Women2Women

Fall is here and it is time to begin our fall session of Women2Women on Sept 8th. W2W is a time for ladies to come together and fellowship and grow in their walk with Christ. W2W is hosted at StoneRidge Fellowship every Wednesday morning from 9am-11am. Tea/coffee and a breakfest brunch await you followed by fellowship time and small group prayer and book study. We are excited to add a serving component to our ministry this year. Ladies will have an opportunity to serve in the community and show God's love to others in simple and practical ways. Stop by the information desk on Sunday morning and fill out a registration card. We look forward to a great year of making new friendships, growing in Christ and serving Him in the community.

Our book study this year is "The Power of a Woman's Words" by Sharon Jaynes. A woman's words can be used for good or evil. By choosing words that build instead of destroy, you can encourage your spouse, children, friends, coworkers, and family. Using examples from the Bible, Sharon Jaynes shows how women influenced those around them - some positively and others negatively. By learning to control the tongue, your relationships with others will flourish! -Taken from christianbook.com

*Books are available to purchase at the church for $15. Drop by and pick one up or purchase one at the information desk on Sunday mornings.

Fun biblical based programs are available for children 2-5. Awana Cubbies is for children 3-5 yrs and Awana Puggles is for children 2 yrs.
*Mother's must remain on site with children registered in Puggles.
Registration for these programs in on September 8th.
Books, shirts and vests are available for purchase.

Nursery is available for a minimal cost for children ages newborn-23 months.

Watching and listening...

I have two sisters.
An older sister, named Tanya.
And a younger sister, named Paula.

My sisters are both married and have children.
Tanya and Andrew have three children. Nicole, Jenna and Bradley.
Paula and Jonathon have one child. Hannah.

There is a mountain range in Banff National Park, Alberta, called “The Three Sisters”. That’s us. The three Frankland sisters.

We are best friends.

The act of sharing was part and parcel for us, growing up. We shared some toys. We did the whole “handmedown” cloths thing. We shared bedrooms and bathrooms.
Sometimes we enjoyed sharing and sometimes we didn’t. That, too, was part and parcel of growing up.

Now that we are all adults we share tons of stuff. You know, I honestly don't know of much that either one of us would not share with, loan to, or give to the other.

We often (very often) share… BOOKS.
For years we have shared books.
We are book hounds.

My nieces and nephew have witnessed this kind of exchange happen over and over and over and over again.

Now, I must make a confession.
If I were still a child and still making Birthday and Christmas wish lists, my lists would be absolutely stogged full of Disney’s “Tink” paraphernalia.
I love Tink.
She is so pretty, and magical, and fun. And pretty, and magical and fun!

I would be up to my eyeballs in Tink stuff. Tink pencils, erasers, crayons, markers and scissors, Tink jammies and slippers, Tink nail polish and lip gloss, Tink earrings, Tink alarm clock, Tink bed sheets, Tink coloring books, Tink umbrella, Tink knapsack and Tink toys (have you seen all her pretty little friends?).

Ok – back to the book discussion...

My youngest niece spent a couple days visiting this summer.
And guess what she brought me?
She brought me a book to read, one she had gotten from the library and had just finished reading herself.
It was titled “The Trouble with Tink”.

She was sure I would enjoy it.

She was right.
One of the best book I've ever read!

GLSUmmit - aka: fire hose... part 3

I feel a wee bit like an Aerobics Instructor... three more, two more, ONE MORE!

You can do it people... one more day of shared, "new" and "review" lessons.

Here goes, again:

Blake Mycoskie (TOMS Shoes, Inc)
1) A company may not be able to incorporate "one for one" (every one bought, one is given away) into the culture. But it is possible to incorporate "giving" into any company culture.
2) Strategic partnerships!

Jack Welch
1) Be yourself and be comfortable with yourself!
2) Teams with the best players, who work together as a team, win.
3) Do everything you can to stop the meeting after the meeting.
4) Hiring is hard.
5) Succession is brutal.

T.D. Jakes
1) Leadership is always about transition, NOT maintaining.
2) People are passionate to do something that is within their reach.
3) People work best with people they read well. So you must be willing to show your team who you are. Otherwise it all becomes about trying to understand.
4) Sometimes, when you spend tons of time encouraging people, they go home with your courage.
5) If you only bring people like you, around you - they will compete with you, NOT complete you. Good teams add to you, they accessorize (accessorize - talkin my language!!)
6) Make confidants out of people who are FOR you.

My purchases
1) CRAVE: The Documentary hosted by Erwin McManus
A quote from the DVD cover, "What role does our deepest human cravings for intimacy, destiny and meaning play in our search for God? Crave: The Documnetary explores how regardless of race, background or spirituality, we all have one thing in common: the cravings of our soul."
2) A book titled "GOING MISSIONAL - Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches Who Have Embraced Missional Life". I have read half this book, so far. It is really interesting to learn what other church families do to help their communities.
3) A book titled "The Land Between - Finding God in Difficult Transitions". This has been a great read, also. Who has not been in a difficult transition? Who has not questioned God?

TA DA! There you have it.
Now we all feel fed with a fire hose.

Like I said in part one, I don't look any different.

But I sure think differently.

Global Leadership Summit - September 20-30, 2011. Mark your calendar.

GLSUmmit - aka: fire hose... part 2

So, what did you think?
Were my first batch of shared "new" and "review" lessons interesting to you?

I hope so.

Here goes again:

Adam Hamilton
1) No matter how you handle crisis, there are going to be people who leave the church.
2) No one is beyond redemption because God is the God of second chances.

Andy Stanley
1) Every organization has problems that should not be solved and tensions that should not be resolved.
2) Progress depends on successful management of tensions.
3) Don't think in terms of balance, think in terms rhythm.

Erwin McManus
1) Be still and know.
2) Be where you are.

Jeff Manion
1) There is a difference between complaining about my condition and complaining against God.
2) How do I prepare for years of disappointment?
3) There are some people who do not heal over time. Time makes some people bitter and caustic.
4) Good movement pushes out bad movement and bad movement pushes out good movement. Good movement is trust.

Terri Kelly
1) In order to be innovative you have to have people who want to work together, for collaboration.
2) Leaders have to lead through influence.
3) Leadership is defined by followership.

Daniel Pink
1) We make WRONG assumptions about people - a) humans are machines and b) humans are blobs.
2) Everything good in life began with a conversation.
3) A study has shown that the single, largest motivator at work was... progress.

Pheeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwf!
Stay tuned for one more day.

GLSummit - aka: fire hose... part 1

When does your brain hurt? I mean, really hurt?

After snarfing down an ice-cream cone?
After hours and hours of meetings?
After a long, or short, drive with a backseat full of children?
After grocery shopping?
After paying the bills?
After watching "his" favorite movie?

Mine hurts after it has been stretched, pulled, twisted and contorted like a Cirque de Soleil performer's body, for hours on end.

Let me borrow a familiar phrase and describe my head, post Global Leadership Summit, in this way... I felt as though I had been fed through a fire hose. Can that be good? Yes. And this is a familiar feeling, it happens each and every year.

Have no fear, however as I really don't look any different. There is no water gushing out of my ears, eyes, nose or mouth.

I told you I would share some high points for me. Some were new lessons and some were terrific reminders. Here goes:

Bill Hybels
1) Leaders move people from "here" to "there"... to a preferred future. And, what keeps people on the journey is a sense of hope that they are going to get "there" some day.
2) One of the greatest joys of leadership is assembling teams of fantastic people.
3) When putting teams together one should look for character, competence, chemistry and culture
4) Pay attention to the whispers of God. He does whisper.

Jim Collins
1) Good is the enemy of Great. I love that.
2) Are you (me) interesting or interested?

Christine Cane:
1) You do what you WANT to do from passion, no one has to make you. You do what you HAVE to do from obligation.
2) Check this site out and make sure you poke around information concerning the A21 Campaign.

Tony Dungy:
1) Stubbornness is a virtue, if you are right.
2) Do not mistake hours, for productivity.
3) You can be mentored from a distance.
4) Why would you let anyone stop you from doing something you enjoy?

Stay tuned... more tomorrow.

Yummy Dough- Product Review

Yummy Dough cleverly combines two favorite childhood activities: creating designs with play dough and baking with mom, dad or a grandparent -- Mixed with water the Yummy Dough powder turns into smooth, well shapeable dough which can be baked. You can eat it raw or after it is baked.

The special consistency of Yummy Dough allows long kneading and shaping, it doesn’t stick to the fingers and it doesn’t turn soft and ‘greasy’ like cookie dough. Yummy Dough does not contain rising agents, but a particular flour and starch. This ensures that you don’t get a stomach ache when eating it raw and that the figures stay in their original shape after baking them.

Each package makes about a cookie sheet full of figures ... generally enough play and fun for 2-3 children.

Ages: 3+


I used this Yummy Dough for a playdate with 5 children (ages 2 to 8). The mixing of the powder and water definitely needed adult supervision. Once the dough was mixed, they all worked together and LOVED it! Each child was able to make 4-6 cookies. The taste of the cookies was not great, but the kids didn't seem to mind. The whole activity lasted about an hour and 45 min. It would be a nice activity to have on hand for those rainy playdates. You can purchase Yummy Dough on line or at "Uncommon Kids" in the Sunnyside Mall. It retails for there for $9.99. Costco has recently started selling it as well, 3 boxes for around $17.00.

It's so obvious...

Here is another vacation tale for you, sort of.

At one of the rest stops taken during my holiday (and there were many), I could not help but notice a certain garbage can. It has a pukie green colored can with a bright yellow sign on the front of it that read:
FOR YOUR GOOD HEALTH BARREL PICKING IS PROHIBITED.

Yes, yes, I even took a picture – scroll down a take a peek!!!

When I read it I thought, “Well, well, there is certainly nothing like stating the obvious... duh!”

Then, as so often happens, there was a still, small voice inside my mind that said, “Ah, but Lisa – that sign is for you, too. You barrel pick all the time.”

I barrel pick? What?

I
barrel
pick
?

Me?

As that phrase rolled around in my head
(get it – barrel, rolling around… heehee) different ideas came to mind.

What comes to your mind when you consider the phrase ‘barrel picking’?

I pictured a person, a real, live person digging, elbow deep in garbage. In smooshie, stinky garbage. In stuff that others have thrown away minutes, or hours, or days ago. And why? Because they have a need and they are looking to fill it. More specifically, they have a hunger. And, unfortunately any old scrap will do.

I have certain needs and certain hungers. And, unfortunately, many times I allow any old scrap to fill that need/hunger. I should say it this way – I allow any old scrap to TRY and fill me, for they never really do.

However, if I am honest with myself, scraps very rarely do. And when they do it is not a long lasting fill but a quick fix until my need/hunger returns.

Let’s see… some of the things I use to fill needs/hungers in my life: shopping, food, work, facebook, television, flattery and the list could go on. Please understand that none of these things are bad in and of themselves, but if I am using any one of them to make me feel important, relaxed, popular, relevant, informed – well, I’m only barrel picking.

How about you? Are you a barrel picker too?

Let’s stop it… for our good health. It’s so obvious.



PS: If you want to know what does fill me - just ask. I'd be happy to share.

A Way to Remember the Moment

Last month, I was sitting on the front porch watching my kids play in the yard. It was one of those perfect moments Lisa referred to in a recent blog post. The sun was shinning, the hydrangeas and tiger lilies were in full bloom, the children were laughing and playing together. It was perfect! It was one of those moments when you can't help but give thanks to the Lord. I sat there wishing I would be able to remember this moment forever, but knowing how my brain has been retaining information lately....I ran inside and grabbed my camera and took pictures of everything.





In the last couple days, I have put together this little book to help me remember those few moments of perfection. In the book, I used all the pictures I took that day of the house, flowers, and children and added a few quotes about memories and our home.





Now when this day probably would have been a long forgotten memory, I can pull out his little book, show my kids, and thank the Lord for all the sweet memories.

Go snap a picture of something you enjoyed today!!

Still warm and sugar coated...

On my holidays I had opportunity to drive in the direction of the
Masstown Market. Are there any MM fans out there?


Since I was headed in that direction I felt it my duty to stop in and
encourage the owners/staff by making a purchase from their... bakery. I mean, a
girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

Homemade brown bread. Homemade whole wheat rolls and...
wait for it... wait for it...
homemade, sugar coated donuts that were STILL WARM.
Did I mention they were still warm, and that they were homemade, and still
warm?!?!!

Delimma - how many still warm, homemade, sugar coated donuts should a girl buy?
One?
Half a dozen?
An entire dozen? The flat?
You see, I was pretty certain that I'd be eating however many I bought.

Question: how many warm, sugar coated donuts would you have saved from their fate worse that death... from... of cooling off?

How many do you think I bought?

I bought half a dozen.
Ran to my car, started it up and took off before they had opportunity
to drop in temperature. And, I snacked on one of those... AaHaHaHaHa... Ok, I snacked on two of those yummy, delacicies.

Can I just say that they were pretty much melt in your mouth...
ummmm... melt in my mouth (sorry about that). Sugar was flying all
over the place. Fingers, face, shirt, down my shirt. So good.

As I approached a toll station, at the Cobequid Pass, the thought occurred to me, "I wonder if the person working the toll booth would appreciate a warm, sugar coated, MM
donut?"

So I asked.

I said to the gentleman, who took my money and graciously, yet
methodically handed me change and a recipt, "I just came from MM and
they had fresh, still warm, sugar coated donuts. Would you enjoy one?" (I mean,
who wouldn't?)

"Sweetheart, I'd take a donut!", he replied.

So I handed him the brown paper bag, spotted with greasy marks,
authentic greasy marks. He looked in and said, "There's way more than
one donut in here." "I know", I said, "you enjoy them!"
"Darlin, I will, thank you." was what I heard as I drove away.

Too FUN. Too, too FUN.

Now before you get the idea that I am a completley selfless person,
please know that I remembered, full well, that the only way for me to
get back to where I was coming from would be to, again, drive in
the direction of the Masstown Market... wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Yummmmmmmmmy, I do enjoy a good warm sugar coated donut!

Too bad I don't have apicture of them to make you drool, I mean to show you. They simply did not last long enough.

Singing to the world, singing, singing...

It seems like each of my summer vacations, for the past three years,
is delightfully marked by new music.
2008 was the sound trac from the movie Momma Mia.
2009 was a new Rascal Flatts CD.
2010 I am almost... I said almost... embarrassed to say has been Barry
Manilows greatest hits. Totally serious!

Some of you might not know him, but others of you know exactly what
I'm talkin about...

Oh Mandy
Even Now
Copacabana
Can't Smile Without You
I Write the Songs

So there I was... driving down the highway, going pretty close to the
speed limit, windows down and the breeze blowing all through the car
(and through my long, flowing blond hair) enjoying a most beautiful sunny day,
and anticipating a stay at an absolutely lovely seaside cottage
"Singing to the world, singing, singing. Singing to the world,
singing, singing" at the top of my lungs!

Could you hear me?

I wanted to remember the moment, it was a great moment. I wanted to
mark it in time and hide it away in my memory for those less than
exciting, long, cold, dark days of winter.

So I looked at my watch.
It was 2:30 PM.
And at that very second... at 2:30 in the afternoon on July 21st this thought went through my head... here I am enjoying a pretty near perfect moment - what will
2:30 in the afternoon, on my first day back to work feel like?(

Then, immediately, this thought followed
ughhhhh!
I don't know. Stop thinking about it. Enjoy right now. Enjoy right
now. Enjoy right now.

Maybe you are like me in that your mind is always thinking of THE
NEXT. The next "whatever". And, not so much on the now. Always THE
NEXT.

Force yourself to enjoy THE NOW in today. I did... that day.
I turned Barry up as loud as my stereo system would allow and we sang more duets
than I could count... Singing to the world, singing, singing...

This day belongs to the LORD!
Let's celebrate
and be glad today.

Psalm 118:24 CEV

Leadership SUMMIT...

Every August, since 2002, I have attended the Leadership Summit simulcast. First in Moncton, NB, then we (StoneRidge Fellowship) began hosting it right here, in good ol' NOVA SCOTIA!

I have never come away from the Summit without learning. Learning many lessons, actually.

Much of the information is practical for leadership, for any type of leadership. Which is wonderful as we are all leaders in our own sphere.

Some of the information is specific for corpporate leadership.
Which is wonderful as many attend who desire new ideas and refreshment for their work place responsibilities. And it is transferrable information.

Still more of the information centers around church leadership.
Which is... you guessed it... wonderful. Bill Hybels believes that the local church is the hope of the world and since I serve at a local church, this is tremendously relevant to me.

Check it out. Read up on the speakers. Come!


I'll keep you posted on my fav sessions/speakers. I know there will be more than one.