Even though I’ve spent years mentoring teenagers and younger women, along with writing how to simplify the whole mentoring process, I still have my moments when the mentor word makes me want to cringe. I wonder if my investment of time is really worth it. I question if I am doing it just-the-right-way. And I still long for a mentor to live next door and have time to sip a cup of coffee with me face-to-face. Yet God never seems to allow me to wallow in my self-pity for long before reminding me of the beauty of mentoring — like …
Are You a ‘Steel Vault’ Kind of Mentor?
We all need someone we can trust…the kind of friend who has our back and who knows our secrets, yet treats them as if they are their own. We all need someone like that in our lives. And we all need to be someone like that for others. Mentoring is a mixed bag. It comes with the joy of walking through life with others, but it also comes with the responsibility of guarding those relationships and stories others share with you well. Recently, I’ve had several conversations with women who were walking through a painful place or facing difficult challenges. …
A Story Like Yours… or Maybe Not ~ But a God Who Makes Beauty Out of Ashes…OH…and a Conference You Just Can’t Miss!
Hey you. Yeah. You! The one who may have had a rough day, a bad past, or are feeling a little lost in this great big wide world. I want to share a bit of my heart with you about what God has brought me from and what God has brought me to. It’s not a rags to riches story…but is is beauty from ashes story. It’s a story about a girl…a girl whose story might be like yours…or maybe not. But it’s about a God who is really good at making beauty out of ashes. It’s a story about …
Being A Fully Present Woman
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you are interacting and yet not fully present? You catch yourself nodding and even saying something in response every now and then. It’s generally more like an ‘uh huh’ instead of a real response. You are smiling and pretending to be engaged, but the whole time you are actually somewhere else. We’ve all done it, we make the grocery list, text our kids, husband or friends, maybe even check in on Facebook…all the while in the presence of someone right in front of us. It might be the kids, our …
Which One Do You Like Best?
Sooooo… I received the videos for the book trailer for The Making of a Mom and would LOVE YOUR OPINION! Could you help me decide which of the videos I need to use on the website? If so, I’d love to know… Which one do you like best? And why? Are you a ministry leader? Or a mom? What would you add or what would you like to know more about The Making of a Mom? Please click this link if you are unable to view the video. Please click this link if you are unable to view the …
TMI asks our readers 5 Questions about Being a Mom of Young Children
As a mom of three kids under the age of four (we have twins and a newborn) I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers when it comes to parenting little ones. I love getting advice from friends with kids just a few years older than mine or even reading stories from my fellow M.O.M’s here at The Mom Initiative. Today, I’d like to ask YOU, our readers some of the questions I hear most often from younger moms: 1. How do you get your child to eat something besides chicken nuggets or a …
Because Being a Grandma Rocks
I never had one, but I am one now. A grandma! Yup! It’s not something I thought about much in between baseball practice and guitar lessons with my two little guys. But my boys are now men and they have lives of their own. Today, our life is a far cry from the crazy loud lives we enjoyed with two rambunctious boys, an unending to-do list, and little time for rest. But here we are, Abuela and Papa. Our nest is empty but our hearts and arms are still full. And being a grandma is sawweeeeet! It’s not just that you …
What is The M.O.M. Initiative anyway? And How can I be involved?
Have you ever wondered what The M.O.M. Initiative is? What we do? How you can be involved? Ever wished there was a book that could help moms navigate the difficult waters of motherhood from a biblical and real-life perspective, yet also serve as a tool that is uniquely designed to make small group study and mentoring moms easy and relevant? This past week I was interviewed on a local news station to share about what The M.O.M. Initiative is, the BETTER TOGETHER Conference we are holding in Jacksonville, Florida on July 31st through August 2nd, and how you can PRE-ORDER …
what NOT to say {when you hear good news}
Recently, I shared on my blog that I’m pregnant. My husband and I are expecting our third child to arrive in March. It’s been fun to share the good news with family and friends and it’s been even more humorous to hear some of their responses. We’ve received these lines so far: “Are you sure you are having only one this time?” “Were you planning on this?” “You are going to have your hands full.” “Time for you to get snipped, mister.” Since we already have twins, I expected many of these responses. There is a lot of truth in …
Save the Date for the 2014 M.O.M. Conference ~ Better Together
We are SO EXCITED to share with you that the 2014 M.O.M. Conference ~ BETTER TOGETHER is scheduled for July 31st – August 2nd, in Jacksonville, Florida at Trinity Baptist Church! IT’S COMING! A fun, encouraging, challenging and inspiring conference for MOMS, MENTORS and MINISTRY LEADERS where you can find solid biblical teaching, enjoying connecting with and laughing with old and new friends, and leave empowered to fulfill your God-given calling and with the confidence of knowing you don’t have to take your mom journey alone. As we work hard to make all the information available for you on our website, we wanted …