An Uncommon Woman: Susie Larson

June 10, 2008 | faith, interviews

Suzie interviews Susie Larson, author of The Uncommon Woman: Making an Ordinary Life Extraordinary

Suzie: Hi Susie. I just finished the preview copy of The Uncommon Woman and it’s a great book. Thanks for joining us. Let’s jump in! What is your definition of an uncommon woman?

Susie Larson: First of all, Suzie, I want to thank you for taking the time to read the book and for interviewing me. I’m passionate about this topic because I believe churches, families, and communities will be strengthened when we as women rise up to the high call on our lives.

~ An Uncommon Woman is Not Defined by What She Does, but Whose She Is ~

An uncommon woman has determined to believe the beautiful truth about herself; that she is called to something so much greater than the pettiness, drama, and gossip common to women. The uncommon woman embraces a holy confidence and humble dependence that declares, “I’m nothing without Christ, but everything to Him.”

She is willing to reach for the stars and do things way over her head (without pride). And she is willing to do things that seem beneath her (without self-awareness). She’s not defined by what she does, but by the fact that Jesus has made her whole and He has equipped her to do mighty things.

Suzie: You say that an uncommon woman “gets back up again”. How is that possible? (more…)

Facebook Mee Maw

June 9, 2008 | T. Suzanne Eller

I hung out with my mom on Saturday. She’s 70, but pretty computer savvy. She really wants to be able to connect with all of her children and grandchildren, because many of them live far away.

So, I helped her set up a Facebook account. And man, she took off with it. I checked yesterday and she had become “friends” with 8 of her 11 grandchildren. She had already left messages and her wall was filling up with, “Hey Mee Maw!”.

I love Facebook. I love connecting with family and friends and colleagues. I love meeting with someone and knowing what’s going on in their life. No awkward pauses. No “I know you, but don’t really know you” moments. I love knowing what their favorite song or book is, and to be able to celebrate moments such as my nephew, Mitch’s, engagement to his beautiful girlfriend, Brittney, this past weekend.

And I enjoy hearing from you. Thanks for all the Facebook messages. Thanks for encouraging this writer sitting, pecking away on her laptop, her hair in a clippee, still in her PJ’s (it’s raining buckets, it just makes it feel like a comfy Saturday morning, I can’t seem to change out of my pj’s), wondering if anyone out there is reading her books.

Connect with Suzie on Facebook: ID is Suzanne Eller

What not to say

June 5, 2008 | community

I was reading a friend’s blog today. She lost her husband 11 years ago. LeAnn shares how to be a friend when someone you care about faces a great loss. It’s full of helpful information and gentle insight.

Sixteen years ago I found out I had cancer. I remember friends rallying around me, and making life easier for Richard, me, and the kids. But I also remember fielding comments from a few that brought me to my knees–literally. It seemed like my life had changed over night. The doctors shared harsh statistics. I was going through chemo and radiation. Financially we were juggling all the new medical expenses and lack of my income as I went through treatment. Life was suddenly scary, but I wanted to face it with faith and confidence.

Some didn’t know what to say, I think, so they said things like this: (more…)

Fructose Free

June 4, 2008 | T. Suzanne Eller

I read the recent studies that say that fructose is in most of the foods that we eat and that it is a chief cause of obesity in Americans, especially women. Reports says that high fructose corn syrup:

• * is a factor in heart disease
• * raises blood levels of cholesterol and another type of fat, triglyceride.
• * makes blood cells more prone to clotting
• * and it may also accelerate the aging process

Ayee!

Our body doesn’t recognize this as a natural substance, so it can create real problems because we consume so much of it.

I decided to do my own study. Three weeks ago I started to remove it from my diet. It’s nearly impossible! (more…)

And the winners are. . .

June 2, 2008 | books

The winners of Lysa TerKeurst’s blog giveaway –a free autographed copy of Making It Real: Whose Faith Is It Anyway?–are: (more…)

Our “Good Mom” List

articles, family

Before I had children, I had a Good Mom list. It read something like this:

• When I become a mother, I will not ignore my children.
• When I become a mother, I will not physically harm my children.
• When I become a mother, I will not scream or yell.
• When I become a mother, I will never humiliate my child.

It was all the things I promised I’d never do to my children. I ask this same question at every parenting conference, and moms add their wishes to the list:

• I won’t force my children to be something they are not
• I won’t tell my children that they are lazy or stupid.
• I won’t lose it!

While all of these are good things, a Good Mom list isn’t very functional. When your five-year-old has a meltdown in WalMart or your preteen screams, “I hate you”, you can whip out your Good Mom list all that you want. You can even stand in the aisle of the grocery store chanting, “I will not; I will not; I will not” while Jr. kicks your shins, turns red in the face, and threatens to hold his breath.

At that moment, you need to know what to do, rather than what not to do. (more…)