Getting connected with my dream job was a God thing.

I loved my job as a children’s minister, but I was getting a little restless. I had been speaking at women’s ministry events and leading retreats. At the time, women’s ministry was just starting to take off. I thought God was leading me to do more in that area.

I started attending a speakers group in Birmingham and went to a national speakers conference in Texas. I was asked by the national speakers conference to help with local PR with a conference in AL.

I really didn’t go to Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) that day to get a job, I went to promote the speakers conference. I had given a speech that day at my speakers group in Birmingham and I looked very sharp in my favorite red suit. I thought I would drop off a few fliers at WMU on my way home.

I knew a lot about WMU, but at the same time I didn’t know anything about the national headquarter’s organizational structure. I knew WMU had representatives that led conferences, so I asked to speak to the supervisor of that department.

I met the supervisor in the lobby and introduced myself to her and gave her my “sales pitch”. After I finished, she said “Did you say you were a Children’s Minister? We are looking for a Children’s Ministry Consultant. Could you submit your resume?”

I left that day knowing that was my job. I cried on my way home, as I saw glimpse of my past where God had prepared me for this job. God had used the Girls in Action (GA) organization when I was a child to give me a window to the world outside my own. In GA, I learned about a God who loved the world despite the lack of love I heard from sermons on condemnation. I rationalized if God loved the world he loved me.

I knew instantly that the Children’s Ministry Consultant at national WMU was the job God had for me, but it took WMU six months to come to that same conclusion.

I was young, confident, and I knew my stuff. I felt like I knew Southern Baptist missions, children ministry, and speaking/training. I dove into the job and I loved it. I was good at everything, but the writing.

At times, it was very debilitating working in publishing with my poor writing skills (My writing is the thorn in my flesh). I never recovered from the foundational years of language development that were lost to a child who suffered deafness and dissociation. Yet, my creativity made up for my writing skills and God blessed me with a great editor and copy editor.

Within 3 years of being hired as a ministry consultant, I was made the team leader of the Children’s Resource Team.

Our team thrived! We did a successful redesign of the Girls in Action and Children in Action curriculum. Together, we created and launched Children’s Ministry Day. We developed partnerships with other organizations to strengthen children’s mission education.

I had an amazing team!

I also continued in my role as the Children’s Ministry Consultant. I was in charge of programming national training events and training state leaders to train their state, association, and church leaders. I spent a lot of time traveling. And I loved it!

I loved consulting and leading the team. And I was fairly good at both. I put my heart in the ministry.

On top of this,
I got married,
wrote a book,
had a baby,
wrote a book,
had a baby,
and then…a break down…

 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (ESV)

Source: metrobabyblog.com via Mitzi on Pinteres

I love doing this idea for my boys to take to school. The free printable tag that goes with it is so cute. Plus, you can customize the tag with your child’s name.

 

Valentines- Breakfast

 

I always cook pancakes for my husband and the boys on Valentine’s Day, but I love this idea even better! Adorable!

 

Valentines- Snack

 

A fun and healthy snack of the big day.

 

Valentines- Cookies

Source: Uploaded by user via Mitzi on Pinterest

Source: skiptomylou.files.wordpress.com via Mitzi on Pinterest

What a fun and encouraging thing to do for your kids or spouse (bathroom mirror) to wake up to in the morning. You could also include scripture verses. You could do them all on Valentine’s Day or do one a day throughout the month.

 

I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine’s Day. Lavish love on your family, but don’t forget about those that may be alone while the world seems to celebrate couples. Encourage the single and widow by taking them one of the items above to let them know that they are loved by you and God.

Remember, you are loved.

God loves you and so do I.

 

Please, share ways, in the comments, that you share your love to others on Valentine’s Day.

 

 

Shane and I begin dating. I told him maybe 4-5 months into the relationship that I had been abused. I didn’t want to get into a relationship with someone who didn’t know about my past. He was loving, accepting, and supportive.

Our dating relationship was hard on us both. He commuted 60 mile each way into Birmingham during the week and I had my weekends filled with Children’s Ministry activities. It got more hectic at the one year mark when Shane moved to Birmingham and we didn’t see each other every week.

We both put pressure on each other in different ways. About six months after the move, I made the hard choice to break up for good. I loved Shane, but I could not continue to live in flux and with the pressures of a distance relationship.

That summer was hard, but I survived by starting a single’s group for the Baptist association. Shane and I still talked from time to time but it was strained.

At the end of August, my first nephew was born and my friends gave me a huge surprise birthday party. It all didn’t seem right without Shane. Shane came to visit me. A week later we went out on a date and decided to get back together.

Things were looking up. I had just put in my resume for my dream job in Birmingham. We would be living in the same city and could start dating again.

A week later I was watching TV getting ready for work when Katie Couric reported that a plane had struck one of the Twin Towers. I called Shane at work and told him that something was terribly wrong.

We morned together on that day.

We morned the loss of life. We mourned for our country. We morned for my newborn nephew and future generations. We morned at how it was going to personally change our lives as Shane would certainly be called up to active duty.

Our relationship was just getting on it’s feet again when the call came that he had a month to get prepared to be deployed. He would deploy overseas the day after celebrating Thanksgiving with family in 2001. I remember saying goodbye in the Birmingham Airport for his evening flight to Atlanta and then on across the Atlantic. It was a sad day, but I was so proud of him for serving our country.

Could our relationship survive the test of time…

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Psalm 147:10-11