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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
So, Darlene asked me to be on the blogging team for CWO and that got me thinking about teamwork. Which got me thinking about sports. Which got me thinking about laundry. Which got me thinking about television. Which got me thinking about blogging. Which doesn't speak well for the way my mind works, but there you have it. And here's what I thought. Out loud. As bloggers, at some point we all, quite naturally and understandably, stop and ask ourselves, "Why?" What compels us to share our thoughts, our lives, our hearts with virtual strangers who, with a word, have the ability, for better or worse, to immediately respond in a way unique to this medium. What do we anticipate in return for our efforts? And here are a few things I came up with. Because, when I talk to myself, I tend to answer back. Acceptance. "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Romans 15:7) I believe that, as image bearers of God, we have it in us to want to be accepted just as Christ accepts us and wants the world to accept Him and be saved. Not that we can save anyone. I'll be doing good if I can correctly save this post! But can I accept the blogger and who they are in Christ while still disagreeing with a statement they have made? Conversely, can I accept that another person disagrees with me without rejecting the person in turn? Or can I only accept those I deem acceptable? It seems that Jesus' acceptance of me is much more complete than my own tends to be of others. Attention. " ...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," (James 1:19) When I visit someone's blog, am I willing to pause and reflect for a moment, offering them something of value in return for their efforts? Can I read past their words and hear their heart? Can I put forth the time and energy it takes to re-read the post or to take a break and come back before offering my thoughts? How can I let them know that I have, in fact, "listened?" Can I "listen" to what her other readers have said? How easy it is to scan a post then click away without a word. How easy it is to misinterpret tone or meaning after a cursory glance. How easy to jump to conclusions and judge in haste. How easily we get offended by a fellow Christian when no offense was meant. Affection. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:10) Am I devoted to my sister bloggers, honoring their efforts to share their hearts and their faith with me? How can I do a better job of demonstrating love for them? What about when I disagree with them? Can I gently admonish then restore in a Christ-like way? Can I lay aside my own needs and wants long enough to offer a word of encouragement or to laugh along with them? To cry with them? To pray for them? Appreciation. "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you." (1 Thessalonians 5:12) The word 'admonish' here isn't about scolding someone; it's about leading and teaching. Can we show respect by expressing appreciation for the efforts of our sister bloggers as we minister to each other in this high-tech way? Can we find something of value in a post and acknowledge it? If you are on the CWO Blogroll, you have at your disposal a long list of other Christian women bloggers right there in your own sidebar. If you were to visit only one of those ladies each week that you have never visited before, look on their blog for something of value, and express your appreciation, at the end of the year you will have encouraged 52 women to whom you might not ever have reached out otherwise. You never know when you may be the only encouragement one of those women receives that day. (If you are not a member of the CWO Blogroll, you can learn more here!) 1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls us to "Encourage each other and build each other up." There are plenty of folks in our culture the enemy can use to discourage and tear us down. If we elect to engage ourselves in this community we call blogging, shouldn't we be counter-cultural by encouraging and building each other up? What are some practical ways we can do this?  Labels: Blogging, Carol's Articles, Encouragement Leave a comment... 21 Comments Links to this post  Carol's earliest memory is of sitting in front of a picture window. At the piano. Her answer to, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" changed from one day to the next. All she knew is it included a family and music. And a lot of time to devote to both.Raised in a church heavy on the legalism and light on the grace, she accepted Christ at age 14, then left the church while in college. After more than a dozen years spent buying into the world's lies and worshiping herself, she met Jesus again, this time allowing Him to take the lead. The result is a sometimes serious Christian woman with a heart for ministering to God's girls in a variety of ways, but with only one boss: Jesus! After 20 years of marriage, and with two children, 14 and 10, she's finally getting the hang of being a wife and mother. One day she hopes to actually be good at it. She enjoys reading, gardening, scrapbooking, and playing music. But not cooking. She'd rather leave the cooking to someone else and do the clean up afterwards. Considered a bit edgy and something of a health freak, Carol believes soft words make for hard hearts and hard words soften hearts. She doesn't soften words as she speaks biblical truth into the lives of others. She'd rather set a Psalm to a 12-bar blues pattern than play Kum Bah Yah on that bass of hers. And she isn't easily offended. Carol believes she has been called to serve and worship the God of the Bible. That calling includes the different tasks to which God leads her, requiring her to use the gifts given to her by His Spirit. Knowing her greatest blessings come when she believes God, Carol holds to Luke 1:45, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished." Currently, she actively serves in women's ministry, leading Bible studies, directing women's retreats and playing bass guitar in Jesus' name in two Christian bands. She thanks God that He has chosen to use her to help accomplish His kingdom work. Carol would love for you to visit her at She Lives where she blogs out her faith in Jesus. Bring your Bible and your sense of humor. Labels: Carol's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 4 Comments Links to this post  Linda remembers watching the clock tick toward recess in the 2nd grade, when she would make a beeline for the paper her teacher kept on the windowsill in the back of the room. “Let them play kickball,” Linda would say to herself, “I will write stories!” Yes, Linda has been a bit of an English major nerd her entire life. She revels in it. She thought she might teach high school English, but she married her college sweetheart and began a family that has grown into: a 20 year-old college student daughter (an English major, Linda proudly wants you to know) an 18 year-old son who draws the line at snacking on anything nonporous and excels at lifting heavy weights such as dumbbells and his mother but not heavy clothes hampers or trash cans, and a 14 year-old, quiet, unassuming girl who likes to surprise her family by bursting into Ethel Merman Broadway tunes for no apparent reason. Her husband, the smartest man in the world, speaks a different language called “math,” which has made for some zany communication “moments” between them. Thus, there are five people in Linda’s family, plus one dog and one entity who moved in in 1986 and never left: Laundry Pile. Linda works in a large youth ministry because one cannot have too many teenagers in one’s life, and she writes a small column for the local newspaper. Reared in a Christian home, Linda completely surrendered her life to Jesus in college and then lived a fulfilling life mothering her kids full time. In her early thirties, she encountered the most difficult period in her life, the onset of clinical depression. She testifies to Psalm 34:17-19: "Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” It was a long, arduous struggle, but God was faithful. Linda agrees with William Davis who said, “The kind of humor I like is the thing that makes me laugh for five seconds and then think for ten minutes,” and she aspires to write similarly. Her goal is to encourage readers, point them to Jesus without preaching, and to live long enough to see her children have teenagers of their own. She invites you to visit her blog at 2nd cup of coffee. Labels: Linda's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 3 Comments Links to this post  While she flitted from room to room as a child, Elise dreamed of dancing with her own children someday. Surrounded by her wonderful family of four brothers and three sisters, she knew her greatest desire was to raise children of her own, teaching them at home and raising them in the path of the Lord. When she married Kevin, nearly ten years ago, she had no idea their path would take them down the road of ministry! Kevin became a youth minister six months after they were married, and she navigated the changes this brought with typical nineteen-year-old maturity: she kept her feelings to herself. Ministry was not the path she had envisioned for her life! But as the years passed, and Elise watched her husband grow into his calling, they were blessed with three children, and she finally realized that her calling was at home. Together, she and Kevin, who is now a pulpit minister, homeschool their children, and Elise finds great joy and fulfillment in the daily “grind”, said with a laugh and a smile, for the grind is refining, and she yearns for it. She desires above all else to be a path made straight, daily inspired by the words, “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.” Hebrews 12:12-13 Elise tends to find messages from God in the many activities a mama engages in; whether it’s changing a stinky diaper, dancing with the baby, or laughing with her sons and husband, God reveals his guidance and wisdom. This keeps Elise always learning, always growing, always humbled. She rejoices in her life, and seeks to share what she is learning with other women through her writing. It’s the everyday, seemingly mundane, that flavors her words, and so she invites you to read and laugh along, at her little place called “A Path Made Straight”. Labels: Elise's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 4 Comments Links to this post  Kelly is a woman who is in passionate pursuit of her Lord and Savior, seeking to "run with endurance the race that is set before her, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of her faith, who for joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1b-2)Kelly was blessed with great race preparation growing up with parents that were in Christian ministry and teaching, and who saturated their home with a focus on Christ. She and her brother joined in ministry at early ages on mission trips and through church service. Kelly was active in drama & mime ministry and athletics, going on to play and coach volleyball in college. She found great joy in using her talents and abilities to glorify God and reflect. One of her favorite quotes is from Eric Liddell, an Olympic gold medalist & missionary to China: "When I run, I feel His pleasure." During her second week in college, Kelly met her future husband who had recently returned from a mission trip to Papua New Guinea. She fell in love quickly with the tall, handsome basketball player with a passion for Christ and missions. He became her best friend and life running partner. After marrying four years later, they moved for her husband to pursue a seminary degree and Kelly to begin graduate work. God added so much joy to their life by blessing them with a son and daughter. Motherhood has been one of the most challenging and wonderful experiences that God has used to grow and refine Kelly. She counts it a high calling to join with her husband to raise their children in the knowledge and love of Christ. Kelly was blessed to be able to stay at home during her children's younger years and even had the opportunity to homeschool them before they eventually began attending a private Christian school. She remains a homeschool curriculum addict and still uses it to supplement their schoolwork. Kelly has been called to teach, mentor, and disciple college students. She is blessed to teach at a Christian university, and have the opportunity to serve in a Titus 2 ministry. She seeks to encourage the young women she works with in Biblical womanhood and being grounded in scripture. Although the race gets tough, Kelly always finds that God is strong in her weakness. Through her blog, Kelly seeks to point others to Christ and encourage them along the way as they run their race. She is so grateful that He delights in her and has brought her into "A Spacious Place." "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." (Ephesians 3:20-21) Labels: Kelly's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 3 Comments Links to this post  Ever since she was a child, Christine has loved learning. As an elementary school student she would ask for extra homework, and while that practice didn’t continue, she always loved school. She continued seeking knowledge through her college days earning advanced degrees in music and education and expecting to go out into the world and pass on her love of learning to those around her. This dream has become a reality but by very different means. Christine began her journey with Christ as a 20-year-old, finding the joy that comes from releasing perfectionism and embracing grace, and in the decade and a half that followed her conversion from atheist to Christian her unfolding life has continued to amaze her. The goal of teaching music was fulfilled in music ministry and she is now a music and arts director at a large church in the Midwest. She has found her best teachers in her husband of 7 years, and her children, ages 6, 4, and 1, and is looking forward to adding another little teacher to her family in May. Flexibility, a term she never thought she would associate with herself, is now equivalent to survival as Christine tries to balance church work, family and school at home. Christine has redirected her passion for learning to include, above all, God’s Word and resources on godly marriage and raising joyful children. The topic of marriage is Christine’s joy and she desires to teach other women the rewards of living in God’s will in their homes. While still a work in progress, she loves teaching what she learns through her own trials, failures, and successes. Christine’s writing can also be found at her website www.fruitinseason.blogspot.com. Labels: Christine's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 2 Comments Links to this post  Throughout her twenty years as a Pastor’s wife, Chris identifies with the challenges most women face in today’s world and meets them with the wisdom and understanding of God’s Word. She has a passion to study God’s word and enjoys the many opportunities to teach women in her church through bible studies, moms groups and conferences. She considers her role as wife, mother, and homemaker a most high and holy calling. It is in this role that she finds her greatest fulfillment as a woman of God. She has been married to her husband for almost twenty-one years and they have been blessed with five children, two girls ages 15 and 12 and three boys ages 10, 6, and 2. Chris and her husband were both born and raised in southern California and spent their early years of ministry serving in a local church. They went on to spend five years of ministry in the foothills of northern California and then in 2005 her husband accepted his current position as Senior Pastor of a church in the mid-west. Her love of all things written began as a young girl. Chris began writing in diaries and had several pen-pals with girls her own age in Italy and France. As a young wife and mother, Chris devoured books on marriage and parenting as well as kept journals of what God was showing her through the beauty of her life experiences and His word. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Chris enjoys sharing her own ponderings at her personal blog Come to the table and desires that God would be glorified in and through her life. Labels: Chris's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 1 Comments Links to this post  Cyndi has learned to "never say never." Or at least, never say it to God! From the moment she left the career she thought she’d never leave (teaching public school) to become a stay-at-home mom to her children, her life has been a series of "I nevers" coming true… and loving it! Her "at-home-mom" life evolved into a journey into homeschooling, of which she is in her eighth year. Reading missionary biographies to her children turned into taking short-term mission trips as a family- not only to the land she thought all missionaries went (Africa) but to the place she told God she’d never go (China). She has discovered the joy that comes from a life yielded to His plan and not her own.She enjoys studying the Bible daily and digging deep, as well as laughing at even the most shallow and mundane aspects of life as a mom and a woman-on-the-verge-of-40. Her writing reflects the humor that she sees in her daily life and experiences, as well as the powerful way that God reveals more and more of His character to her through His Word. She hopes to share with you what the Lord is teaching her in her daily walk with Him, and considers it a privilege to walk alongside you in your journey as a woman, wife, mom, and Daughter of the King. She is madly in love with her husband of 16 years, Luke, and is the mom to a just-turned-teenager, Bethany, and a 10 year old son, Kyle. She and her husband enjoy participating in ministry together coordinating the Awana Club at their church. Her family takes as many mission trips as God sends them on… their passports are always ready! From homeschooling to life behind the wheel of a minivan, from the top of the laundry pile to the top of the Great Wall, she experiences daily the Ephesians 3:20 life "beyond all that was asked or imagined" that God continues to weave out of so many of her "nevers." Cyndi enjoys blogging about life-in-general at One Day More and homeschooling at Mater Magistra. Labels: Cyndi's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 1 Comments Links to this post  “This is your first child, you have all the time in the world, the Doctor said. “Take some walks around the block, and call me when your water breaks.” Laurel never did things according to schedule from the time she was born, arriving sooner than the Doctor thought! The Lord had big plans for her, and she is always ready for the next step in life. Laurel met her husband in Arizona. He was a military brat going to the University and she was just a “regular brat,” so they connected right away; they married in their senior year of college. Life hit her hard; new baby, her husband's new job, small apartment, very little money to live on. There was no direct family support; while going through days of depression, loneliness, and homesickness. But the Lord was with her through it all. Laurel learned to lean on the Lord in a mighty way. They currently live in Small Town, Florida and recently celebrated 13 years of marriage. Laurel graduated from college with a communication degree; she was also a childcare provider in her home for several years, a pre-school teacher, middle school PTA treasurer, and currently she is an Office Assistant working only when her kids are in school. Laurel has a house full of boys; three to be exact, however, if you add her husband, the cat and the dog, testosterone runs rapid. Being greatly outnumbered; she loves female conversation anywhere she can get it! Laurel will officially have a teenager this year, so life is bringing more adventures and challenges. With a heart for women, she finds it a privilege to remind women today that God is deeply in love with them. No matter what you have done, no matter where you have been God loves you right where you are with His agape love.
Visit her blog at http://www.laurelwreathsreflections.com/ and see her weekly at Laced With Grace Labels: Laurel's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 3 Comments Links to this post  In the fifteenth chapter of Luke, Jesus shares a story about a lost son, The Prodigal Child. This scripture is a sweet treasure to Lynn. She would describe herself as the prodigal daughter who was also lost in the world. However, there is a small difference in the telling of Lynn’s story. When she returned home to the open arms of the Father, she brought along her unsaved husband. Lynn married her husband fifteen years ago. Throughout their spiritually mismatched marriage, God has been carefully crafting Lynn’s character and purpose. Her husband’s skepticism and hard-hitting questions push her to live her faith day-to-day to the best of her ability. She would tell you that her spiritually mismatched marriage is the cradle that grew her faith. Lynn and her husband live in Temecula, California with their daughter and two dogs. Prior to her full-time writing career, she worked in Corporate America for 23 years. Lynn retired as a banking executive in 2003. Today she also serves in Women's Ministries through her local congregation. “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” ~ Philippians 4:13 Lynn can be found writing daily at her personal blog, "Spiritually Unequal Marriage," or the with the group over at, "Laced with Grace." Labels: Lynn's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 2 Comments Links to this post  Lisa McKay knew she was in trouble when the first counsel she received after her husband was newly called to ministry consisted of, "You'd better learn to play the piano. Churches like it when the pastor's wife can play the piano." Lisa can not play the piano or carry a tune, but she desperately loves to study and teach Scripture to women. It is this appetite for God's Word that currently has her seeking a Degree in Biblical Studies. Lisa has learned in her 13 years as a minister's wife there is no need to stress over fitting into a mold designed for someone else. What word best describes this girl? Authentic. You will enjoy the warmth and wit which come across in Lisa's writing as she seeks to draw women deep into the Word of God. She also has a speaking ministry which takes her to various women's events. Her life with her pastor husband, three boys, and baby girl gives her plenty of "sermon illustration" material. Lisa's desire for women is to see them grounded in the Word of God so they can live a life of joy - with hands high and face to the sky. For more of Lisa's writing and ministry, visit her blog at The Preacher's Wife. Labels: Lisa's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 1 Comments Links to this post Iris was born and raised in Germany. Although raised in a Christian home, God had to move Iris  6,000 miles across the ocean to get her attention. Iris needed to understand why she believed. The Arizona desert was just the right place for her to grow in her faith.Since God called her back into His flock, Iris has been involved at her home congregation in various areas. From serving on the altar guild, to singing in the praise team, to reading Scripture passages. Her heart's passion though is leading women in Bible study--showing them a life full of purpose with God as their leader. Through the grace of God, Iris' ministry reaches beyond the walls of her church. It is her hope to encourage women across the US and world-wide--encouraging women to be a Mary in a Martha world... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13 Iris resides with her husband of 24 years, their grown son and 2 dogs in the Phoenix Metro area. Her hobbies involve spending time with her Sweetheart, photography, music, reading and traveling. Besides writing bimonthly for 'Christian Women Online Internet Cafe', you can find her daily at 'Sting My Heart' and weekly at 'Laced with Grace'. Labels: Iris's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 2 Comments Links to this post  Perhaps it's her writing talent laced with design skill and determination that has placed Darlene at the hub of a rapidly growing online ministry for women that is celebrating its one year anniversary this March. Christian Women Online has brought about a new wave in the ability to reach out to people both to share faith and to minister to them. CWO answers the question Can the Internet really save souls? With a loud and clear Yes!This mother of four also inspires women through her book The Mom Complex. Sharing stories from her past to her present, this devotional is sprinkled with humor and inspiration that is both human and faith focused. Russ Eldredge said it best when he wrote, "Far too many people think that in order to be religious, you can’t be too human, and in order to be truly human, you can’t be all that religious. The Mom Complex strikes a wonderful balance between the two.” Darlene's writing has also been published through Winnipeg papers--The Lance, The Herald, The Metro, and The Times as well as in “Emphasis on Moms” magazine and online in her monthly column "DysFUNctional" at CWO. Her writing will also appear in Thomas Nelson’s upcoming anthology, Grace Givers. With words that light up a room, Darlene has been called upon to be a keynote speaker at various women’s functions such as Mother’s Day Brunches and Spring Fling type teas. It's her honor and privilege to speak to women about the blessing of motherhood, the rewards of a good marriage, and the grace her Father in Heaven bestows in her everyday life. It's that "faith focus" that shapes Darlene's writing--inspired by the Father every step of the way. Visit her website at www.darleneschacht.com Read her monthly column, DysFUNctional _______________________________ Labels: Darlene's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 0 Comments Links to this post
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The Internet Cafe is the team blog for Christian Women Online Magazine, "your daily dose of inspiration." It's a place to kick back, grab a virtual chair at our table, and allow God to fill your cup to running over. It's addictive, but only He can satisfy the craving of your soul.  Copy this code to link your site to The Internet Cafe
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Bonnie Hooley
