Today's Christian Woman articles from November 2008

Today's Christian Woman archives from November 2008

Remodels afoot!(between us)
November 1, 2008... My husband, Scott, and I are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. We've removed the front of the cabinets so we can reface them. We've pulled up the floor down to the subfloor. We've moved the entire contents of our kitchen, including...

"Where no mom has gone before".(FROM OUR BLOGS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Work-at-home mom Caryn Rivadeneira wondered what Sarah Paiin's candidacy for Vice President of the United States means for mothers everywhere. Here are a few of your responses to her post: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Why are we moms...

"Diary of a makeover".(FROM OUR PAGES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... "What is attractive? A woman like Debbie, whose inner beauty shined in her attitude and her willingness to consider this show's advice without throwing away her Bible."--Gaye "I could relate to the author, having also been raised in a...

Gifts that give twice.(Renew YOUR MIND)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... We want to honor the One who gave up the riches of heaven to walk the earth as a homeless man, but it's too easy to make Christmas all about stuff. Here are some ways to refocus your gift-giving. 1. KNOW ABOUT YOUR PURCHASE. Are the toys...

N'Oprah?(Renew YOUR MIND)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While Oprah remains strong in large cities (New York, LA, DC), the show's ratings took a recent and notable dip in medium-sized markets (Pittsburgh, Louisville, portland). Some critics speculate that Oprah's close...

Cancer care at every age.(Renew YOUR MIND)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Think you can slack off on your breast self-exams because you're under 40? Think again. Christina Applegate had a double mastectomy recently--at age 37. Her cancer diagnosis reminds us more than 250,000 women under...

In quotes.(Renew YOUR MIND)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... "Who am I to complain? I've had a great support system and health care--many more advantages than other people have had. I don't think God selected me to have cancer, but my mother said I was given this opportunity to bring light to those who...

Lost.(Renew YOUR MIND)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Ruby Gettinger weighed 500 pounds and suffered from Type 2 Diabetes when doctors told her she needed to lose weight or lose her life. So this spunky Christian woman embarked on an emotional journey to end her food addiction, aided by the...

The music box.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Artist: Sara Groves Album: 0 Holy Night Style: folk pop Familiar Favorites: "Silent Night," "O Holy Night," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" New Tunes: "To Be With You" ("about my family...

Taking on fear.(EXCERPT)(Excerpt)
November 1, 2008... Tackling the fear that routinely paralyzes a person is no small matter. I realized there were two ways to approach the rest of my life--in fear or in faith. I was a washed-in-the-blood-of-the-Lamb believer, but I wasn't a woman living by...

Messy Faith.(3 to read)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... Messy Faith by A.J. Gregory (Baker Books). Gregory explores "the muddled adventure that working out our faith in God can sometimes look like." Drawing on her own stumbling blocks of bulimia and substance abuse, she shows how to take an honest...

The Seven Desires of Every Heart.(3 to read)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... The Seven Desires of Every Heart by Mark and Debra Laaser (Zondervan). The Laasers explain how our need for seven core, God-given desires--such as to be understood--can cause relationship issues if unexpressed and unmet. They provide tools to...

Beside Every Successful Man: A Woman's Guide to Having It All.(3 to read)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Beside Every Successful Man: A Woman's Guide to Having It All by Megan Basham (Crown Forum). This author and TV commentator shares practical tips to help a wife come alongside her spouse as a true partner in...

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: (Little, Brown Young Readers).(the one: everyone is talking about)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... For Bella Swan, romance is dead. Literally. When this 17-year-old heroine of Stephenie Meyer's bestselling young adult series falls for her classmate, a hottie named Edward, she has no idea he's keeping a secret: He's a vampire and, well,...

Is your husband a slob?(Refresh YOUR HEART)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... If your hubby has house-cleanliness issues, here are some tips from Leslie Vernick, relationship expert and author of The Emotionally Destructive Relationship. Check your expectations. Did he try helping in the past but gave up because...

It's in his kiss.(Refresh YOUR HEART)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Kissing is good for your hearth! According to the Academy of General Dentistry, lip locks help prevent tooth decay by stimulating saliva flow, which provides teeth with the calcium and phosphorous they need to build strong enamel. So start...

You said it!(Refresh YOUR HEART)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... "I never in a million years thought there would be sides to Kevin that I'm still learning. [Our relationship] is like a treasure; there are layers and layers of it. I'm constantly amazed that we are still surprised and interested in each...

Tired of the same old, same old?(ROMANCE ROMANCE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Add some passion to your daily routine! 1. Kiss right after you put the kids to bed. 2. Hold hands in the car. 3. Cook dinner together. 4. Wash the dishes together--and no seriousness allowed! 5. Kiss at red lights. ...

5 things I love about you.(COUPLE MINUTES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Want to give your spouse a special present--but struggle because he doesn't need anything? Give him a love list. Write specific attributes (physical, emotional spiritual, and mental) that you love about him--one for each year you've been...

How do you two decide where to spend the holidays?(WORK IT OUT)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... I come from a family of five; my husband from a family of six. With extended families and one divorce, it's difficult to decide whom to visit each holiday. About five years ago, my husband made an Excel spreadsheet for all the holidays up...

Does your credit card get a workout during the Christmas season?(COMMON CENTS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Does your credit card get a workout during the Christmas season? Put away those credit cards, then sit down with your husband and make a list of all the people and events you need to buy for. Take a hard, honest look at what cash you can...

In-law complaints.(real love, real sex)
November 1, 2008... "My husband and I feel the same way about his parents. We don't like them. But whenever I say something negative about them, he gets defensive! What gives?" Anyone who's ever spoken a harsh word against hubby's mama has encountered the...

Bedroom discomforts.(real love, real sex)
November 1, 2008... "My husband keeps asking me to do things in the bedroom I'm not comfortable with. But when I tell him "no," he gets upset and the whole mood is ruined. How can I make him understand my point of view?" This is a hot-button issue in a lot...

High maintenance kids.(TWO VIEWS ON MOTHERING)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Jealous of your friends with "easy" babies? Here's good news. Recent studies show DNA plays a significant role in how children respond to their parents. One study, reported in Newsweek, discovered that children with mild temperaments are...

Life lesson.(mom's the word)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48). My six-year-old stepson receives hordes of presents every year. But my husband and I...

What's the best Christmas gift your kids ever gave you?(MOMS SHARE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Berry Happy Ending I like to rearrange furniture. One year, I moved the dining room into the living room. At dinner I said if I'd known we'd be in a room with brown walls, I would never have chosen plates with strawberries on them. ...

Wonders of Motherhood.(mom's the word)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * Watching your child sleeping. * Snuggling. * Getting waved to by your smiling pony in the school play. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TALK BACK! * How do you handle your hardheaded offspring? * What life lesson are you...

Escapes.(Revive YOUR SOUL)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We all need a spa for our souls, as well as rejuvenation of our bodies. We weren't created to keep going and going and going and going, like the Energizer Bunny. There are many ways to get away awhile....

I can do that!(Revive YOUR SOUL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Trader Joe's Tangerine Sugar Scrub. If you happen to be one of the lucky women who live within driving distance of a Trader Joe's grocery store (find out at www.traderjoes.com), this little jar of yummyness will be the best six bucks you ever...

Spa treatment.(Revive YOUR SOUL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Treat yourself to a day spa or make one happen on your own. Run a hot tub filled with relaxing scented bath oil. Lock the bathroom door and put on a CD of soothing instrumental music. Light a scented candle. Put a bath pillow or rolled towel...

Q: I occasionally let a four-letter word slip. Does the command about not taking God's name in vain include swearing?(great question)
November 1, 2008... A: Anyone who prefaces theological question by admitting she's flawed is my kind of woman! Plus, I can identify with having an unruly tongue. Whenever I bump my toe into a table or graze my bumper on the garage doorframe, the first word that...

Ruth: waiting for the one.(women in the word)
November 1, 2008... When you sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" this season, you'll no doubt picture Mary cradling baby Jesus in her arms. But centuries earlier in Bethlehem, another biblical sister had given birth, never imagining what God had in mind for her...

We're 30! On TCW's anniversary, four 30-year-olds share what's on the heart of today's Christian women.(The Christian Woman)
November 1, 2008... TANYA THOMAS Family: Single Occupation: Regional director of World Relief Church involvement: Worship team and high school ministry One word to describe turning 30: Exciting [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JEJEE LE ...

Bigger than both of us: how my view of our marriage was radically shifted.
November 1, 2008... For the first several years of my marriage, t was fond of para-phrasing C.S. Lewis on the difference between romantic love and friendship. "In The Four Loves," I'd tell whoever might (or might not) be interested, "Lewis points out that...

Anticipation: where s the joy in waiting?(SPECIAL SECTION)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As Christians, we know that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We've also heard that it's different from happiness--even though many times we still confuse the two. But what is joy, exactly? And why...

The difference between joy & happiness: it's more distinct--and important--than you may realize.(SPECIAL SECTION)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Joy and happiness. What's the difference? Happiness comes from the root hap, which means chance. Happiness is circumstantial. It's life going the way you want it to go and the feeling you experience when that...

Unearthing Joy: we don't lose our joy. But it can go underground.(Q & A with Thelma Wells)(Interview)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How do we find and hold onto the joy that Belongs to us as Christ-followers? To find out, we talked with Thelma Wells, Extraordinary Women speaker and author of God Is Not Through with Me Yet (Multnomah). In...

Slower than Christmas: waiting for promises to become realities.(SPECIAL SECTION)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Advent starts early at my house, usually welt before Thanksgiving. Some gray afternoon in fall, after the first icy weather blasts us unequivocally out of the bright half of the year and into the dark, I get out...

TCW talks to Stephanie Wilson: an astronaut discusses fear, faith, and seeing earth from space.(The Christian Woman)(Interview)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Stephanie Wilson knew the odds were against her. She'd already been turned down once by NASA in 1993, and her second application, three years later, was one of 2,500 received. Still, she felt compelled to go...

Not in my town: how 3 women (and you!) are fighting sex trafficking.(Cause of the Year)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Stephanie Voiland prayed one day, "God, I feel like I'm just going through the motions." The next words of her vulnerable prayer surprised her: "Make me radically obedient." She wasn't quite sure where those words...

Traditions for two.(Celebrations)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When we think of the holidays, we usually think of doing things with children and extended families. But why not create "traditions for two" this year? This season is a great time to renew and grow your...

Picture perfect tree.(I CAN DO THAT!)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I'm a far cry from a professional designer on a limitless budget, but I still wanted to decorate my home in a special way for the season. One day while removing Christmas boxes from a closet, I accidentally knocked...

In under a minute, you can.(Restore YOUR STRENGTH)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... * Text "im under mistlto" to your sweetie. * Set the screen saver to scroll a cheery message every morning. * Purchase two tickets for the community theater performance of A Christmas Carol. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

A home for a teenager.(she's making a difference)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANNETH FRIESEN Family: married, 4 children Hometown: Billings, Montana What's She Doing: Adopted 15-year-old girl out of the foster care system "I met a girl." They were the last words...

Giving.(what I'm learning about ...)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seven pennies and a nickel fell out of my daughter's Cinderella purse as she picked it up for church. "You better leave those here so you don't lose them," I said. "I want to take them for the offering,"...

'Tis the season.(it figures)
November 1, 2008... For the upcoming election: 72% My husband and I agree on who should be president 12% We politely disagree on who should be president 14% For the health of our marriage, we don't discuss politics ...