Posted on Thursday, May 4, 2017

[Author Interview] Meet Christian Mompreneur Lori Wildenberg

Author of Messy Journey

by Theresa Ceniccola

If you’ve ever worried about or lived through the “prodigal child” scenario, you’ll appreciate the honesty and practical wisdom in this new book by Christian mompreneur Lori Wildenberg. I have the honor of serving as a Mom Mentor with Lori in a group she manages for Moms Together. She creates a space for encouraging, equipping and empowering moms in their faith and motherhood. In her latest book, she shares her Messy Journey as the mother of a “prodigal child.”

Q. What inspired you to write Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home?

A. Life doesn’t always go the way we expect. As parents, we can do everything “right” and still have a child who veers off the expected path. With my daughter’s permission and input, I share our journey— the struggles a prodigal child brings and how to live life in the middle of the mess.

Q. How would you describe this book to someone in a 30 second blurb?

A. Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home is for parents walking the difficult road with a wayward child. This book is filled with stories from dozens of Christian parents and some prodigals. It includes my personal journey with my same-sex attracted daughter. The book is vulnerable and honest. No matter why a parent has a prodigal (or if you love someone who does) this book will bring comfort, help, and encouragement. Practical grace- and truth-filled ways of navigating a relationship with a detoured child who is rejecting faith, dabbling in sin, or wholeheartedly embracing sinful behavior are given. There is hope.

Posted on Thursday, April 27, 2017

Keep It Moving, Mompreneur!

by Demetria Zinga

Now that we’re a few months into the new year, I often like to think back on my goals and see if I’ve made progress. Some years, looking back felt painful as I discovered I hadn’t traveled far in my entrepreneurial journey. Other years and months, I rejoiced at having journeyed a foot or a mile down the road toward the end result: my final goals.

How are you feeling about your progress so far?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when contemplating your progress.

Keep moving forward.

Whether you look back and see much of your goals accomplished, or you find you haven’t gone as far as you would like, remember to keep moving forward.

Luke 9:62 tells us: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” A forward-thinking mindset is the only way to succeed in business and in life.

Whether you’ve achieved your goals these past few months or not, you have so much more ground to cover, so keep it moving! You can do this.

Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2017

[Prayer Cafe]: April 19, 2017 – Romans 8:18-27

"How to Have Hope"

by Elizabeth Green

It is so easy for our children to have hope. In fact, their entire day is filled with hopes. They hope to have pizza for dinner, for dessert, for a new toy, for staying up past bedtime, etc.

Sometimes, these things are just wishful thinking, and sometimes their hopes come to fruition.

Do you find it as easy to have hope as an adult? In this week’s Prayer Cafe, Alecia Baptiste reminds us that hope is God is not wishful thinking. Our hope in God can be solid based on His promises!

Listen to the Prayer Cafe recording here.

Prayer Cafe is open (almost!) every Wednesday at noon Eastern.

Join the Facebook Group to stay informed of upcoming Prayer Cafe calls!

Posted on Thursday, March 30, 2017

7 Unlikely Opportunities to Pray for Your Family

by Theresa Ceniccola

I have a friend who prays constantly. The way the Bible says we should pray – without ceasing. She has conversations with God all day long – quick little cries for help or spontaneous moments of praise. This is the kind of prayer life I strive for, but to be perfectly honest, my prayers are often limited to morning, meals and night. Oh, and times of crisis. But not the mundane moments of daily life.

So, I asked her how she does it. How does she think to talk to God in the midst of her busy day? She’s a single, working mom of six kids – so if she can do it, then certainly I can, too. She told me that it comes naturally to her now, but that she sometimes uses triggers to remind her to pray. Like the way I offer up a prayer every time I see an ambulance or hear a siren. Only the triggers are more personal…more frequent…more specific.

As I contemplated my plan for praying continuously, I identified several routine triggers that I can use to remind me to pray for my family. Times throughout my daily schedule when I can naturally stop and have a quick conversation with my Creator. Here they are:

7 Unlikely Opportunities to Pray for Your Family

Laundry time. As you fold laundry or iron, pray for the person who wears each item of clothing. Ask the Lord to clothe your child with strength and dignity [Proverbs 31:25] and dress him in the armor of God, standing firm in truth, righteousness, peace, faith and the Holy Spirit. [Ephesians 6:10-18]
Meal prep. Say a quick prayer for each child, when you are packing lunches, making dinner or setting the table. Pray that God sustains your child with living water and provides spiritual nourishment through His word. [John 7:37]

Appointment time. Every time you make an appointment for a family member to visit the dentist, doctor or hair stylist, say a prayer for the person you are scheduling. Ask the Lord to keep your child free from illness and that he protect them from harm. [Psalm 41:2-3]

Carpool line. Instead of talking on the phone or listening to a podcast, pray for the child you are picking up while you are waiting in line. Take the moment to be still and know that God is with you and with your child. [Psalm 46:10]

Posted on Monday, March 27, 2017

[Prayer Cafe]: March 27, 2017 – Galatians 6:2

"Carry each other’s burdens"

by Elizabeth Green

Over the past several months, I’ve gotten to know the ladies at my MOPS table. I know about their kids sleep schedules, whose husbands travel for work, their pre-mom lives, etc. But it’s all surface level.

So at the last meeting, 4 women got up and told their truths. They spoke openly about their struggles with postpartum depression, abuse, and post traumatic stress disorder after nearly losing a child. They told their stories so that we would have courage to open up about our own struggles. Then we prayed for each other, and have continued to do so in the days following that meeting.

The keynote speaker said that no one wants to be friends with the perfect mom who has it all together, because we feel shame about ourselves. So then she asked, if we know WE don’t want to be friends with that person, why do we pretend to be that person?

In this week’s Prayer Cafe, Alecia Baptiste reminds us that we can help bear each other’s burdens, just like I’m praying for specific women in my MOPS group now that I know their stories. But we can’t do that if we don’t open up and tell our truths.

Listen to the Prayer Cafe recording here.

Prayer Cafe is open (almost!) every Wednesday at noon Eastern.

Join the Facebook Group to stay informed of upcoming Prayer Cafe calls!

Posted on Friday, March 10, 2017

Putting Family First Doesn’t Look The Same for Everyone

by Theresa Ceniccola

I think most moms have a deep desire to put their family first. Even the ones who appear to be placing their careers or their hobbies in front of their children. Even the ones who rely on nannies or relatives to take care of their babies. Even the ones who are too tired at the end of the day to tuck their little ones in with a kiss and a prayer. (I have been this mom – the one who does all of these things – at one time or another. Yet, I truly intend to put my family first.)

We judge each other – and ourselves – on the things we see. But we don’t see the conditions of another mom’s heart. We don’t know if she’s putting her family first in a different way. If she’s setting an example for her children that all things are possible. If she’s pouring out her love for them by providing for them. If she’s showing them how important it is to use the gifts God gave her to serve others.

Putting your family first isn’t easy. And it doesn’t look the same for everyone.

It sometimes looks like you don’t care… I’m one of those moms who has no idea what her children are learning in school on any given day. My refusal to micromanage my children’s homework starting in the first grade was not received well by teachers who were probably hoping for parents who were more engaged in their child’s education. But I recognized then that I had precious few hours to spend with my child and I wanted to spend them doing other things – I wanted to help build character rather than teach math. I’m forever grateful for the wonderful teachers who so excellently manage my children’s education so that I can focus on my priorities. I do care. Just in a different way.

It sometimes looks like you can’t stick with a commitment… I’ve been known to let my child skip soccer practice so that we can enjoy a family dinner. I’m sure the soccer coach and other team members view that as a lack of commitment. But I view it as a commitment to family time. And my children are learning to honor commitments. It just may not look that way to others.

It sometimes looks like you have no ambition… When others around me are climbing the corporate ladder, getting promotions, being relocated for new opportunities and pursuing multiple post graduate degrees, I often think my career pales in comparison. But then, I remember why I treasure my home-based business as a freelance writer, marketing consultant and leader of the International Christian Mompreneur Network. It’s because I’m putting my family first. I actually think it takes a lot of ambition to achieve that goal.

Posted on Thursday, March 9, 2017

[Prayer Cafe]: March 8, 2017 – Luke 10:38-42

Mary & Martha

by Elizabeth Green

It was my son’s birthday party and I was stressed out. I was running in and out of the house bringing out food, drinks, cake, plates, etc. Meanwhile, my husband was standing around talking to the guests and enjoying the party. Needless to say, I was pretty irritated at him and I’m sure I made some rude comments about how I was missing the whole party.

So when I think about the story of Mary and Martha, I can understand how Martha felt! And just like Martha did, I had lost sight of what was important that day.

In this week’s Prayer Cafe, Alecia Baptiste reminds us that when we truly get to know Jesus, our work will take on a new meaning.

Listen to the Prayer Cafe recording here.

Prayer Cafe is open (almost!) every Wednesday at noon Eastern.

Join the Facebook Group to stay informed of upcoming Prayer Cafe calls!

Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2017

[Author Interview] Meet Christian Mompreneur Jill Savage

Co-author of No More Perfect Marriages

by Theresa Ceniccola

One of the things we embrace here in the International Christian Mompreneur Network is imperfection. That’s because we know we can so easily get discouraged when we strive for perfection or compare ourselves to others. And we know that taking imperfect action is better than taking no action at all. Jill Savage, of Hearts at Home ministry, uses this concept of imperfection to reveal the truth about REAL marriage. And I don’t know about you, but I can attest to the fact that my marriage is not perfect. But…it is most definitely REAL.

I’m honored to host a discussion with Jill here on the blog today as she shares her thoughts about the newly released book No More Perfect Marriages. She co-authored this book with her husband Mark. Together they share the painful and challenging journey of their marriage — and the strategies and tools they’ve learned to help you in your imperfect marriage.

Q. Why did you choose the title “No More Perfect Marriages” and why do you think that message really resonates with couples today?

A. We believe that right away the title helps couples –or individuals—know they’re not alone in dealing with the hard side of marriage. We wanted readers to know that perfect doesn’t exist, inviting them to explore along with us how to deal with the imperfect parts of our relationship.

Q. Who is the book written for – is it for marriages that are having difficulty, new marriages or all marriages?

A. All marriages and even dating and engaged couples are benefiting from it already. We certainly share our story of healing from Mark’s infidelity throughout the book, but it’s not really a book about that. It’s a book about the slow fades every relationship goes through and the tools we need to use to turn those fades around. Marriages naturally drift apart if we’re not intentional about pulling together. No More Perfect Marriages helps good marriages become great and hurting marriages find healing.

Q. I love that this book shares the perspective of both the husband and the wife. What was that like to share your very personal story and to work together on a project of this magnitude?

A. Painful at times. We had to somewhat relive our story to write about it. As we wrote, it prompted conversations that were hard at times, but thankfully we’ve learned how to communicate better over time. We’re also very different thinkers and writers so we had to learn how to blend our differences in a positive way to make a stronger book!