Blog Entries for: Women's Ministry

Interview and Book Give-Away with Author/Speaker Laura Petherbridge

This is the fourth Tuesday, which means it's time for an author interview and book giveaway! Today it's a joy to introduce my friend, author and speaker, Laura Petherbridge. Laura is an international speaker who serves couples and single adults with topics on spiritual growth, relationships, stepfamilies, co-parenting, and divorce recovery. She's also the author of two books. Her first book, When "I Do" Becomes "I Don't"-Practical Steps for Healing During Separation and Divorce, was endorsed by Billy Graham's daughter, Gigi, and Multi-Dove Award winner Kim Hill. Her newest release, The Smart Stepmom, is co-authored with stepfamily expert Ron Deal and endorsed by Gary Chapman (Five Love Languages).

Laura has spoken at the Billy Graham Training Center, The Cove, in Asheville, NC and has been featured in Australia, South Africa, and England. She has appeared on many TV and radio programs, including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, and Moody Broadcasting, and is frequently published in top Christian magazines and websites.

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July 27, 2010 | 8 Comments | View or add comments

Hands for Soldiers and New DVD!

Since this is July 4^th week, it's only fitting that we talk about our military. But instead of talking generalities, I want to tell you about my young friend, Janey Turner and her Hands for Soldiers ministry. Janey does more than talk.

Janey has always had a heart for helping others, so when the eight-year-old wanted to send care packages to soldiers in foreign lands, her parents weren't surprised. She stood in the middle of her kitchen, holding a list of names. "I can only pick one soldier? But what about the rest of them?"

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July 5, 2010 | 6 Comments | View or add comments

You Oughta Be in Pictures!

YouTube videos, that is. Not convinced? What if I tell you it could increase your ministry opportunities and add income to your bottom line? After repeated requests at women's events, I made my YouTube video two years ago...and I had no idea what that would mean to my ministry. Here's how it happened.

I'd been doing my Solomon's Beloved skit (a funny, literal interpretation of Song of Solomon) in some of my programs for years, and the audiences always loved it. Women would often come up after the program and ask if I had a video of the skit that they could use at their church. Of course, I didn't. But finally, enough people asked until I realized I was going to have to do something about it.

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December 8, 2009 | 6 Comments | View or add comments

Word Pictures: Out of the Mouths of Babes

The past couple of days, I've Twittered a few comments collected through the years from kids at my Writing is Fun workshops in schools. Our kids' and grandkids' statements are often good for a laugh, but could there be more to them than that? Honestly, could "MaMa, why is your arm like a water balloon?" assist me in some way as a writer and speaker?

If you've ever heard me speak, you know I use a lot of stories. After all, it's through story that we can grab the listener and then teach the message we feel called to share. I use this technique frequently, and I find it works especially well when the joke's on me.

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November 9, 2009 | 6 Comments | View or add comments

This Isn't What I Signed Up For!

Gary and I married young, right after my high school graduation. It was during the days of Viet Nam and Gary was in the Air Force. A year and a half later, we were anticipating the birth of our first baby. As a mature nineteen-year-old who had helped raise three younger siblings, I had a keen sense of maternal instinct. And that maternal instinct told me natural childbirth was the way to go.

Now, let me say right here and now, I know natural childbirth can work. As a matter of fact, I delivered our second baby naturally with the help of Lamaze breathing and relaxation techniques. But with this first pregnancy, I'd never heard of Dr. Lamaze. I didn't practice breathing-I mean, what was there to practice? I'd been breathing all my life without anybody's help, thank you very much! So, after minimal consideration and absolutely no preparation, I announced to Gary and the world that I was going to have a natural childbirth.

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November 2, 2009 | 10 Comments | View or add comments

Writing Opportunities for YOU!

Since I'm on the road this week in the great state of Texas, today's entry will get right to the point: Writing Opportunities.

Regardless of the economy, editors are looking for writers. They're looking for writers who can create well-written, professional material that is in the correct format, falls within the word count, and meets the deadline. Your ability to meet and exceed those expectations raises you above the masses and increases your chances of publication. 

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September 14, 2009 | 3 Comments | View or add comments

Auditioning Characters at the Airport

As I write this, it's 3:30pm and I'm sitting in the Washington DC airport. According to my flight itinerary, I should already be home, lying on my sofa, dozing off as I pretend to read the newspaper. But instead of snoozing, I'm stuck at the airport, scouting out my next cast of characters...and they don't even know they're auditioning for the part.

There's the lanky college-age fella across the aisle from me, chatting on one phone while checking his email on another. His molasses voice floats across the stuffy air as he makes alternate plans with his unseen buddy. A black flip-flop the size of a bread loaf hangs from his right foot while he picks at his toenails. Yep, there are possibilities there.

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August 10, 2009 | 7 Comments | View or add comments

A Diva Wannabe

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Homemaking is not one of my spiritual gifts. Put me on a stage in front of two thousand people and I'll have a ball, but please, please, please don't ask me to pick out a rug or decorate a table. (I'm dead serious. Just ask Sandra, the former women's ministry director at my church. She made the mistake of doing that and . . . well . . . it wasn't a pretty sight--and I'm not talking about the table. I won't go into the gory details, but let me just say no one's had the nerve to suggest I be part of the decorating committee since.)

Now, for some women, this defect would drive them crazy and make them feel like total failures. And I admit, I do wish housework and organization and meal planning came easier for me. I'd love to be like my friend, Terri, who maintains a spotless, beautifully decorated home, or my friend, Carrie, who bakes homemade bread made from her own freshly ground wheat.

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August 3, 2009 | 17 Comments | View or add comments

Get Up and Go!

I don't know about you, but I'm tired. I'm tired of the sickness and the conflict and the hardship. I'm tired of rushing here and there, feeling that I don't have time to slow down and rest. I'm tired of the striving.

What about you? Do you feel called to write? Called to speak? Called to share words that will change hearts? I do. I know that I know that I know that I have a message to share. But I'm tired.

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July 6, 2009 | 6 Comments | View or add comments

Interview and Book Give Away with Thelma Wells

Thelma Wells needs no introduction. You've known her for years as the first black member of the core speaker team with Women of Faith, the author of gobs of books, and a businesswoman and entrepreneur. She's been married to George for over 45 years and has three children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

We're together today to talk about Thelma's new book, Don't Give In...God Wants You to Win! And you can win a copy of her book by leaving a comment. The winner will be announced next week, so don't forget to check back.

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June 1, 2009 | 16 Comments | View or add comments

Interview and Book Give Away with Author Janet Thompson

What a joy to introduce my friend, Christian author and speaker, Janet Thompson. I watched her onstage several years ago when I attended a LifeWay training session on mentoring. I remember sitting in the audience, thinking how much I'd love to do what she was doing--speaking to women from the stage. Fast forward eight years or so here we are! See, we just never know what God has in store for us!

Janet is the founder of Woman to Woman Mentoring and About His Work Ministries. Sharing life's experiences and God's faithfulness is the premise of her books and speaking. She's the author of: Face-to-Face Bible Study Series (New Hope Publishers 2009); Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter: Hope, Help, & Encouragement for Hurting Parents (Howard Books / Simon & Schuster 2008); Dear God, They Say It's Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey (Howard Books / Simon & Schuster 2006); and Woman to Woman Mentoring: How to Start, Grow, and Maintain a Mentoring Ministry (LifeWay Press 2000).

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May 25, 2009 | 13 Comments | View or add comments

Interview and Book Give Away with Author and Speaker Linda Rooks

Please welcome my friend, author and speaker, Linda W. Rooks. Linda is the author of Broken Heart on Hold, Surviving Separation. Together with her husband, she ministers to those in marital crisis. Linda's credits include Chicken Soup for the Beach Lover's Soul, Focus on the Family, HomeLife, Light and Life, The Lookout and many other national and local publications. She writes regularly for Tapestry, a Walk Thru the Bible devotional magazine and will soon be featured in Today's Christian Woman. Linda is listed in Who's Who and has participated in numerous TV and radio shows across the nation.

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January 28, 2009 | 8 Comments | View or add comments

My Isaac

This is a fifth Tuesday week, so that means it's Guest Blogger Day! Today's guest is my friend, Nancy Foss, mother of two adult children and now a recent grandmother. She has been married to Dave for almost 29 years. Nancy is a retired elementary school teacher and works part time as a waitress where she loves to meet people from her small town of Wake Forest, NC. She just recently started her own business selling maple butter, a recipe handed down from her grandmother. You can check out her website at www.fossgourmetfoods.com. When she's not busy working she loves spending time with her granddaughter, Avery Morgan. Nancy also works with the teen girls at her home church and is active ministering in her neighborhood.

My Isaac by Nancy Foss

Gen. 22:2 Take your son, your only son, yes, Isaac, whom you love so much and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.

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December 29, 2008 | 5 Comments | View or add comments

Successful Life and Leadership

July 29, 2008

I'm so excited to introduce our guest blogger, my friend, author and speaker, Robin Bryce. Robin and I met years ago in Knoxville, TN, when we both attended a CLASServices seminar for speakers. She currently lives in Huntsville, TX as a pastor's wife and mother of three blessings. I hope you'll connect with Robin at www.RobinBryce.com or visit her Facebook page.

Welcome, Robin!

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July 29, 2008 | 4 Comments | View or add comments

Have No Fear!

July 1, 2008

I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest--I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah Psalm 55:6-7

There have been times in my life when I could have written that verse. I have a feeling you know what I'm talking about. I have a feeling you're like me, and you know what it's like to want nothing more than to fly away and be at rest. And we wouldn't even need wings or an airline ticket. A moped would be fine . . . just as long as it could take us away!

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July 1, 2008 | 5 Comments | View or add comments

The Red Pen

June 3, 2008

Well, it's been a little over a week since I returned from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and my inbox is full. The response has been everything from "Now I know how to make my writing better" to "I quit--I must not be a writer."

I can't help but smile. I could be reading my own words, spoken at different times in my writing journey. Of course, most of you are much better students than I was when I started out! I hate to admit it, but when I first began this journey, I thought anyone who saw a need for improvement in my writing was just . . . well . . . wrong!

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June 2, 2008 | 4 Comments | View or add comments

God's Good, Pleasing and Perfect Will

May 6, 2008

I can't tell you how many times I've begged God to give me a clear sign so I'd know His perfect will for my life--you know, something really Biblical, like a message written across the sky, with fireworks exploding around it. But when I gaze up into the vast blue beauty, all I see is a white puffy cloud that looks like a hamburger. Am I supposed to give up this writing thing and work at McDonald's? (Don't laugh. I'd certainly make more money flipping burgers!)

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May 6, 2008 | 18 Comments | View or add comments

Interview and Book Give Away with Allison Bottke

April 29, 2008

The SWAT team left a horrible mess in their wake...Glass cracked under my feet like ice on a frozen pond, ready to break and suck me down...The rancid smell of alcohol and stale cigarette smoke hung in the air...Assaulted and plundered, the house was in ruins--my heart not far behind.

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April 29, 2008 | 17 Comments | View or add comments

Waiting in the Fast Lane

April 1, 2008

Waiting is hard for me. I read of Sarah waiting for Isaac, Anna waiting for the Messiah, and Elizabeth waiting for John, and I'm amazed. I mean, can you believe Sarah waited about thirty years for a baby? Thirty years? I have a hard time waiting for my nails to dry!

But God's Word is clear that we're to wait, to be still, to remain in Him.

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April 1, 2008 | 10 Comments | View or add comments

It's All in Your Point of View

March 18, 2008

When I wrote my first book in 1993, I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved to write, my high school and college teachers said I was good at it, and my mother assured me the book I had created was a masterpiece. I was confident fame and fortune would soon be mine! There was only one little problem (Well, actually there were many problems with that first book--which might explain why it took so many years for it to be published--but today we'll just talk about one of them).

The problem was, I had never heard of point of view, or POV. I wasn't alone. Lots of new writers have no idea what POV is and how important it is to the publishability of their work. But the problem with point of view isn't limited to new writers. It can trip up even the most experienced among us.

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March 18, 2008 | 13 Comments | View or add comments

Happy All the Day?

March 4, 2008

Do you remember the old song that includes a line about Christians being happy all the day? The idea is that once we've accepted the Lord as our Savior, our lives will always be happy. Although I understand the writer's intent, those words may be sending the wrong message. In our zeal to lead others to Christ, we sometimes inadvertently spread a lie--a lie that says the Christian life is always wonderful.

It's not. Just ask Paul.

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March 4, 2008 | 4 Comments | View or add comments

Three Little Words

February 12, 2008

Okay, be honest--you think this is just another sappy essay about Valentine's Day and the meaning of love, right? Wrong. Believe me, I'm not writing about dating, marriage, or conversation hearts. The three little words I'm talking about today are powerful.

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February 12, 2008 | 9 Comments | View or add comments

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