"Embracing Your Second Calling" - Chapter 1

Our women's group started this awesome book last week and there was so much to discuss in just the first chapter that we only got through half of it on our Thursday morning conversation.  But here's a re-cap of what we discussed from Chapter 1 - "A New Day Dawning":


1.  "What matters is not your outer appearance -- the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes, but your inner disposition.  Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in." - I Peter 3:3-4    ---- "God, it turns out, doesn't really care if we are sagging or graying or aching.  He doesn't care how much estrogen we have or whether our falling arches have moved us from stiletto heels to Birkenstocks.  And here's a hot flash for us all: in God's economy, the fact that we are becoming less physically attractive may be just the way he wants us."   (pg.3) 

2.  "I believe God has a special purpose for women in the second half of life that is world-changing in its scope.  If we can understand what God is calling us to and can turn away from those voices calling us to stay attached to our youth,  we will be given a power and purpose beyond anything we have experienced."  (pg.8)

3. We discussed the message we are sending younger women when we show that we aren't comfortable with ourselves, at our ages, with our looks, where we are in life etc...   When we constantly try to act/look like WE are 20 yrs old, then the younger women look at us with fear.  They must think that it SUCKS to be where we are, because we so desperately are trying to get back to where THEY are.  WE HAVE TO STOP THIS MESSAGE!!  We have to teach the younger women, that it's COOL to be where we are!!   The only way to get that message across is for us to find a way to BELIEVE that ourselves.  Getting comfortable with where God has us RIGHT NOW is imperative for our own well-being, as well as helping the younger generation.

4. The message that God wants us to know that the best is NOT behind us. (pg.7)  We all may be at certain Crossroads in our lives, but that doesn't mean that what we are saying good-bye to is better than what we are walking into as the next chapter of our life unfolds.  I believe we are ALL walking into a very exciting chapter of life.  We all have unique gifts and opportunities in front of us and I can't WAIT to see what unfolds in each of our lives as we open ourselves up to what God has in our futures, and stop living in goals/dreams/regrets of our past.     

I asked all the women at my group if anyone would like to go back to where they were in their 20's or 30's.... everyone said "Nooooo!"   So then, let's stop listening to "those voices calling us to stay attached to our youth", and get excited about what God has prepared us to do and be in our mid-life!!

One of the things I'm most grateful for at this stage in my life is the unique relationships I have formed with different women that God has surrounded me with.  When I was younger, I really don't think I appreciated what my girlfriends had to offer the way I do now.  We are all on this life-journey together and I love how we lift each other up!  It's so precious to me and something that was definitely lacking in my youth.

What is something that YOU appreciate in your life now that was missing in your youth?  Chime in.. I'd love to know!!

"Embracing Your Second Calling"

 

Happy Saturday everyone!  I haven't been good at keeping up with my "Saturday Morning Scriptures and Stuff" blogs.  Somewhere through the holidays I got off my schedule and still haven't been able to get back on track, but hopefully I will get my act together soon so we can meet here on Saturday mornings again!  

There is one thing I wanted to share this morning specifically for my sisters who are hitting the "Crap, I'm getting old and don't know what to do with myself" stage-- like I am!   I have a wonderful women's group that meets regularly on Thursday mornings and starting this week we are going to be reading Dale Hanson Bourke's book, "Embracing Your Second Calling: Find Passion ad Purpose for the Rest of Your Life".   Here's a little excerpt from the introduction to this book:

    "When I wrote Second Calling a few years ago, I was at the beginning of the journey into this chapter of my life.  A bit shell-shocked by the signs of age, a bit saddened by the impending empty nest, a bit overwhelmed by the realization that my ambitions were changing, I was struggling to make sense of it all.

    I am a few more miles down this road now.  My grown sons have both left home.  I have a new job that takes me to Africa regularly and challenges my comfort zone on every level.  My husband and I have started talking about selling the house and planning for retirement.  My mother has health problems, so my sister and I are more involved in caring for her and managing her life.

     But this is not just my story.  That, more than anything, is what I have learned.  Woman after woman has told me that Second Calling felt like it was written 'just for me'.  The revelation, for all of us, has been that we are not alone.  The joy has been that we feel free to share our struggles and fears and dreams with one another in a way we never felt we could do before.  And for many of us, that means that we can truly embrace our second calling ---even if we don't know exactly what it is."

If any of you can relate to this, I'd love for you to read the book along with us and join in for conversation here on my blog throughout the next few weeks.   FYI, I ordered the books for our group here: Amazon:Second Calling   They are paperbacks, so inexpensive to order!  We will be reading the introduction and first chapter "A New Day Dawning" this week. 

I'll leave you with my bible verse/wish for you this week:  Love you all.... M

Romans 15:13- "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may over-flow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Psalm 59:16

 

"But I will sing of your strength, in the morning i will sing of your love;  for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." 

I Peter 5:6

"Be content with who you are, and don't put on airs.  God's strong hand is on you; he'll lift you up at the right time."

Hashbrown Casserole like Cracker Barrel's! Really!!

If you are like me, you LOVE the hashbrown casserole at Cracker Barrel.  I don’t believe I’ve ever visited that place without ordering it.  So, I started looking online for the recipe.  There are several sites which claim to have the recipe.  Interestingly enough, none of them are the same.  SO which recipe is RIGHT? 

I just started messing around with some of the ingredients and came up with what I think is the closest to Cracker Barrel I’ve ever had.  I think I may even like it better!!   After posting about it, I had several ask me for my recipe so.. here it is!!   Enjoy!  … and let me know if you make it and if you liked it!  It’s super-easy!

MARCIA’S HASHBROWN CASSEROLE

2 lbs of frozen hashbrown potatoes  (thawed)

1 stick of butter (melted in microwave)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 onion diced

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

Pam cooking spray

Mix all those ingredients together in a large bowl.

Spray Pam into a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until done.

Tips:  Use real butter.  I do buy the “light” butter, but it’s butter, not margarine.   Also, I  shred the cheese myself, don’t buy the pre-shredded cheese.  That has a weird coating on it to keep it from sticking to itself in the bags.  Me don’t likey.   

If you make any changes (like maybe using a “lighter” version of the soup or cheese, let me know how that turns out.  I usually believe in going full on for full flavor in recipes like this.  I know it’s not “healthy”, but this isn’t something I make everyday.  It’s a splurge dish for sure… and when I want to “splurge”, I say go for the real stuff!! 

All About Us

 Good Morning friends!   I hope everyone has had a beautiful start to 2012....

I wanted to share this trailer to a new series that begins today at my church, Crosspoint Community Church, here in Nashville, TN. If you don't live in Nashville, you can still join us each Sunday by way of our Internet Campus at 6:00pm each Sunday evening.  There is even a cool live Q&A right after the sermon that you can participate in.  Go to www.crosspoint.tv for more info including campus locations and service times! 



"Most people are going into this new year with high hopes. We've got dreams for our careers, our finances, and our relationships. Who isn't hoping that next year is going to be better than the past five combined? But there's one thing standing in your way: YOUR PAST.

Ever wondered why you make all of these resolutions every year but nothing ever really seems to change?

Ever wondered why you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over?

Ever wondered why you have such a difficult time maintaining healthy relationship?

You see, your past isn't really your past if it's still affecting the present. If you haven't dealt with the hurt from your past it will continue to impact everything you touch. If we don't learn to transform the pain, we'll transfer it.

Join us at Cross Point Church in January for a series of messages that will help us find healing from our past so we can move into the future God has for us. We're a church that realizes we don't have it all together. In fact, we like to say at Cross Point Church it's OK to not be OK."

Hurt People, Hurt People.  Free people, free people.  -- So true.  

Isaiah 26:3 -- Want Peace??

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." -- Isaiah 26:3

Notice that peace comes from God, and not our mind. Peace is the response of God to those who seek Him, for God’s presence places all of our circumstances in a different perspective. Our minds are prone to project the worst that can happen, but a mind that is steadfast upon God is confronted with the fact that God is in control. Renewing our minds with this reality causes trust, and that trust opens our hearts to peace.
 
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     A few years ago, my life was in complete turmoil.  I had gone through my 2nd divorce and felt like a failure.  I had become a single mom of two boys, trying to "make it" in the music business.  I didn't have a "real" job so bills were piling up.  Thankfully I didn't end up out on the street because I had parents who would always check with me at the beginning of each month with the same question, "Do you have rent money this month?".  I always felt SO triumphant on the few months where I could say, "YES!  I have it covered!", because the truth is, most of the time, I had to utter a humiliating "No, not really.  Could I borrow it from you... (gulp).. again?".   Of course they ALWAYS came through for me and NEVER made me feel like I was being a burden, but I still felt horrible each time I had to ask.  I mean, geez... I was 33 yrs. old with 2 kids.  WHY couldn't I get my act together?!? 

     One day I started looking around at the people I knew.  I decided that I needed to figure out WHY some people just seemed to be doing well in life and others weren't.  What was their secret?  You know those people?  The ones that seem to always be happy, no matter what is going on around them...??   The ones that seem... well... peaceful?   I wanted that.  I was tired of turmoil.  I was tired of trying SO hard and still not appearing to get anywhere.  I was tired of the chaos.  I wanted peace.  

     The one thing I noticed that all the peaceful people had in common was a love for Jesus.  They all had a true belief that God was in control.  They didn't worry so much about the little things because they believed that God would take care of them.  They ALL believed that God's word was in the Bible and they lived by those beliefs daily.  So I did what they did... I opened my Bible and dove in.

    I've tried living my life with and without God.  Trust me, it's MUCH easier with Him than without Him.  He brings that peace to my life that I was looking for.  That doesn't mean I don't have worry.  That doesn't mean that some days aren't.. well... hard.  But it DOES mean that I have peace.  I can honestly say that even when I'm worried, I'm at peace.  Even when I'm sad, I'm at peace.  Even when I'm frustrated... I. AM. AT. PEACE.  ----  Thank you Lord. 


 

 

Hold on to your hearts ladies! Someone is looking mighty stud-ly in his new sweater....

Proverbs 1:5-6

"...let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance..."

Good Morning friends!  As we begin this new year I wanted to share this commentary to Proverbs 1:5-6. It came in my morning Daily Bible Verse email and it is by Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor at GraceNYC.org.  

 "One of the traits that Solomon valued was the gaining of knowledge and wisdom. This proverb reminds us to never stop being students of the Scripture and the world around us. To the degree that we don’t allow others to instruct us, we place a lid over our own progress. As we prepare for the New Year, may we recommit ourselves to becoming students again. To lose our “expert” opinions puts us back on the trail of adding to our knowledge. The wise know that they need this. How about you and I?"

I really LOVE putting myself into a constant "student" mode.  Always looking at my surroundings and trying to learn something new from God, my friends, the universe.  I don't ever want to fall into the trap of thinking that I have everything figured out.  That sounds incredibly boring, don't you think?

May we all learn something NEW today!!  Let's GO!!!  :-)  

My prayer for ME in 2012....

Psalm 51:10- "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."