The whole bracelet.
If you haven’t yet heard of SnazL, you’ll want to check it out. It is Ameeda’s brainchild and brings together video, audio, images and other content along with chat in a real-time party experience.
I agree. I find that the same tools that help us deal with our damaged past can
guide us through an insecure future. I wrote this book to help people who feel
“stuck” because of the dysfunction, divorce, depression, abuse, grief and guilt
in their lives, but I am walking through these same principals each day in my
counseling office with folks who are dealing with the difficulties of job loss,
anxiety, and marriage issues in a struggling economy.
You’re a counselor and an abuse survivor. Will you tell us a little of your story?
I grew up in the deep South and I wish I could say we spent happy hours saying, “Yes Ma’am” and “No Sir” and “Good Night, John-Boy.” But nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, I was ten years old before I realized that God’s last name wasn’t damn! My Daddy took off when I was five, and raising four kids alone brought out the worst in my mother. She became abusive with a bust-your-lip, black-your-eye kind of punishment--the kind of pain that stings your face for a while but sears your soul for a lifetime.You talk about one of those people, Donnetta Jean, as she moves through the steps to get the healing that she needs. Is she a real person?
The neighbor-lady from across the street took me to church, I found Christ and He changed my life. That church helped me get to Christian college. On my quest for my own healing, I became a Christian counselor and have had the privilege of working with God’s precious people for the past seventeen years in my office at a growing church in California.
Donnetta represents the many damaged people in today’s postmodern culture—distanced by pain from the God they desperately need.You started each chapter with a word that starts with the letter “P.” That had to take some work.
When I read a self-help book, I love to see personal examples of the tools presented, but I find myself wondering how the person in the example turns out. In 12 Ways you get to walk through the process from start to finish as you see the healing of Donnetta Jean unfold. Then you know the path for your own healing.
Each chapter is one of the steps, and I did that to make them easy to remember. I’m at the stage of life when I stop and think and forget to start up again! Alliteration helps things stick in my head.Can you share the rest of your chapter titles?
My first “P” is Perspective. Chapter 3 and 4 include Prayer and the Power we find in God’s Word. They are pivotal parts of recovery, to be sure, but until we adjust our perspective to see what’s good in life, we can’t reap the benefit of prayer and scripture reading. Before I shifted my perspective, God could have parked a burning bush by my front door to convince me of His love, and I would have stamped out the fire and complained about the inconvenience! It took a long time for me to train myself to see the cup half full instead of always seeing it half empty. But without that fundamental change, it wouldn’t matter how much God intervened in my life to bring good, I wouldn’t see it as such.
1. Predicament: Donnetta Jean JonesThis book can serve as a workbook for the reader as well, right?
2. Perspective: Honey Let Me Tell Ya
3. Power: I Got a Rock (Which tells us what the Bible says about us.)
4. Prayer: Present In His Presence
5. People: We’re In This Together
6. Patience: Locust Lunch
7. Plan: Jesus In the Rearview Mirror
8. Pardon: The Healing Power of Forgiveness
9. Provision: Jettisoning Emotional Baggage
10. Priorities: Making the Main Thing the Main Thing
11. Passion: Warts and All
12. Purpose: The Real Thing
Epilogue--Praise: Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Yes, at the end of each chapter, I’ve included an exercise titled, “Truster Reconstructer” to help the reader pause, ponder and personalize each step. I told you I like alliteration! If you complete the exercises in this book you will have the equivalent of 12 sessions of therapy. At the national average of $80 an hour, the price of one book is quite deal! But don’t stop with just one book. 12 Ways works as a powerful small group study. Each chapter presents an obstacle to faith and the scriptural solutions for that obstacle. Women have shared with me they feel like it is equivalent to 12 weeks of applicable Bible study.In your chapter on People, your mentioned the importance of confidence only you didn’t call it self-esteem. You called it “Jesus-teem.” What does that look like?
We have heard enough over the past few years about self-esteem, but Scripture tells us that when we embrace the Lord’s view of ourselves, we’re free to be comfortable in our own skin. God’s view of us is revealed in his Word and through the compliments of others. In chapter 3 about the Power we find in the Bible, I have included a page full of verses with the personal pronouns left out and a blank space provided for you to write in your name. That way you can take ownership of each verse, let it soak into your soul, and change the way you feel about yourself. When we can fully get our heads around how God feels about us, it changes the way we feel about ourselves. That’s Jesus-teem!You mentioned compliments defining us. Can you explain that?
My old pastor used to say that compliments are bouquets thrown from the hand of God. When we don’t take the compliments given to us, it’s as though we are ripping the heads off the flowers God has given us, throwing them to the ground, and stomping them. Compliments are God’s way of telling us who we are. When we receive them it builds our confidence in the qualities and gifts He’s given us. But when we don’t, we remain static and self-critical.“Jesus in the Rearview Mirror,” now there’s a title. Tell us about that chapter.
I took those words to heart and stopped dismissing compliments some twenty years ago. In that time God has had the opportunity to remake my self-image. Before that I had to climb a ladder to look an ant in the eye!
God has a plan for us, but many times the view we have of what is happening around us as we cruise through life is often challenging, even frightening. From our viewpoint, looking through the windshield, we only see calamity, but all the while God is working. Later, when we look back over our lives, as we peer into the rearview mirror, we are able to see the Plan that God was working out all along. Recognizing God’s plan builds our faith.You present a powerful prayer exercise to help people unpack their emotional baggage in the chapter on Provision. What can you tell us about that?
Years ago a wonderful Christian counselor taught me this life-changing prayer exercise to help me dump the anger, hurt and resentment of my abuse. Until that point, I thought I would have to bear the burden of my painful childhood forever. But I walked out of her office that day a new person. I have had the privilege of sharing this gift many times in my office and now, I am sharing it for all to read. It’s enough that abuse victims have experienced pain, we don’t have to keep reliving it. We can be set free, thank God!You tell Donetta’s story of healing and your own story in a way that keeps us turning the pages to see what’s going to happen next. Have you always been a storyteller?
I’ve always loved stories especially ones I can relate to. I recently published two stories in Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover’s Soul and one in Chicken Soul for the Tea Lover’s Soul and now What I Leaned From My Dog, due out in October 2009. I believe everybody has a story—a string of stories that make up life. In fact one of the steps in my book to turn pain into praise is to write down those moments in your life when God shows up—the stories of his faithfulness. I call them “Monumental Moments.” After writing down my monumental moments for years, I filled a book with stories that was recently published by Warner Press.The pain in your life hasn’t hindered your sense of humor, has it?
My book of stories, Better Than Jewels: 31 Days of Biblical Insight for a Woman Seeking God is a devotional that starts each day with a scripture from Proverbs and a short relevant story to illustrate that verse. In it, I share more of how God miraculously intervened in my life to turn Tennessee trailer trash into a fully loved follower of Christ! It’s currently available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com or on my website LindaNewtonSpeaks.com.
I hope not! My goal for all the books I write is for the reader to laugh, learn, and leave each page feeling closer to the Lord.Are you working another book?
Yes. My working title is You Can Fix Stupid: Seven Savvy Choices for Mind, Body and Soul. I deal with people everyday who are in terrible situations that were preventable. I want to give folks information to make better choices and avoid being “stupid.” I am working on a blog on my website that addresses these issues.Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your book?
Since the book’s release last fall I have heard feedback from readers and I can say with confidence that whether you are seeking tools to empower those you are helping or needing the tools to transform yourself, you will walk away from this book spiritually stronger as you learn to:Closing: Thanks so much for having me on your blog. I hope your readers will visit me online at http://www.lindanewtonspeaks.com/. Please remember that God deeply desires to turn your pain into to praise.
¨ remove your offender’s face from God and stop blaming Him for life’s pain
¨ stop renting space in your head to bad memories and offenses
¨ relinquish the stinkin’ thinkin’ that causes you to emotionally circle the drain
¨ stay constantly connected to Christ with time-tested tools to process your pain
¨ realize your full potential as you seek God’s divine purpose for your life.
Skin Free™ Skin Care Products are recommended for individuals with:
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Crunchy chose the art box.
Trix Swirls® combines two mouthwatering fruity colors into every fun puff that will satisfy kids´ taste buds and spark their creativity! A good source of calcium and vitamin D, the Trix Rabbit won´t be the only one who can´t resist these fruity combos, which include lemony green, berry berry blue, and rasporangey orange!
About the authors: Meaghan Gonzales Wagar and Michelle Bulmer Atha both received graduate degrees in education and have dedicated themselves to public education. Meaghan teaches fifth grade and is a mother of two. She is a native of Atlanta, a baseball team-mom and church volunteer, where she ministers to new moms with home-cooked meals. Originally from Milford, Conn., Michelle teaches Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, in addition to the second graders she teaches at an Atlanta area elementary school. In her classroom, students write letters and send care packages to the soldiers. She has two girls and is remarried.
Shopping list:
On hand:
Mamavation is a social experiment and weight loss campaign created to change lives one mom at a time. Bookieboo Moms have organized as a team to impact one mom's life and help her create an everylasting healthy lifestyle.
The challenge goes like this: Can the Mamavation Team help one overweight mom from twitter lose weight and bring healthy habits home to her family? If we can do this, we have succeeded. And by helping this mom, can we also help thousands of other moms as they watch? If this is possible, we have succeeded in our social experiment. We really want to change the lives of many, by focusing on one mom at a time.
The Mamavation Mom is sponsored by Earth Footwearand will immediately receive three pairs of shoes: sandals, casual shoes, and tennis shoes for the duration of the campaign. Earth Footwear has an amazing inclined sole design that lets you burn extra calories with every step
She will also receive the following if she reaches weight loss goals AND brings healthy habits home to her family:
1. Baby Banz $65 gift certificate
2. Creative Labs Vado in pink--pocket video cam
3. nekFIT--device that keeps dangling iPod wires from getting in way while exercising.
4. We Are Girls Who Love to Run childrens book by Brianna Grant
5. Joggermom $50 gift certificate
6. 10 pair of Puma col sox--super light athletic socks
7. One EA Sports Active
8. ChaLEAN Extreme set
9. New Releases: Turbo Kick FAN AND Hip Hop Hustle FAN
10. SporteeGal Fitness Journal
11. The "Madre" Necklace
12. Mabel's Labels, Custom Neat Freak Combo (for your kitchen to help organize)
13. Mabel's Labels, Skinny Minis--smaller sticky labels perfect for toys, supplies & dishes
14. Personalized Aluminum Water Bottle--Victoria P. Zurcher Designs
Soft, delicate look designed in pink clear and off white beads give you a pretty way to hold on to your eyeglasses. This feminine beaded chain has silicone ends that slide over and tighten on the arms of your eyeglass frames. When you aren't wearing your eyeglasses, simple let them hang around your neck handy for the next time you need them. Approximately 27" in long. Handcrafted by fair trade artists in Guatemala as part of our mission to create economic empowerment for women in disadvantaged economies.I am fortunate to not need glasses (yet! remember I am turning 40 soon!) But if I ever need glasses, I will definitely wear these. The designs are beautiful, and there is a style and color combination for any taste. If they sound kind of familiar, you may have read my review of the BooJee Beads. I have a lanyard that I wear to church every week with my nametag.
- I am a promise, I am a possibility, I am a promise with a capital "P"
- I am a great big bundle of potentiality
- And I am learning to hear God's voice, and I am trying to make the right choices
- I'm a promise to be, anything God wants me to be
Want to win one? Keep watching! The Good Cheer Company is one of the sponsors of my 40th Birthday Bash!
SmartMom Jewelry sent me a sample of their teething bling. And all I can say is, "Where was this when I had babies?" I am not a big jewelry wearer. But with babies, I rarely wore any. If you have ever held a baby, you know how enticing pretty jewelry is for them. And my babies always had a strong grip! The colors are beautiful and the shapes are eye-catching. It doesn't look like a teething toy! These should definitely be on your list for baby shower gifts.
Made from the same material as many teething toys, Teething Bling® looks great on Moms, Grandmas, Aunts and Caregivers but is safe for curious babies to handle and chew. Teething Bling® products are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC and lead free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp.
Many celebrities have been sited wearing Teething Bling® (including Holly Robinson Peete and Angela Bassett.)
Pet Beds:
Collapsible water bowls:
I had the chance to try out the Wristlet Water Bowl. When I first opened the package I thought it was a coin purse. It folds almost completely flat and zips up to remain thin. But unzipped, it is a HUGE water bowl. To give you a perspective of the size, I photographed it with my keys (2 car keys, 3 door keys, and a padlock key with one key fob). 
Find something that you (and FiFi) can't live without? Place and order and get a 20% off. Use the code: 20ways
from Phenix Publishing (ARV $22) 2 winners! (Total ARV $44)
(signed!) from author Marlo Schalesky (ARV $13)
(signed!) from author Marlo Schalesky (ARV $14)
