A Few Tips for Living

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.”

— Hebrews 10:24–25 (NIV)

(yes, we can meet together online!)

Why is this blog called "Ministry to Women"?

Well, it's not because I'm a formal minister or because it is an attempt to give tips for how to hold church women's ministries programs.

I gave it this name because right from the start I'd hoped my topics would be of help to women in some way.

Ministry to me is helping, serving, caring for, and encouraging.

I read today, we can never learn everything by trial and error, so it is important to learn from others.  That is what I hope happens here--mutual learning and sharing.

Here are a few tidbits I've learned over time that I thought might be helpful to share with you:

1. Care less.  Yes, care about loving God and others, but care less about so many other things in life that are related to worry, possessions, what others think, have said, etc.  Don't care so much for someone that their pain puts you into pain.  
   
   How do you care less?  Give it to God to handle.
   
   
2. Use the word "opportunity" instead of  "problem". Every situation that comes up is an opportunity to make a choice, learn something, try something, take a risk, or even fail.  Even in failing there is growth.  
   
   My car had a broken heater, it became an opportunity to explore new car options. It was an opportunity to ask God what to do about it and watch him work things out.  Seeing problems as opportunities changes thinking.
   
   
3. Trust that God is working.  God does not speak only to you. He speaks to others as well — your husband, your son, your daughter, and the people around you.

   You are not the only one He guides.

   Sometimes the best thing to do is step back, release the need to control, and watch how God works in the lives of others.
   
   

4. Look for Beauty. For years, my work from home has included transcription, freelance writing, and life coaching from a home office. My desk is surrounded by windows, and I often pause to take photos of the outdoors. I especially enjoy the changing views as nature moves through the seasons.

   I try to stop and smell the roses—literally. I have planted rose shrubs in my front garden.

   I keep pretty things in my office to enjoy. I play with colour, changing afghans, silk flowers, and even the placemat on my desk as the mood strikes.

   Beauty makes life more enjoyable.
   
   
   

Over the years I have learned that ministry does not always happen on a stage or through a formal program. Often it happens quietly—through shared experiences, small lessons learned along the way, and words that encourage someone else on their journey. 

Today, meeting together and encouraging one another can also happen through the online Christian community. Though we may be in different homes, cities, or even countries, we can still nurture one another through words, prayers, and shared faith. If even one thought shared here helps another woman worry a little less, trust God a little more, or notice the beauty He places in ordinary days, then this small online space has fulfilled its purpose.