Saturday, April 24, 2010

TTYL... I'm off on an adventure!

It's true! I'm outta here! Tomorrow at 4:50pm Ava and I board a plane and fly to Ohio to visit family. We'll be there Sun-Tues, then we'll fly to Georgia to visit my brother and his fam, then back to Ohio for a day or so, then back home. Whew. It's tiring to think about... but, we are excited. The only downer is...leaving daddy. :( My heart is already in knots thinking about doing this alone - and being without my love for 6 days!!!

I probably won't be able to post anything until we get back - and hopefully then we'll have some cute pics to share!

Before I go - let me introduce my newest nephew - Mr. Jake Jonathan Pausley. He was born this weekend and we are thrilled to add grandbaby #5 to the Pausley clan! Congrats Jon, Shantel and big sisters Grace and Abby!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

A day at the Dome

Er, well... I think we made it an hour there, anyway...

Today here in Des Moines, IA the Botanical Center was offering FREE admission due to it being Earth Day! Brad came home for lunch so off we went. I'm kind of a nature buff... I love it. I don't have a green thumb (yet) so I love even more being able to enjoy other peoples thumbs...er, plants! Here's just a taste of some of the amazing plants and flowers we saw today. God's creation is truly, truly amazing!



This one (above) was my favorite. Gorgeous HUGE green leaves with white veins. Wishing my yard had some of these... too bad they are south american somethings...in South America. :(

One of the cool things about the Botancial Center is that it's inside a dome. It's very steamy/rainforesty and just smells like the woods. I loooove that. There are flowers and trees and plants in every nook and crany of the place. Not to mention, you can tour a green house while there too. Just a really neat local place. Here's an inside shot of the dome. (loved the palms!) There's also a waterfall and a cafe in the building.

We attempted to get a few pics of us together - but, it was VERY crowded, due to the Free-ness of the day. So, I only got one good one..of Ava and I. And, I'll share. (I'm busting out the summer skirts!) What a quick, but fun, family adventure.



Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Another Pausley Land Adventure


It's finally happening! A few months ago I applied to "blog for books" for Waterbrook Multnomah publishers. It's a really neat program where the company sends you books - prior to their public release, usually - you read them, give a review on your blog, etc. Best of all...the book is yours to keep FREE! (and, you remember my thoughts on FREE, right?)

My first one came in the mail this week and I am so super excited! So, here in a few weeks be on the look out for review #1 on the book Radical, by David Platt. Here's a little sneak peek at the book's cover... wow! I know.
<---------
And here's a little something to whet your whistle - I get to do a giveaway right off the bat! A 54 page booklet titled - "The Radical Question". Now, I'm thinking it should probably accompany the book - but, maybe not. Like I said - I'm new to all of this! Anway, I'm super pumped to put my brain to use again (er...in this way) and learn some stuff! Wish me luck and stayed tuned!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

the mushy, gushy, goofy days

Sometimes I get so bogged down in the day-to-day. I find myself easily irritated by things, quick to speak (unkind words) and slow to love. Pretty much the opposite of what I'm commanded to do. (go ahead, click the link and be reminded)
So, while I'm already irritated... then I'm irritated more for being irritated. And thus goes the sin cycle...and, I know I'm not alone. :(

Anyway, this really is a happy post.

The last few days have been just plain silly fun in this house. Ava is in a crazy fun stage - complete with running around naked, getting into everything possible and saying all kinds of new funny things. The weather has been really nice so we've been outside more - and that is always nice. And the smell of the grill cooking... {ahhhhh} LOVE that! On top of Ava's silliness... Brad and I have been silly, too. And, today I just got to thinking... "yea, we used to be fun like this all the time." And, "what has changed?" and kind of even, "who are we now?". Ever do any eval's of yourself like that?! The other morning we (all 3 of us) were in the bathroom getting ready for our day. Brad was heading to work shortly, I was taking pictures of Ava shaving her face...if you saw that post... it was just so fun. All together. Precious, precious times that I will never forget. I've saved it on my mental hard drive!


I snapped this pic of me and my love and it took me back to days gone by... being newly engaged and always taking pics of ourselves. You know - the kind where one of you holds the camera waaaay out in front and you try to get something somewhat centered. We were so mushy, gushy and goofy then. And so often I'm afraid that I forget to keep that silliness alive. Play games. Have fun. Be flirty.
And yes, my mirror has toothpaste spots on it... my hair is obviously is complete and total disrepair, I'm sure Ava was in the toilet and you can see our lovely bath products as the curtain is strew open... but, I don't care. Not today. This was a fun day. Fun memories. Pictures in our minds we will never forget. Mushy, gushy, goofy days.


Monday, April 19, 2010

Happy Homemaker Monday!




The weather in my neck of the woods: A smidge overcast, warm, a little breezy... perfect!


One of my simple pleasures: listening to the birds on a quiet afternoon


On my bedside table: Crazy Love... our last chapter for bible study this week :( such a good book, sad to be ending it! Also, still working on Little Women....


On my TV: Contemp. Christian music channel. :)


On the menu for tonight: Smoked sausages on the grill! And some home made potato wedges and maybe some broccoli n' cheese.


On my To Do List: Laundry, dining room is a disaster after last weeks TAX PREP so I need to tidy that up...


New Recipe I tried last week: Deceptively Delicious cookbooks' Beef Stew. REALLY good... and lots of hidden veggies! --I'll be posting about the recipe for blueberry cobbler later this week. Packed with...spinach... and tastes amazing!


In the craft basket: Nada. Maybe if I actually create a real basket... hmmmm....


Looking forward to: Bible study tonight, playgroup tomorrow, one of our teens plays this week and heading to OHIO/GA this weekend!


Homemaking Tip for this week: Everything in its place...and everything has a place. I am so tired of clutter. I've started just putting everything out of place into a big silver bin and then on Friday sorting it out and putting it away right then and there. If it's something we haven't needed all week I might pitch it. And, if we are missing something during the week we can generally find it in that bin!


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): "Love your man! know what i mean?"
Sarah Mae over at Like a Warm cup of Coffee CRACKED ME UP with this post! Just read it (if you are married!) and see for yourself. I still get all giggly when I read these kinds of things. ;)


Favorite photo from last week:
We had a cell group activity night! I rarely enjoy getting my pic taken...but with these girls... LOVED it!


Lesson learned the past few days: I can't expect LOST people to behave like SAVED people.

On my Prayer List: My cell group girls, my hubby, our Togo team serving in Africa.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses: Haven't done that yet today... good thing this ends here :)

Sunday, April 18, 2010

always watching

Yesterday we found Ava in the bathroom...doing this....
Uh oh! Daddy's razor has been discovered!
It's a good thing she's cute!



I think we'll keep her ;)

Friday, April 16, 2010

Oh what a night!

I love this ministry!
Where else on earth can you go for ice cream, run around the park like a crazy person... then call it a night... All the while talking about God's love?


p.s. I totally recommend "Almond Joy" from Marble Slab!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:1-3

Scripture.
It just won't get out of my head.
And, thank the Lord for that.


This morning, as I rose early to seek that all important time with my God (alone)... this verse was streaming through my brain. (and, yes, really me... at 10 of 7am. and no, not cocoa...but caramel truffle roast coffee) You know you love the bloodshot eyes, too.


"A life worthy of the calling I've received"? Let's see.... wife? Check. Momma? Check. Pastors wife/youth leader? Check.Check.

Ok, Lord. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Pretty straight up commands. And, I've noticed that this passage doesn't slip in a "but, only if you aren't cranky". And, to be honest, I have been ca-rank-ey! :( I've been harsh with my husband. I've been disrespectful. I've been short tempered. Basically, the opposite of my "Calling". Tho, every book I've been reading lately mentions this topic - its so easy for me just to skim over it and plan to "work on it" later. {bother}

Today is the day. I WILL claim victory over myself! So thankful for the overly loud birds in our yard this morning that God used to pry me out of bed, EARLY, to get time alone with Him. And, thankful for this super cute little devo book my grandma gave me for Christmas many years ago.
I'm thankful for my cute little back porch steps that I can, with mug o' coffee, slip outside and soak up creation with its sounds and refreshment while looking into truth. Today I'm thankful for my calling. I'm thankful to be wife, momma and "the youth pastors wife". And I so want God to be glorified with my life.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Swap Meet!


Attention ladies in the DSM metro and Ankeny area... well, and abroad, really. :)

There is a swap meet in the making!


In January I came across an article in, you guessed it, BHG about having a Swap Meet with friends. The idea is: go through all of your stuff (mostly home decor, etc), tag it with info, set up a space where you can display all of your items, and your friends...then shop til you drop. Er, Swap til you drop :) No money is involved and items are repurposed! After reading this article I attended a workshop in my friend Emily's home on "how to decorate on a budget" - she has done an amazing job on her home and is SO good at putting old things back together to make them look better then new! {a skill I have yet to aquire} Anyway, she mentioned the idea of the swap meet that night, too! YAY! Because who really has tons of extra money to just go and buy new decorations every time?! I don't. And, I have boxes full of perfectly fine decorations in my basement...that I just don't use anymore...or that don't match the decor of our current home.


So, be thinking. Start rooting through those boxes. Dust stuff off and start getting ideas on what you could swap. Info to come! I'm meeting with Emily Thursday night to work on some details.

Have you done a Swap Meet before? Tell me how it went... what did you do to make it work? Any special ideas?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The great (all in my head) debate!

Ok, now before anyone FREAKS out and gets too excited... keep a few FACTS in mind.


1) I am not prego

2) We are not in "planning" mode

With that said - let me tell you my great mental debate currently. And then YOU share your thoughts... especially those of you with a 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 19th child... oh wait, Michelle doesn't read this.

I have always wanted children. Lots and Lots of children, to be totally specific. When I was a little girl my all time favorite "pretend" was lining up all 6 or 7 of my baby dolls (Cabbage patches and what not) naming them, feeding them and putting them "down" for naps. I loved playing mommy! When my parents "Gave" me the gift of little baby brother Josh... even better. A real baby to pretend with. And I mommied him until we both grew up and flew the coup! (Tho... I drove him and my parents crazy with this!) Anyway, I've always wanted to be a momma. I never aspired to be a great business woman, attorney or world famous cook - deep in my heart I've always longed to be home with kids. Even in highschool when we were taking all of those tests that supposedly tell you what you would be GREAT at as an adult... I always felt disappointed that "Mom" wasn't on their job lists. (another post entirely about the FEMINIST that drive me crazy!!!)


So now, at 27 years old, I have 1 daughter. Ava Edyn. She is the joy of our lives and gives us so much to be thankful for. I have loved watching her grow and change...and look forward to watching her grow and change for the remainder of my days. Prior to Ava I always assumed that I would just have kids, and more kids, and more kids... and that my hubby would agree and even encourage it. Reality set in about 4 weeks after Ava came. It was HARD work. Sleepless nights, nursing issues that drove us both mad, diapers exploding, dr appointments, anxiety, missing church week after week, etc. Parenting was more then just popping out babies and planning on the next. It was, as a my husband says, "bringing an eternal soul into the world", something to not take lightly.


But, lately... inside my head something strange is happening. Perhaps not as strange as I think. I've shared this with many ladies and everyone seems to feel the same. Ava is old enough now where I think... and my heart flutters to think about... wanting another baby. This is where the mental torment comes in. I cannot fathom taking on another - tho, I've always longed for so many. I can't imagine splitting this love for her, taking attention off of her for another. Tho, I know its good and important. Some days I can bypass all of this weird mental debating. Especially as the "we're expecting" announcements flow all around me. If they can do it, we could do it. Somedays it's too overwhelming to even comprehend. So, I want to hear your thoughts on this. Did you go through this? How far apart are your children? Did you like the timing? Scriptures that helped you in the decision? I'm looking for some Titus-type ladies here.


And while you are thinking... enjoy some pics of our ultra smiley, crazy, energy filled little girl. She is turning 16 months this month!



Monday, April 12, 2010

Momentous Monday

Tiffany, over at A Moment Cherished is starting a new and EXCITING Monday post opportunity. Check out her site if you haven't already... she is one of the most heartfelt, warm, godly writers I've been thrilled to find. And even before that we went to college together... er, well, we were both there, only a few years apart :) Check out the event and jump on board! We could all use help remembering our "momentous" spots in life! Here's mine...


Her name is Hunter.
She stands well above me with her dark hair and questioning eyes. So young. So hurt.
A "religious" man also an adulterer has blinded her view of God. How does one answer to that?!

As she approached me last night after the service I could see the pain welling up in the corners of her eyes.
She was searching...
She was confused...
She was here... at church.

We found a private corner, somehow, in our church of so many.
Without hesitation the questions poured out.
"Right after I "welcomed God" my life fell apart!"
"My parents are divorced and kids make fun of me at school"

The tears came.

"I've only taken communion twice"
"Do I have to be a with a, ya know, pastor to be saved?"
And the jumble of years of torment and chaos came out in questions and frustrations.

I held my breath and waited for the Lord to place just exactly what to answer on my tongue. I'm too prone to trying this on my own.... foolish... but, today, I waited. We turned to Romans and talked about sin.

Sin was acknowledged.
As was the answer to our sin. Romans 6.
Christ as Lord and King, Creator over all was proclaimed!
"Life won't be easier" was explained. Tho... I could see the pained expression of disappointment in that answer.
"But, isn't that when the "faith thing" comes in? she asks me... Wow. I smile. Yes, Hunter, "the faith thing...." Exactly.

I tell her to read John, write down questions and call me with them.
My phone didn't ring today.
I gave her a bible - THE WORD OF GOD...to her.
I told her that after reading this chapter... if she didn't see Jesus in her life, that we can chat...and change that.

And now we pray and wait.
Momentous indeed!
And waiting for Wednesday.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Lesson from our foremothers


"If our pioneer foremothers could successfully bring up ten children while boiling laundry, grinding wheat for bread, and keeping dirt floors clean, then what's stopping us? Don't fear hard work. Embrace it and learn to do it as unto the Lord." - Jennie Chancey
*Picture taken from google.com

Thursday, April 8, 2010

A pretty place to land

"I think I can, I think I can", chugged the little engine...

Ever feel like the little engine that could? I do. And it usually involves my house and the amount of work I desire to do on it... but, usually chug half way up the hill only to get distracted, lose steam or just... give up all together. The "hill" of making this home into a pretty place to land is harder then I thought. While I have every awesome intention of doing this and that to make things look great - I always seem to talk myself out of it. "Oh, I'm still not handy enough with my sewing machine" or "Ava will wake up in an hour... not enough time to even start that.." (don't snicker! you know you've said it too!)

Spring has sprung and I can feel that wave of motivation blowing in on the breeze. Yessss! Should be just enough to get this little engine back in gear and up n' over the hill. What's on our spring house project agenda? Oh not much. Just...
-Paint the bathroom, hallway, last wall in the livingroom, two bedrooms and finish the reading nook. Oh, and the dining room and front porch!


-Our yard. Flower beds. Fence options. growing grass.


-Front door - I'm spray painting it RED!!!! Look out dull lifeless front door... your life is about to change.

-Window treatments/curtains/etc. (every room)




(sigh) I can hardly wait to have these all finished... in the mean time... these pics are giving me some GREAT ideas. I know I say it ALOT but I love bhg.com... I always find an idea!




Wednesday, April 7, 2010

If it's FREE...It's me!

My dad uses the above saying all the time. I was raised to appreciate FREE and look for it, and I do :) Case in point....
All 3 of these "freebies" came in the mail yesterday! Woot Woot! I love me some free (thank you MoneysavingMom!) There's just something exciting about opening your mail box and finding something other then bills and Hyvee ads! So, now I have this potty training "how to" DVD, a weeks' supply of joint something-er-other vitamins and a magazine to read. The funniest part to me is - I don't have a potty trainer, or joint issues and I'm not in WW. (no comments!)

Oh well, IF IT'S FREE IT'S ME! ;)

Love FREE and live near WDSM? Z'Mariks has kids eat free on Saturdays! We came upon that lovely suprise last weekend. Really good eats, great prices...and delicious options! Enjoy! (P.S....Caribou Coffee is RIGHT next door... for dessert!)

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

When it rains...it pours

Perhaps she's working on more teeth...
Maybe it's growing pains...
Tired?
Oh, I know, she's bored... obviously she needs new toys.
Am I not giving enough spankings?

These are my thoughts every time Ava whines. And, while I don't want to beat a dead horse (ew, what a weird saying...) I need to vent again about this. Because... it's gone from bad to worse and all the while this momma is feeling like a capital F, Failure. :(

In the morning when she wakes up she hollers for "Dat" or "Momma". We cheerfully go in expecting some huggin's and kissin's - but rather, we are greeted with a glare face, frumpled brow and a little girl running to the furthest back corner of her crib to avoid us. And yes, I have cried about this. Some mornings we just take her out anyway and distract her into being happy with tickles and silly voices, and some mornings I just turn the light back off and leave her in there until I hear happy noises. No use in starting off that way intentionally...

But, to be totally honest. I'm feeling so defeated by this stage. AND SHE'S ONLY 1! 80% of the day is filled with whining or crying or direct disobedience. Gone are the days of playing nicely - Oh wait, we never had those. And, she wants to be outside all the time... which is great, only, our yard is in huge disrepair right now and so thats not always an option.

I've gotten over the red-faced slight humiliation thing when this happens in public. I've learned to just leave if it starts up (Thanks Kristi!) and I am seeking wisdom and ideas from anyone who wants to share. But, my heart feels sad today. And its raining...which means another day inside. I just put Ava back to bed because the fit-throwing is just out of control. So, I'm going to go rest in the Word and refresh.

I'd love your ideas on mothering in these situations.

Monday, April 5, 2010

DIY - Easter basket straw

Grass, straw, shred... whatever you call it... I found a cheap (possibly FREE) way to make your own! Here's what I did.

1) Do a tissue paper round up.
*I keep ALL tissue paper, even crumpled stuff, from every gift opening occasion. Fold it up nicely and "iron" it out with your hand - somtimes it will look good as new :)

2) Fold the tissue paper up into the shape of a piece of regular notepad paper. Fold again in half lengthwise.

3) Using fairly good scissors - begin to cut thin strips from top to bottom of paper. Clip ends that are connecting. You can cut your strips as thin or as thick as you like. For Ava's basket - I did really chunky strips (see above) to hold up the heavy weight of her crayons, etc.

4) You could get really creative and make multi-colored strips. Or, even more creative and use special scissors - I have a box of craft scissors with all different blades - curvy, jagged, angled, etc.

TA-DA! Home made Easter basket fill! The best part for me was that I really got to my heart and hands into this little project. Giving my hubby and baby girl something home made like this means more to me (probably) then to them... but, I felt like I was giving them the very best. And I know I saved my hubby $$$ so that felt great, too!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

We celebrate a RISEN Savior!

The day is drawing to a close. I don't know about you, but, I'm tired. I've shared the day with family that was fulfilling and precious. We shared a big meal, watched our little ones "hunt" for candy, had chit-chat in every room of the house... and just lived life together, a little slower and in no hurry to rush away. It was... sweet. All of the above mentioned followed an equally rewarding morning at our local church. We celebrated this Lord's RESURRECTION day with a special breakfast (well, two of them actually), special music and special people... all the while praying that today would be the day of salvation for so many of our lost visitors. This afternoon I hopped on Face Book for a few minutes to catch up and see what the rest of my "non-Iowa" family was up to today...hoping for a picture or two of nieces, cousins and grandparents. Mid search the chat thing popped up... "Hi Mandi!" exclaimed a very excited teen from our youth group. Her exclamation points led me to believe she wasn't just excited to chat with me... {LOL}... but something better was going on. And sure enough - this popped up quickly after my greeting, "You know my friend Hannah... she got saved this morning at church!". She went on to tell me the circumstances surrounding and I told her how excited I was for this news! I am so thankful for this tenderhearted teen girl who has been praying for this other teen girl - I'm thankful that she was excited about the salvation and eager to share this great news. I'm thrilled that the body of Christ grew by at least 1 today! (Tho, I'm sure many more were added I have yet to hear of...)

So, while I could go on and on about every little stinkin' cute detail of what Ava did today on her 2nd Easter (pics to follow). I'll end my words with saying - PRAISE BE TO GOD for rescuing us from the curse of Sin! Praise Him for the gift of salvation! Praise Him for forgiveness and a washing as white as snow! I am so thankful for the events of this day and that HE has RISEN so we can celebrate! Happy Easter!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Proclamation 2010 - in review

I've been promising a post on our ladies retreat from a few weeks ago... and, now that the week has slowed down a bit - here we go!

Our speaker this year was Mrs. Judie Colyer who heads up the women's ministries over at Ankeny Free Church. Not to mention...she's the lead pastors wife. A teeny, tiny little 5-foot something that was contagiously filled with zeal for evangelism! I loved every word. And, though I scribbled down every thing I could as fast as I could... I still don't think I could give the event a just review. There was just SO much to take in! It was sweet!


God was at work...and still is, in the hearts of His women. We've already heard stories of Him moving and changing lives. Here's a quick one to share that happened at the event. (Talk about FAST work, Lord!)

Opening night of the event as ladies were arriving at the hotel, so were hundreds (?) of Rotary Club members. They had the conference room next door to our event and had their own thing going on. We shared the same hallway and dividing wall. This posed a problem several times... obvious congestion around our registration table, busier bathrooms, etc. But one of the REAL biggies was their request that our music team not practice...as the music interrupted their meetings. Oh how annoying this was! Afterall, we had paid just as much as they to use our room - and, the hotel knew in advance we had a worship time planned...why would they put us so close together?! Long story short - God worked. We went ahead and delayed our music time, etc. Later that night (er...the next morning!?) one of the "Rotars" (as I started calling them...) approached some of our ladies and mentioned how beautiful the music was. Then her eyes filled with tears and right then and there - despite the frustration and crowded hallways...the ladies had a chance to share Christ! Isn't that just amazing?! And the thing is... now we knew exactly WHY we were right there so close... didn't we?! Kind of reminds me of the ONE LAMB that was lost... Jesus cared. {sigh...good stuff}

One of the questions Judie posed to us was - "Do we ask God, where can you use me?". Truth be told He can use anyone anywhere. We heard several testimonies of ladies who led neighbors, coworkers, you name it... to Christ, simply because they had God this question. And they all started out by showing an interest in a person, being in contact, and praying in advance. Here are some questions you can think about today:
-Am I burdened for those leaving this earth?
-What do I want my life to stand for?
-Have I shown someone Jesus?
-Who is in my sphere of influence?
-What would it take in your life to motivate you to talk of Jesus?
-What is standing in the way of proclaming Him?

As Judie asked us these questions prior to our quiet time - my heart was so convicted and challenged. I live on a street of lost people. The beer-bottle littered yards aren't my first clue to that! And I pray for opportunities...but, then, when one should arise all of the sudden I feel super uncomfortable - or - the conditions aren't such that I feel like it should be ME doing the talking. I've even found myself slipping in doors as quick as possible to avoid an awkward meeting. TO MY SHAME! And I could easily come up with a ba-jillion excuses... "well, I have a young child to look after" or "I am a pastors wife - people put up defenses right away when they hear that"... the list goes on. Truth is - I've gotten caught up in longing for comfort rather then longing to see souls saved - and, ladies...that's a slippery slope! No wonder I've been battling with discontent, pride and a feeling of uselessness! Because for so long I've made everything all about me! {gag}

On the last day we each wrote down a name on our note pads of someone who was in our "Sphere of influence" that we could start to pray for. I chose Vanessa. She's my next door neighbor that has two kiddos. She's unmarried and living with her guy (and at least 9 other random people in that house), doesn't work so she's home all day and...is totally open to just chatting. She is someone I want to pursue this year. Who is yours? Maybe a cashier at a market you go to a lot? A Librarian? Post master? Sibling?

Another part of our weekend was looking at "Types of women in churches now". Let's see if anyone can relate to any of these.
-Fat & Full : These ladies are always in bible studies, always taking things in, but rarely go outside of the church bible study arena.
-Church Mice Syndrome : These ladies are afraid of the world, and avoid the lost.
-Swampy & Stagnant : Need a FRESH look at God. Possibly bored.
-Play Girls : worldly/Godly balance. Celebrity obsessed... etc.

Do you fall into any of those categories? I do. And, I'm currently seeking God to change that. I want to be a woman who seeks the Lord...shares what I learn... and is open to opportunities.

Lots of good things to think about. I'm still processing myself. As I close, let me share some resources with you - that Judie shared with us. They have all been instrumental in Ankeny Free's ministry and I'm sure they could be in yours (and mine!) too.
Check out the links on each of these...
One to One Study Guide - a tool to be used just as it says, "One to one".











One Heartbeat Away (Mark Cahill) - This book reaches both genders and discusses, as it says, "Your journey into Eternity".
Websites:
*All of these "tools" were referenced to us in the retreat packet given by Judie and our Women's min leaders.