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Wounded by God’s People

Posted by Debby on January 20, 2015

Sad to say, but if you have been in ministry very long, you know the hard truth that some of the deepest wounds in our hearts come from God’s people. The women you minister to have been hurt by those in the church, and you yourself have probably not escaped the hurts, intentional and unintentional, caused by those who call themselves Christians.

I am going to take a moment to recommend a book. Written by Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham), Wounded by God’s People uses the biblical story of Hagar to show how a young Egyptian slave was wounded by God’s people, those she loved, respected and trusted. Like Hagar, when we are wounded in the church, our response may be to run away from those who hurt us, and even put distance between ourself and God.

This book reminds us that God cares. He sees, and He hasn’t forgotten us. He has a unique path for each of us, and sometimes He uses those hurts to prepare us for the next step. He wants to heal our hurts and renew and restore our purpose. He wants us to move forward, and Anne gives us steps to take that lead to healing and forgiveness.

This is a book you should make time to read.

Posted in: Book Reviews, News & Information, Realities of Ministry, Resources

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What You Can Do with Cardboard

Posted by Debby on September 30, 2014

Cardboard can be an amazing resource for women’s ministry, and it is worth finding a few places where you can pick it up cheap, or even better, free. Cardboard is thrown away daily at big box stores like Costco. I worked in a showroom which regularly got rid of wonderful large pieces of cardboard. Cardboard is easy to work with, light-weight, and you don’t feel bad throwing it away when you have used it.

We have all used cardboard for signage. But consider cardboard for use as backdrops and props for skits. one of our talented prop designers taught me this trick: use duct tape to finish the edges your cardboard. Fold it over the edge, and it makes for a finished look and borders the sign, backdrop or prop. Note the edging on the sign below.

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning, Skits

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Develop a Resource Notebook

Posted by Debby on September 9, 2014

Planning our women’s Christmas event last year was difficult, and here’s why. We had an early November retreat which had us all very busy at the time when we should have been finding and reserving a venue or meeting space and caterer. Obviously, we were at fault for waiting too late to start the process; however, the job would have been infinitely easier if we had had a resource listing restaurants and hotels with private meeting spaces, and information specific to those locations.

So, this year, we are developing a resource notebook, doing the research ahead of time for venues and caterers. As we run into venues that are a possibility for a women’s event, we are filling out an information sheet that will be put in our resource notebook. This informations sheet contains information such as contact information, number of people the room can hold, type of tables, holiday decorations, rental charge and any extra fees (sound, etc.) Obviously, prices may change and are dependent on other factors. However, we can have at our fingertips notes on the number the venue can handle with tables and chairs, basic room rental charges, extra charges, what decorations do they provide-fun facts that would help us determine if a venue would be appropriate for our needs.

Take a look at our Venue Catering Information Sheet. We may revise it as we use it more. Do you have any suggestions?

Posted in: Location, Location, Location, News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning

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Women’s Ministry Toolbox

Posted by Debby on August 19, 2014

I am taking a “blogging break” as my husband and I travel to China to visit family. I would like to introduce you to my friend, Cyndee Ownbey. She is the creator of my hands-down favorite online resource for women’s ministry: www.womensministrytoolbox.com. If you haven’t visited this site, you need to! I have asked her to share below about her website, and next week she will be my guest blogger.

Women’s Ministry is hard.

It’s challenging. It’s often unpaid. It can be a struggle to find good resources and support.

I created Women’s Ministry Toolbox as a place where you can find resources and support that will help you and your team as you strive to fulfill God’s calling in ministering to the women in your church and community.

In addition to sharing wisdom and ideas I’ve gathered and gleaned during 15 years of ministering to women, I invite other leaders share their ideas through guest posts. There is so much we can learn from each other!

You’ll find information on:

Prayer
Bible Study
Team Building
Fellowship
Utilizing Technology
Online Resources
Shopping
Speakers
Budgeting
Icebreakers & Games
Leadership
Mission Projects
Publicity
and more….

I’d love to invite you over to Women’s Ministry Toolbox for a visit. I hope and pray God will use it to help you as you serve. (There’s even a spot where you can subscribe to get each post in your email box, so you won’t miss a tip or idea!) I so appreciate Debby giving me the opportunity to share my calling and extend an invitation to you, her treasured readers! It has been a great joy and pleasure to “meet” you!

Cyndee Ownbey blogs over at Women’s Ministry Toolbox and is passionate about helping other women’s ministry leaders reach and encourage women in their church and community. She and her husband, two sons (12 and 15), and miniature schnauzer, Heidi, recently relocated to the Charlotte, NC area. When she’s not gathering and gleaning great ministry ideas you can find her trying out new recipes or immersed in her latest Christian fiction pick.

Posted in: News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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New Skits

Posted by Debby on July 29, 2014

If you haven’t been to the website recently, it might be worth your while. I added three new skits this week. All three were added as part of the “Confronting Your Giants” skit series. However, I also listed one of those as a one-act skit. It is entitled “Good Intentions.” While it does deal with the “giant” of neglecting prayer and the Word, it is a powerful skit that could pretty much be used any time because it deals with our good intentions to have a daily quiet time, and the excuses we make. It is a short, powerful skit that can stand alone in just about any setting. Take a look at this skit–you’ll find it here.

Posted in: News & Information, Resources, Skits, Website News

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