Empowered Christian Single Moms

2011-12-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can hardly believe that the year 2011 is fast coming to an end! Did you accomplish what you set out this year? Did you do what you said you would do? Those New Year's resolutions you made in 2010 for 2011 did you hit the mark?

I can honestly say, NO! I did not reach where I wanted to go in 2011! To further be honest with you, I did not set any significant goals and I sure as heck did not write them down. What about you?

The majority of people wait until New Years Day to start planning for what they want to do for the New Year. However, I am getting a head start for the New Year 2012, so when the New Year rolls in I already know what I need to be doing in order to accomplish my dreams and goals.

NOW is the time to start some serious planning, strategic planning! People make New Year's resolutions every year; however, by the end of January or March, all the excitement and momentum as long sense died out! To ensure that this does not happen to you and I, we really must take the time to pray and spend quiet, quality time with God. He knows what you need and what you are suppose to get done in 2012.

God says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

We really need to take time also to get to know ourselves, the gifts, talents, abilities, and creativity that God placed on the inside of our hearts. It's time to wake up those dreams and goals that has been lying dormant due to perhaps frustration, disappointment, and lack of support, encouragement, inspiration, and motivation. It's time to go back and pick up your dreams and take action toward making them come to pass with the help of God and supportive people.

Start thinking about what it is that you feel deep inside your heart that God is calling you to do. Pray and ask Him to give you His vision, goals, and plans for your life so that you can write it down, read it, and run with it! "Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it" (Habakkuk 2:2).

When setting your goals for 2012 and in the years to come, keep these S.M.A.R.T. things in mind as set your goals and create your plan of action:

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Relevant
T - Time Specific

A Specific goal is so clear and concise that there is no room for doubt as to where you're going.

A Measurable goal has a number associated with it that can be tracked.

An Attainable goal is one that you are either equipped to accomplish now or will be equipped to accomplish in the foreseeable future.

A Relevant goal is one that truly means something to you right now and that supports your vision.

A Time Specific goal is tied to an actual time period and feels like a deadline.

Your goals need to be based on things that deeply matter to you and are in line with your deeply held values. This will help to keep you motivated, inspired, and focused.

**Keep these Scriptures in mind during your time of preparing your goals for 2012:

**During your time of preparation for the New Year, here are some Scriptures to keep in mind:

**Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).

**Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it (Habakkuk 2:2).

**My people are destroyed or lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

**Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

**I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye (Psalms 32:8)

Create Balance in Your Life

2011-10-20T16:52:00.000-04:00

As women (wives, mothers, single moms, and entrepreneurs, etc.), we have a tendency to take care of the needs of our families, clients, customers, and friends, and we neglect to exercise self-care. We are so busy doing every thing for other people that we sometimes lose touch with who we are, our desires, dreams, and goals take a back seat for so long we forget about them. We stop pursing the things that bring us joy and fulfillment. This can put stress on your relationships with your family and friends.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with caring for others and doing things for others. These are definitely things we need to do. However, it becomes a problem when we do not take the time to take care of ourselves. You are just as important as those you care for and do things for. When is the last time you did something for yourself just for the pure joy and fulfillment it gives you? When is the last time you read a good book? When is the last time you went out to dinner with some of your closest friends? When is the last time you went and got your hair done at the hair salon or got a manicure and pedicure? When is the last time you took a bubble bath while listening to your favorite music? When is the last time you danced just for the pure fun of it, whether you could dance or not? When is the last time you did something for the first time? When you honestly answer those questions, you will probably see how much you have been neglecting your own needs and just how out of balance your life really has been.

Take time today and reconnect to the things that bring you joy, happiness, and fulfillment. There are many simple and fun things in life that you could do that would not require money or very little money for you to do so just do them! Take a look at the balance wheel and begin to reconnect with the things that add genuine meaning and fulfillment to your life. The bottom line is this: when we, as women, especially single mothers, exercise self-care, we actually become better moms, wives, and business women, because we are happy with ourselves, and the added bonus is that we are modeling an important life lesson for our children. We are teaching them to never give up on themselves or their dreams and goals, care for others, and learn to nurture themselves as well. We are modeling and teaching them how to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle!

God Wants You to Live in Freedom

2011-01-26T12:53:00.002-05:00

God never goes against our will; therefore, you and I must intentionally and deliberately choose the will of God. In other words, we must want or desire to be free from whatever the enemy has caused us to be bound or held captive to. It could be impulsive shopping, credit care abuse, sexual immorality, infidelity, pornography, bad habits of procrastination, fear, worry, etc. these are bondages that God wants us free and delivered from so that we can enjoy the freedom Jesus Christ died for us to have.

You and I must relentlessly resist any thing or any person that would hinder or separate us from the God of our salvation. He does not want us entangled to the yoke of bondage. If we are bound to any thing other than God, it will prevent us from becoming the person God created us to be and also keep us from the will of God for our individual lives.

There are so many of God’s children living in quiet desperation bound by addictions, depression, anxiety, negative thought patterns, and simply accepting these things. They have been deceived by Satan’s lies telling them “This is who I am,” “I just can’t help myself; I’ve always been like this,” “This is just the way I am.” The devil is a big fat liar! STOP! Listening to the lies of the enemy. If you are born again, Jesus is your Lord and Savior and that means you are NOW a new creation in Christ Jesus, the old you is dead and gone! (Read 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21).

Walk in the newness of life that Jesus Christ gave you when He died on the cross for your sins! Jesus took all your pain and suffering including every form of addiction and fear and every else in between; you are free, NOW! Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death; accept your liberation (freedom) by faith. God’s ultimate best for you is for you to live in freedom through His Son Jesus Christ; however, you have to believe it, receive it, and accept His gift of freedom to you!

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Renewing your mind is vitally important and necessary to your walking in freedom. God wants to transform you and your life, and the way that you live, and the way that you think. In other words, God wants to change you from the inside out. The caterpillar goes through a transformation or metamorphosis before it becomes a uniquely beautiful butterfly.

We, too, go through a similar process in our spiritual growth and development and our relationship with God. This transformation, however, can only happen through reading, studying, memorizing, confessing, and speaking the Word of God over our situations and us. It is through the Word of God that we can live in freedom from Satan and all the things that he tries to hold us in captivity to. Because Jesus is our Deliverer, we do not have to tolerate any form of bondage or captivity to anything or anyone!

Nothing and no one is to dominate and control any aspects of our lives. Our lives are to be controlled by God and Him alone. God wants you to live in freedom. Freedom starts with you and I are open and honest with God and with ourselves about the bondage that we’re in by confessing it as sin to God in prayer and asking God to help us and to deliver us from the addictions, depression, bad habits, sexual immorality, whatever “it” is that we are held captive to in our lives. This is the first step I believe to walking in liberty and as mentioned previously renewing your mind to God’s Word would be the next step.

Renewing the mind is not just a one-time event. This has to become a lifestyle until God calls us home! Daily renewing our minds will help us not only to grow and develop spiritually and closer to God, but it will help us to maintain our healing, deliverance, and freedom. Satan will always attempt to take us captive to sin and destruction and away from God, but God wants us to have and live an abundant life and draw us closer to Him and transform us to look and act like Jesus every day! Accept the gift of God’s freedom because He wants you to live in freedom!

Happy Thanksgiving - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

2010-11-23T12:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!

Just a short reminder that we all for something and so much to give God thanksgiving for in our lives! It does not matter what the economy or government is doing or not doing. It does not matter whether we are financially fat or thin. It does not even matter what we have or do not have.

What matters is that God is an awesome God; He’s a good God; He’s a merciful God; He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords! And as big and awesome as the God the universe is and all that it contains, He loves every one of us with an everlasting love! He thinks about us all time, protects us and our families, perfects everything that concerns us, and fights your battle in the seen and unseen world! He is ALWAYS worthy of our praise and worship and thanksgiving!

During this holiday season, remember to give thanks to the Lord of the harvest! He is worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving no matter what’s going on in our lives. Take time to sit down and write out a memorial of thanksgiving to God and offer it up as a prayer of thanksgiving by reading out loud to the God of god! Remember, “In EVERYTHING give thanks for this is the will of god in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Yvonne Carson

Mom, Do You Want More Me Time?

2010-04-26T13:28:00.000-04:00

By Aurelia Williams, author of Journey to Joy

Let’s see. You did the laundry, dropped the boys off at Karate and the girls at dance class, stopped at the grocery store for a few last minute dinner items...What’s missing? As you were taking care of everyone else all day long, did you remember to take care of yourself?

I know it can be hard to carve out space for you, since being a mom is a full time job, but taking care of yourself helps you have the strength and energy to keep taking care of everyone else, from your children to the snake your son left in the pocket of his dirty jeans. It's all part of what I teach my Journey to Joy students. It IS possible to find the time to get what you need done.

If trying to squeeze out a few more hours a day just for you seems impossible, why not try one of these ideas:

1. Don’t be afraid to start small. It’s better for you to take five minutes to read the funny pages or your favorite inspirational poem than it is to not take any time at all for you.

2. Get up twenty or thirty minutes earlier than usual and spend some time doing something you enjoy, such as reading the paper while you sip your coffee or meditating. By the time the children wake up, you will be ready to start your busy day.

3. Talk to the other moms at your children’s classes and find out if any of them live nearby. See if several of them are interested in forming a carpool, so you don’t have to make every trip to drop off and pick up the kids.

4. Find another mom who has children that get along well with your kids. Alternate babysitting services with her, so that you each have a few hours of free time every week to go to the gym or get your hair done. Don’t be tempted to do chores instead. You need this time for you and you won’t feel very rested and refreshed if you pick up the dry cleaning, do the grocery shopping, and run the car through the car wash instead of relaxing.

5. Delegate evening chores like setting the table, washing the dishes, and packing the next day’s lunch. If everyone does ten or fifteen minutes of work, you will have enough free time to soak in the tub or read a chapter of the newest best seller.

6. If you cook all of your family’s evening meals and always pack lunch for your children, don’t be afraid to give yourself a break once a week. Pizza every night may be unhealthy, but an occasional slice isn’t too unhealthy for the kids. Eating the occasional school lunch can actually be a fun treat for children, even if it doesn’t taste that great.

Finally, make sure your family realizes the importance of letting you find some time for yourself. Speak with your children about respecting your quiet time, whenever and however you manage to fit it into your day.

Next Steps:

For more help, instantly access your Journey To Joy tools, for more time a happier and more fulfilled life. This inspiring eBook with accompanying audio recordings, worksheets and easy-to-apply action steps shows you how to squeeze more time and happiness into every single day.

An Easy Way to Get Blogging & Earning with Your Recipes

2010-04-25T17:28:00.000-04:00

Having a Web log, or ”Blogging” as it’s more commonly called, is a great way to share information with others in a public forum, by posting comments on a (often free) website.

Blogs are easy to build; even a novice can set one up in just an hour or less. With free applications like Google’s “Blogger” (blogger.com) or the easy to use Wordpress (Wordress.com), a simple blog can be put together that will highlight your thoughts and images. By setting it up with a clean format and using the latest templates, this increases the blog’s appeal and it can be updated as often as you wish.

One fun and profitable way to blog is by starting a recipe blog (and there’s plenty of information on the topic in this Just Add Sweat guide). A recipe blog is where you can post your favorite family recipes, restaurant secrets or other popular “dishes” about the world of cooking. It’s perfect for people who have tried recipes and thought they could do better. Or those who have sampled restaurant cooking and found a favorite they’d like to share. If cooking is your passion, blogging about it is a wonderful way to get more information out there about this interest. It’s also a great way to tell others about new products available in the world of cooking.

A recipe blog can also offer the opportunity for an entrepreneur to build a home based business. How? By offering for sale cooking products, popular recipes, cook books and other tools that the budding chefs of the world would like. In this way, a blogger can build a nice residual income to support their cooking habit.

Popular blogs that earn a substantial amount of website traffic can earn even more revenue. Through the power of using web traffic tracking tools, a blogger can earn ad revenue or earn commissions by recommending product from other companies. Successful bloggers can even sell their blogs to others and earn an income from developing popular topics into highly trafficked websites.

With a little bit of time and a lot of creativity, a recipe blogger can create an income working from home.

Recommended Additional Resource:

To learn exactly how to set up your blog and how to create a recipe blog that people love, talk about and come back to, grab Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Recipe Blog. You’ll also learn how to get traffic to your blog and make money doing something you enjoy.

Ladies, Starting a Home-Based Service Business? Heed These 5 Important Tips

2010-04-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

So you’ve been thinking of starting a business from home. You’ve got some skills, don’t have a lot of space for inventory, so you figure it might be a good idea to start a service business. In fact, it’s a GREAT idea – you just have to be prepared to get your business off the ground and balance all the work/life responsibilities that are on your plate.

This article is going to provide you with easy-to-follow tips to do just that, but first, if you still don’t know what type of service business to start, here are a few popular suggestions:

Ghostwriting for the Internet: Write articles, reports and other information for online business owners.

Transcription Business: Create written records of audio recordings, meetings and more.

Virtual Assistant Business: Provide administrative support, secretarial services and more for other companies.

It doesn’t matter what type of service business you start, there will be some challenges along the way. Here are some tips help you as you go along:

1. First and foremost, set your working hours and ensure everyone in your household is aware of them and respects them. If you happen to be a mother or have other interruptions during the day, there’s nothing wrong with setting aside smaller chunks of time where you’ll be working. This isn’t the “real world” work setting anymore – it’s better. You work at home and you can decide when you work.

2. As a service business, you have two very important roles. One of those roles is to provide service for your clients. The other is to FIND those clients and the time involved in this is something many service-providers don’t take into account. Ensure you have enough time for providing services and the marketing tasks for your business – or hire some help to make the most efficient use of your time.

3. Charge a fair and rewarding rate. Even if you charge your clients for each hour you work for them, there are many tasks (administrative, marketing, etc.) that you don’t get paid for. To set a rate that is worthwhile to you, you need to decide what type of overall income you desire and figure out how many hours total (all business activities) you want to be working. If you find you can’t charge a rate that is worthwhile, consider another business idea or target a specific type clientele that is willing to pay the rates you charge.

4. Be choosy about your clients. It can be tempting to simply take on any clients because you may need the cash. Unfortunately, bad clients can drain your time, suck up your energy and end up being more work than they’re worth. Resist the temptation to just take any clients because your business will be more fruitful in the long run if you work with easy-to-manage, low-maintenance clients.

5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you find yourself taking on more clients than you can handle to earn more money, revisit tip #3 above. You may be concerned about giving your clients a good deal, but they actually suffer when you can’t provide the quality service they deserve. Instead aim for fewer clients, charge more and give them stellar service.

If you keep these things in mind, your transition to a work-at-home service provider will go much more smoothly. It’s not always easy and when you’re first starting out, it can be tough to find that balance and a schedule that you can work with. But stick with it and keep refining your process and you’ll find yourself owning a very rewarding business that you absolutely love.

Recommended

To get more at home business ideas, be sure to visit Just Add Sweat - they’re your source for step-by-step guides for starting your very own home-based business. You’ll find the guidance you need to get your business off the ground, find real-life success stories from women just like you and more.

Click here to go to Just Add Sweat

Being A Blog Consultant Is A Great Specialty For A Skilled VA

2010-04-05T16:10:00.000-04:00

If you have been online for any length of time you’ve been exposed to a blog in one way or another. In fact you’re probably using one yourself and understand the importance of a small business utilizing a blog for several reasons such as increasing traffic, building a relationship with your readers, etc.

Not all people are as fortunate as those of us that know the importance of blogging. Speaking on a local level if you’ve ever had a conversation with a small business owner who has a brick and mortar business you have probably come to the conclusion that some of them don’t even know what a blog is!

That’s where a Virtual Assistant who loves Wordpress, has a creative side and doesn’t mind working mostly behind the scenes can utilize their services by becoming a blog consultant. Then you can start evangelizing to small business owners in your local community not only the importance of blogging but the truth – blogging is smart for business.

So exactly what is a blog consultant?

It’s someone passionate about blogging. They love blogging in general but more importantly they understand the importance of blogging for small business owners and want to share that understanding with small business owners especially on the local level.

So if you’re that VA mentioned above and are passionate about blogging and want to share that passion with others then be sure to check out Become A Blog Consultant. If you’re not a VA that’s ok too, this course was created for anyone who has a passion for blogging and wants to share it with local small business owners.

Be sure to visit our site where you can watch a quick two minute video and see a real life client example and sign up for a 16 minute audio that will help you decide if this is for you.

Identity

2010-02-13T08:17:00.002-05:00

Identity is not found in designer labels
Identity is not found in who or where you came from
Identity is not in the number of degrees or awards you earn
Identity is not in the schools you attended
Identity is not found in how much money you make
Identity is not found in your special mate
Identity is not found in your own self-worth
Identity is not found in the nice house you live in

Identity is not based on your gifts, talents, and abilities
Identity is not based on what you have or don’t have
Identity is not based on the job title you have
Identity is not based on the famous people you know

Identity can only be found through God
For He is the One who said, “Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26, NKJV)
So to know who YOU are, you must first know who HE (God) is!

By Yvonne Carson
Copyright 2010 Carson Christian Faith Publications

Dare to Dream Big!

2010-01-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

Dare to dream big dreams! If you lost or given up on your dreams, start to dream again! Pick it back up! If you don’t have a dream, pray and ask God to give you a dream and to ignite it in your heart. Then, go for it! The time is now! Don’t wait until tomorrow; tomorrow is not promised to any one of us. The only time you really have is this moment called today.

God has given each one of us a purpose for our lives. You may not know what your purpose is and here lies the frustration you feel. You feel out of place, sometimes confused and lost. You ask why am I here? Why was I born? God’s not hiding His purpose for your life. He is waiting for you to seek Him with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. In verse 13, God promises that when you seek Him wholeheartedly, you will find Him, and when you find God you find your purpose for living.

You and I were created on purpose, with purpose, and for purpose. We were created to do awesome things to impact the world, which is our sphere of influence. These “good works” are already inside of us. It is our responsibility to discover who we are and what we were created or designed to do. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV).

Here are some self-awareness questions you need to ask yourself. These questions will help you to identify or discover your passions. Whatever you are passionate about is connected to your purpose in some way. Take whatever time you need to answer these questions. Ask God to help you to discover your purpose and destiny that He Himself placed inside of you before the foundation of the world.

Questions to Ask to Identify Your Passions

1. What are some things that inspire you?
2. What is important to you?
3. What do you care about?
4. What do you enjoy doing?
5. What do you need to have in your life to make it meaningful?
6. What things mean the most to you?
7. What are you good at doing?
8. What are your gifts?
9. What are your talents
10. What skills do you enjoy using?
11. If money and time was not an issue, what would you do?

Determine to live 2010 and beyond with purpose. Never settle for less than God best for your life! I guarantee you that it is big. How do I know that you be wondering? I know this because God is a big God who cannot be contained, and if you are a child of God, He lives inside of you! The problem is we try to contain him or box Him in with our small dreams and our small thinking. Let bad habit that we leave behind us.

Determine not to bring this attitude into our new beginning – 2010! If we keep on doing the same dysfunctional, unproductive things of 2009 and the years prior to that, we will continue to get the same results. And that is truly the definition of insanity!

So, dare to dream BIG dream! Dare to stay committed to achieving your dreams no matter what! And let your declaration be “No small dreams here!” “If it’s going to be it’s up to me.”

6 Surefire Ways to Jumpstart 2010

2009-12-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

I believe one of the pieces to laying a solid foundation for success can be summed in one word – BALANCE! If you lean too much to just the money side of achieving your dreams or goals, you may find getting or arriving at the top of your field or business lonely. If you place too much emphasis on getting ahead and working endless hours, you may wake up one day to the harsh reality that you have no meaningful friendships or significant person in your life to love.

The best way to guard against these possible scenarios or others like them is to devise goals that include key areas of your life that are based upon your core values. For example, as a Christian woman, my values are (1) God first (2) family second (3) ministry or business, etc is third on my hierarchy of priorities; it is different for everyone.

There are six areas I believe will set a strong foundation from which to build as you pursue your goals for 2010 and beyond. They are (1) Faith (2) Family (3) Fitness (4) Finances (5) Friends and (6) Fun.

1. Faith. It is important to build yourself up spiritually and stay connected to God through prayer, praise, and worship, reading the Bible, and study Scripture. Doing these things every day consistently will help you be in tune for divine guidance, instruction, and direction for your family, health, business, etc.

2. Family. Family is one of the most important relationships you can have in life! If your home is not in order or falling apart, it will have a negative impact on every thing you do including our business. You may have the most wonderful wife or husband and children in the world, but if they are not nurtured and made to feel important, you jeopardize losing them. Devise a family mission statement and stick with. This will help you see when you are getting of course or imbalanced.

3. Fitness. We live in such a fast-paced society that we often do not the care of our physical health. The fact is you cannot neglect your physical health and expect to accomplish your dream and goals. A sick or diseased body will limit how we pursue your dreams and goals – energetically or sluggishly; sharp thinker or dull thinker, etc. The best remedies for this is plan and execute a regular exercise regimen and eat more healthy foods. Being emotionally healthy is just as important as physical health. Exercise your brain by reading inspiring and encouraging books, listen to tapes. Develop a personal development regimen.

4. Finance. Become a good steward of the financial blessings that come into your life through running your own business or as an employee. No where your money is going. Set goals of how much income you want to generate, save, donate, and invest. Guard against greed! Develop a healthy attitude and relationship with money. It’s only a tool and when used properly can benefit and bless you, your family and those around you.

5. Friends. Next to having strong family connections friends are the second most important relationships in your life, and they need to be honored and nurtured as well. When others, including your family, fail to understand you sometimes, a close, trusting friend can really help keep you well grounded! You may only have one or two close friends, but that is more than most people have. So, hold onto them and do not work too much at pursuing your dreams and goals that you neglect your friends!

6. Fun. The old adage, “All work and no play makes a Jack a dull” still rings true today! It is so important to laugh and have fun, go places and do fun things! Have fun just for the sake of having fun!! It is a big stress reliever and is good for your overall health. It is not a healthy practice to work 18 hours or more 7 days a week! Take time to nurture yourself; it will rejuvenate you!

Doing these things will ensure a strong foundation of balance in your life so that you can build strong, healthy relationships while you pursue your dreams and goals. Happy New Year!

Teaching your teenager how to pray

2009-12-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

Teaching your teenager or other teenager to pray will be most effective when it’s relevant to them. This means you need to know the various issue or problems that are unique experienced by teenagers. You cannot go on your teenage experiences alone. Teens today are expose to so much more than we ever had to go through.

So issues/problems teenagers face:

· Sex
· Drugs/Alcohol
· Peer Pressure
· Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional)
· Family Issues
· Rejection
· Low Self-Esteem, etc.

Teaching Teens to Pray:

Always use the Lord’s Prayer as the model for prayer – (Matthew 6:9-13):

1. Keep it simple
2. Keep it biblical
3. Keep it relevant
4. Communicate with your teen often
5. Actively Listen to your teenager (What’s being said/not said)
6. Point them to Scripture addressing their issue/problem
7. Teach them how to turn that Scripture into a prayer
8. Teach them how to use a concordance
9. Encourage them to keep a prayer journal
10. Be Empathetic

All things are possible with God

2009-12-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

I just want you all to know that I really appreciate you! and wanted to send a word of encouragement to all the members who have so graciously decided to become a part of this online community of believers.

I pray that whatever your dreams and desires and goals that did not come to pass in 2009 will manifest in 2010, for ALL things are possible to those who believe and nothing is impossible with God on your side. The Scriptures tells us "If God be for us who can be against us?"

Bible Promise: "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).

Personal Declaration: (make it personal; see yourself in the Scripture): Nothing is too hard for my Father in heaven. He can fix anything. The truth is, He can do anything but fail! I put my faith in Him, not in myself or in any other human being, not in vain philosophies, or any system of this earth.

My God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all I can ask or think or imagine! He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (present everywhere). He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and He love me!!

I join my faith to His power, realizing that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Through the power of His Spirit, I am more than a conqueror!!!

Proposed Mastectomy Law Change

2009-12-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

I received this email this morning; please pass it on to ALL the women in your life!

Proposed Mastectomy Law Change

(written by a surgeon) ;

I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they
had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember
begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to
hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance
companies.

So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of
themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was
saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than
the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove
cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a
mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain
afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an
outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly
in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress now. It takes 2 seconds to do this and
is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick! The
Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill is important legislation for all
women.

Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices
and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're
receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go
to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the
same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance
companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients
undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through
mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after
surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from
anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to
show your support.. Last year over half the House signed on. PLEASE!
Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give
more than your name and zip code number.

http://www.mylifetime.com/community/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer/petition/breast-cancer-petition

Simple Truths of Perserverance

2009-12-08T14:12:00.001-05:00

The Best Way Out is Through movie is a wonderful dose of inspiration to get through tough times. Take a few minutes to enjoy this timely message of perseverance for today's tough times that will encourage others and inspire them to reach for a successful new year!

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved" ~Helen Keller, first deaf blind person to earn a college degree.

Internet Marketing for Stay-At-Home Moms

2009-11-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

As the New Year quickly, approaches, it's time to seriously explore home-based businesses that you can start at home to start the New Year off with your dream and visions planned out!

I will bring home-based business ideas throughout the reminding weeks. Hopefully, you will be able to find something that ignites your passion and revive your lost dreams of having your own business from the comforts of your own home!

If there is something you want me to explore and provide information about on any topic business or family, please fill out the box asking for ideas about topics on the right-hand side of this website.

Learn the secrets to juggling your job as a full-time mom and running your own successful business online. Over three hours of audio included! Click the banner for more detailed information.

eBay- Hobby or Business?

2009-10-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

eBay is a great way to get bring in extra money. You can start slowly
by selling a few items you have been meaning to get rid off and grow
until eventually you're buying and selling items in bulk through your
own eBay store!

There certainly are no limits to how much money you can make on eBay it
all comes down to how much you want to get out of it - if you treat it
as a hobby then, well you'll make pocket money. If you treat it like a
business and think big - then you'll be an entrepreneur on your way to
success.

If you haven't yet sold an item on eBay, have no fear it isn't too
difficult to set up your own auction. eBay themselves have a whole
section with tips for making the most out of your auctions. As
mentioned, start small with a few items and grow from there. One thing
to keep in mind is that feedback is extremely important on eBay.

You want to make sure you have a positive interaction with all your buyers
and that your feedback is spotless. The best way to ensure good
feedback is to make sure you describe your items as accurately as
possible so there are no misunderstandings (if something has a scratch
then say so), contact the buyer right away after an auction, ship the
items promptly taking all the necessary precautions and you're
courteous and provide feedback. It's not rocket science but merely good
customer service skills.

Always go beyond what's expected and people
will recognize that. Once you're ready to go BIG with eBay you can
think about drop shipping (this is where you don't hold or ship any
stock and a third party provider provides and ships the goods for you
for a percentage fee). You'll need to do your homework before you try
drop shipping as there are some unfortunate scams out there. You can
also think of opening your own eBay store and really expanding. The
possibilities with eBay are endless it's simply up to you whether you
treat eBay as a hobby or really commit to building a full-time income
around it.

To learn how to make it BIG with eBay, visit http://www.MomsTalkBiz.com/make-money-ebay.html

Three Tips to Help Bring Traffic to Your Site

2009-10-21T13:53:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest problems internet marketers face is getting traffic. So many people believe the myth 'if you build it they will come'. Believe me, that's far from the truth!

Here are three tips to help bring traffic to your site:

1. Article marketing. This is one of the easiest ways to generate traffic to your site. Not only will you generate traffic writing articles is a great way to distinguish yourself as an expert in your niche.

If you aren't a great writer, don't have the time to write or just simply don't want to do it you can hire a ghostwriter to do it for you. And of course there is always PLR (private label rights) as well.

2. Forum Marketing. Also known as message boards. This is another useful tactic in generating traffic to your site. Make sure you are joining forums that are relevant to your niche and where your target market is likely to be hanging out.

Don't join a forum and immediately post a 'sales pitch'. In fact before you even post a link sharing about your services or product you should become 'known' around the forum. It's all about building relationships first!

3. Video Traffic. The idea of creating a video can be a bit scary but you need to step out of your comfort zone and create a compelling video that will be beneficial to your target audience. Make something that is going to grab people's attention and keep them interested and end with a call to action. Don't forget to put a link to your website in the video where people can see it clearly.

Those are only three tips to get you started on bringing more traffic to your site. If you would like 98 more tips and a deeper explanation of the tips listed above pick up your copy of
Moms Talk Biz Guide to Traffic Tips - 101 Smart and Easy Web Traffic Strategies.

How to Start a Santa Letter Business

2009-10-21T13:49:00.000-04:00

If you like spreading Holiday joy and the mere thought of making a child smile and their eyes light up with a personalized Santa letter then this could be the perfect business for you. And what a fun one at that! A Santa Letter Business can be something that you do only around the Holidays to bring a little extra cash in or it can be a year round business. Whether you decide to do it only around the Holidays or year round it can be profitable if you know what you are doing.

Of course running a business takes hard work too. You’ll need to be prepared for the Holiday season and the orders that will come in. You will need to make sure that you are stocked up on postage, leave yourself enough time to get the letters mailed so that they reach their destination on time. Remember these letters are coming from the North Pole after
all;-)

First before you start thinking about taking orders for the letters you need to think about the business aspect of things. You will need to appear as professional as possible and follow some basic business principles like having a business checking account. It’s a good idea to have a website to promote your business too. These are all things you will need to think about.

Maybe the thought of doing this year round has you questioning how that’s possible. After all Santa letters are only going to be in ‘season’ for a few short months. Believe it or not there are many options for this business.

If you are interested in taking your Santa Letter business a step further and turning it into a year round business pick up your copy of Mom’s Talk Biz Guide to Starting Your Own Santa Letter Business . It provides tips on how to make it a full-time business. The guide also provides pointers such as the skills to get your business off the ground, tools and materials needed, how to get a North Pole postmark, marketing to your local area as well as some basic business tips such as whether or not you need to register your Santa Letter business and tax deductions and tips.

Family Time - The Glue That Holds Families Together

2009-10-13T12:16:00.000-04:00

By Aurelia Williams, author of Finding More Family Time

With our busy life styles, finding family time can be hard. Most homes these days are two income homes. Kids are booked with activities from school to church to sports. The older the children are, the harder it seems to schedule family time with everyone in one place.

Family time is an important bonding time. It helps parents stay in touch with what is going on in their kid’s lives. It helps the children bond with each other and their parents. It is a significant element in families that is often pushed off to another time.

What qualifies as family time is up to your family (and I have plenty of tips for you in my Finding More Family Time guide). Not every family can enjoy a trip to Disney or fancy resort. While these are great getaways for the family, they are not the only way to enjoy time with your family. Look for opportunities for everyday family times.

Something as simple as a family dinner is great family time. Though it is often hard to schedule, do this as often as possible. If only a few times a week, it is a great time to gather your children around the table and talk about their day, what is on their minds or things that are happening in their lives or yours.

Even if only one parent can be present, show the children that you care enough to share a meal with them. A bucket of chicken with the fixings, shared together at the picnic table in the backyard, is a great family time.

Find a hobby that parents and children all enjoy. It can be stamp collect or roller hockey, just something that you all enjoy doing. You can find a new activity or enjoy an older love that you haven’t found the time to enjoy lately. The point is to share that time with family. It can be a hobby that is done at home or one that gets you all out of the house together.

Start walking or working out together with your kids. Most parents have goals of getting fitter. This may include walking, running or working out at the gym. Make this a family activity. Walking and hiking are great activities for the family to enjoy together. It is a great time to talk to your children while you are hiking along. It has the side benefit of sharing and teaching the kids about living healthy as well.

Institute a family fun night. A night at home watching movies, solving puzzles or playing board games is a great time for all family members. Let the kids take turns picking out the games or movies each week. Kids really enjoy these activities and doing them with Mom and Dad is even more fun.

You can turn any activity into family time, if it involves family members. Make a shopping trip a fun family time adventure. Get the kids involved. These can be bonding experiences for everyone. Show kids that you are interested in them and who they are becoming.

Need More Help?

Find even more family ideas in the Real Life Guidance to Finding More Family Time. This practical guide will show you how to set reasonable expectations for all family members, balance work and life, get organized and more. Click here for more info.

Ardyss International Business Opportunity

2009-10-08T19:55:00.002-04:00

This is an AWESOME company!! Before you invest, investigate and pray about it!! Ardyss International is changing peoples live!! Consider joining my team and let's go to the next level and help as many people as we can at the same time! This is a GREAT opportunity for men as well. Check out the video about the organization and also visit my websites:

http://www.ArdyssLife.com/yvonnecarson

http://www.drop3sizes.com/yvonnecarson

Thank you for taking the time to look at what I have to offer. This business may not be what you are looking for. Do me a favor. If you know of anyone who may be interested in this opportunity and/or the products, would you pass on my website information? I appreciate it so much. God bless you!

Speaking through Failure

2009-10-07T15:54:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 21:4

Probably the most painful and least desired ways that God gets our attention is through failure. After all, nobody likes to fail. However, this is often the best way for God to get through to us.

Pride is something that can absolutely block your communication with God. It is one of the few things that Scripture clearly says the Lord hates (Prov. 6:16-17; 8:13; 16:5). So, if there is pride in your life, God knows exactly what you need: a good dose of failure.

And that is what happened to Israel in Joshua 7. The new nation had just won a mighty victory in Jericho and, as a result, had become rather prideful. Considering themselves invulnerable after taking such a powerful city, they allowed faithlessness and disobedience to creep into their attitudes.

In arrogance, Israel ignored God's battle plan for the little city of Ai--the soldiers were certain that they could take the small town on their own. But they were wrong. God denied them this victory, and the few men of Ai drove them back in a humiliating defeat.

God had blessed Israel with a shocking victory over Jericho, but He now needed to get their attention in another way. And you can be sure that God still speaks to us through failure when it becomes necessary.

If failure today can lead to great success tomorrow, isn't the setback worth it? When unexpected failure occurs, be sure to check your response. Don't just say, "Well, I blew it." Instead, agree with God that "I messed up pretty badly." But then ask, "Lord, what are You trying to tell me in this?"

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit http://www.intouch.org/ and click here to listen to Dr. Stanley at http://www.oneplace.com/.

Paying for the Holidays

2009-10-07T07:15:00.000-04:00

In the Stress Free Holiday Entertaining e-book and in a previous blog post, author Sandra Jensen mentions the importance of establishing your Holiday budget. This has always been important, but with this year's economy, Sandra says she can't emphasize this enough!

In an unstable economy, it is dangerous and foolish to acquire debt. Especially now we should be managing our incomes as carefully as we can, and we should be saving for emergencies.

If these things concern you, or if you spent too much money on Christmas last year and don't want that burden hanging over your head again next year, now is the time to change that!

*Plan where and how you'll celebrate the Holidays

*Determine to pay your November, December and January bills on time.

*Make your menus and grocery lists.

*Make your gift lists.

*Be realistic with how many people you can bless.

*Be realistic as to how much you'll spend on each gift.

*Announce to your family and friends any changes you're making this year.

*NEVER go into debt for gifts!

Be thoughtful and get creative with your gift-giving:

*Shop for bargains.

*Shop e-bay and other on-line discount places.

*Try making some of your own gifts.

*Give coupons for gifts of your time or talents.

*Remember, and teach your children the true meaning of Christmas.

*Practice selflessness, and stop selfishness.

Thanksgiving should be a great time of reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for!

Christmas should be a beautiful time of remembering the gift God gave us, His Son, Jesus Christ.

New Year's should be a fun time of recalling triumphs of last year, and making plans for the new year.

These should be happy, peaceful times, not stressful or dreaded. The burden of debt is a real joy-stealer. Decide now not to let debt rob you of your Holiday joy!

Sandra Jensen makes family meal time a priority and enjoys putting homecooked food on the table even when budgets and schedules are tight. Be sure to pick up Sandra's newest ebook Stress Free Holiday Entertaining where she'll provide you with tips and tricks to help you breeze through the Holidays and enjoy your friends and family for once.

Ask For & Go For What You Want

2009-10-05T19:19:00.000-04:00

By Aurelia Williams, Certified Life Coach

Do you think that brand new laptop that you saw at Circuit city will just magically appear in your home, or what about those projects that you know you need to start, do you think they will start themselves? Hey, what about that quiet time that you really need? Do you think your children will magically disappear for a few hours after drawing you a nice hot bubble bath? Heck No!

So, think to yourself. What is on your wish list (this is something I ask all my coaching clients)? Is it starting your own business, have a monthly date night with your significant other, have some quality time to yourself? Also ask yourself, Have I kept this wish list to myself? Please tell me that you are not waiting for your friends, loved ones, coworker or those you network with to read your mind and then hand deliver what you are secretly wishing for.

At times we may keep our mouths closed and not ask for what we want out of fear of rejection or fear of seeming pushy or needy. For most women, just the thought of asking other for help or for a favor is enough to keep their mouths shut and their dreams far a way!

In order to ask for and go after what you want, it is important to get clear about what you want and be able to describe it in detail.. Once you know what you want, be totally willing to ask for it whenever you get the chance. This holds true in your business and personal relationships.

It is important to learn that is okay for someone to say “No”. It is also important to learn that it is ok for any given situation to not turn out the way you hoped it to go. Failure and/or rejections do not have to be the final word, actually it can be the opening for further negotiation. Take time to reflect on what happened. Were you specific about what you wanted? Did you approach the correct person, did you communicate yourself clearly? And most importantly, ‘How can your refine your request for the next time you ask it?

Next, make list of the people who come to mind when you think of what you want. For instance, if you want to start your own Virtual Assistance business, why not search online for forums or websites that specialize in that area. If you find such a forum, acquaint yourself with the members and simply introduce yourself and ask for advice, guidance and help. The only way people can help you is if you let them know that you need help.

You will be amazed at how many people truly enjoy lending a hand to others, and just think, the more you grown and learn, the more hands you can to lend a helping hand to others as well.

Next Steps:

If you need an extra hand getting what you want out of life, contact Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams. She'll help you design a life that allows you to reach your business and personal goals; cultivate more fulfilling relationships and that elusive achieve work/life balance you've been striving for.

Click here to learn more about her coaching program.

Work At Home Mom Stress

2009-10-05T07:03:00.000-04:00

By Aurelia Williams, author of Balancing Work and Family

The trend of moms working from home to be near their children has grown in the last couple of years. Now that they have found jobs or businesses to run, they’re starting to realize that working from home is not as easy as they thought it would be. The work they do is hard to separate form their personal lives, which makes it hard to schedule time for work responsibilities and home duties.

The workspace these moms use to do their jobs at ends up being a part of their household, so that makes dividing work and home life even more difficult to do - and one of the motivating reasons for creating my Balancing Work and Family guide. Imagine that your office is a part of the dining room, which also happens to be the room where you eat your meals as a family. How easy is it going to be for you to leave your work life to be with your family when the office is 5 feet away from the dinner table?

The realities of dividing work and personal life can get smudged for work at home moms. When that happens, one’s stress level is sure to rise, which could jeopardize one’s sanity. To prevent your sanity from leaving, you should find ways to ensure that separation takes place between your job/business and your family life.

Assess the current situation. Try to find an area, within your home, to have your office so that it won’t interfere with your family life. The home office needs a room with a door where you can be apart from the rest of the house. A den or a garage can be converted into office space that is exclusive to your business. Some people have resorted to placing their office in the laundry room, just because it has a door! When that is not an option, set up shop in your bedroom to keep it away from the family areas.

Organization is the next step. A messy desk can be a huge distraction when trying to work. Everything needs to have its place. If you worked in an office, your boss would not stand for a messy work space. There’s no difference when you’re office is at home and not at the worksite.

Use inexpensive organizing items, such as baskets with separate compartments to help organize the odds and ends on your desk. You can keep rubber stamps, letters, invoices, pens, pencils, and the like in here. Organization makes finding things much easier, which results in a more relaxed work day.

Keep your business phone separate from the family phone line. When using the same line, you run the risk of your children answering business calls or picking up the phone during a conference call. This causes your professionalism to fly right out the window and takes your customers or employers along with it.

The same goes for the computer. It’s best to keep your business computer separate from what the other family members use, but budgets don’t always allow for this. In that case, make sure that the business/job files and documents can’t be easily accessed by anyone but you. This will help prevent some of the stress that could be brought on by family members stumbling on a client’s important document and accidentally deleting them.

Be sure to use calendars or planners as they are very helpful when trying to keep track of business appointments or deadlines and family appointments. This will lessen the stress of setting up family appointments when you’ve forgotten about business deadlines you have.

Consider hiring a sitter on days you have a lot of work to do. Being a work at home mom gives you the benefit of controlling your own schedule. Having a sitter keeps the kids away from your office and gives you quiet time to focus on your work and gives your kids a chance to have fun without you feeling too guilty.

Mixing business with family in the home setting can be a major source of stress. Keeping the business side of your life organized and separate is crucial to success in keeping your stress levels down and your sanity intact.

Get More Help:

Working at home can be extremely rewarding, but it's challenging. Get the help you need with Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work and Family. It's your practical guide to tracking your time, setting priorities, learning to say no and achieving that balance you strive for.

How A Life Coach Can Help WAHMs Succeed!

2009-10-05T06:53:00.000-04:00

By Aurelia Williams, Certified Life Coach

Every mom knows the importance of organization; add a business to the mix and organization becomes even more important. As a WAHM, you need to know where your child’s play date is, when your next deadline is due, and what you are making for dinner.

A life coach can help you develop an organization system, set priorities and stay in control of your schedule. You’ll no longer waste precious time looking for things you’ve misplaced and you will no longer miss those important deadlines.

Get the Job Done & Spend Quality Time With Your Kids:

In many cases, women become WAHMs because they want to spend more time with their children. However, when you have deadlines to meet and clients to please, finding time to spend with your children can be difficult.

A life coach can help you develop a work routine that will allow you balance your time between work and family. When you have a routine in place, you will know which hours are for work; and which are for play.

How a Life Coach can Help WAHMS Spend Time with Their Spouse:

It can be easy to put romance on the backburner when you have your hands full. As a WAHM, you are tackling two “more than full-time” jobs. It is important to make time for your spouse, so that your marriage does not suffer.

A life coach can help you and your spouse work out a schedule where you both take on various household tasks. Having your spouse take over some of your chores will free up time on your schedule to create a date night together. You need time to be husband and wife, not just “mom” and “dad”.

How a Life Coach can Help WAHMs Get Time to Themselves:

By nature, women tend to be people pleasers; a life coach can help you learn to say “no”. This will prevent you from taking on more work than you can handle. When you take on too much, your natural response is to limit the time you take for yourself. This can be a big mistake. You deserve to take time out for yourself; take a walk, read a magazine, get a manicure.

You will notice that when you take a break to be alone, get your thoughts together, and recharge your batteries, you will have renewed energy and passion for all areas of your life!

Next Steps:

If you need an extra hand getting what you want out of life, contact Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams. She'll help you design a life that allows you to reach your business and personal goals; cultivate more fulfilling relationships and that elusive achieve work/life balance you've been striving for.

Click here to learn more about her coaching program.

FREE - Successful Mamas Summit

2009-10-02T08:03:00.000-04:00

Hi ladies,

I've had the honor of being a part of this week's Successful Mama's Summit, and to be honest, I've been blown away.

Maruxa Murphy, Founder of Momprenaire.com brought together 15 Successful Mom Entrepreneurs together to energize other entrepreneurs, like you and me, towards our own success and begin to take their "been-there-done-that" experience to shave off years from our own paths towards creating the lifestyles we want ourselves.

Register here today: http://www.Momprenaire.com/public/successfulmamas.cfm?affID=yvonne57

Today is Day 4 of 5, and I wanted to let you know about this for two reasons:

1. Tomorrow's lineup truly rocks! You've got 3 Mama CEO's (as Maruxa {Muh-Roo-Shuh} calls them)who battle the same things you and I do - fears, feeling stuck, and balancing family and profession - and yet, do not let those things get in the way of meeting their goals while also enjoying their families and their own personal time.

2. Though registering for the call series is free, Maruxa is offering a special pricing on the professionally-edited transcripts/mp3s and even her community's membership access for those of you who haven't been able to listen to all 15 calls in the series, that I promise you - you don't want to miss out on. It actually ends tomorrow night, so you don't want to miss out on this.

Plus, Maruxa (who was born in the Philippines) recently shared that for EVERY sale made through the Successful Mamas Summit, 10% will go towards The Shining Light Foundation in the Philippines to help victims of the recent Typhoon that wiped out 80% of her hometown city, Manila, under severe flooding waters with over 400,000 men, women and children displaced from their homes.

Register of the call series here:

http://www.Momprenaire.com/public/successfulmamas.cfm?affID=yvonne57

How to Spot a Work from Home Scam

2009-10-01T09:53:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has ever wanted to make money from home no doubtabily started looking into work from home opportunities. Every woman who has wanted to be a work at home mum has travelled this path. I know i have and i found out the hard way that this path is littered with scams and traps to take money and time from fromhonest women and men looking to make money from home. All it takes is a little common sense and some extra research to find a legitimate work from home opportunity.

The first thing you need to do is search for jobs in the right places. You can't simply click on ads and hope for the best. Try instead to find helpful groups of WAHM who have already found successful work at home jobs or help you to avoid the scams that they may have fallen for.

Don't fall into the "Get Rich Quick" schemes that flood the internet. The only people that ever get rich from these are the ones running the scam. Never believe an ad or an "employer" who claims that you will get rich instantly.

There are some red flags to look for when searching for work from home jobs. You should never pay for work or job lists. There are plenty of free job listings to provide you with plenty of work without having to pay for lists filled with dead job leads, or listing of companies that want to charge you money. Many work from home scams will also require you to pay a start up fee or cover the cost of "necessary" training. Legitimate jobs will never require you to pay them any money for you to work.

Another warning sign is if the ad or website tells you to "act now" with today as the deadline and then when you return the next day and the site says the same thing. You should never feel pressured to join a company and always do some research before making a decision.

If you are ever unsure about a company, do some research on the Better Business Bureau website. This will allow you to see if this company has had any complaints against them.

Here are two common work from home scams you must avoid.

Envelope stuffing is a common scam. These jobs are normally listed as mail service jobs. You will be asked to pay for a start up kit and after you receive the start up kit you are instructed to place your own work from home ads. You basically just sell the start up kits to other and the scam continues.

Another common scam is "Craft Assembly" scams. What happens is you pay for one kit and you are told you will be reimbursed for the kit and paid for the completed kits. After you work hard assembling the kits, you return them expecting to be paid. Instead you are told your work is not up to standard, you are out the cost of the kits and they sell your work anyway.

There are legitimate work from home job but you have to do some research and beware of the scams. With a little time and careful analysis you can find a work at home job that will be rewarding and scam free.

About Amanda

Amanda Robins is the founder of Toddler Taming Entrepreneurs.com. She is a loving wife and mother who is on a mission to build a community of parents who are building a business while raising their children the way they want too. Amanda teaches supports, inspires and motivates others to achieve their dreams by leading by example.

copyright 2009~ Amanda Robins ~http://www.toddlertamingentrepreneurs.com/

Mom, Do You Want More Me Time?

2009-09-30T21:05:00.000-04:00

Reconnect to What's Important to YOU!

2009-09-30T20:09:00.001-04:00

As single moms (as moms in general), we have a tendency to take care of the needs of our families and neglect to exercise self-care. We are so busy doing every thing for other people that we sometimes lose touch with who we are, our desires, dreams, and goals take a back seat for so long we forget about them. We stop pursing the things that bring us joy and fulfillment. This can put stress on your relationships with your family and friends.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with caring for others and doing things for others. These are definitely things we need to do. However, it becomes a problem when we do not take the time to take care of ourselves. You are just as important as those you care for and do things for. When is the last time you did something for yourself just for the pure joy and fulfillment it gives you? When is the last time you read a good book? When is the last time you went out to dinner with some of your closest friends? When is the last time you went and got your hair done at the hair salon or got a manicure and pedicure? When is the last time you took a bubble bath while listening to your favorite music? When is the last time you danced just for the pure fun of it, whether you could dance or not? When you honestly answer those questions, you will probably see how much you have been neglecting your own needs and just how out of balance your life really has been.

Take time today and reconnect to the things that bring you joy, happiness, and fulfillment. Many of the most simple and fun things you can do will not require money or very little money for you to do. Take a look at the balance wheel and begin to reconnect with the things that add genuine meaning to your life. The bottom line is this: when we, as mothers, especially single mothers, exercise self-care, we actually become better moms because we are happy with ourselves, and the added bonus is that we are modeling an important life lesson to our children. We are teaching them to never give up on themselves or their dreams and goals, care for others, and learn to nurture themselves as well. We are teaching them to have a healthy balance in their lives by modeling it for them.

By: Yvonne Carson, M.Div., MA, MFT

Spiritual Nugget – Make the Most of Today!

2009-09-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

Forget your frustrations, disappointments, and failures of the past and even your successes of yesterday! God gives you your assignment or mission for today. Tomorrow has not arrived and yesterday is forever gone. Today is all that you and I have.

Let’s not waste it away on meaningless activities and on people who are not interested in living a life of purpose, who are not driven to pursue God or the things of God, or their God-given dreams, and who are not driven to make a difference in the world.

We must love them with the love of Christ and pray for them but we should not spend too much of our time or energy with them. They will zap your energy and actually keep you from fulfilling your purpose and destiny, if you continually hang around them.

You must surround yourself by like-minded people. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The opposite can happen. If you constantly surround yourself with people who do not share the same values as you do. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise but the companion of fools leads to destroyed.”

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goals for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14).

Spiritual Nuggets – By Yvonne Carson
Copyright 2009 Carson Christian Faith Publications

Spiritual Nugget – You Need Confidence?

2009-09-25T18:49:00.000-04:00

As a child of God, you can you can go boldly before God in times of trouble. The boldness you have is not one of arrogance. It is one of great confidence in God’s ability to deliver you from whatever is the problem or circumstance in your life. There is a boldness and confidence inside you because you have come to know and realize that you are not alone, that God is with you and has given you the Holy Spirit as your helper.

In the book of Psalms, it is declared that you are as bold as a lion. Jesus who resides inside your heart is referred as the Lion of Judah. He is ruler over all things even the so-called lion who is said to be the king of the jungle. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords who rules over every created being or thing! So, you do not need to fear any thing, situation, or person.

You can be bold and confident every day of your life by declaring this promise that God has given to you: “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, NKJV). No matter what you are facing today or will face tomorrow trust the God who is King of kings and reigns supreme over everything!

If you need confidence today, you need to realize you already have inside you all the confidence you will ever need at any even time under any type of situation you may come against. You just have to boldly decree and declare it aloud every time doubt or fear tries to overtake your thoughts that “I am bold as a lion because the King of kings lives big in me today!”

Do something that you have been procrastinating about doing, and just do it! Do it with the boldness and confidence of Jesus Christ inside your heart. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). “So we can boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).

Spiritual Nuggets – By Yvonne Carson

Copyright 2009 Carson Christian Faith Publications

10 Ways to Obtain and Maintain Emotional Health

2009-09-22T14:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some things to consider as part of our overall health. We not only need to be spiritually healthy but emotionally, and physically. God wants to walk in wholeness!

1. Self-care. It is important to learn to relax, exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and surround yourself with like-minded positive people who bring out the best in you.

2. Focus your thoughts on positive things. The more you focus on negative things the more you attract those things into your life. What you focus on becomes bigger. Instead do has Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

3. Release the past. You will waste precious time holding on to something that you don’t have the power to change. You can’t change your past so release it and let it go. You can’t move forward to your future if you are always looking backwards. Read Philippians 3:13-14.

4. Be responsible. Never blame people or things for where you are today. Take responsibility for your own life and the choices that you make. Don’t worry about other people; you do what you know to do. Don’t get caught up in the blame game; it only leads to anger and bitterness, which has negative impact on your emotional health.

5. Have an attitude of gratitude. Be grateful for the many blessings that come into your life, your family, friends, children, work, etc. Always thank for your successes and accomplishments in life. He gives you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18, NKJV). Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

6. Have an accountability partner. Find someone you trust that you are accountable to in order to help in you during difficult times, someone you can be honest with about your thoughts and feelings. You are not an island unto yourself. We need other people – the right people in our lives who are supportive of us. Read Ecclesiastes 4:12).

7. Only speak faith-filled words to yourself. Words are powerful! The Bible says that you will have what you say when it is accompanied with faith (see Mark 11:23). God created the world that we see with His spoken words and we have that same creative power, as children of God. Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

8. Forgive others. Unforgiveness keeps many people stuck and prevents them from moving forward to what lies ahead. Not forgiving others has been medically proven to have serious consequences to your emotional and physical well-being. Unforgiveness is like cancer and can spread throughout your relationships causing death to the ones you love. If you were diagnosed with cancer, wouldn’t you want to be healed of this disease? Of course, you would. You should want to get of the disease of unforgiveness in your life. Doing does not mean what the person(s) did was right. It does, however, make you right with God and it helps you to be emotionally, physically, and spiritual whole. (Read Mark 11:25, 26).

9. Make wise choices. Life is all about choices. For better or worse we are where we are today based on the choices we have made in the past. It is important that we seek guidance and direction from God before we make any decisions, especially life-changing decisions.

10. Have a plan for your life. God has a plan, will, and purpose of every one. You must pray as seek God for your purpose in life. When God reveals it you then you must plan your days around that revelation. Set daily, short- and long-range goals. (Read Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Copyright 2009 Yvonne Carson

Overcoming Distraction

2009-09-20T17:23:00.000-04:00

I have experiencing a level of distraction that I had never encountered before. As a result, I had not been productive and found myself spending large amounts of my time and day on things that were not moving me in the direction of my purpose or the vision God had shown me for my life. During my quiet time and prayer and crying to the Lord for help, I believe He has answered me. These are some things that Holy Spirit instructed me to do to overcome my distraction. I believe that it will help anyone else who has been or is currently facing this problem. I am sure there are other things that can be done, but this is what He spoke into my spirit:

* Pray. Ask God to help you see His vision for your life and ministry clearly.

* Write the vision of what God has called you to do. Review it early in the morning and before going to bed at night, and

even periodically throughout the day. Where the will of God is known, acceleration will take place.

* Set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals based upon the vision, purpose, will, and mission/assignment God has

given specifically to YOU.

* Find an accountability partner who will hold you accountable to what you say you are going to do. In order for this

person to be able to do this, you have to share with that person what you are doing. Be sure the person you choose

to be accountable to is someone you can trust and is someone who is also working toward her God-given goals and

is accountable to someone as well. If that person is struggling herself and is not accountable to anyone, you do not

need to partner with that person; it will only be a stumbling block for you.

* Eliminate daily routines that have nothing to do with your purpose or mission or assignment.

* Write down the 3 top things that you need to get done today that is connected to your vision, purpose, etc.

* Allocate a specific day and time for working on those 3 top tasks that you need to get done.

* Focus. Do not do anything else until you have completed the first task before moving on to the next task. Whatever

you do not complete on that day simply add it to the next day’s list. Be sure it the first task to work on for the

following day.

* Eliminate ALL distractions. The telephone, television, radio, food, unexpected visitors, etc. Whatever you know that

easily distracts you, make plans in advance to eliminate them before you even begin to work on your top 3 priority

goals or tasks for that given day.

* Give thanksgiving and praise to God for every thing that you were able to accomplish, even if you were unable to

finish it! You remained focused, determined, and concentrated fully on the tasks set before you. It is important to

celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how small.

When you do these things the enemy will not be able to distract you so easily. If he can break your focus, he will distract you from what you need to do.

Distraction – The Enemy of Purposeful Action

2009-09-20T17:21:00.000-04:00

The Greek word for distraction is “aperispasto;” it means to draw away. It is literally drawing away the attention from an original purpose, goal, direction, position, interest, or association.

Distraction is one of Satan’s tactics that he uses to prevent us from pursuing the purpose and mission of God for our lives and ministries.

The most talked about distractions include:

* Prayer (during and after) – We either fall asleep or the phone rings (and we answer it!), unexpected visitors, etc.

distracts us from praying effective fervent prayers that avail much!

* Distractions that keep us from going to church – This can range from “I have nothing to wear” to getting into an

argument with your spouse, a relative, neighbor, etc.

* Distraction while in church – This could range from someone who keeps kicking the back of your seat, someone

hitting you on top of your head as they are being seated behind you to someone “praising” the Lord but really only

wants to be seen.

* Distraction from reading and studying the Bible.

* Distraction from spending quiet time with God.

There are many other forms that distraction can take. Here are just a few the Lord pointed out to me:

* Acquisition and the quest for knowledge. The Bible tells us knowledge can puff a person up (pride).

* Wrong associations and peer pressure – (Yes, adults can fall prey to peer pressure too!).

* A spirit of jealousy

* Anger.

* Independence/Self-sufficiency. God calls us to be interdependent, not independent of others, and dependent upon

Him alone for every thing that we need.

* Logic and Reasoning. Reasoning and logic will cause us to reject the will and purpose of God for our lives, because

we use reasoning and logic to try to gain understanding about spiritual things. What’s born of the flesh is flesh;

what’s born of the spirit is spirit and they that worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth. Our lives are a form

of worship to God. He is a spirit being so we must commune with Him on the level. There are no substitutes for this

in the kingdom of God.

* Spirit of lust. Lust is not only related to sex or sexual immorality. It’s anything that consumes your life and thoughts

daily and you have absolutely no power to stop yourself from doing it; it drives and controls you! It could be a lust for

women/men, gambling, seeking attention, control, power, Internet or technology, etc. All these and many others

can become distractions that Satan uses against us to keep us from fulfilling our purpose, mission or assignment

on the earth.

* Accumulation of Material Things.

* Greed and Love of Money. God is not opposed to us making money or accumulating wealth. He said in John

10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly,” and 3 John 2

says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” God is

opposed to those things having dominion and power over us! God does not want us hoarding these things, because

it’s based on a corrupted and wicked heart of selfishness and self-centeredness. These are false gods and our God

is a jealous God and will have no other gods before Him! Him only will you worship.

If Satan tried to distract Jesus in His wilderness experience and at Capernaum as He was entering into His powerful ministry, rest assured Satan will use the same tactic of distraction against us while we are going through our own wilderness experience and entering into our powerful ministries! We have to get rid of the distraction so that we can get back on the right path toward purposeful action daily! This will brings us to our wealthy place in God so that we can be blessed to be a blessing to the families of the earth!

F.O.C.U.S.

2009-09-19T21:34:00.002-04:00

God continues to deal with me about focus. I said it in my last two blogs and I’ll repeat it here. I have been experiencing distraction on a level that I have never experienced before. There have been many days, sad to say, that I have wasted ridiculous amounts of time and end up asking myself where did the time go? Or complain that time is going too fast! Today, the Holy Spirit gave this acronym for the F.O.C.U.S. If you have been having a problem with focus as I have been having, I pray that you join me in doing the following:

Finish what you have started – It takes commitment and focus on achieving your dreams and goals. Know ‘why’ you are doing what you are doing. Write your compelling “why” and read it often.

Outcome – Don’t focus on the process because you will become discouraged and quit. Instead, work on your dreams and goals, keeping the finished product in view. Make a vision board and look at it often. Doing this will keep you motivated whenever discouragement tries to overtake you or you feel as if you want to give up.

Concentrate – Direct all your energy on the task set before you. Eliminate all possible distractions before you begin to work on your daily goals or project.

Understand – You need to know exactly what it is going to take to successfully achieve your vision and goals. You need to understand what kind of person you need to become to make your God-given dreams to come true.

Silence – You have to silence the enemy called discouragement and unbelief from contaminating your faith and belief in God, yourself, and your dreams and goals. Silence they enemy who sometime speaks through family and friends who tell you it can’t be done.

When we are fully committed, dedicated, and focused we will not be so easily distracted!

Outrageously Healthy Woman FREE Tele-Seminars

2009-09-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

I've partnered up with Lenore Miller and her team at Outrageously Healthy . Their mission is to help as many people on the planet as possible, live their best life. One way they do this is by finding the most outrageously healthy experts to interview and bring those live interviews to people like you at no cost!

Have a look at this next series of experts I know you will want to be on these calls. You can listen in live either by phone or webcast. To gain access to this call and to all future expert calls just go to www.wonderfulwebwomen.com/rep/Vone57.html and sign up for your Free Ruby Membership, when you do you will also receive a gift from Lenore and the Team the MP3 'Feeling Great for No Good Reason'. The call details will be emailed to you immediately and a reminder sent a few hours before each call.

Here is the line up (rememeber there are also some surprises in store)

Claire McFee - who will help us get outrageously organised, with her Top 5 Dis-Organized Warning Signals

Phyllis Briggs - will tell us how she risked $27000 and lost 27 kilos

Paige Haines - will show us how to reduce stress and increase the quality of your life quickly & easily

Holly George - discuss the Real Effects of Imbalances in Western Lifestyle and how we can overcome them

Liz Lichti and Laura Whitelaw - will help Boost Your Self Esteem and Achieve your Dream Life! using great fast effective methods live on the CALL!

Janelle Manton - will show how Success, Style and Sexuality - are Everything a woman needs!

Angie Tousignant - will show us How To Transform our Bodies and Relationships, she has some super cool workouts for us to workout with our significant other or workouts just for you

Amanda Moxley will share her outrageously healthy approach to holisitc health

Cyndi O'Meara - from Changing Habits Changing Lives will be sharing some super cool information with us about living an outrageously healthy lifestyle.

I am so excited about sharing all this outrageously healthy wisdom with you, make sure you schedule the calls in your diary you can get all the details here http://www.wonderfulwebwomen.com/rep/Vone57.html

Overcoming Distraction

2009-09-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

I have experiencing a level of distraction that I had never encountered before. As a result, I had not been productive and found myself spending large amounts of my time and day on things that were not moving me in the direction of my purpose or the vision God had shown me for my life. During my quiet time and prayer and crying to the Lord for help, I believe He has answered me. These are some things that Holy Spirit instructed me to do to overcome my distraction. I believe that it will help anyone else who has been or is currently facing this problem. I am sure there are other things that can be done, but this is what He spoke into my spirit:

* Pray. Ask God to help you see His vision for your life and ministry clearly.

* Write the vision of what God has called you to do. Review it early in the morning and before going to bed at night, and even periodically throughout the day. Where the will of God is known, acceleration will take place.

* Set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals based upon the vision, purpose, will, and mission/assignment God has given specifically to YOU.

* Find an accountability partner who will hold you accountable to what you say you are going to do. In order for this

person to be able to do this, you have to share with that person what you are doing. Be sure the person you choose

to be accountable to is someone you can trust and is someone who is also working toward her God-given goals and

is accountable to someone as well. If that person is struggling herself and is not accountable to anyone, you do not

need to partner with that person; it will only be a stumbling block for you.

* Eliminate daily routines that have nothing to do with your purpose or mission or assignment.

* Write down the 3 top things that you need to get done today that is connected to your vision, purpose, etc.

* Allocate a specific day and time for working on those 3 top tasks that you need to get done.

* Focus. Do not do anything else until you have completed the first task before moving on to the next task. Whatever you do not complete on that day simply add it to the next day’s list. Be sure it the first task to work on for the following day.

* Eliminate ALL distractions. The telephone, television, radio, food, unexpected visitors, etc. Whatever you know that easily distracts you, make plans in advance to eliminate them before you even begin to work on your top 3 priority goals or tasks for that given day.

* Give thanksgiving and praise to God for every thing that you were able to accomplish, even if you were unable to

finish it! You remained focused, determined, and concentrated fully on the tasks set before you. It is important to

celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how small.

When you do these things the enemy will not be able to distract you so easily. If he can break your focus, he will distract you from what you need to do.

What's in your house? 2 Kings 4:1-7 - Part 3

2009-09-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

What has God called you to do? To start a business, a ministry, write a book, preach the gospel, teach, dance, cook, clean, raise a family, etc? Your provision is in your area of gifting and ability. God promises that your gifts will make room for you and bring you before great men. Your provision is attached to the problems that you have been created and called to solve. What problem has God called you to solve? Wherever there is a problem God has a promise.

What are your gifts, talents, and abilities?

What are you passionate about?

If money were not an issue, what would you be doing?

What you love? hate?

What are you naturally good at?

We need to investigate what we have in all areas and then, using those blessings as good stewards of God’s grace, however small they may seem, surrender them to the Lord and trust the Lord to bless and provide as He sees fit.

She was so destitute, that the only thing she had was this oil, which was used for anointing the body or for cooking--or she may have been saving it for her burial. But there is a principle here which we find repeated in Scripture: the way God generally meets our needs is to take what we have and to multiply it as we turn our lives over to Him and obey the principles of His Word. This is true of our talents, gifts, finances, or physical assets. Prov. 15:6, says, "In the house of the righteous there is much treasure."

God Releases Our Potential (vss. 2-4)

By asking the widom woman those two questions, it causes her to see the size of her need and her lack of resources. She had a great need and so very little resources. She could not possibly meet her own needs. God will never allow us to get to a point in our lives that we will not require His help and provision. God will allow difficulty in our lives so we can honestly see our need and our own inability to meet it. As long as we think we can handle it, why would we look to God for help? If we have all the answers, why would we turn to God with our questions? God wants to get us from self-sufficiency to total dependency on Him to supply all of our needs.

“And you shall go in and shut the door behind you . . .” (vs. 4). The closed door suggests the principle of privacy. What she did was to be done without distractions so she and her sons could focus on the Lord and set their hearts upon Him in faith. To be alone with God is one of the vital needs of any believer in any time, but it is especially true in the days in which we live with all the noise and extreme busyness. One of the reasons we often do not see God multiplying our gifts and abilities is because we fail to get alone with Him individually and corporately to call upon Him and to focus our hearts upon His grace and supply.

As earthen vessels, we must empty ourselves of wrong mental attitudes, priorities, pursuits, or goals, and present ourselves as vessels of God to be filled (controlled) by the word and the Spirit of God. If our lives are cluttered with bad mental attitudes, with grumbling, with selfishness, preoccupation with the things of the world and there is indifference to God’s work, God may stop the supply of oil. And one reason the supply is stopped is that believers stop coming to Him. Carnal believers do not seek the cause of God and the supply of God, they are too caught up with their own world.

God Gives Provision

Furthermore, Elisha’s absence when the miracle took place would demonstrate that the power came from God alone, not Elisha. This was certainly designed to encourage her to greater faith and dependence on the Lord. Devout faith and obedience produces an abundance of spiritual blessings. The Widow’s Obedience and God’s supply (vss. 5-7).

According to 2 Cor. 4:7, God has put His treasure in earthen vessels. Earthen vessels in the Greek means "clay pots." Clay pots were used to bury treasure in. Every problem that you and I could ever encounter in our lives God already knew would we would experience and He already provided the answer inside of us. Treasure has to be discovered and then it must be uncovered or duged out. The answer is in His Word, His promises to His children. God has given you promises for provision. Isaiah 45:3 says, " I will give you the treasure of darkness and hidden riches in secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel."

Isa. 48:17 says, "I am the Lord your God, who teaches to profit, who leads you by the way you should go." When a teacher teaches, she doesn't give you the answer, she gives you the problem so that you can solve it. We are called to be problem solvers, and it will be through the gifts, talents, and ability that God has placed in you. That' why it is important to know what's in your house.

What's in your house? 2 Kings 4:1-7 - Part 2

2009-09-19T15:05:00.000-04:00

Today we continue Part 2 of our study of 2 Kings 4:1-7:

The two sons - Represent your seed

(a) There was despair in this woman's family. How do we know this? The Scripture says she cried. "Cried" means to moan, to weep uncontrollably; to shriek out of grief. This is an indication of a broken heart.

(b) There was death in her family. She was broken because a loved one has died.

(c) There was debt in her family. Since her husband is dead, she can't pay her bills. As a result the creditors were coming to take her two sons. Her husband represented her protection, her provider, her lover and friend. All that was ripped away through the death of her husband. She was in deep debt and couldn't see her way out.

(d) There was devotion in her family. In spite of all that this widow woman was faced with, she still trusts the Lord; she still held unto her faith. During her time of great need, she did not run to her family and friends, nor did she attempt to try and borrow it or get a loan. In her desperation, she turns to God, her true Source of help.

Elisha means “God is salvation.” Salvation (Gk. Sozo) means “preservation, healing, soundness.” The idea is that God wants us to have full salvation: spirit, soul, body. Elisha asks the widow woman two questions: (1) “What shall I do for you?” and (2) “What do you have in the house?” Elisha was basically asking the widow woman “What do you need?” And” What do you have?”

(1) What do you need?

What do you need for God to do in your family, your health, your ministry, your finances, your business? God already knows what you need even before you ask Him; therefore, He has already provided for the need.

(2) What's in your house?

In verse two Elisha says, “Tell me, what do you have . . . nothing except a jar of oil.” Oil was a very important commodity; it was like money or gold. Oil is often a picture or type of the Holy Spirit inasmuch as the Old Testament practice of anointing priests and kings served as a type of the ministry of the Spirit. Oil as a type of the Spirit is clearly in view in Zechariah 4 where the constant flow of oil from the lampstand depicted the constant flow of God’s power and is interpreted as such by the words, “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” in verse 6. But that does not seem to be the emphasis here. Rather, the focus in this passage is on the way the Lord takes what He has given us like our talents, gifts, physical abilities, financial provisions and multiplies them if we have faith to trust Him to take what we have and multiply it. We need to an inventory of what we have in all areas and then, using those blessings as good stewards of God’s grace, however small they may seem, surrender them to the Lord and trust the Lord to bless and provide as He sees fit.