Home Blog

Whose Birthday Is It?

0

 

Who are these men?

I asked my Facebook friends if they knew which president’s birthdays we were celebrating today and when their real birthdays were. As it turned out, the only ones who knew the answer were probably 50 or older. Do you know?

I was prompted to ask “Whose birthday are we celebrating on President’s Day” when I mentioned to a 28-year old friend that my husband and I were going to see the movie Lincoln. I said I thought it was appropriate since his birthday was the previous day, February 12. She said, “Oh, really?” I knew that fact had escaped her.

Then I spoke at a MOPS group and one of the young mothers at my table admitted that she only knew whose birthday we celebrated on “President’s Day” because her young son came home from school and told her.

When I was growing up, we had two president’s birthday holidays in February, and we knew why we were out of school. Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the actual birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). In 1971, President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, the Presidents’ Day, to be observed on the 3rd Monday of February.

So President Nixon gave America a three day weekend, instead of the two separate holidays of Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays. It’s not unusual to celebrate a birthday on a different day than it actually falls, especially for children’s birthdays so they can have a Saturday party with their friends, but we never forget their actual birth date. And how would you feel if for convenience, your parents made you celebrate your birthday every year with another sibling, or maybe a distant relative, so the family would only have to come to one party? Maybe that did happen to you . . . and I wonder how you felt about it.

The fall out of “President’s Day” is that there are now generations who enjoy a three day weekend in February, but have absolutely no idea why they have the day off.

How many generations does it take to make something obsolete? The answer: One.

As has happened with honoring the birthdays of the first president of the United States and the president who emancipated the slaves, if we don’t pass down the Christian faith to the next generation, Jesus’ birthday and ministry could also become obsolete.

We see this every Christmas and Easter when the secular world tries to take Jesus out of the celebration, and it will happen in our Christian world too…families…children…generations to come. . . if we don’t continue to tell the Gospel story of Jesus and His love.

As the Scriptures say,

“People are like grass;
 their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
     But the word of the Lord remains forever.—1 Peter 1:24

 

 

PS: Take advantage of a preorder special on Dear God, He’s Home! until its release date 3/5!

February 17, 2013
Return to top of page

Who’s Your First Love?

1

True Love Heart

February is the month of love and romance. Red and pink hearts are everywhere in honor of Valentine’s Day—the universal day for showing and sharing love. Of course, we don’t just love in the month of February—or one day a year—but it is the day we focus on finding ways to demonstrate our love.

Little children certainly don’t limit their display of love to just one day! Whenever my grandkids come to visit, they leave me love notes with their sweet heart drawings all over the house and on my white board. And at home they do the same for mommy and daddy. They seem to have an abundance of love and they don’t mind telling the world about it!

Brandon's love note

Fill in the blank with the first thing that comes to your mind: I LOVE_________

 Love is a word we often use loosely and it can take on many different meanings….

  • I love pizza!
  • I love pink!
  • I love my husband!
  • I love my kids!
  • I love my new vacuum!
  • I love Trader Joe’s!

I think you get the idea. Obviously we love our husbands and kids more than we love pizza. So how would you fill in the following blank?

My FIRST love is _____________.

You might have had trouble completing that sentence. If you’re married, how could you possibly differentiate between your husband and your children as your first love? If you have more than one child . . . how could you determine which one of them you love first? You can’t. But when you fill in that blank with…My FIRST love is Jesus . . . He gives you the ability to have limitless love for Him and for others:

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”—Matthew 22:37-40 The Message

You probably know people who would fill in the blank with …

  • My FIRST love is myself.
  • My FIRST love is my career.
  • My FIRST love is fame and fortune.
  • My FIRST love is my car or house or bank account…..

Every day we see on the news or in our neighborhoods, the tragic results of lives lived with the wrong priorities.

Analogy: Earthy Love and Love for Jesus

I once read a satirical advice column:  Dear Dr. Lovelorn, Where do I go to find a lukewarm love for the rest of my life to grow old with?

Of course, none of us ever plan for our romantic love to turn lukewarm. Remember when you were first in love: when time, money, and energy were never a concern. You talked lovingly about each other nonstop, couldn’t stand to be apart, showered each other with affection, and wanted the whole world to know you were in love.

Then when you marry and children join your happy family, it becomes harder and harder to find the time, money, and energy to expend on each other. Yes, your love has matured, but you have to be careful that mature love doesn’t mean the passion and excitement has turned to lukewarm and routine. Even God wants our marriages to stay as on fire, as when we were first in love….

“Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 18-18 NLT)

God also wants us to maintain the passion and excitement we had when we first fell in love with His Son, Jesus. Have you been around a new believer lately? They have a radiance and glow…just like a new bride. New believers are on fire for the Lord and there’s a joy and exuberance about them that’s contagious and often leads others to want to know where this new found joy came from.

But as we spiritually mature, we may become like the church in Ephesus who Jesus spoke of in Revelations 2:4-5 (NIV): “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

Removing the lampstand meant they would no longer be an effective church . . . effective Christian witness . . . effective role model to the next generation.

Only when we place Jesus first in our life and heart, can we love others with a genuine Christ-like love. It’s His love that fuels us to be better wives and mothers and grandmothers. . . . women. Jesus helps us do things for our families lovingly, not dutifully. There’s a difference between preparing a delicious meal because we love our family, versus throwing something together just to get them fed.

How Do We Return To Our First Love?

Just like we have to make an effort to rekindle the romantic fire in our marriages, we occasionally have to reignite the fire for Jesus in our hearts! Here’s an acrostic for L O V E that works for me, and I know it will work for you too:

Linger with Him!

“Oh, how I love your instructions!  I think about them all day long.”—Psalm 119:97 NLT

Find ways to have a quiet time with the Lord every day. I know that’s not always easy if you Susanna Wesleyhave small children; but take a tip from Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, the founders of the Methodist movement. Susanna had 19 pregnancies, and 10 of her children lived past the age of two. That in itself requires great faith, but even with 10 children running around, Susanna believed strongly in daily prayer and if she couldn’t find a private place in the house to pray, she put her apron over her head as a sign to the children to be extra quiet, mom was praying!

 

Find that private place in your home where you can “throw your apron over your head” and help yoMother Daughter prayingur children learn to respect your time of prayer and reading your Bible. This will teach them more about the value of prayer than any Bible study. My daughter has three children 4, 7, 8 and she just read the Bible in a year on her phone by using YouVersion.

cell phone

 Obsess Over Him!

“I will praise the Lord at all times.  I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.”—Psalm 34:1-3 NLT

The dictionary describes obsession as:

  • Preoccupied
  • Dominated
  • Fixed
  • Immersed in
  • Gripped by
  • An Infatuation
  • A Passion

AH…that we would all be deliriously, madly, and obsessively in love with Jesus!

Value Him!

“Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.  Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.”—1 Chronicles 16:23-25

Synonyms for value:

  • Worthy
  • Worship
  • Love

We can tell what we value most by looking at our checkbooks and our calendar. Where do you spend most of your money and time? Ask yourself if it has Kingdom value.

Enjoy Him!

I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.—Proverbs 8:30 NIV

Happy In the Lord

When we L O V E Jesus Christ with total abandonment, our hearts begin to change and we’re able to reach out with His love to those around us and L O V E them as Jesus commanded:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”—John 13:34-35 NIV.

 

Share with us ways you’ve found to keep Jesus first in your life and how you L-inger with O-bsess over V-alue and E-njoy Him!

Have a Happy Jesus is “My First Love” Day!

PS: You might also find it helpful to do my Bible study Face-to-Face with Priscilla and Aquila: Balancing Life and Ministry

February 11, 2013
Return to top of page

Thoughts on the New Website

2

Launching this new website has been joyful and painful! The excitement of having something new and fresh was often overshadowed by the amount of work and time required. Then when we were ready to “go live,” the site crashed as we were loading it onto the domain–more work, more time, more money.

But we (my helpmate hubby, Dave, our wonderful web designer Holly Smith of Crown Laid Down Designs, and me) persevered because we knew this would be a ministry tool and we had prayed continually for God’s guidance and direction.

So I found peace in knowing there must have been something God wanted us to learn, and just maybe the recaptured and reloaded site would be even better than the one that crashed.

Honestly, we have looked at it for so long, and tweaked it here and there, but you the reader and viewer are our best critiques. My goal was for it to be:

  • Easy to navigate
  • Engaging
  • Enlightening
  • Entertaining

Please give us your comments in those areas. We welcome your thoughts and ideas. Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear. Let us know what works and what doesn’t work.

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1

 

So we’re ready now to hear what you have to say. And of course, you can also tell us the things you like about it.

About His Work

Janet
January 27, 2013
Return to top of page

Welcome to My New Blog

4

I’m so glad you’ve found my blog and hope you’ll sign up to follow my weekly Monday posts…and comment on what you read!

Today we’re launching my new website, which I hope you’ll browse and enjoy!

You’ll see that I write, speak, and offer support on a variety of topics, so the content of my blogs will vary. If a particular topic doesn’t apply to your life, you probably know someone who could benefit from you sharing the blog with them! That’s mentoring: Sharing Life’s Experiences and God’s faithfulness–my passion and my mission.

If you’re new to my blog, welcome. If you’ve been following me, I hope you enjoy the new look. Let me know what you think!

About His Work,

Janet

January 19, 2013
Return to top of page

Are You the Mentor You Want to Be?

2

In the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry, I often heard Mentors complain about their Mentees but sometimes the Mentor may actually be the problem.

I thought it would be great to start out the New Year sharing an article by Stephanie Shott on The Mom Initiative (TMI) Website. To learn more about TMI go to www.themominitiative.com,

5 Types of Mentors That Drive Mentees Crazy & 2 MORE GIVEAWAYS & SIGN UP to LEAD A M.O.M. INITIATIVE MENTOR GROUP By Stephanie Shott

Let’s face it, not all mentor/mentee relationships were made in heaven. Some can be tough. At times personalities don’t gel. That’s human nature and a wise mentor will see that she’s not the girl for the job and gently remove herself while trying to replace herself at the same time.
There’s something beautiful about a mentor/mentee relationship that works, but that doesn’t always happen.
It’s like a ship that sets sail with two people on it. Sometimes they enjoy the ride, other times they’re ready to throw each other overboard. :-)
At times, the mentee is to blame. Other times, it’s the mentor who is responsible for mucking up the mentor waters and making a mentee want to throw her overboard. And then there are times when it’s just not working for either of them and it’s really no one’s fault.
Today, we’re going to share a few ways in which a mentor can blow it with a mentee:

images-41. SMARTY-PANTS BULLY ~ The Mentor Momma who KNOWS EVERYTHING and for some reasons, she always seems ANGRY ~

If you’ve ever been around someone who thinks she has all the answers and comes across like she’s ready to bite your head off, you know exactly what I’m talking about. She’s intimidating… daunting. She makes you feel like you can never do anything right and you certainly don’t want to ask Mrs. Know-It-All any questions.
Every time she leaves, you wonder why in the world she would ever mentor a mother and you hope she decides you’re wasting her time so she won’t come back.
You’d tell her you don’t want her to come back yourself, but the thought of doing that scares the bajeebers out of you.
Like the bully in grade school, she thinks she knows everything and always acts like she’s mad at you.

Unknown-2

2. NOSY NELLIE ~ The Mentor Momma who seems to think she has to have her nose in your business in order to be a good mentor.

We’ve all known someone who thought her job was to mind your business instead of her own. The one who asks probing and personal questions that catch you off guard leave you feeling very uncomfortable.
She makes you wonder if what you tell her will be held in confidence because she spends most of your time together talking about other people.
You begin to avoid spending time with her because she’s so stinkin’ nosy. Finally, you find yourself leaving the house before she gets there to run an ‘emergency’ errand so you can miss your scheduled time with her.
Like the nosy high school friend you avoided, Nosy Nellie has a knack for running people off and then wonders why no one wants to spend any time with her.

Unknown

3. LOUSY LISTENER ~ The Mentor Momma who is there to tell you about all her troubles and leaves you wondering if she will ever be quiet.

We all know it’s not easy to be around someone who is so busy talking about themselves that they never stop long enough to listen. They’re relentless and they drive you crazy! All you can think of is, “Could someone PLEASE stop her!”
She really doesn’t have any interest in mentoring you. She is there to talk. And talk. And talk.
You start fidgeting in your chair and waiting for the second she stops long enough to catch her breath so you can tell her that you need to go to the grocery store, or take the dog to the vet, or get to your doctor’s appointment…something, anything to get away from the non-stop rambling.
You thought she was there to mentor you, but she’s a lousy listener who would rather talk your ear off than take time to listen to the one she should be ministering to.

images-34. DOUBLE TROUBLE ~ The Mentor Momma who thinks she needs to bring in reinforcements and gang up on you to get her point across.

You know her. She’s the one who can’t be just ONE. She seems to have the need to bring someone else into your very personal conversation and makes you feel like you’re being battered by both of them.
She told you everything would be confidential and then she shows up with someone else to tell you twice what she has already told you once.
She’s like the girl in high school who always had to have other girls around to validate her. When you see her coming, you know it’s really double trouble because someone else will be with her to mimic what she says. So you try to avoid her like the plague.

images-15. EXCUSE MAKING MOMMA ~ The Mentor Momma who has an excuse for everything. She tends to run late, isn’t prepared, doesn’t have her act together and constantly makes excuses for herself.

We all have friends like this. They leave you waiting at Starbucks for 30 minutes and when they get there, they give you the same excuse as they gave you last week.
They told you to read through chapters 1 through 5 of Overwhelmed and you did. But when she arrives she lays out a list of excuses as to why she couldn’t come prepared.
She doesn’t have any problems making plans. She just can’t seem to keep them. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t remember the plans she makes.
It’s always someone else’s fault that she struggles with being unorganized. It’s always someone else’s fault that she lost her keys or loses her temper.
She’s like your little brother who loved to play the blame game and point his fingers at you. She’s an excuse making momma and she simply wears you out with her excuses.
So, there you have it. Five types of mentors that drive mentees crazy.
The mentor/mentee relationship is really such a beautiful thing. It is meant to strengthen both the mentor and the mentee. It’s a pouring out and a drinking in. Two women doing life together. Maybe not forever. Perhaps just for a season. 
But it’s a journey the two take together. Laughing together, crying together, praying together and doing life together.
That, sweet sister, is what mentoring is all about.
And when it works, there’s nothing like it.
And when it doesn’t, it’s not time to give up on the wonders of a Titus 2 relationship. It’s just time to find a new Titus 2 mentor or time for the Titus 2 mentor to be a woman whose footprints are worth following.
Do you have any mentoring horror stories? Would you be a mentor that would fall in any of the 5 categories above? How can you make sure you’re leaving footprints worth following?

 

January 10, 2013
Return to top of page

Ten Ways to Share the Heart of Jesus Is The Gift this Christmas

0

For God so loved the world that He gave….
JOHN 3:16 NIV
1. Give the Gift of Encouragement. Instead of writing letters to Santa, have children
write letters to someone who needs encouragement this Christmas. For example,
soldiers, nursing home residents, or hospital patients.
2. Give the Gift of Hope. Adopt a needy family in your church or community. Bless
them with Christmas presents or a special dinner.
3. Give the Gift of Joy. Find simple ways to bring a smile to someone’s face during
the Christmas season. For example, pay for the car behind you at a drive-through.
4. Give the Gift of Kindness. Offer your time or energy to someone in need. Hang
lights for an elderly neighbor or wrap presents for an overwhelmed new mom.
5. Give the Gift of Words. Speak words of affirmation and affection to your friends
and family. Take time to write a special note in your Christmas cards.
6. Give the Gift of Faith. Read the Christmas story with your family. Talk about
what Christ’s birth means for your lives today.
7. Give the Gift of Peace. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, set
aside one “silent night” to be at home. Light a fire, curl up with a cup of hot
chocolate, and take a few moments to rest.
8. Give the Gift of Hospitality. Invite someone to your home who may not have
family close by or host an open house for your neighbors.
9. Give the Gift of Time. Help nursing home residents write Christmas letters, offer
to baby-sit so busy parents can go on a date, or spend a few hours at a shelter.
10. Give the Gift of Love.

www.JesusistheGift.com
December 14, 2012
Return to top of page

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

0

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27 NLT)
I have a precious adopted grandson, and in light of November being National Adoption Awareness Month, I thought it fitting to talk about this little guy. Seven years ago, he became legally ours on National Adoption Day. We can’t imagine our family without Brandon, and I try not to focus on what his life would have been like had his teenage mother not put him up for adoption—or even worse–had she availed herself to a morning after pill or aborted her baby. That God gave this precious miracle of life to our family continues to amaze me and bless our family. You can see pictures of him in “Grammie’s Corner” below.
             
In  Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby? A Companion Guide for Couples on the Infertility Journey, daughter Kim, Brandon’s “forever mommy,” shares her infertility story and the “ministry of adoption.” Daughter Shannon shares her journey to parenthood through Invitro. This book doesn’t advocate adoption as the only solution to the heartache of infertility. It explores the many ways God opens hearts and homes to becoming a family and offers support and encouragement from couples who understand the heartache of infertility.  
Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby? can also help a woman with an unwanted pregnancy understand how adoption is a gift to her child and to a couple longing to give her baby a home.
             
However, even though this book continues to win awards, it’s been difficult to get the Christian community to embrace it as a resource for hurting couples to find solace and comfort. The publisher received this type of reception: “Several of the media we contacted for the book seemed hesitant to broach the subject of infertility since it is such a personal issue, although a very important one.”
             
Many couples submitting their stories for the book said they felt alone and ignored, even in the church–especially in the church. In the opening Scripture God calls us to help orphans get a family. God certainly wasn’t afraid to talk about the infertility of Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth, and others. When did we decide it was “too personal” to help hurting couples? Christians who have been adopted into the family of God and know the biblical infertility stories, should be the first to resonate with these brokenhearted couples.
             
As you give thanks around your tables this Thanksgiving for the blessings and the families God has given you, who do you need to reach out to who longs for a family of their own–both the orphans and the empty-arms parents?
             
Thank you for your continued support of About His Work Ministries. I thank God for each of you…  
Happy Thanksgiving
November 14, 2012
Return to top of page

SHINE ON!

0

In my last month’s newsletter, I asked the question: Today, I think you would agree that the Word of God is shamed, maligned, slandered, reviled, and blasphemed. And my challenge to Christian readers and audiences is this: What are you doing to keep the Word of God glorified, sanctified, revered, and honored?
I received the following inspiring response:
Janet,
Thank you for the newsletter and words of encouragement!!!
What am I doing to honor and glorify God and keep Him in the forefront???
SHINE ON! That’s what!
I have put together a group of women from all over the Treasure Valley [Boise, Idaho area] that meets at a neutral location; we call it SHINE ON, which stands for Share, Help, Inspire, Nurture & Encourage Others Now.
Each month we have a guest speaker who comes and shares how God has worked in her life to grow her through some kind of trial or difficulty. Last month our speaker spoke about how God worked in her life when she learned her husband of 13 yrs had decided he was gay and was having an affair with another man.
They are no longer married and her new husband walks with the Lord and loves her dearly, but in the beginning she thought she could change her first husband and she could control her life, her marriage and her husband. After 5 yrs, she finally gave in and allowed God to work through the shame and the sin to heal her and free her.
Yes, we are talking about the tough stuff here!! Because it is relevant! Little did I know that the gal leading worship that month had a daughter who was living that lifestyle and she had not told any of us because she thought it was an off limits topic in Christian circles. Shame on us! But so freeing for her and another gal who were impacted directly that night. The conversations went on for over an hour afterwards, and I know God used this difficult topic to SHINE ON his children that night!
We also have a guest ministry that we allow to share for a bit each month. Last month is was Destiny Rescue, a ministry that reaches out to those impacted by human trafficking both here and abroad. Another tough topic!
Thank you for your newsletter this month, it is timely and relevant and we DO need to talk about the tough stuff!
In fact, that is the focus of my key topics for my speaking and writing! God allowed my life to be deeply impacted by some very tough stuff and He gave me a voice and a passion to speak up and share with others how God rescued me from some of the taboo topics!
Keep up the great work Janet! I am so thankful to the Lord for bringing you to Idaho! I have desired to have someone like you to hold me accountable even if it is just through a newsletter, for years! Thank you! Please keep it up!!!
Serving Christ,
Raini Bowles

Upcoming month’s event https://www.facebook.com/events/259032330868934/

July 24, 2012
Return to top of page

Heart Choices Today: Understanding the Cry of Infertility

0

Heart Choices Today: Understanding the Cry of Infertility

Read a great article for those who don’t know what to say to the infertile and for those who are infertile and need to have someone understand their pain.

June 25, 2012
Return to top of page

A Mother’s Day Message from Heaven

0

My Grace Abounds passed away in March and her father sent me a copy of a birthday letter Grace sent to her Mother and granted me permission to share it with you for Mother’s Day. What a sweet message to her Mom. Grace is now with Jesus and Mom is suffering from Alzheimer’s but both their legacies live on through Grace’s words:

                                                                                                                            March 23, 2003
Dear Mom,

It’s hard to know where to begin telling you what you mean to me, for you grow dearer to me with each passing day. Your birthday is a good time to share my thoughts with you.

You have been not only my Mom, but my friend. You are the keeper of my  dreams and know my deepest thoughts. There are not very many people who can say that about their mother–but I can about you.

Through my battle with cancer you have been the one person who understood what I was going through like no one else. In the hardest times it was your comfort that I needed most and you were there. Your courage and stamina in your own battle set such an example for me.

Your love, generosity and faith in God are monuments and markers of who you are. They have been and continues to be examples I seek to follow and ones that give me the greatest joy.

You and Dad have left a deep imprint on my life and I am so grateful to God for that blessing. One writer has said that “gratitude is the heart’s memory.” My hearts’ memory will always have a special place for you–and it will be full of gratitude.

All my love, Graciela

May 11, 2012
Return to top of page
« Previous Page
Next Page »
Return to top of page · Copyright © 2026 Crown Laid Down Designs All Rights Reserved · Our Privacy Policy