Merry Christmas Pearl Girls!

May you enjoy the bountiful blessings of this special Season and experience the presence and the promises of God.

There are so many exciting items to catch up on .....

First, the huge news! Moody Publishers will be launching the first Pearl Girls book at ICRS this summer. Praise God! Original plans were to release it at the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010. We will be able to share our stories with everyone much earlier than planned. The marketing of this project will be so much fun. Amy Lathrop and I will contact you as we get closer to the launch to discuss creative ways we can all help to make this a "blessed seller"! Just think of all the wells in Zimbabwe and the fearless nights in the Safe House that your essays will provide. Thank you!

Please know that I wish we could include every single story in the book, but the editors at Moody Publishers will be the ones to make final decisions about the essays. However, your story will still be featured on the Pearl Girls website as we roll out the book. Amy will also contact you about getting special permission to post your essay online. In order to make room for one more essay, I've decided to not include my essay, but rather write a forward to the book to share the purpose of the project. I am so grateful and humbled beyond words for your willingness to "tithe your talent" (a phrase coined by fellow Pearl Girl Patricia Crisafulli) in order to help other women and children. Thank you, thank you. God bless you!

On a personal note, I'd like to share a highlight from this past year. My oldest brother sent the final boxes which he sorted of my dear parents' belongings. What a blessing it was to receive numerous copies of their books which are now out of print. My mother, Carolyn Rhea, was one of the first Christian authors to provide original devotional material to Grossett and Dunlap, a major New York publisher in the 1960s. She was a pioneer in sharing God's love in the secular publishing world and wrote two books for them: Such is My Confidence and My Heart Kneels Too. She also wrote devotional books for Broadman & Holman, a book for Zondervan, and of course her final book was with fellow Pearl Girl, Andrea Mullins from New Hope entitled, When Grief is Your Constant Companion: God's Grace for a Woman's Heartache. In the box, I also found copies of my dad's two books. His autobiography with Broadman & Holman and his Lottie Moon Cookbook published with Word, now Thomas Nelson.

However, one of the most treasured books in the box was my mother's Bible. What a surreal experience it has been to read her Bible with all the notes in the margins and highlighted passages. I would like to share something she wrote on the page of First Peter. She circled the word "grace" which appears frequently in this epistle. Her handwritten note in the margin reads as follows: "Grace - undeserved blessing of God's unfailing love, forgiveness thru Christ, divine assistance for our journey."

Dearest, Pearl Girls, "Grace" is my prayer for you this Christmas and throughout the New Year.

With humble appreciation for all that you do,
Margaret McSweeneyPearl Girls
http://www.pearlgirls.info/

f you'd like to contribute an essay, become a guest blogger, or help promote Pearl Girls™ please let me know by sending me a note on my contact page!

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 6:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Unearth 12 Cues to a Joyous, Jesus-Centered Christmas!

Unearth 12 Cues to a Joyous, Jesus-Centered Christmas!

By Stacie Ruth Stoelting

Imagine: It's your birthday. People you love hustle and bustle to bake, shop, and prepare for parties. What a commotion! Cards, gifts, cookies, and freshly frosted cakes glisten everywhere. What a celebration!

Suddenly, instead of treating you like a king or queen, your loved ones snub you completely: They eat your cake, rip open your presents, laugh out loud without you, and sing the birthday song without your name. They ignore you. How do you think Jesus feels?

1. Use the typical Christmas greeting as a way to recognize that Jesus came –for you! From now on, program your mind to focus on Jesus when you say “Merry Christmas!”

2. Along with every party or event, schedule a “pause and ponder” time.

3. Consider this and act: Where do you think Jesus spent His birthday when He traversed this earth? Do what Jesus told us to do: love others –even when they’re unlovable. Focus on love this Christmas. Take time to think: What did He do during his brief stay? Ask Him. Read His book. Here’s a quote from it: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35, NASB)

Go here for the rest of Stacie's tips!

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 5:42 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

And the winner is...

WENDY!

Congratulations Wendy. You've won a copy of Dianne Matthews The One Year Women of the Bible.

Send Dianne (dnmatthews@gmail.com) your mailing address and she'll get your book out to you!

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 5:41 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

Guest Blogger...Julie Dearyan

Is it Possible to keep Christmas Simple?


I often find Christmas time exhausting. Present buying, decorating, baking, and readying the house for guests stress my already full schedule. However, years ago, my parents taught me the holidays don't have to be hectic but rather times of simple joy.

When my brother, Jim, and I were young teens, our house often didn't get decorated because of our family's involvement in church activities. Mom and Dad prepared a huge dinner for the homeless. Jim and I helped serve. Seeing the smiles made me thankful that I'd had a chance to help others in such a meaningful way.

Since Mom was in charge of the annual concert for kids and adults and Dad was a preacher, we spent many late nights at church practicing and creating props.

On Christmas Eve, we begged to open presents. Mom said she hadn't had time to wrap them yet (as I think on this—I can't believe she had time to buy any). We said we didn't care so she brought them down still in their shopping bags. We laughed and talked as we opened the bags.

Dad said that we were going out for dinner the next day since he didn't want Mom to wear out completely. While we normally enjoyed a traditional dinner with all the trimmings, they set the example that year that being together took precedence.

Christmas morning was unseasonably warm. I wore my present—a new frilly white blouse. As we ate at a restaurant, I remember appreciating that everyone was so relaxed and that, Mom actually got to enjoy a meal she didn't have to prepare.

Now when I stress about my holiday schedule, I remember my parent's take on the season. While we enjoy many family traditions, I take a long look at my calendar deleting events that don't add to our closeness. I share with my children what my parents instilled. The greatest gift of all is the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes not expensive paper from the department store.

Julie Scudder Dearyan is the senior editor of Victory Grace Magazine and has seen her work published in Lifeline Journal, The Secret Place, Quiet Places for You, Christian Home and School, The Advanced Christian Writer, and The Christian Communicator and is currently trying to sell her Chick Lit novel, My Name is Faith but I Sure Don’t Have Any.

She is also a popular conference speaker and co-host of the international television and radio broadcast, Victory In Grace, featuring her father, Dr. James A. Scudder.

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 6:52 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

The Power of Slow...

Hello!

I've been interviewed by Christine Hohlbaum from The Power of Slow about why I left the corporate banking world to be a mom! Check out the interview here!

A little about Christine's blog, The Power of Slow:
Welcome to the Power of Slow, the blog that accompanies a new book being released by St. Martin’s Press in the fall of 2009. The book is entitled The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World.

Slow down to speed up. It’s not as paradoxical as it seems.

Slow isn’t the opposite of fast. You can be efficient in your activities, as long as you are mindful. So often we react to things without thinking. Or we act quickly to get things over with without really enjoying them.

The power of slow reminds us we can do things differently, mindfully, and memorably without delving into a hectic, joyless lifestyle.

Come join the journey. You’ll be glad you did.

Meet Christine...Christine Louise Hohlbaum is a recovering speedaholic who recognized the power of slow while one day eating ice cream with her then three-year-old daughter. Life is in the details. Don’t let it whiz by.

Visit her blog: Diary of a Mother

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 2:09 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

Guest Blogger...Dianne Matthews

A Christmas Mess

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I went through THE CHANGE. No, not that one—I mean that I changed my holiday decorations. I packed away the scarecrows, pumpkins, and earth-toned garland, and brought out the red and green. The temperature hovered around freezing and Christmas music played on the radio, so it was easy to get in the mood.

By Sunday evening, everything was in order except for the tree, which required my four-year-old granddaughter’s help. I woke up Monday morning feeling like quite the organized homemaker, until I slid open the family room blinds and an unpleasant surprise greeted me. Apparently, some gangsta birds had been using our patio door for target practice, after eating red berries. (How do they do that sideways, anyway?)

I grabbed the glass cleaner and a handful of paper towels, and went to work. The first few strokes smeared the junk across the glass. What a mess! But at least the yucky chore reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas memories…

I had lugged box after box down our attic stairs that long-ago December afternoon. My two youngest children, Kevin (8) and Holly (5) immediately began opening the cartons to look inside. When I had to leave the room for a few minutes, I instructed them to look, but not to take anything out yet. I planned to decorate the tree and the house in an orderly, logical manner, one step at a time. When I returned several minutes later, it looked like a fully loaded Christmas tree had exploded all over the shag carpet.

“Just look at this mess!” I scolded.

“Yes, but Mommy—isn’t it wonderful?” Holly exclaimed. “It’s a Christmas mess!”

I looked at my daughter’s wide eyes and thought about the first Christmas. Mary knew about a Christmas mess. Just as her due date drew near, a royal decree forced Joseph and Mary to make a long journey to Bethlehem to register for a census. Then when they arrived, they couldn’t find any lodging in the crowded town. So Mary gave birth in a stable or cave used to shelter animals, and laid her newborn son in a feeding trough.

Instead of being surrounded by women relatives to help out, Mary gave birth to her firstborn far from home. Although she longed to give her baby the best, she could welcome him only into a dark and dirty environment. Mary’s normal maternal instincts must have conflicted with anxiety over the chaotic events surrounding the birth, but she clung to the belief that God would work out his plan.

As December approaches, we can feel pressured to put together the perfect Christmas. Magazine articles and TV programs show how “easy” it is to prepare a picture-perfect gourmet meal, a tastefully decorated and immaculately clean house, and gifts and parties that wow our families and friends. Our drive for perfection can steal our joy and heap on the stress when our holiday, or when our life, gets messy.

Just because we’re following God doesn’t mean that things will be easy, comfortable, or even tidy. Sometimes our plans disintegrate and events seem to spiral out of control, but God is always in charge. Our role is to concentrate on obeying him and trusting him to work out the problems. God looked at a world in a mess caused by sin and sent the Messiah. When our lives look like a mess, we can remember why Jesus was called Immanuel.

They will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” Matthew 1:23 (NLT)


***Leave a comment and win a free book. One reader will receive a copy of Dianne’s devotional book, The One Year Women of the Bible, from which this material was adapted.


Dianne Neal Matthews
dnmatthews@gmail.com
To learn more about Dianne’s writing, visit http://www.diannenealmatthews.com/

Also, watch the book trailers!

The One Year Women of the Bible
and
The One Year On This Day

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 11:10 AM 9 Comments Links to this post

Guest Blogger...Brittney Thomas

Several years ago around Christmas I learned a lesson from a four-year old little boy in my Mother’s Day Out class that taught me to think outside the “stable.” On this day in particular the kids were very excited about “The Baby Jesus” play we do in our classroom every year. The production is quite entertaining as it is produced and directed by the kids themselves with no help from the teachers, except for narrating the story.

The kids cast themselves and create their own costumes using a box of supplies that have some obvious costumes and some simple squares of cloth that always get made into very “unusual” accessories. Because this is a “kids only” production, there are many years we have no Mary and Joseph but tons of angels and animals. There is usually a fight over who gets to be the baby Jesus and no one ever wants to be the Wiseman because they don’t come in until the very end. As the kids were setting the stage a little boy named Christopher came over and announced that he was going to be “God” in this year’s production.

“Christopher,” I said, “You can’t be God. God was not at the stable,” I tried to explain.

“Oh yes He was, Ms. Brittney. God is everywhere!” Christopher insisted.

The perfectionist that I am, I wanted all of the characters to be accurately represented in the play because I thought it would help the kids understand the story better. I tried to explain to Christopher about the “significant” characters in the Christmas story putting an extra emphasis on the Wisemen because that part had not been taken yet. But Christopher wasn’t budging, not even a little. In my final attempt to change his mind I looked at him with frustration and said, “OK, Christopher. You can be God, but how are you going to know when to come out onto the stage and play your part? The story doesn’t mention when God comes in.”

“Umm, Ms. Brittney,” he said, “God never leaves. I’m going to stand there the whole time!”

And he did!

Through an imperfect portrayal of the Christmas Story, God taught me that many times we let the distractions in our life keep us from seeing and feeling His presence. Christopher taught me to never doubt God’s presence in my life even when I can’t see him…and even when the story doesn’t tell me He is there.

As Christmas approaches and the year is winding down each of us are going to be handed a multitude of distractions that will distort the presence of God in our life. There will be gifts to be bought, goodies that must be baked, sales that can’t be missed, and parties that must be attended. But in the midst of all this holiday craziness I hope each of you will take time and seek out the lesson God has for you this Christmas season. Could it be that God wants you to think outside the “stable” and look for Him in places you normally don’t see Him? Maybe you’ll find God this year through the story of the check-out lady at Wal-Mart who you usually don’t speak to, or maybe God will be in the eyes of a homeless man on the street corner who drive by without noticing …or maybe, like me….you will find God in the persistence of a child who insists God IS a character at the nativity scene even though the picture in the book says otherwise!

Have a Merry Christmas and look for HIM in all you do this holiday season!

In Him,
Brittney Thomas
Email: britt_ney07@hotmail.com
Website: http://lopsidedhalos.blogspot.com/

About Brittney
I am many things! I am a child of God first and foremost. I am a daughter, a friend, a lover God’s truth….and I am also survivor of one of nation’s first and deadliest school shootings. On December 1st, 1997 I went to school and met up with my friends in a small prayer circle in the school lobby. Moments later, shots rang out from behind me and when I turned around I was starring down the barrel of a .22 caliber gun. I watched helplessly as many of my very close friends and classmates were gunned down all around me. I managed to survive the attack, however, three of my classmates were killed and five were seriously wounded.

This experience cultivated a deep passion inside me to become a bold advocate for the health, education, and well-being of youth all across the world. My main topics of interest include school safety, humanitarian aid relief efforts, and human-trafficking. While at Georgetown, I studied social justice issues abroad in London, England and spent two summers working in Cambodia helping to provide health education and clean water impoverished villages still suffering from the effects of the Khmer Rouge Regime. It was in Cambodia where I witnessed children being sold on the streets for sex for as little as $10. At that moment God ignited a fire in my soul to help rescue and restore women and children who trapped in the vicious industry of Human Trafficking. After graduating from Georgetown, I continued my education at the University of Kentucky where I went back to Cambodia for another summer and later earned a Masters Degree in Public Health in 2008.

I currently work as a community health liaison at Paragon Family Practice in Lexington, KY where I provide outreach services to multi-cultural communities on a variety of topics surrounding the health, education and well being of those living in surrounding areas.

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 3:29 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Pearl Girls in the NEWS!

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 11:37 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

Guest Blogger...Stacie Ruth Stoelting

Here is Stacie's CBN article...I realize Thanksgiving is past...but such good advice as we look toward Christmas!

Living Thanksgiving: Have a Grumble Free Holiday
By Stacie Ruth Stoelting Guest Columnist

CBN.com – Here’s a bit of my personal family history for you: Let it be recorded that last year, at age 23, I made quinoa stuffing for Thanksgiving. Yes, the rumor is true. The culinary conquest will live on in the minds of my family. Forever…and ever!

Why? Well, I made way too much of it. (So did my family –with humor, that is!) You see, I didn’t realize that quinoa expands a lot like rice.
My dad, an accomplice in my endeavor, will attest that the stuffing was tasty, but, like some houseguests, it overstayed its welcome.

Never heard of quinoa? Well, let me change that for you: It’s an ancient, highly nutritious grain that tastes like a mix of rice and wheat. (Click here to learn more about it.)

Let me set the record straight: When I prepared the quinoa, I thought was doing my family a favor. Of course, the traditional family favorite recipe for stuffing would still highlight the feast. But, I thought, a little variety can be nice, you know? Well, my attempt for variety met irony head-on: The quinoa stuffing lived on in the refrigerator and my family’s minds. I don’t even know how much was made! But I didn’t want to throw it out or waste it. (After all, I hate waste.)

This Thanksgiving, I look forward to cooking and baking up a storm! But –with or without quinoa- I look forward to thanking God and truly living Thanksgiving.

God’s people ought to know the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day. In the Old Testament, their praise and thanksgiving soared when they encountered God’s goodness. Imagine praising God uninhibitedly! “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD : ‘He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.” (Ezra 3:11, NIV)

That’s what the Israelites did when the Temple was built. They had encountered so many trials –so many fears. Yet their shouts of praise drowned out any pains from the previous years. Let’s follow suit.

Today, we face a lot of uncertainty in the world. Terrorism. Economic pressures. Family disintegration. But God’s Hand still holds us. This Thanksgiving, here are some “praise prompters” to share with your family and friends at the dinner table. Grouches cannot prevail when others take the lead with praise to God! Here are five tips:
~Let the kids share first. It’s amazing how quickly little kids can break the thickest ice! Encourage family and friends to give thanks without inhibition. Don’t make it a formal affair and correct grammar or word choices.

~To start, pray a Psalm of Thanksgiving as a family. One treasure trove is Psalm 100, which is actually entitled “A Psalm of Thanksgiving.” Consider praying it aloud as a family:

Psalm 100
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

~Print off and use “giving thanks” prompts. Let the person who promotes peace do the most leading. Have the most-respected, spiritually mature family member (ideally an elderly person) lead the time of thanksgiving. Here are a few “praise prompts” to use:

1. “When I’m at home, I thank God for _______.”
   
2. “I thank God that I can still ­­_______.”
   
3. “In spite of everything, I thank God that I still have _______.”

~Wondering what to wear for Thanksgiving? Well, put on love. Only Jesus can do this. Lean on Him for love. Love on your family with follow-through action! Jesus loves your family members more than you ever could. Ask Him to love them through you.

~Want peace with your piece of pumpkin pie? Consider this true, 100% guaranteed-to-work portion of God’s Word in Colossians 3:
“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him-- renewal in which there is no distinction … but Christ is all, and in all. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (Emphasis added.)

By the way, none of the aforementioned tips will work if you don’t know about God’s love and how to go to Heaven. (If you don’t know about it yet, click here, print it off, and share it with your family.)

Now, wise readers, let’s get back to the quinoa stuffing question: Should I or should I not make quinoa stuffing again this year? Better yet, maybe I should go ask my family!

Happy Thanksgiving!


About Stacie:
As a Christian singer who, in her words, “counters the counter-culture,” Stacie Ruth Stoelting and Bright Light Ministry share how to have true victory over tragedies and trials. She loves Jesus! And she loves to help people. (She knows what it feels like to “wistfully wish for help.”

That memory helps to ignite her passion to help others.) Though young, she already has experience:
At 15, Stacie Ruth wrote Still Holding Hands: Bonus Tips for Caregivers & Tips for Helping Families Facing Alzheimer’s, depicting her grandparents’ romance, and victory over Alzheimer’s. Celebrities (i.e. Pat Robertson) endorsed it and/or Bright Light Ministry.

At 20, she sang for President Bush.

In dramatic programs for all ages, she speaks, acts, sings and entertainingly inspires.

Feel free to invite her to speak and/or sing at your church or school. Visit http://www.cbn.com/redir/redirect.aspx?p=http://www.brightlightministry.com/.

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 5:08 AM 0 Comments Links to this post