Relationship by Jill Beran and Leanne Anderson. The topic is on having a Titus 2 mentoring friendship.

The winner will also get a $10 gift card to Bath & Body Works to buy your other mother (or other daughter) something sweet-smelling. (Skip that dollar store perfume this year!)

Winner announced Thursday.

Hospitality Conference Call :-)

Karen Ehman — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:39:57 +0000

IMPORTANT NOTE: This call has already taken place. For some reason my RSS feed from yesterday did not go out until today and many people are confused thinking this call is for tonight. However, if you want to listen to the recording of the call, you may do so by dialing 1-805-399-1299. Access code 294897. Sorry for the confusion!

First—-congrats to the winner of Joyce’s Ashley’s giveaway from over the weekend. She is:

Amy; comment left April 30th at 8:42 a.m.

Please email your home address to kim@proverbs31.org right away.

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Second, no post today as I get ready for our conference call on hospitality tonight at 8:00 pm EST.

It is a free call and is open to anyone. (Meaning I am not charging you anything but you will have to pay for the call’s charge from your phone company or carrier. Usually evenings are free on cell phones so most of you will have no cost at all.)

I will post the call-in numbers over at my public Facebook page about two hours before the call.

To get to the Facebook page, click here.

If you do not have Facebook, send me an email between 5 pm and 8 pm EST tonight at karenehman64@aol.com and the auto reply will give you the number.

Happy Monday!

Choosing Joy with Joyce Ashley

Karen Ehman — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:06:18 +0000

We have a guest today and she has a great giveaway for one of you!

I first met Joyce Ashley two years ago at our Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference. I knew instantly she was an encourager who loves God and serving women. My daughter Kenna and I got to witness this firsthand as we did a conference at her church last year.

Her smile is contagious and so is her joy. Meet her now:

Joyce J. Ashley is founder of JoyJoy Ministries and delights in sharing a double portion of the joy of the Lord with others. She and her husband of almost 40 years (Pat) live near Douglas, GA. They have three children and six “grandjoys”!

Joyce is the author of a two books: JOYJUICE: Delightful Flavors of JOY in the Lord and Abundant JOY JUICE, Squeezed from God’s Word.

She is the writer and voice of a daily radio program called “Joy Juice” which airs on several stations in the South GA/North FL area. Feel free to invite Joyce to speak at your next ladies’ event by contacting her via email at joyjoy01@windstream.net or visit her at “JoyJoy Ministries” on Facebook. She, also, has a website at www.joyjoyministries.vpweb.com.

Joyce partners with singer, songwriter Tammy Arant and writer, speaker Amanda Hayes to form Team RADIATE. They are available to lead women’s conferences and events. For booking contact Laura Beth Tucker at 229-392-7310 or email tucker.laurabeth@gmail.com.

Now, from Joyce’s heart:

JOYfully blessed! That’s what I am! If I had to write down my blessings of joy, it would be impossible to list them all….BUT one that would certainly be at the top of my list today is Karen’s invitation to share the JOY of JESUS with you! So, thanks to Karen for this opportunity; and thank you for taking the time to read what God has placed on my heart.

About five years ago, I retired from the public school system. I loved my job and considered it my ministry for many years. These days, however, I like to say I’m reFIRED with a passion for sharing the JOY of Jesus! God blessed me with “JoyJoy Ministries” and a passion to share a “double portion” of the joy of the Lord with anyone and everyone who will listen!

Keep in mind that joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness depends on what’s happening in our lives….our circumstances. Joy is about relationship with Christ. When we give our hearts and lives to Jesus, we can trust Him to be in control. No matter what challenges are tossed our way, we can count on the promise that “He will never leave us or forsake us”. Deuteronomy 31:6

During my reFIREment, I have written hundreds of devotionals on finding the joy of the Lord in our daily routine. Here’s a sample of one “JOY JUICE” message that I pray will touch your heart and draw you closer to the Giver of abundant joy.

Taken from my latest book, Abundant JOY JUICE, Squeezed from God’s Word:

Have you had your Joy Juice today? Drinking it faithfully is imperative to assure a life of abundant joy.

Abundance—what does that word mean to you? I immediately think of a huge amount of something. Sometimes we think we have an abundance of work. Many days moms (& dads) have an abundance of laundry and housework. Some probably feel that they have an abundance of yard work and chores. And most likely, we all feel that we have an abundance of bills! J

Today let’s think of abundance from the perspective that Jesus taught in John 10:10. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” What kind of abundance is Jesus speaking of in this verse?

In The Prayer of Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson tells us that the secret to true abundance is to want what God wants. That means that we love God so much that we put aside our desires and trust that God knows what is best for us. He wants us to bring our needs and desires before Him, but when we do so, we need to be content with whatever answer He gives us.

Abundant life in Christ is living every moment soaking up His love, His will, and His direction. Only then will we be overflowing with abundant joy…otherwise known as the “Joy Juice of Jesus!” Drink it in and spill it out onto others today!

Okay gals– now for her giveaway. It includes:

~ A copy of both of her books

~ A RADIATE t-shirt (the winner will get to choose a size)

~ A pink “EnJOY the Journey” tote bag

~ A couple of “Outrageous & Contagious” JOY pens

~ And a bag of Almond JOYs!

To be entering into the random drawing, tell us one simple thing that brings you joy.

I’ll go first…….hearing my 80 year old father’s laugh as he attempts to keep his composure while telling my kids a funny story from his childhood.

Oh and coconut. Coconut always brings me joy. (May have to choose myself for today’s prize. Almond Joys are the best!)

And you? What is a simple thing that brings you joy?

(winner announced Monday)

What’s a Too-Busy Gal To Do?

Karen Ehman — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:30:35 +0000

NOTE: Please plan to join us tomorrow when it will be my joy to introduce you to a friend of mine who has just written a new book. She is offering a fun giveaway package and some great advice!

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The past few days we’ve chatted about why we let ourselves get too busy; overcommitted; stretched thinner than a super model.

Today, let’s figure out what we can do to stop it already!

Here are some thoughts and quotes that help me to snap myself back to a doable reality when I’ve let my personality, people-pleasing tendencies or I-should-be-able-to-do-it-all mentality cause me to have a crowded calendar and a heart crammed with resentment.

First realize this:

Every need isn’t necessarily your call.

Yes, there may be a need you are made aware of. But be careful before jumping in to help.

Helping is a good thing. Jumping without thinking can be not so good. Be sure you are called before you act. And realize, that if the need isn’t God’s call for you and you say yes and do it anyway, you are taking the joy and blessing away from the person that God meant to do the job in the first place.

Learn to pray and ponder “Am I called?” not just “Am I capable?” When capability is your measuring stick, you will kick quickly into overload because women have the curse of capability!

Ok— how about this?

Make it your policy to pause.

By that I mean do NOT answer right away when asked to commit to something. Pray about it. If you have a husband, talk to him. Ask the kiddos what they think. (Not that they will call the shots but to get their perspective on it.) If the person asking you to commit needs an answer that day then you can always politely decline, mentioning your policy of taking at LEAST 24 hours to decide.

Next— (oh I KNOW some of you need to hear this!):

Walk away and don’t look back.

Some of us are caught in the snare of familiarity and tradition. We have always been in charge of something or on the committee. We think the world revolves around that little activity and can’t walk away for fear that either it will fold or that we will lose our identity that is rooted in wearing that hat.

I went through this over 20 years ago when I was the assistant cheerleading coach at our local high school. I loved those girls. I loved serving in the school district. Our teams racked up trophies and ribbons galore. (Our varsity even won nationals one year!) I was super close friends with the head coach and loved hanging out with her four days a week.

As much as I knew God was telling me to step away, I dug my high heels in and resisted.

I finally cried uncle and stepped down. When fall football season rolled around again, I was sure I’d simply die not being in the thick of things when the team took the field and the pep band struck up the fight song.

I didn’t.

By then, I was on to other things, including being a mom and starting to speak and write. God filled any void with more of Him; more being and less doing. (And I didn’t lose my friend. We just morphed from being together-a-lot friends to being low-maintenence, only-see-each-other-a-few-times-a-year-but-pick-right-up-where-we-left-off friends. (my very FAV kind! )

Okay. Here is another. My friend Becky once said this (and I’ve never forgotten it):

Don’t take on more than you can pray for.

Simple enough? If you can’t commit to praying for the requests that are sure to pop up, and perhaps some of the people you will meet as part of the commitment, then don’t take it on.

Next, the tagline of this blog:

Live your priorities.

This is such a hard one!

While we may say that in our lives God is first, our families are second and outside people and interests are third, the reality of our schedules is often just the opposite!

It has helped me over the years to actually number my priorities in my head (not just in three categories, but from one to ten. Like: 1. God 2. Husband 3. kids 4. extended family 5. close friends 6. ministry/work 7. other friends/neighbors 8. hobbies, etc…..) and then use the numbers to make decisions of how I spend my time, keeping my priorities in check.

It looks like this:

I am playing a board game with my son (a #3). The phone rings and it is a close friend wanting to chat (a #5). So as not to cause resentment in my son, I don’t pick up but call her back later and hope that when I do, she has time to talk without neglecting her family.

This is not a hard and fast rule. If the phone call had been a neighbor who had an injured child and wanted me to watch her other kids so she could rush to the hospital, of course I would pick up the phone and go grab her kids. I want my kids to see us modeling a life of service. However, I do not want them seeing me constantly putting friends before family and activities before God!

(Note, if you want to do an extended exercise in listing, evaluating and living your priorities, I have an entire chapter and workbook-like section in The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized.)

And finally:

Stop second guessing yourself.

If you know in your heart you are to clear your plate of an activity or responsibility (or the pit in your stomach is screaming at you to do so!) then do it and have confidence in your decision.

My friend and ministry partner Renee Swope says this in her best-selling and WAY helpful book A Confident Heart:

“I know all of life is screaming for your time, but instead of giving your divided attention to many good things, commit to setting aside time each week to walk through the process of finding God’s things for you. A confident-in-Christ woman wants to know who God created her to be. She is comfortable saying “no” to some things so that she can say “yes” to living the life God wants her to live. She is intentional and secure about pursuing the spiritual purpose God has for her.”

AMEN!

Ok friends. Our little series is done. But I want to hear from you.

Are you gonna take the leap and say no to some things?

In the future, how will you decide differently what you will and will not take on?

Anything jump out at you from the posts this week?

Praying for you!

photo credit

Activity or Eternity?

Karen Ehman — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:26:23 +0000

NOTE: Will you take a minute after reading this post to hop over and leave a word of encouragement to our Proverbs 31 president Lysa TerKeurst? She is struggling with some permanent ringing in her ears and hearing loss. Prayers appreciated!

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Love, love, LOVE reading your comments as we visit the topic of being overcommitted here this week.

One more day of why we do this to ourselves and then? How to stop!

My friend and accountability partner Mary has heard me vent about my over-crowded schedule over the years. Often after listening patiently, she will ask me this question: “Well, Karen. Is this for activity or eternity?”

Smart woman!

What she means is this—are you doing the task or signing up for the duty just to be “doing” something? Is it just an activity that will take up space in your week? In the light of eternity, is this important?

As I ask myself those questions, it helps to migrate my brain to the right answer.

And sometimes I will get a different answer for seemingly the same task. Let’s take baking cookies for someone. (I’m actually baking a few dozen today for a care package I’m mailing and a student teacher at my son’s school whose last day is today.)

Maybe I am asked to bake some for an annual bake sale. I have done it before. Many times. Often I have noticed that there are lots of leftovers that don’t get sold. And, I serve the organization year round in another capacity so I feel I’m doing more than my fair share.

I also notice there are parents who don’t help out during the year and never get called to bake cookies since the list fills ups with the “regulars” (Ever hear of the 80/20 rule? In any organization or church, 80% of the work is usually done by 20% of the people!)

So, my answer this year can be a sweet, “No.”

However, let’s take a different scenario. (A true one that happened to me recently)

A single mom moves into your neighborhood. Her kids are new to the school district. She has recently gone through an unwanted divorce. You drive by her house for a few days and see boxes stacked high in the garage. You aren’t sure if she knows anyone in the town yet.

Should you stop, even though your day is full, and whip up a batch of cookies to take over to her and her kiddos?

My answer was “yes”. I wanted to welcome her. I wasn’t sure if she knew anyone here or knew God loved her and had a plan for her life despite the tough place she was in.

I know it sounds trite but the ole’ WWJD? (what would Jesus do?) is a great question!

So, I stopped. I baked. I showed up. And, so did God.

Here I thought I would be a blessing to her, and instead, it has been the opposite!

I discovered she goes to my church (my church is very large with two services and I’ve only been there just under two years so I don’t always recognize everyone. She recognized me from being in some of the dramas.).

I also discovered that she has a son who is new to the 8th grade at the middle school this year. So was my son. They’ve become fast friends. And, I now have another mom to share rides with, if needed. (YAY!)

She is a sweet Christian who sends me scripture via text and just blesses my socks off!

This cookie-baking connection had eternal value! And it would have if all it had been was a simple gesture of love to a new neighbor too.

Activity for activity’s sake finds us doing too much. We need to stop “doing” and start “being”. I love what my friend Lisa said once, “We are human beings. Not human doings!”

The trouble is, we get our identity from the “doing”, don’t we? We get another hat to wear; a title; worth. It is just how our culture measures significance.

But, it is NOT how God measures it.

He cares much more about who we are becoming than what we are doing.

What do you think? Ever get caught in the “I am what I am doing” trap? How so? Are there any activities on your plate that aren’t for eternity and need to go? Why do we measure our worth based on what we do or what hats we wear?