Love=Life

Love may sound a little hokey when we first hear about it. Pictures of a mother kissing her baby for the first time or an elderly couple holding hands after forty years together elicits a collective “Aw…”, but little more. It is obvious to me that Kimchi and I begin our journey with you by talking about love. It is the foundation for everything this blog stands for—from loving yourself the way you are to loving others, especially other women.

"The cure for all ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrows and the crimes of humanity, all lie in the one word 'love.' It is the divine vitality that everywhere produces and restores life." -Lydia Maria Child

We are all born with the need to be loved. It’s inherent in all human beings—God just made us that way. We seek love all the days of our lives. Sometimes we find it where God intended like our families, church, etc. Sometimes we find it in strange places—an elderly neighbor who becomes a mentor, a person once thought to be an enemy. The point is that, along with water, food, and shelter, we need love.

When people are without love, they’re not whole. They start looking other places to fill that need, often to their own detriment. You can trace the past of most psychos and serial killers and find that at some point they were thwarted by love—whether it be the love of a family or a significant other or just people in general.

Last week we talked about the potential little acts of kindness had to create bigger ripples. Love is like that. We never know the effect that showing a little love toward a fellow woman could have. Have you ever heard the song “Moments” by Emerson Drive? If not, hop over to YouTube and look it up. It’s a pretty extreme version of what I’m talking about, but it shows how if you step out to help someone, you can change their lives.

Love is a foundation to build any relationship upon. If we’re to help each other as women, we must first reach inside and pull out that love. Just like God reaches us where we are, so we need to reach each other where we are. We all struggle and we all need the kind of love that does not ridicule us, even when we make mistakes.

While I was living in Fort Leavenworth, I had the honor of meeting three incredible women. We were all very different—coming from different backgrounds, different struggles, even different stages of our lives, but we shared two things in common. We were all military wives and we all had a relationship with God. With those women, I knew I could go to them with any problem, any crisis…anything and they would do their best to help me without judgment. It is rare to find that with one woman, let alone three at the same time. I know I was very blessed. God gave them to me at a time in my life when I was struggling to find my place, to know who I am.

So how do we lay that foundation of love? What makes this foundation so important? Join me tomorrow and we’ll look at some practical applications for this foundation.

For 2011

Happy Sunday, all!

First of all, we'd like to thank everyone for your show of support during our kickoff month! We were overwhelmed by your kindness and willingness to join in the conversations. You showed us that we are where God wants us to be and we look forward to serving you for as long as God sees fit.

We won't normally be posting on Sundays, but I wanted to give you all a peek on what to expect over the next year from us. Starting tomorrow, we'll move to posting six days a week, Mon-Sat (with Sat being recipe day). We'll have lots of fun as we learn, with guest posts, giveaways, and chances for you to voice your opinions.

We've decided our theme for this year is "Fruit of the Spirit". But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Each month we'll expand on a different trait with a goal of encouraging and empowering our new friends to "be the change they want to see in the world". Now, even if you aren't a Christian, we hope that you will still gain a lot of insight from the posts.

So join us this coming month as we expound on the basis of it all--LOVE!

The Winner Is....

Good Morning EEE Followers!

This morning, my two year old daughter chose a piece of paper from my hand(each one containing the names of the people who posted on Ripple Effects)and helped me choose our winner for today. Our winner is................ Ruth !!!!!!! Of course to Ralene and I, you are all winners and we appreciate you sharing your hearts with us. Congratulations ,Ruth, and thank you for taking God's heart of love and turning them into Ripple Effects for others to experience! Ruth, please send me your current mailing address to my email address: kimchilya4@yahoo.com.  For those of you who didn't win, your names will be put into the book drawing for tomorrow as well.
 It's not too late to enter tomorrow's book giveaway, just place a comment on the post, "Create in me a Pure Heart."

Have a great weekend everyone and thank you for supporting us at EEE!:)

Create In Me a Clean Heart...by Pamela Sonnenmoser(Guest Blogger)

        
          I'm honored to introduce my new friend, Pamela Sonnenmoser, to our blog.  She is an energetic, creative, passionately  talented Mighty Woman of God.  She loves to teach, equip and inspire others to draw towards  God's amazing love.  Although  I've only known her a short while, her zeal to encourage others is contagious!

  

Create In Me a Clean Heart

                                                                                        By Pamela Sonnenmoser

 

It is hard to believe that another year has passed and that we are already a month into 2011. How did you do with all of the resolutions that began 2010? If you are like most people, the resolutions you made lasted about two weeks. Some of you might have made it until February, and a meager 15% of you might have actually kept your resolve for the entire year.

I have resolved in past years to keep my house cleaner, lose weight, send cards out more often, and quit procrastinating as well as a few other things that I can’t remember. A few years ago I resolved to read the Bible through again.  I even picked up one of those guides that help you read through the entire Bible in a year. I started out great, but as soon as a cold morning brought a round of hitting the snooze button to stay under the covers longer, my resolve met the frenzy of waking up late and it was over. I read God’s Word and studied regularly for the rest of the year, but my “plan” was dissolved and my guide to read through in a year got buried under the stack of junk mail littering my coffee table and eventually found its way to the burn barrel.

The next year I was given one of those Bibles that are designed to be read in a year. Each day there is a dated selection to read. I will admit it seemed like the answer, but if I needed to study something else for an article or a talk I was giving, that day’s reading was traded for the more pressing text. Then I would be off a day or two, and my resolve was once again replaced by other priorities.

We all look forward to a new year. For many people, January 1 is a release from the year before and a new lease on life. We hear people say things like “2011 has got to be better than 2010.” Or, “2011 is the year I will …” I am sure you can complete the sentence. I am also looking forward to the rest of 2011. My speaking schedule is filling up and God is opening doors for ministry, even into 2012. Yes, 2011 holds many things that I am looking forward to.

                                                    

As I was preparing my planner for the coming year I began to think of things I want to change in the new year. My pondering brought me to a scripture that I have always loved. Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

That was it, my new year’s resolution for 2011! Create in me a clean heart. My prayer for 2011 and every day of my life needs to be for the Lord to clean my heart.

 I was talking with someone recently about nutrition and healthy living, he pointed out that our bodies are full of toxins that come from the environment, foods we eat and chemicals in the water and so on. He said that we need to cleanse our body periodically to flush those toxins out so that healthy things can take their place.

It was a light-bulb-moment for me as I thought of my heart for God. I love the Lord with all of my heart, but I live in the world. Like most of us, I don’t live in a bubble. I hear things I would rather not hear and I see things I would rather not see. I protect my heart as much as I can and I try to be spiritually healthy by studying God’s word and spending time with him in prayer and praise. Yet, there are still thoughts that creep into my mind that are far from holy. There are things that come from my mouth that I wish I could erase as soon as they hit the air. Where do they come from? Why would someone who loves the Lord and wants to please him say or even think such things?

Sometimes I forget that my spirit needs to be cleansed. Daily I must ask God to create in me a clean heart. My spirit needs renewal, daily to remain strong in faith. I cannot wait until my thoughts are muddled with the garbage that is acceptable to the world. Every day I pray that the Lord will take out the impurities and sweep out anything that interferes with my relationship with Him. I don’t want to be cast away from his presence because I allowed the trash from the world to overcome me.

Psalm 51: 10-13

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 {Then} I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship I have. It is the only one that is worthy of my all. He is the only one who has given me His all. His word is full of everything we need to walk in right relationship with him. It is a clean heart and a steadfast spirit that I need in order to show the joy of the relationship I have found with the Savior. How else can I lift Jesus up? How else can others be drawn to Him?

So, what resolution have I made in 2011? To share the joy and love of Christ with everyone I meet. This time, it’s a keeper!

Thank you, Pamela, for taking the time to share with us today your wisdom and insight.  Pamela is giving away one of her books called, Praise and Paraphrase . Please leave a comment today and we will enter your name into a drawing for this weekend. 

Pamela Sonnenmoser is the founder and director of Fresh Cup Ministries. She is the author of Praise & Paraphrase: 90 Days of Spiritual Truth from Every Day Life (CrossRiver Media, 2010), and the soon-to-be-released, Beside the Empty Cradle (Beacon HIll, June 2011). She is an international speaker for churches, retreats, camps, luncheons and other women's events. Pamela lives on a farm near Kansas City, MO with her husband John and a menagerie of dogs, cats and critters. For more information please visit her website at www.freshcupministries.com.

 

Ripple Effects...by Laryssa Toomer (Guest Blogger)

     I am privileged to run alongside this beautiful sister in Christ, Laryssa Toomer, on this journey ministering to women and leading them deeper into God’s healing Word.  Laryssa has always been a shining example of a Mighty and Bold woman of God to me.  She’s been one of my greatest encouragers in my walk with writing and pursuing my destiny in Christ.  She is an incredible friend, who keeps things real, simple and amazingly fun.  She is full of wisdom and insights beyond her years.  Laryssa is straight from the Giver of every good and perfect gift.  I introduce to you my friend, homeschool mother of three beautiful children, retired military wife, strong runner/triathlete , Christian Speaker and Free-Lance writer, Laryssa Toomer! 

RIPPLE EFFECTS

Small things count. They really do.

Too often we believe that we have to do something “major” in order to have a major impact. Especially as women, we’re constantly fed media messages that tell us “we’re every woman,” that we can do it all, and that our value and worth are tied to quantity. We attempt to do “big” things in the name of influence, often at the expense of small opportunities that have great impact. I’ve been guilty of these attempts in years past--even in the name of advancing the Kingdom of God--only to feel completely exhausted, overwhelmed, and disillusioned. But that’s when God taught me about the power of small acts and small steps--things that I often overlooked. A vivid picture of the ripple effect comes to mind.

Wikipedia explains the ripple effect as “a term used to describe a situation where, like the ever expanding ripples across water when an object is dropped into it, an effect from an initial state can be followed outwards incrementally.” I especially like this simple, online definition: when one event produces effects which spread and produce further effects, etc. I love this.

One event. Further effects. Extending.

Many times when I’m resting in between laps in the pool, I often tap on the water just so I can watch the ripple effect. I’m fascinated at how one small tap produces effects much further than where I tapped. It reminds me all over again that small things count and often impact in ways that I may not always see. I read a quote that says: “Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

I encourage you to think about the power of one, simple in the context of your daily activities (home, in the workplace, online, etc.). A smile. An extra hug. A simple “hello.” A phone call or text message. An “I love you.” One-minute prayers throughout the day (versus trying to have marathon sessions). Mulling over one, Bible verse. Practical acts such as greeting the Wal-Mart cashier by her first name. Drinking one less soda. Cleaning out one drawer. These are simple, do-able, and have ripple effects--some reaching further than others...and some that are immeasurable, reaching as far as future generations in our families and in others’.

What act can you do today that would ripple into your life, health, family, someone else’s life, etc.? Please carry on the list in the comments!

Thank you, Laryssa, for taking the time to share with us today your wisdom and insight.  Laryssa is giving away one of her books she is published in called, The Mommy Diaries.  Please leave a comment today and we will enter your name into a drawing for this weekend.

Laryssa often refers to herself a gal who’s been captured by God’s amazing grace, who glories in the Cross of Christ. This retired Army wife is a homeschooling mom loves to teach the Bible, write, and share life together with others (over coffee of course!). She enjoys cooking, participating in endurance sports, and foolishly jumping on the trampoline with her three children. Her greatest joy outside of God is spending time with her husband Jeff, who now serves in vocational ministry as a Site Pastor. Laryssa blogs about life “At Home” over at www.laryssaonline.com. Her speaking site is www.laryssatoomer.com.

Hope for Women Magazine Winner

Happy Tuesday, ya'll!

I'm just popping in here real quick to announce the winner of the 1-year subscription to Hope for Women magazine gifted by the fabulous Victoria.

And the winner is...

MANDY!!!

Congrats, lady! Email me your address (raeburk01 at yahoo dot com) and I'll get it to Victoria. I'm so excited for you!!! (Can you tell? I mean, I did go a little exclamation mark crazy!!!)