Resources for Christmas Gift-Giving

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I had fun designing my own card, using my niece's art work, adding my own message... Went to VistaPrint and got a great deal on some to send to family and friends this Christmas. Oh, and I designed a wall calendar (more gifts), and got some of those handy magnetic calendars as well (even more gifts!). Even got a free T-shirt and a few other goodies. I'm excited. Now I'm telling friends: Check out VistaPrint!

Ecclesiastes 3:1

I'm excited about my latest creation: A new desktop wallpaper for fall. I just had to take a picture of the simple flower arrangement I threw together with the few bits of color left in the yard. (Yes, in November in California, you may still get a few die-hard Dahlias...)

In any case, I added one of my favorite verses ("To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"), and posted it here. I recommend stopping by that link to view it larger; plus, the photo there is full-size, so you can just click on it to enjoy a quality desktop wallpaper (complete with inspirational Christian verse) to get you in that Autumn kind of mood :)

Goals

I really enjoy Valorie Burton's pointers, sent to my email box on occasion. The latest message was on goals, and one of my goals is to stay organized. Another goal is: Just do it. Don't put it on a list that will never be addressed. Either decide when you can do it, or be honest with yourself that you'll never do it, and don't even bother adding it to a list!

It's kind of a serenity prayer philosophy (God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference). Only it's more like: God grant me the energy to tackle the things I must, inspiration to tackle the things I should, and wisdom to know what not to tackle!

Valorie mentioned some good stuff about goals in her post, like: Actually getting specific about naming a goal. Figuring out why this is a good goal ignites the passion, which helps keep you going. Another thing she mentioned was to define the specific steps to be taken to work towards a goal.

But here's where I go back to my "Nike-Just-Do-It" approach. If I start thinking about it too much, I might just get overwhelmed. I'm thinking of my garden, for example. It was starting to fall apart. (See photo above...) I had a simple goal: Keep the garden from falling apart. I had to consider what it might take to repair the eroded posts on the terraces. I thought of how much it would cost to replace cheap wooden posts with tons of bricks. I was getting bogged down just by the thought of it!

But then I stopped thinking, and just started to do the first thing that would need to be done, regardless of the final approach: I started digging away the dirt around the post and terrace. It was a first step. But it helped my husband to get a vision of how this could be accomplished, and he came to the rescue. He actually finished the whole project, digging giant holes, setting new posts in cement, the whole shot. I moved on to the outer regions of the garden, and found some new areas to attend to. Goal accomplished- Garden has not fallen apart! (Yet.)

Valorie Burton also mentioned having that it's good to share about goals. It does seem that one can almost "speak" it into existence. I almost hear myself saying, "I'm going to do this", which does encourage me to actually do it. Ooo- and I like her advice that we ought to celebrate an accomplishment. Humm, I'm thinking small: Just being able to sit in our back yard with some friends and family, enjoying the fruits (and flowers) of our labors seems like reward enough. But perhaps I should reach for the stars- I'm thinking Yogurt Park. It is a treat. And my husband loves it too- he loves a cheap date. I'm sure he'll help me with some more gardening if the reward doesn't have to be an expensive dinner out on the town :)

In God We Trust!

I'm always "snopesing" around to see if the emails I get are accurate. So of course I had to check into the validity of the one going around again about the coin on the left.

Apparently, it still technically has the "In God We Trust" inscription; it's just been stamped around the rim. My concern is this: Isn't it just a short step from there, to getting rid of it altogether? And it wouldn't be all that easy to read if it's stamped on the rim, would it? Is that the point?

So... are there any in circulation? Someone on the Snopes forum said they had personally distributed hundreds of them, and another person there said they received them as change from their work's vending machines. (Kind of hard to say, "NO!" to a vending machine...)

In any case, I think the email I received is legit. It suggests that we: REFUSE TO ACCEPT NEW COINS!

I guess Teddy Roosevelt had decided that our coins should not have the "In God We Trust" on them, back during his presidency. But that policy didn't last; thankfully, the motto was reinstated. We can do it again. We CAN force these coins out of circulation!

Making Money Being A Stay at Home Mom

My friends at "Christian Work At Home Moms" have produced the following book... pretty cool. And what a great way to be a stay-at-home mom! Check it out: Home-based businesses are estimated to be a $427 billion-a-year industry. In recent studies it was found that as many as 105 million people in North America alone were working at home. Considering this information, it is obvious that home-based businesses can be successful and authors Jill Hart and Diana Ennen will help you succeed with your own. So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom details all the basics of starting a business in a spiritual, motivational, and comprehensive manner. From deciding what type of business to start to keeping your family and faith first, this helpful tool details every aspect of establishing a business. With proven success tips utilized by the authors and others who own work-at-home businesses, this inspiration approach will provide you with the resources you need to start your own home-based business. So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom includes: * Detailed information on types of businesses to start * Ideas and assistance for setting up, operating, and marketing your business * Definitions and descriptions of work-at-home terminology and processes * Help for developing your Website * Explanations of the business nuts and bolts, including bookkeeping, taxes, and more About the Authors JILL HART is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom. Jill has published many articles and is a contributing author in Laundry Tales, The Business Mom Guide Book, I'll Be Home for Christmas, and Faith Deployed. She holds a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies. Learn more about working from home at http://www.cwahm.com/work-at-home/ . DIANA ENNEN has been a leader and mentor in the work-at-home industry since starting her business, Virtual Word Publishing, in 1985. She is the author of many books, including Virtual Assistant the Series; Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and Words from Home: Start, Run, and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business. She resides in Margate, Florida, with her husband and their three children. Below is an interview with the authors of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom – Jill & Diana. If have questions they are happy to answer your questions anytime. Leave a comment below or email Jill@cwahm.com or Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com How long have you been working at home? Jill Hart - I've been working at home since 2000. I had to go back to work full-time for a brief period in 2003 when my husband got out of the Air Force. At that point I got even more serious about making my business work and I've been home full-time since then. Diana Ennen – I’ve been working at home since 1985, when my son was born. He’s now graduated college and already working towards his own career. I absolutely love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. What types of businesses do you operate? Jill Hart – I run Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com, a website full of free resources, job listings and information about home businesses. I also write articles and books (yes, more books to come!) and am a blogger for sites like Time/Warner's Christian Momlogic.com and a member of the Guideposts blogger team Diana Ennen– I’m the President of Virtual Word Publishing. I’m a virtual assistant and specialize in marketing & publicity. I’ve also written numerous books on how to start a VA business and offer PR and VA Coaching. Tell us about your book? How do you think it can benefit those who want to start a business? Jill Hart - The book has been such a "God thing." He orchestrated the entire sequence of events - from putting Diana and I together as co-authors to bringing us to the right publisher. The book is a hands-on practical guide for anyone who wants to build a business from home. We cover topics ranging from how to select the right type of business for you, to how to get started, to how to market and grow your business. Diana Ennen - I think one of the best features of our book is that it’s not only informative, but motivational as well. You’ll feel like friends are helping you on your journey to success. Also, we discuss numerous types of businesses to start and provide proven methods to achieve success. We also often hear how starting a business can be so overwhelming. That’s why we pay special attention to all the how tos. We feel very confident our book will help, not only those starting a business, but those already in business wanting to expand it. What types of businesses are featured in your book? Jill Hart - We have such a great range of contributors - everything from direct sales companies like Southern Living at Home and Avon to unique product-driven businesses like BSM Media and GrillCharms. These woman are amazing and give readers a great insight into how they've grown their businesses in very different ways. Diana Ennen - We cover everything from direct sales companies to specialized areas such as medical transcription and virtual assisting. Also, Jill shares detailed information on starting a community based membership site. We think you’ll get a lot of helpful tips too from such work-at-home powerhouses as Maria Bailey and Lesley Spencer Pyle. Do you have any tips for success for Christian entrepreneurs that you’d like to share? Jill Hart - I think my favorite tip - shared with me by one of our contributors, Tammy Degenhart, almost ten years ago is that working together benefits everyone. She told me, "Jill, what you give to others God brings back tenfold" and I've seen that hold true time and time again. It may not be in financial gains and it may not look like what we expected but God is so faithful in that when we work together there is no competition - it's a win-win situation. Diana Ennen - Do what you believe in and use your own skills and prior experience to find the business that’s just right for you. Research/Research/Research. The more you research, the better your business. Continue to market and be out there. So many once they find a few clients stop marketing. You need to get out there continually. You then become the go to person when someone needs services or products that you offer. What are some of the challenges that you see with those starting or operating a business? Jill Hart – In my experience, I've talked with many women who get frustrated because success doesn't come easily or quickly. Working from home may sound easy, but in reality it can actually be just as hard as working outside the home. There are many unique challenges, especially when working at home while raising children. If women don't prepare themselves, they can become discouraged and disheartened. Diana Ennen– One of the major challenges I see is losing belief in yourself that you can do it. That’s why I think a faith-based book will be so beneficial. Even when times get tough, you can rely on your faith to forge ahead. With the economy, do you believe it’s still a good time to start a business? Why? Jill Hart – I think it's a better time than ever. The internet is so much more widely used than it was even nine years ago when I began my website. If people do their research and find a company that fits them as well as their budget this can be a great time to break into the work-at-home field. Diana Ennen – Absolutely. In fact, I think there’s never been a better time. You might have to work a little harder, but it absolutely can be done. Plus, there are so many businesses who need us more than ever because of the economy. For example, with virtual assistants because businesses are downsizing they are seeking the help of a VA to help on an as needed basis. Your book is written from a Christian perspective? Tell us a little about that and how you feel that makes it so unique? Jill Hart – My faith is central to who I am and therefore central to my business. I began Christian Work at Home Moms because I wanted women to have a safe place where they could discuss not only business things, but also talk about an area that doesn't get talked about a lot in business circles - how our faith affects our businesses. The book is written in a way that doesn't hit anyone over the head with our faith, but it's true to who we are and talks about things from the vantage point that we see life - through the lens of our faith. Diana Ennen – There are so many books out there today on starting a business. However, few have the Christian mom in mind. We provide a lot of scriptures and examples of how you can use your faith to help you. Our hope is that not only will your business thrive, but it might just give a little boost to your faith as well. Learn more about the book at Beacon Hill Press or SoYouWantToBeAWAHM.com.

Why Do Christians Go To Church?

One night, a little while back, I dreamed that I had a reputation of being a fifty-one-year-old "church lady". Oh wait, that wasn't a dream... It's true!

Well, in the dream, I was telling some of my friends about my past, how I used to be a rebel. I used to believe in all kinds of debauchery: Premarital sex, drugs, rock n' roll, drinking, etc. And that's another true part of the dream. I was a wild child of the 70's!

In my dream, people were surprised to hear that I'd ever been anything but a sweet lady with rather wholesome, conservative leanings.

When I woke up, I felt the urgency of admitting my "guilt". Yes, I was "guilty" of promoting values that I've since reevaluated. And it took awhile to reevaluate. Even after escaping some radical teen-age years, I maintained a different kind of rebellion as I became a mother in the 80's. Still avoiding God and His "Do it My way" approach, I figured I would do well enough (or maybe even better) if I just did things my way. I sought answers to my problems in the New Age Movement, in Eastern Philosophies, in Nutritional Approaches (to name a few).

When all my efforts at bettering myself proved futile, I finally turned to God. That was some 13 years ago. With a husband, an 8 year-old, and a 12-year-old in tow, we began our life of church-going. And what keeps us going? Well, from my perspective, I've seen how my way didn't work. And as I look at my sons, who never rebelled quite like I did, I see God's hand of blessing upon them. They've grown into the young men God had designed them to be, and we have enjoyed the process.

We go to church because we meet "family" at church. We stay connected; we're a community. We grow as we learn more about Christ, about loving our neighbors, about loving God. If you don't currently go to church, do consider it. It's not a members-only club; our doors are open!

One Week...

This is a fun thought: "Seven days without God makes one weak". That's about it, hey?