The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down

Ladies….The Kitchen Table had its first virtual book club meeting on Saturday, June 19th!! Everyone agreed that the Yada Yada Prayer Group, book series are great books. We ended up talking about the different characters in the book and how we related to them. It was a really good time of sharing. We had a second call last night, June 28th and again it turned into a great time of sharing and relating to the women in the prayer group. But the best thing of all it seems for everyone is that though the books are Christian fiction, they have inspired everyone in their prayer life. Now that is really something to think about.

It is not too late to join in, we are now reading book 2 and will have the book club call on Saturday, July 17th.

This is how it works.
1. You pick a date and time and register by sending an email to: thekitchentable2010@yahoo.com.
2. Place in subject : “Summer Book Club”
3. Put in your day of choice, “Saturday or Tuesday” (sorry you cannot mix and match dates, if you choose Saturday, it will be the 3rd Saturday of each month)
4. Make sure you put your name, city and state.
5. You will receive an email stating that you have been registered. And the call-in information for the call in center we will be using.
Make sure to put thekitchentable2010@yahoo.com in your address book so that our emails do not go into your spam box
6. You will receive a weekly email concerning the book we are reading that month. Just a little something to keep you engaged and excited before we come together to discuss it.
7. You will receive a reminder email (with call-in info again) a couple of days before the book club meets.

Please register as quickly as possible, seating is limited.

July: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down (Book 2)

August: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real (Book 3)


Day: Every 3rd Saturday
Time: 1.5 hrs

Sasha, July 17th,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

Ponnie, August 21st,
(3 - 4:30pm ET), (2 - 3:30pm CT), (1 – 2:30pm MT), (12 – 1:30pm PT)

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Ponnie on Facebook, the above email address or my private email if you have it.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock . . .

I have a newfound appreciation for time and the various things that can be done with it. Having an infant will do that for you. There is this saying that says, “There is no such thing as free time. All time carries a cost, and what you do with your time determines the price.”

I have a wonderful daughter. Her name is Amanda Janae Daniels. And I wouldn’t change the experience of being her mother for anything in the world. I will tell you though, that sometimes I have to laugh when I think about the decisions of time management that I am faced within a daily basis. When my precious princess is asleep, I have a few choices of what to do with my time. And there is never enough time to get everything done. So, I am subject to prioritizing between reading, sleeping, eating, or showering. These have quickly become my four top priorities. A distant 5th, 6th, etc. is cleaning the house, working on the computer, or even down time like playing Sudoku or Logic Problems.

I am very close to having a system whereby I can make the most of my time every minute of every day. Would you like to know my system? Well here it is: take care of myself spiritually, physically, then emotionally - in that order. This may seem practical, but when you are tired beyond belief and having trouble thinking straight or remembering what day it is, a little direction goes a long way.
My next step is using the next two weeks to incorporate time to get job-related tasks completed. Adding this additional ball that needs to be juggled with all of the rest will definitely make my life one of adventure. I’m sure it’ll work since people do it all the time.

I would love to hear any stories of infant-induced sleep deprival and your subsequent prioritization of time. Hearing the experiences of others would give me one of those: “WHAT MEN HAVE DONE MEN CAN DO” moments. Or more appropriately, “WHAT WOMEN HAVE DONE WOMEN CAN DO!”

Time is a-ticking; tick tock, tick tock. I gotta go because I don’t have a lot of free time! LOL. Until next time . . .


Peace & Blessings
Sharon


I'll be back in 2 weeks! See you Monday, July 12th.


Tuesday's Blog: Our summer blog posting schedule & July's book club info.

DO NOT BECOME WEARY…….Part IV

Good Morning Sisters…just a reminder of the scripture verse from Part I…Paul tells us in Galatians, that we are not to become weary of well doing. Yet as Believers it seems this is a very hard instruction for us to grasp or follow. First I would like to share with you how that scripture reads in the Complete Jewish Bible. 9So let us not grow weary of doing what is good; for if we don’t give up, we will in due time reap the harvest. 10Therefore, as the opportunity arises, let us do what is good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful. Galatians 6:9-10

Okay, we are picking up from the “expectations” we put on others. To sum it all up in a nutshell, when people do not respond in the manner, to which we think, then we start to mummer and complain about them in our spirits and to God. And more times than none we then move over into the realm of judgment. We begin to pick the splinters from their eyes, forgetting the log that is growing forth from ours. For me, when I get to that point of being annoyed or judgmental about someone, it usually is a signal that there is something in my own life that needs attention. Everybody (meaning ALL of us) have stuff that is going on with us. But it is easier to pick at or point out those things in others that are not right, versus look at ourselves.

Not only do our “expectations” of others cause us problems, but also our “expectations” of ourselves. Yes, we have a tendency to set ourselves up to fall. One of the great things about God is that He never requires more of us then we can achieve, and to make sure He supplies everything we need for our success. But that is not the same premise we as His daughters use for ourselves. Our expectations of ourselves and others can be way off base. For one, we become weary (tired) with people, because they are taking to long too get it! Too long to make change! But the truth is, it is not for us to determine the due season for anyone. Not even for us. We forget that pouring to other people’s lives does not come with a warranty assuring us that we will see immediate change. In fact it doesn’t mean that we will see anything come from our time invested. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 3:6, some plant, some water and God gives the increase. Do you think that Paul lived to see the fruit of all his labor? No, he didn’t, because we are still being instructed by him through God’s Word today. When we pray for people do we always get to see the prayers answered? No, we don’t. I wonder how many mothers prayed and poured their hearts out to God that their children are saved, and when that day came, they had already gone to glory. Probably more than we could count.

We also become weary (tired) because we have put greater expectations on ourselves than the Lord has required of us and at times our motives are not always the purest. We have hidden agendas as to why we are helping. Our desire could be recognition and the “Atta Girl” award. Some of us still define ourselves by what we do, and it makes us feel good to get accolades for our service and work. But when it doesn’t pan out the way we thought, we can find ourselves becoming tired of all the extra work we have taken on. My point is sisters; our expectations most often can be the root of our being tired of doing good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful.

How do we get around becoming weary in doing good? I wish there was some easy way for us to achieve it, but you will have to fight the good fight of faith to get to the end of the race. Sorry, if at this point you were looking for 1, 2, 3….to get there, but it is a daily battle in the life of a Believer to not become weary. But I do have some things I have found to be very helpful in my daily walk.

For one, I have to keep reminding myself of God’s grace to me. Are we not to extend the same grace to others, especially those of the household of faith? Yes, we are! I then have to remember that my ‘life’ is not my own. That I was bought with the price of the Blood of Yeshua (Jesus) and it is my reasonable service to be a servant (slave) to God. Because sisters it is very easy for us to become slaves to whatever is going on in our own lives, and that too can aid in our not having the right attitude toward others. Because I am not one to complain out loud about my problems, people often have a tendency to think I don’t have any and everything is always fine. We all have something that we are dealing with because no one gets a free ride in this life, and so at times I become annoyed when I feel I need time for me but someone is insisting that they must have my attention now! But what I have learned over the years is that though I may have wanted at the time to maybe hang up on them or felt put out that they didn’t care if now was not a good time for me, my making time for them, was not unto death. Yes, I lived! LOL!! And it has helped me to see that to be selfless like the Messiah; we have to put ourselves and our problems aside for others. Suppose you were given the care of an infant and all of a sudden the worst migraine headache known to man came upon you, when that helpless baby started crying you would do everything in your power to attend to its needs, headache or not. We have to push to do the same in the Kingdom. God is longsuffering with us, and any attribute that God possess is also available to us. We must take the time frames and our expectations out of the picture and strive to live like God when it comes to others.

How we feel about and treat others is a reflection of how we feel about God. Sometimes we forget that people are an extension of God. And foremost we must concentrate on living to please God, and not people or ourselves. Our purpose in doing anything should not be for our own selfish motivation, but to bring glory and honor to our Father.

Will the day come that you stop having to fight to not become weary? Not on this earth. Will you still find yourself, judging others, being annoyed and some days just plain tired of people? Yes! After all these years I still find myself getting off track from time to time. Why? Because we are a work in progress and will continue to be as long as we are in these bodies and on this earth. But the good news is….it does get better as we continue to grow in the things of God.

Sisters, I pray that I have given you some tools to be able to pinpoint the source of your weariness. And you will use these tools to be able to make changes that will help you to continue to fight the good fight of faith. Life as a Believer at times can be very challenging and difficult, but God has given us all that we need to hang in there until the end. I will leave you with the famous words of Yeshua, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

(Part I posted May 15th, Part II, May 29th, Part III, June 11th)



Be Blessed,
Pat

I will back on Friday, July 9th. Hope to see you then!!


Monday's Blog: Sharon "Women & Finances"

Father's Day....

Hi,

As I write we are coming up on Father’s Day and although I am sure very little to no men who join us at the kitchen table I really wanted to spend this blog highlighting dads. Every year in May you see all the advertisements for Mother’s Day. Florist and restaurants are over loaded with customers. Many churches are packed and some have messages tailored to celebrate mothers and women. There are churches that even handout roses or carnations to all the mothers. As a mom of course I love every moment of it but what about the dads? So today I want to get on my soap box and spend some time pumping up dads.

Like some of you I had some dad issues. My own father left my mom when I was 2 and truth is, he was not the most dedicated father. He would not show up when he was supposed to. He promised things and did not come through. I remember waiting all day for him to pick me and my three siblings up to go to an amusement park. I kept going back and forth to my front door looking for his car to turn the corner and it never did. Please do not feel bad for me because I am so over this. It is because I have no animosity towards my father that I can freely share this. But there is no denying that as a result of the events in my life I began to get bitter and mistrusting of men. The first one was my dad. I began to speak to him in a very disrespectful manner and was determined not to need him for anything. As we became adults he apologized and gave all credit to my mom for us growing up so well. I remember when he was apologizing thinking with my Christian, saved, sanctified self “Whatever man!” I had a lot of hurt and I needed healing

One of the first steps of my healing came from a man who came to speak at Lincoln University. I am not sure what his topic was, but this older African American male said something that began to change my thinking. Let me back up a minute. While on campus it was not strange for me to call guys a name of the canine nature... I spoke it freely and with conviction. I really believed that all men were dogs and those who were not completely dogs had doggish tendencies. Well this man said that women should stop speaking that over our men. He said that even though some of our young men and older ones too behave in ways that are not honorable that every time we call them this name we are perpetuating the behavior. It may not have impacted the other females there but my friend and I decided that from that day forward we would not refer to our male counterparts as dogs. And I never did again. Not using the term was more than an outward thing but I began to see some good in the guys around me and started to expect good until shown otherwise.

The second step to healing came from a teaching book by Charles Stanley. He taught in this book about forgiveness. I learned that when I do not forgive I relinquish power to the enemy, the devil. I received revelation on how much I have been forgiven. What audacity I had not to forgive. I also found out that unforgiveness causes bitterness which affects every part of your being. I made a decision to forgive my dad. I was not comfortable calling him and saying what needed to be said so I improvised. I got an empty chair and pretended he was sitting in front of me and them I began to share all my hurt with “him”. After purging I released and forgave him. It was not easy. I sat in my room and I cried like a baby. After that day I still had to fight the urge to hold a grudge. In fact when I was planning my wedding twelve years ago I was not going to let him walk me down the aisle. The Holy Spirit got a hold of me and yes he did walk me down the aisle and I am glad he did. Of course there were other things that helped heal my broken heart but the ones mentioned had the biggest impact. God has done a great work on me.

I think about my own husband. He works hard everyday so I can stay home with our kids. After driving an hour to get home he does not just sit in a chair and zone out in front of the television, he takes the boys, plays with them, puts them to bed and cleans the kitchen. Brian prays with our sons, teaches them and disciplines when necessary. He is a great example of a godly man to our two children. There are many men out there that have busy work schedules yet they find time to be coaches, mentors and youth leaders. All men who are not with the mothers of their children are not dead beat dads; they are totally involved in every aspect of their children’s lives. They love their kids and are taking care of them financially, emotionally and spiritually the very best they can.

The greatest thing is that no one is left out because we have God, the Father. He is the best Daddy of them all. He loves us according to Jeremiah 31 with an everlasting love. In Isaiah 43 he calls us precious in his sight. He longs to take care of us. Jesus said in Matthew the 7th chapter. “If you then… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask?”

I would like to challenge you sisters to begin to look for something to admire in the men in your life. It could be your mailman, just the fact that he is always respectful, goes the extra mile, and rings your doorbell when he leaves a rental movie in your door. When we purpose to look for good in people we will more than likely find it.

Let’s pray. "Father in Jesus name we thank You for being the best Father we could ever want. Thank You for looking after us and perfecting all those things that concern us. We bring all the fathers we know before You today. We ask that You would strengthen them with power and wisdom. We pray that they would walk in the light of Your Word and that they would walk worthy of You. We also ask that they would train their children up in the way they should go so that they will not depart from You and Your ways. Give them the tools necessary to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and that these fathers will honor You and live a life that is pleasing to You so that their children and their children’s children will live. In Jesus’ name, Amen."



Hugs and Kisses,
Cheryl


Catch you in two weeks on, Thursday, July 8th!


Friday's Blog: Pat "Words of Wisdom"

DE-STRESS YOUR LIFE!

Have you ever had a day, week, month, year, etc. that it was crazy busy for you, the stress level was high, and all you really wanted to do was scream “AHHHHH, that’s it no more!”? Does anybody else agree with this statement?

Then you might be under some kind of stress in your life. For example: You wake up in the morning, you hear the alarm buzzing, turn it off (or put in on snooze), go back to bed, cover your head and stress out thinking of what you have to do that day. We cause our own stresses in our lives having this kind of mentality.

We have to have a positive mentality. We have to wake up in the morning, Thank God every morning for waking you up and providing you a NEW day of mercy and grace (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thank God that HE has control over all things that you have to do every day. (Ephesians 1:11)

Sometimes we try to please everyone around us and take on more than we can handle. This only heightens our stress levels and makes us feel like we are drowning. The Bible says may your yes be yes, may your no be no (Matthew 5:37).

Here are some internal and external factors regarding stress:
• Internal Factors:

o Includes your body’s ability to deal with the stress (everybody can handle stress differently), the external stress factors, stress also influences your overall health (fitness health, emotional health, and sleep)

• External Factors:

o Includes job, children, relationships with others, your home, all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you’re confronted on a daily basis, etc.

Ways to De-Stress:
• PRAY. Praying anytime will definitely ease the stress levels. Praying to God and asking for HIS help through the day will provide us peace in the midst of the storm(s) (stresses) in our lives. (Mark 4:37-39)

• FOCUS/PREPARE. Focus and preparation for the day, week, etc. will definitely ease the stress levels. For example: You work all week. Prepare what you are going to wear for the whole week instead of trying to figure out on the day to day basis what you are going to wear.

• PRIORITIZE/ORGANIZE. Prioritizing and organizing will definitely ease the stress levels. For example: I have a “Things to do” task list daily and update my calendar daily. If I do not get one of my tasks done on a specific day, I add it on to the next day’s “Things to do” task list to complete it. I’m not going to worry about tomorrow tasks today. (Matthew 6:34)

• BALANCE. We definitely need balance in our lives. The Bible says that there is time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3). We need time to spend with God, spouse (if applicable), child or children (If applicable), grandchild or grandchildren (if applicable), family, friends, etc. ALSO, you need to spend time for yourself. I call it my “me time”. Nobody bothers me during my “me time”. Thank God! I can do anything that I want to do. For example: Walk along the beach and “chilax” (chill/relax), Watch a good movie, read a good book, or go get my nails done.

• SET REALISTIC GOALS. We definitely need to set realistic goals. For example: A non-realistic goal: To be a “Wonder Woman”. A realistic goal: To be a “Wonderful Woman”.

• RECUPERATE/REST. We definitely need to recuperate and rest and unwind our bodies before going to sleep. For example: Taking a bubble bath.

Bible Scripture Reference
Lamentations 3:22-23, Ecclesiastes 3, Matthew 5:37, Matthew 6:34, Matthew 11:28-30, Mark 4:37-39, Ephesians 1:11, 1 Corinthians 10:13,

Dictionary Reference
The word “Stress” in the dictionary means any emotional, physical, social, economic, or other factor that requires a response or change.

Question to ask yourselves: Are you going to “DE-STRESS YOUR LIFE!”?


God Bless You Always,
Maria Guzman

Hope to see you on Tuesday, July 6th!


Wednesday's Blog: Ponnie, "Living Single & Loving It"





¡DEJAR EL ESTRES!



¿Alguna vez has tenido un día, semana, mes, año, etc. que era muy ocupado para ti, el nivel de estrés estaba elevada, y todo lo que realmente quería hacer era gritar "Ahhhhh, ya no más!"? ¿Alguien más está de acuerdo con esta afirmación?

Entonces se podría estar bajo algún tipo de estrés en su vida. Por ejemplo: Te despiertas en la mañana, se oye el zumbido de la alarma, lo apágate (o lo pusiste para sonar en algunos minutos), regresar a la cama, cubrirte la cabeza y el estrés de pensar en lo que tiene que hacer ese día. Nos causa nuestro propio estrés en nuestras vidas teniendo este tipo de mentalidad.

Tenemos que tener una mentalidad positiva. Tenemos que despertar en la mañana, dar gracias a Dios cada mañana para despertarte y que le proporciona una nueva día de misericordia y gracia (Lamentaciones 3:22-23). Gracias a Dios que Él tiene el control sobre todas las cosas que tienes que hacer cada día. (Efesios 1:11)

A veces nos tratan de complacer a todo el mundo que nos rodea y tomar más de lo que podemos manejar. Esto sólo aumenta nuestros niveles de estrés y nos hace sentir que estamos ahogando. La Biblia nos dice que tu sí sea sí, que tu no sea no (Mateo 5:37).

Éstos son algunos de los factores internos y externos en relación con el estrés:

• Factores Internos:

o Incluye la capacidad de su cuerpo para manejar con el estrés (todo el mundo puede manejar el estrés de manera diferente), los factores de tensión externa, el estrés también influye en su salud en general (salud física, salud emocional, y el sueño).

• Factores Externos:

o Incluye trabajo, los niños, las relaciones con los demás, su casa, todas las situaciones, desafíos, dificultades y expectativas que está enfrentado en una base diaria, etc.

Formas para Dejar el estrés:

• ORAR. Orar en cualquier momento sin duda facilitará los niveles de estrés. Orar a Dios y pidiendo su ayuda durante todo el día nos dará la paz en medio de la tormenta (s) (estrés) en nuestras vidas. (Marcos 4:37-39)

• ENFOCAR / PREPARAR. Enfocando y la preparación para el día, semana, etc. sin duda facilitará los niveles de estrés. Por ejemplo: Usted trabaja toda la semana. Prepara lo que vas a poner de ropa para toda la semana en lugar de tratar de averiguar en el día que ropa te vas a poner.

• PRIORIDAD / ORGANIZAR. Prioridad y la organización sin duda facilitará los niveles de estrés. Por ejemplo: Tengo un "Qué hacer" lista de tareas diarias y actualizar mi agenda diaria. Si no termino mis tareas en un día específico, lo añado a la del día siguiente "Cosas que hacer" lista de tareas completarlo. Yo no voy a preocuparme por las tareas de mañana hoy. (Mateo 6:34)

• BALANCE. Definitivamente necesitamos el balance en nuestras vidas. La Biblia dice que hay tiempo para todo (Eclesiastés 3). Necesitamos tiempo para estar con Dios, el cónyuge (si aplica), hijo o hijos (si aplica), nieto o nietos (si aplica), familia, amigos, etc. Además, necesita pasar tiempo para ti. Yo lo llamo mi "tiempo". Nadie me molesta durante mi “tiempo”. Gracias a Dios! Que puedo hacer cualquier cosa que quiero hacer. Por ejemplo: caminar por la playa y "chilax" (refrán que dice “tranquila/relajar”), ver una buena película, leer un buen libro, o ir y hacer mis uñas ".

• ESTABLEZCA METAS RELISTAS. Definitivamente tenemos que establecer metas realistas. Por ejemplo: un objetivo no realista: Para ser una mujer "Mujer Maravilla (Wonder Woman)". Una meta realista: Para ser un "Mujer de valor (Wonderful Woman)".

• RECUPERAR / DECANSAR. Definitivamente necesitamos que recuperar y descansar y relajar nuestros cuerpos antes de ir a dormir. Por ejemplo: Tomar un baño de burbujas.

Referencias Bíblicas
Lamentaciones 3:22-23, Eclesiastés 3, Mateo 5:37, Mateo 6:34, Mateo 11:28-30, Marcos 4:37-39, Efesios 1:11, 1 Corintios 10:13,

Referencia en el Diccionario
La palabra "estrés" en el diccionario, es cualquier emocional, físico, social, económica o de otro factor que requiere una respuesta o cambio.

Pregunta que debe hacerse: Te vas a “DEJAR EL ESTRES DE SU VIDA"?



Dios te Bendiga Siempre, Maria Guzman