January is National Mentoring Month

 Well it's the last day of January and I just discovered that the president declared this month National Mentoring Month! But it is timely that two new Face-to-Face Bible studies release on January 31, just in time to still be part of the national recognition month.

Face-to-Face with Lois and Eunice:Nurturing Faith in Your Family

Face-to-Face with Sarah, Rachel and Hannah: Pleading with God

 Both studies have questions for doing on you own, two women or M&M's to do together, and  leader's guide for group study. They are 5 sessions and each session is 5 days.

These are # 6 & 7 in the Face to Face Series. To order go to http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=janet+thompson&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCQ&nav_search=1&cms=1

Inspiration for Breast Cancer Survivors

As many of you know, I am a three time breast cancer survivor and praise God every morning for another day of life. I'm also always looking for ways to encourage and support other breast-cancer sisters. A friend of mine told me about Trudy, a two-time breast-cancer survivor who submitted an inspirational phrase to the American Breast Care Company who makes prothesis. If selected, Trudy's phrase would be imprinted on ABC's products for the upcoming year. What a blessing for the women and for Trudy! 

 

Here's a little information about Trudy and the contest, and if you feel led, go to the site and vote for her phrase, or one of the other phrases in the contest. I looked around the website also to learn a little more about ABC:

 

Trudy is one of 6 finalists in a Breast Care contest by American Breast Care Company.  Breast cancer survivors were encouraged to submit a phrase that helped them get through breast cancer and other tough times.  

Votes will be taken until May 31st.  The winner will go to Georgia where the company is located and her phrase will be printed on the breast form and be part of a marketing campaign for the product.

Trudy has had many many struggles in her life including breast cancer twice.  And, yet she remains apositive and joyful person.  After cancer she spent years as a volunteer and spokesperson for the American Cancer Society's "Reach for Recovery Program" for breast cancer patients.  

 Please vote for Trudy.       www.tfaforms.com/230838   

Trudy's quote is "Behind every door is a miracle.  Be brave enough to open it"

A New Way to R.E.A.D. Your Bible

I'm reading the Bible in a year, along with many of my friends and family. We're using www.YouVersion.com where you can choose different reading plans. I'm reading the Bible chronologically, something I've always wanted to do. Interesting that after reading about Noah and the Ark, you go straight to Job!

Pastor Brian Smith, Crouch Community Church, also suggested a way to respond as well as read the Bible, which I've found very helpful. First pray, then go to the day's reading and READ:

Record a Promise
Enjoy the Person (God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit)
Admit a Practice (that offends God)
Discover a Precept (a command we are to do.

Try this with Matthew 8:16-20:
R--God is with me always (v. 20)
E--Jesus has all authority (v. 18)
A--Sin (v. 17 doubt)
D--We are to go into the world and share the Good News! (vv. 19-20)

I'd love to hear from any of you reading the Bible in a year and trying READ, or share what's working for you!
Happy New Year,
Janet

November was National Military Family Month

Author Jocelyn Green is a friend and fellow author whom I admire for her passion and versatile writing skills. I dearly identify with this topic since our son has a military family.

Please enjoy this interview and the first person to share with us a family who would benefit from this book will receive a free copy from Jocelyn.

 

Interview with Jocelyn C. Green, author of   Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives

and  

Faith Deployed....Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives  

   

  

1. Could you share with us the inspiration behind "Faith Deployed...Again" and what readers can expect from it?

The inspiration for Faith Deployed . . . Again was the same as the inspiration for the first book I wrote for military wives, Faith Deployed. Put simply, military wives need encouragement, and the best source is God's Word.  

As a former Coast Guard wife, I was so desperate for biblical encouragement that spoke directly to me. To have an opportunity to collect this type of encouragement from twenty-eight other military wives from every branch of service and have it published by Moody is an incredible gift. I never once lacked motivation to work on this project.  

2. The title of your sequel is "Faith Deployed...Again." What is the significance behind the phrase "Faith Deployed," and can the phrase (and the book itself) have meaning for those who aren't military wives, as well?

I think of "faith deployed" as a faith called into action. Whether your military family experiences deployments or not, military life requires that we all deploy our faith in order to respond biblically to each trial we face. While this book was written by and for military wives, using illustrations from the military lifestyle, anyone who reads the book will come away with a deeper understanding of God's Word and how it applies to trials we face.  

Military wives will be likely to get the most out of it, since it speaks directly to their unique lifestyle, but I have heard from many civilians, and men, who have also benefitted from reading it.

3. But if the troops are coming home soon from Afghanistan, do we still really need this book?

Yes, we do. Faith Deployed...Again was created to encourage military wives during all the seasons of a career, regardless of where they stand in the deployment cycle.  

Military wives of all branches, all over the globe, are hungry for spiritual nourishment. That need isn't going to disappear when troops come home. In fact, only one of the book's eight sections is devoted to deployments. There are plenty of other challenges in the military lifestyle even without having a husband deployed to a combat zone.  

As a Coast Guard wife, my husband never fought in a war, but I still desperately needed the hope that comes only from God's Word. The biblical concepts illustrated in this book will strengthen and encourage military wives during times of both peace and war.

4. The rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among soldiers and veterans are increasing at an alarming rate. How does this affect the spouses and children of these veterans?

The spouses and children make adjustments to how they interact with the veteran, and how they live in their own home. Emotional detachment is very common among vets with PTSD, so the wife and children often crave a connection that their husband/father simply isn't able to give at this stage. This means they feel lonely, and sometimes emotionally abandoned. They might be angry and resentful that he changed so much because of his combat experience, or they could genuinely grieve the loss of the way their family used to be.  

Several of our writers in Faith Deployed...Again are married to veterans with PTSD, and share their insights in the book. I also highly recommend the Combat Trauma Healing Manual for veterans, and for the wives, When War Comes Home: Christ-centered Healing for Wives of Combat Veterans.

5. What are some practical ways that individuals can support military wives?

• Quite often, if you just say "what can I do for you?" or "I'm here to help you" the wife may be overwhelmed enough to not even know what to ask for. Give her some ideas, perhaps in the form of a coupon booklet for free babysitting, homemade cookies, a coffee date, running errands, an hour or two of housework, etc.
• Find out what's broken and fix it. Computer problems are a big deal, especially since so many couples rely on email or Web cams to communicate. If the car is broken down, offer to give rides.
• Mow the lawn, pull weeds, other yard work- cleaning out gutters-those seasonal tasks that the deployed spouse may have typically done.
• Bring a meal over so that's one less thing a stressed out spouse would have to think about.
• Visiting is a great mood lifter, but ask first. And if you get a couple negative responses, don't take it personally.
• Drop off a basket of favorite foods and/or a movie rental you know she's been wanting to see. (Other ideas for a military wife care package can be found here:   
• Pray for her!   

6. Why is it critical to pay special attention to supporting the military wife?

If the military wife is supported, she will have much more ability to support her husband and her children in a way only she can. If she is too stressed out, her entire family will feel it. Her kids will suffer, she may resent her husband's service, and if she tells him as much, he will be distracted from his duties. If he is thinking about the trials for his family back home, he will have a much harder time giving undivided attention to his mission. Also, if the wife isn't getting support from appropriate sources, she will be more prone to confide in a man other than her husband who makes her feel special - which is the start of an emotional affair. When we support a military spouse, we support the entire family.

Thoughts on Applying 1 Thessalonians to Parenting By Janel Thompson

My daughter-in-law, Janel Thompson, sent the family an email sharing what God revealed to her about parenting while studying the Book of 1 Thessalonians in the Bible. Read 1 Thessalonians yourself and then enjoy and reflect on what God might be telling you about your parenting or grandparenting. I would love to hear your comments. Janel writes:

I've been reading 1 Thessalonians with a different perspective. In the past, I've read it as Paul's letter to the church. I've also read it as if I were part of the church Paul was writing to and how I could apply his words to my life. But this time, I read it with the eyes of a parent writing it to our kids, and it took on a whole new meaning. I don't intend to change what Scripture says or make it say something it doesn't, but I believe the Bible is living and active and God speaks to us in different ways at different times to teach us what we need at different seasons.

I want to share this with you because it was so fresh to me: encouraging, inspiring, and humbling. Oh my, I can truly say like Paul that I have not obtained any of these things, but I have a vision into what the future as a parent can be like.

Starting in 1 Thessalonians 1, it struck me that Paul wrote this letter to the church as both a "brother in Christ" and a parent. Parents all hope to be, "brothers in Christ" with our kids, but we’ve walked ahead of them in life and are called to lead and guide them to a personal relationship and walk with God. As Christians, I believe parenthood becomes our ministry and mission for the rest of our lives. The way we guide and influence our kids changes, but our call to love, encourage, guide, and care for them never goes away. They will move away, but like Paul, we’re never without an important role in their lives.

The following verses and thoughts came to mind as I read the first 3 chapters of 1 Thessalonians. I hope that you are encouraged and inspired as I was.

The parallel between Paul’s writing and parenting started with reading the end of 1:5 and the beginning of vs. 6, "We lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord." The word imitators made me think of how kids pick up many behaviors and attitudes from their parents. I find myself doing things my mom did and I see our kids mimic ways of coping and acting that my husband and I do. It's scary that our kids imitate us! When I read this verse, I thought, God, please allow our kids to imitate only what will draw them closer to You. I know they’ll pick up many of our bad habits and attitudes, but by God's grace may we also be able to model for them ways to live that please the Lord.

As my mind turned to our kids, I went back and read vs. 4, For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.” I thought: We need to cement in our kids’ minds that they are loved and chosen by God! We love them, but God's love is perfect; and when our kids feel let down and disappointed by us, they can know that God's love is perfect.

Paul continues talking to the church about the things they watched Paul, and the others with him, go through. Paul lived with the people of the church for a time so they saw how he dealt with struggles, which provided a model for coping with their own struggles. Again, I saw the way this parallels parenthood. We can't hide our struggles from our kids. Even though they may not know the details, they see how we react to stress. As our kids get older and mature, we should be open with them, because they’ll face "adult" decisions and struggles, and by talking to them about how we’re seeking God's direction and wisdom processing through decisions, we can equip them to not be surprised by struggles they’ll face as adults.

Chapter 2:4 says Paul and the others were "men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel." As parents, it’s empowering and humbling to think that we as a couple are approved by God and entrusted to parent our kids and guide them to Christ. In verses 7,8,11,12, Paul says they loved the church so much they enjoyed sharing their lives together. They were gentle as a mother caring for a young child and dealt with them as a father. They encouraged, comforted, and urged the people to live lives worthy of God who calls them.

Then I came to two different verses that I pray can be true about each of our kids.
"We also thank God continually because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe" (1 Thess. 2:13). "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy" (1 Thess. 2:19-20).

Chapter 3 talks about a time when Paul was no longer with the church, but he still cared about their wellbeing and sent Timothy to "strengthen and encourage" them in their faith (vs. 2). This is similar to when our kids are no longer home all the time with us: in sports, school, Sunday school, and youth group. Even though we aren't the only input in our kids’ lives, we still can influence who impacts them and expose them to other kids with a strong faith, so they can learn from others as well.

Paul expresses such intense feelings for the people he is writing to. "How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?" (1Thess. 3:9). This is just the kind of thing we would want to say about our adult children. My husband and I went through a class at church that talked about having a "deparenting plan". A plan as to how we will slowly help our kids become adults so they need less and less of our "parenting" and can rely more and more on their relationship with God to help them make wise decisions. This verse expresses how we will feel to see our kids as growing adults wise and walking with God.

Then I love the last verses in chapter 3 because as a mom, I never want to lose touch with our kids. I never want them to be out of touch with them. Paul had these same feelings for the church when he wrote. "Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you" (1 Thess. 3:10-11).

In closing, Paul's prayer in verse 13 is a prayer I will pray for each one of our kids, "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

We are far from being perfect parents—we scream and lose our minds and screw up—but reading these verses gave me a vision for how it can be as parents of grown children, as well as prayers to pray for God's grace and guidance.

Christian Book Previews - The Team that Jesus Built by Janet Thompson

Here's a great review and summary

Review:

In Janet Thompson’s The Team that Jesus Built, readers are introduced to business management, street smarts, and biblical wisdom. When it comes to women’s ministry and female leadership advice, the market is bursting with brightly lit advertisements guaranteeing answers for any and all problems. Yet, in a world overloaded with frivolous information, there are still people who dare to give advice in a godly, honest way.

Janet Thompson, founder of Saddleback Church’s Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry, has established herself as a qualified author, with a MA in Christian Leadership and an MBA. After authoring numerous books, she now takes a serious look at female leadership and team building. Written for female leaders, Thompson’s The Team that Jesus Built delves into team development, while exposing problems and proposing solutions.

Reminding her readers that any team is always God’s possession and never theirs, Thompson reveals a formula for team development that centers on Jesus’ attitude and strategy in choosing his disciples. By studying Jesus’ interaction with his followers, Thompson teaches that a well-built team never comes from a leader caught up in self glory. Instead, a leader garners team success in displaying strong spirituality and godly motives.

Thompson reaches out to women leaders through personal experience. She shares her struggles and victories as she shows readers how to be successful, godly leaders. Although The Team that Jesus Built seems, at times, categorized and organized to the point of confusion, it’s an essential tool for any woman hoping to lead her team, whether big or small, as Jesus led his. – Angelina Burkholder, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

Book Jacket:

Jesus built strong teams. You can too.

Get His methods, answers, and more for team-building challenges most leaders encounter:

• How do you motivate people to serve selflessly?
• How do you equip people to be new leaders?
• How do you “let go” as a leader?

Through personal observations, step-by-step instructions, and simple how-to applications of Jesus’ leadership principles, The Team That Jesus Built equips laywomen—regardless of church location, denomination, size—to cultivate leadership skills and create teams for the glory of God.

Based on the author’s experience building a women’s ministry at Saddleback Church, under the leadership of pastor Rick Warren (The Purpose-Driven Life), Thompson provides ministry leaders with tools, direction, guidance, and encouragement to build teams that equip leaders to build teams.

Christian Book Previews - The Team that Jesus Built by Janet Thompson

Interview Today with Writer's Voices

Listen live today 11/4 from 1:00-2:00  pm CT for discussion of Dear God, Why Can' I Have a Baby?
http://www.kruufm.com/node/11856 and KRUU LP 100.1FM.

If you miss today's interview it will be rebroadcast at 8:00 am CT Monday 11/7 and available for download or listening both at the kruufm.com archives and as a podcast on http://www.writersvoices.com/

Linda Young will also be interviewed on her book Hope for Familes of Children with Cancer.

If you listen, I would love to hear your comments.