Ever feel like your world is swirling?

Now, I’m not talking about any huge, dire piece of news that alters the course of your life as you know it; not tragedy, sickness, calamity or such.

I’m just talking swirling.

Fires to put out; people to call; decisions to make; responsibilities to tend to.

A too-full plate that includes screaming items beckoning for attention; awaiting a decision.

~ Do we send our 12 year old to his beloved church camp tomorrow although he is still dealing with a lingering cough, due not to anything contagious, but to minor lung damage? Will the doc give him another round with an inhaler? Will it help? And will we even be able to get in for an appointment on a Monday after half of Lansing waited all weekend to “call the doctor in the morning”?

~What do we do about replacing our now totaled 1999 Buick? Our daughter Kenna was in an accident in Charlotte, NC early last week. All people are fine. Two cars are not. Her ‘other mothers’ (my Proverbs 31 sisters) have stepped in to offer a shoulder and direction at the scene; serious lovin’ and even a temporary loaner.

~What do we do about our other two cars here at home, on their last legs…er….um…tires? Both were made in the last century (literally!) and have over 200,000 miles each.

~School starts in 4 weeks for us. I’m teaching speech and creative writing at my kid’s junior and senior high co-op. Might be nice if I got my lesson plans together, eh?

~Other swirlings this week:  a devotion to write; an article due; flower bed to weed; a house to clean; stray garage sale items to donate; a mom needing a ride to the car repair shop….

On and on it goes.

So I’m trusting in God to bring calm to my chaos. I’m straining to hear his quiet voice in the rant and the ruckus.

Things could be so much worse, I know. But sometimes you can’t see past your own life’s swirlings.

My mama always said when you were down in the dumps, remember there is always someone who is even further down.

(Although I used to wonder who was at the base of the “downed dump” pile. Wouldn’t they be at the bottom? Or was it a rotating pile and the guy that hit the bottom was only there long enough to spot someone further down? Oh the wanderings of my grade-school mind! No wonder my teachers said I  “thought”  too much!)

Anyway, today I will peel my eyes off of my self. I will find another soul who is in need of some cheer.

I’ll idle my crazy day for just a moment to bring her a smile.

And maybe that way, I’ll find calm in my chaos.

It is true the only calm is in the eye of the storm.

How about you?

Dear cyber-friends,

I will write nothing profound, clever, witty or deep today.

No ma’am.

Something in my “I-love-to-de-junk-my-house-and-get-rid-of-clutter” brain thought it would be a fab idea to hold a garage sale this weekend.

Yes, this weekend. After my biggest conference speaking engagement of the year.

What was I thinking?

Answer?

I was not.

I’m off to price and sell and smile. And then? To take my earnings and head for a resort.

Okay, maybe it will only be enough for a Starbucks, but I’m going somewhere.

Happy Weekend!!!!

Twenty-four hours ago, I was huddled back stage waiting to step up on the platform and deliver a message God had laid heavy on my heart.

I usually love to talk.

A lot.

Just ask my family who instead loves it when I take a breath. You know, so they can actually get in a word or two.

But yesterday, although I had pages of notes all typed out and color-coded, I felt like running away.

Now perhaps it had something to do with stepping up and speaking at a weekend conference as “clean-up batter” following Lysa TerKeurst, Beth Moore and Angela Thomas. (I am totally not kidding.)

Perhaps it had something to do with still not being back down to my goal weight and wondering “Does this outfit make me look 10 pounds thinner?” and “If so, the camera on the wide screen will just put it all back on!”

Maybe it was because just before the conference in our P31 speaker team time, we heard an awesome presentation from professional speaker trainer Tom Davis of Children’s Hope Chest. Maybe I was afraid I’d fall short and not remember all the powerful yet practical tips he gave our team for what to do on the platform to make sure our message connects with the audience.

Whatever the reason, I wanted to feign the flu, go back up to my hotel room and pull the covers way up over my head to escape.

Enter my friends.

Like heat-seeking missiles, one by one, my sweet Proverbs 31 sisters found me. Prompted by God’s spirit, they’d been awakened early with little-ole’ me on their mind. So they stormed the Throne on my behalf.

Others joined.

Old friends who were there.

My prayer team at home and around the country.

My new-found friends in my speaker evaluation group.

My sweet Kenna who was to sign a song at the end of my talk with the beautiful, worshipful woman of God, Cheri Keaggy.

My behind-the-scenes, patient, seeks-no-spotlight, college-sweetheart-turned-husband, Todd.

Yes, one-by-one they found me.

Texted me.

Hugged me and prayed over me.

Just like the New Testament folks who carried their friend to Jesus, my friends carried me too.

So dear, sweet sisters who were there, please know that when I stepped up on that stage, it was not me you were seeing.

It was the body of Christ.

My sisterhood of “sistahs”, taking a sometimes broken, formerly-battered, talks-on-organization-but-has-no-groceries-in-the-house-and-a-sinkful-of-dirty-dishes-as-we-speak woman and lifting her up so she could stand.

To all of you everywhere who felt compelled to pray:

I thank you.

I love you.

I’d never dare to do ministry without you.

I only get by with a little help from my friends.

________________________________________________

NOTE: Due to the number of new readers popping over from the conference, I’m gonna leave up the last post from fashion-queen and God’s girl Miss Shari Braendel to give you just a little longer to comment and enter to win the fabulous giveaway. Winner will be announced Wednesday. Hugs to you all!!!!

Yippeeeee!!!

If you were in the general vicinity of Mid-Michigan yesterday, you just might have heard me scream as I stood at my mailbox.

My fellow Proverbs 31 speaker and fun fashionista of a friend, Shari Braendel’s first book arrived in the mail. It is called Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Woman. Since I endorsed it, I got an advanced copy.

Thus the scream in my driveway. (Sorry neighbors)

Girlfriends….YOU ARE GONNA LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Here is what I had to say about it on the back cover:

“Ever wished for a fashion fairy godmother who would not only grant you a magical makeover but actually equip you to make your own fashion choices that fit, flatter and make you feel fabulous?  With a wink of her keen eye and wave of her coordinating wand, image expert Shari Braendel has crafted the perfect ‘good girl’ go-to manual.”

Shari can help women, no matter their shape, size or age, to discover what colors, styles and accessories will make them look their best. Her book walks you through all of this and there are tools on her site too to help you find your fashion footing.

Below is an interview with Shari and a FANTABULOUS giveaway too.

Okay, here is the dealio.

Since I am swamped with getting ready for our annual She Speaks conference and since I TRULY believe this book is a must-have for every woman, I am leaving this post up until I return from the conference Monday, August 2.

You may leave a comment until midnight PST Sunday, August 1st to be entered in the random drawing. Winner announce Monday, August 2.

NOTE: I will still be micro-blogging by updating my Facebook  and Twitter statuses which both show up in my sidebar here.

AND WEIGHT LOSS WEDNESDAY GALS: This book is a great tool to help you in your journey down the scale. Please read the interview, leave a comment and let us know how your week went! I have not forgotten you, I just cannot post this week as usual.

Now for the interview. Please read to the end where you will discover one of the biggest give-aways I’ve ever featured here. Oh, I am soooo excited, I could just scream again!

Shari, how long was the book in the works?

It’s been in my head for a long time but when I began speaking at Christian womens conferences nationwide the need for a resource became necessary.

Why don’t we start with your philosophy on “appreciation of the body God gave you.” Tell us how you view your mission:

I believe its my calling to get women of faith everywhere to understand that God didn’t make a mistake with their bodies, that he gave them exactly the one he wanted them to have…and no matter if it is a size 0, 6, 16 or 26, it is good!

Tell us your own personal journey of faith:

I grew up in church having “religion” so I thought I was a Christian but it wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s. Then someone in Coral Gables, Florida bugged me for 3 months to go to a Bible study. I went and I was hooked. That’s where I learned that knowing Jesus is about being in relationship with Him.

You have a message of fashion but it really comes from having your self worth solid in the way God sees you. Would you elaborate on that idea?

Women look in the mirror every single day and come up short regarding the way they see themselves. We’re always comparing ourselves to the super models we see on TV and in magazines and most of us don’t look like they do. Since society tells us what is beautiful, we decide they must be right and since we don’t look like that, then we must not be good enough or pretty enough. Therefore it is critical that women understand that that they are okay, just as they are, and to understand that each of us is“fearfully and wonderfully made”. (Psalm 139:14)

The chapters in your book are so helpful, Why don’t you talk to us about body types:

There are 4 specific body types that I talk about in the book. Depending upon where you gain your weight will determine which type you are. I call them the Bod-x system.

You are a b body shape if you gain most of your weight in your belly. An o body is the overly endowed woman, and mostly gains in her upper midriff and bust area. The d body gains in her derriere and hips, and typically has a pretty small waist, and the x body type has a balanced body.

The goal is to look like an X even if you’re not. For example, If you gain in your tummy, then don’t tuck your shirts in and don’t wear belts. An O looks best when they layer pieces, making sure they also wear the correct bra. Prints are great for them as well. A d body type does great wearing belts, but may need a small shoulder pad to balance her hips and an X can get away with most styles, as long as she doesn’t wear things that are too tight or too sloppy looking.

Skin isn’t in? What’s the balance there for women and young girls?

Women and girls need to understand that modesty doesn’t mean old fashioned or fuddy-duddy. Modesty is a state of mind and young girls and women need to understand that how she dresses tells the world what she thinks about herself. Just because society tries to convince us that showing all we’ve got is in style, we don’t need to buy into that.

As Christian women, we can still be fashionable, stylish, yet modest women and girls. The chapter you’re referencing actually gives a guide to women on how to shop with their daughters to help them own the idea of modesty. Because honestly, until each of us owns the idea for ourselves, it will never take root, and that’s the premise of this chapter.

You have a free color analysis on your website? Tell us about that.

I’d love to!  If you’ve never had a color analysis you can get a FREE one on my site…just go to FashionmeetsFaith.com. You can also see video clips of interviews with boys and what they think about the way girls dress. You can also watch video clips of  a womens What to Wear Christian Event and a Modest is Hottest Fashion Show. I also write a blog every week called What to Wear Wednesday. But for sure go get a Color Analysis!

What is your desire for women in regards to this book?

My greatest prayer through the writing of this book and also at every conference I speak at, is that women will finally make peace with their bodies, their hair, their skin, or whatever it is for them that trips them up every time they look in the mirror.

For so long, Christian women have had this sense that it’s not okay to think about their outside beauty. It IS okay to do that, as long as they realize that what’s going on on the inside of you is the most important because 3 gold bracelets aren’t gonna make that all better!

Many women were never taught HOW to dress correctly so they’ve just given up. My goal for this book was to help women have an actual do-it-yourself guide to discovering how to dress for their particular body type and coloring, how and where to buy the jeans and bathing suit that is best for them, where to shop based on their budget and even what hairstyle, makeup and glasses shape is best for them.

Thanks Shari! Now for the giveaway!

One gal who leaves a comment on this post will receive the following:

• A signed copy of Shari’s book (a $14.99 value)
  
• A free set of color swatches (A $19.95 value. You’ll have to take the color analysis on her blog to discover what you are)
• And a $10 Target gift card to purchase some make-up, jewelry or a new article of clothing in your pallet of colors

So, hop over to Shari’s site to take the color analysis and then pop back here to tell us what you are. Or, if time is tight, simply comment here and say “I’m in”. If you are chosen as the winner, then you’ll have to take the analysis to find out what your color pallet is so Shari can send you your swatches.

Fashionista Blessings,

I do not have a green thumb. Whatever color is directly opposite of green on the color wheel is the hue of thumb I possess. I can murder a house plant faster than you can say “terra cotta pot.”

My mother-in-love is famous for her ability to grow the most beautiful things— tender and fragrant herbs that flavor her roasted potatoes or her lavender shortbread cookies; bright blooming annuals that display their splendor from May to September; flowering perennials that return year after year poking their heads through the blackened earth revealing vibrant blossoms. She even staggers her plantings according to when they bloom in our Michigan climate to ensure that there will always be an array of color from the first hint of spring until fall.

I, too, although admittedly not possessing her knack for nature, like to grow flowers and have tried my hand at an outdoor herb garden. However, it doesn’t come natural to me. I’ve had to read and study.

And I have to schedule the required steps in my life just like an appointment: “Water herbs and flowers Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Feed plants with Miracle Grow on the first and fifteenth.”

But the most important task of growing these plants was the first lesson she taught me.

It’s called dead-heading.

Here is how it is done: As soon as any of those beautiful blooms begin to wither, fade, and turn brown, they need to be ruthlessly removed.

I search out every one and carefully pluck it off of its stem. It is a tedious, never-ending task. Just when I think I have removed every dried up blossom, the next day a dozen more appear.

It is important, however, to keep consistent.

When dead blooms are left clinging to the flowering plants, they sap the nutrition and strength from the core of the plant. They literally rob the flower of the energy they could be using to grow new and colorful blooms.

The faded petals are, in a sense, dead weight that keeps the plant from being its best. If properly plucked, however, the plant will bloom forth gorgeous petals throughout the entire life of the plant.

While plucking dead flower heads this morning on my own patio, I couldn’t help but relate this chore to my life with God.

I know full well that there are places of my heart, thoughts of my mind, and actions of my will that are nothing but dead weight to my spiritual life. In the Bible, James 1:21 beckons us to this:

“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”

What does this mean?

Root out the ugly that threatens to choke and drain and instead, plant God’s word deep in our hearts.

It can save us from wrong choices, unhealthy relationships and self-inflicted heartbreak.

How about you? Could your heart use a good dead-heading session?

Are there faded blooms you have been carrying around that are sapping your spiritual energy and strength, causing heartache and tears?

Get rid of the bad.

Plant God’s good Word in that spot instead.

Then stand back – patiently now – and watch beautiful blooms begin to appear.

Dead-heading Blessings,

Today is kind of a big day for me.

Oh, you wouldn’t really know it by looking at how I’m dressed; periwinkle St. Simon’s Island t-shirt and grey workout pants.

Nor would you know it from looking at my calendar. Nothing is listed on today’s white square.

However, many miles away today, a committee of professional people, dressed not in sweats, will peruse the pages of a book project proposal and decide its fate.

This morning, my heart wanders and wonders. Will they like it? Will they think it is clever and needed? Will they be willing to take a chance on it determining that it is something that will sell? That will help women?

A thumbs up will mean months of work will be rewarded with a yes.

It will also mean discipline and focused time. It will have to come from Somewhere. Hmmmm….where to carve and scrape? And it will mean asking your opinion as I test-drive some of the material here on my blog.

It will also, I know from experience, mean highs and heartaches; brain dumping one day and thumping my fingers on the desk another day with absolutely nothing to say.

But I will not lie to you. I so hope it is a yes.

However, I too know from experience, that is could be a thumbs down. That will mean painful feelings from my past and negative-self talk will once again threaten to beat me up with their ugly banter and rhetoric: “failure”, “reject”, “not good enough” or more frequently “not as good as her”

However, despite the outcome (which I will not know for weeks) I will choose to block out the screams of condemnation and strain instead to hear the still small voice of God and repeat His timeless truths out loud, letting them penetrate my soul.

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:  ”I have loved you with an everlasting love;  I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

Yes, my past has seen much pain and rejection; dashed hopes and dreams; folly and failure. But I will not let it define me. For the God holds the ultimate trump card of my life. He always has.

He loves me with an everlasting love. No mention there of fleeting, performance-based, conditional approval.

Maybe you, like me, need to take that one to the bank today sweet sister.

So instead of pondering big things today, I will simply do what a dear mentor of mine taught me to do many years ago.

Pray.

Let it go.

Then… do the next thing.

For me, that means hitting the treadmill and then grabbing a cup of coffee before kicking off my ordinary day full of laundry and dusting; feeding my family and answering emails.

How about you? Anyone else need to stop wandering and wondering and just do the next thing?

Whatever-happens Blessings,

My heart is smiling today.  For a couple reasons.

First, dear friends of ours welcomed their 6th child late last night. They are a military family whom Kenz helped with babysitting, errand-running and home-schooling for her last few years of high school. And we think so much of them, they are the ones who would raise our kids should Todd and I both pass away (at which point they’d have NINE kids! Yikes!)

Secondly, today in rural Michigan, a wedding will take place. And a dear, loved and life-long covenant friend will rejoice in the God who grants second chances.

Without going into detail, nor debating the whole remarriage hot-button issue many Christians love to banter about, let me just say that we in our family witnessed first hand over the last year-and-a-half the God who rescues, redeems and renews.

Just fours years ago we saw our friend’s world come crashing down.

Betrayal, bewilderment and abandon reared their ugly heads.

Circumstances swirled and whirled about to the point that darkness and depression set in.

Our friend suddenly sat smack-dab in a placed never dreamed of: in the midst of an unwanted and ugly divorce.

There were days we wondered if we’d wake up and discover the awful headline of suicide. That sweet children would left without their parent because life had dealt such a horrific blow that recovery was utterly impossible.

But God…..

Those two little words have popped up all over the place lately in books and articles and blogs. However, they were first penned many years ago in the pages of the Bible.  Whenever things were looking bad and it appeared that Satan was winning, those two words popped up on the pages “But God…”

And the story turned out just the opposite of what seemed to be happening.

Today, a dear friend will be given a second chance to live out a strong commitment to biblical marriage, just as they always intended to decades ago.  It seemed all hope was lost of being one half of a til-death-do-us-part marriage that would last a lifetime.

But God……

When things look bleak and you today and you are just sure the ending is going to be bad; very, very bad, remember those two words…

“But God….”

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done” Genesis 50: 20

I’m off to find me some tin cans. There is a certain car I gotta go help decorate…..