Write 31 Days-Day 3- Esther:An Unlikely Influencer

Posted on by Mary

Esther

HERE IT IS AS PROMISED ESTHER!!!  Early this year a friend of mine came to me and asked if I would do a Bible study with her.  She has been going through some tough stuff and this study I had done in Esther while I was going through some tough stuff came to mind, so we set to work.    And quickly I realized that as I sat and studied Esther God was using this  study to work a miracle in my heart , but more on that later.  I found myself  (yet again) being influenced by a person I have never met, and more so dead!   I’m sure Esther had no idea what on earth God was going to do in her life.  I’m sure she had no idea that millions  of people would read about sweet Esther in the Bible.

Esther- A Invisible Teenager

Let’s lay some ground work for this young woman:

  • She was young- most scholars place her around 14-16 years old
  • She was a Jew that had been exiled to Persia.
  • She was an orphan being raised by her cousin Mordecai..
  • She wasn’t married.

By all rights Esther didn’t really fit the bill for an influencer at all.  They were living in another country because God had punished the Israelites by kicking them out of the promised land (they had ample warnings to change).  Esther was just in the age bracket to get married, common in those times.

Esther-Kidnapped

So not only did Esther have a sad  childhood when we pick up with her in the Bible, we are about to see that her teenaged life is about to take a turn for the worse.   But let’s talk about the king of Persia- Xerxes.   I don’t know much about this dude other than what the Bible tells me and some other details  from other sources but no matter what you read there are two things about Xerxes that they all agree on.  XERXES LOVES HIS ALCOHOL and  XERXES LOVES PARTIES!!   And we find Xerxes in the midst of a crazy party where there was no limit on the alcohol.  He then calls for his queen-Vashti!  She says no. He consults his buddies and basically they say if you don’t de-throne her and you let her get away with this, we too are gonna have trouble with our wives and it’s gonna be your fault!

So Vasti is moved  to the concubine house to live out her remaining days.

Now the king needs a new wife.

and so his med ride throughout the kingdom  “collecting suitable women”.  Let’s stop right there.  Does that sound familiar? Can you say HUMAN TRAFFICKING?  they kidnapped all these girls and brought them to the palace and you guessed it Esther is in the mix.  these girls were given a years worth of beauty treatments and then one by one they went in to spend one night with the king and in the morning they would be taken to the concubine house where many women would live out their remaining days , never to see the king’s face again.

Esther’s Initial Influence

So here is this young Jewish girl amongst all of these Persian women.  I’m sure she wasn’t the only Jewish girl there but Esther stood out above the rest.  Her character influenced the eunuchs  and they gave Esther special treatment.  We aren’t given very many details  as to what exactly this entailed but we do know that they instructed how to carry herself before the king and wha to bring with her.

Esther’s Impact So Far

I don’t know about you but if I were in her shoes I’m pretty sure I would be a basket case!  no longer able to see my family and being kept in a home that wasn’t mine with women who also didn’t want to be there. Whew!   I would also be asking some serious questions of God and I know it doesn’t give details about God working in this book (because He isn’t mentioned once) we can see him fulfilling his promises to his people to protect them.

Sitting here writing this account, it seems so hopeless for this young woman, BUT the cool thing is I have the rest of the story

Over the next 6 days we will look at the 6 Influential Attributes of Esther.  Tomorrow we will start  with her WILLINGNESS, won’t you join me?

Let’s Chat:  What are some positive influential attributes  in others lives that have really impacted you?

 

 

Write 31 Days-Day 2- Influence: What and Why?

Posted on by Mary

Influence

For today’s post I’m taking you back to a journal entry from last November when I began tossing the idea of this around in my head.  I know I promised Esther but I moved her to tomorrow in order to deal with these two BIG questions.  Influence is so Important and making our choices has a huge ripple effect that we are generally unaware of.  We live in a world today where the common phrase is I “this is my________.”  fill in the blank.  we tend to be so self absorbed that we are blinded by the fact that ALL of our choices have consequences not just for us  but for those around us.

Influence:What Is It?

well a quick visit to Dictionary.com tells us INFLUENCE is:

1. the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others:

He used family influence to get the contract.

2.the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others:

Her mother’s influence made her stay.

3.a person or thing that exerts influence:

He is an influence for the good.

4. to exercise influence on; affect; sway:

to influence a person.

5.to move or impel (a person) to some action:

Outside factors influenced her to resign.

So Why Influence?

Well after last years study  in my word for the year CONFIDWNCE (or God-fidence ) as I called it by the end of the year, I had come to realize these two concepts were closely related.You need God-fidence to radically  influence others for Christ.   You have to be solid on in who you are in Christ AND what He has called you to do.  Does that mean you won’t struggle? Absolutely not!  Because the reality go the matter is the, when you choose to be a Christian Influencer you get a big ole target on your back.     we will see that over the next few days as we look at Esther.

I have a real desire for women to understand their influence and the power it has.  When we make choices both in how we live and the words we speak it leaves a ripple effect and that ripple effect can cause positive or negative things to happen in other peoples lives….even people we may not see or know.

Introducing “Marie”

So to illustrate the very basic idea we are going to talk about my friend ….For the purposes of this blog post I am going to call her Marie.

Marie is the center director for our local pregnancy center.  I love watching her work.  She connects with our clients on an amazing level.  They are within her circle of influence.  

Marie has a choice as to the type of influence she is going to be on client A.  I already said that Marie is amazing with the clients BUT what if she wasn’t.  What would happen if Marie was critical and judgmental about what client A was going through.  Well client A would go to her friends and influence them by saying  something to the effect of “don’t go there, that center director is mean, she didn’t listen, she didn’t care and…..you know how it goes.  BUT in reality Marie is not like that at all so the model keeps growing and as it grows Marie’s circle of influence grows. Whether it is positive or negative.

influence

But as you can see in her circle of influence that the clients are not solely inside her circle because there are many other influences in that clients life….some good, some not so good while other influencers are awful.

Introducing Grumpy Gus and His Pals

Continue reading “Write 31 Days-Day 2- Influence: What and Why?” →

Happy Homemaker Monday- 10-1-2018

Posted on by Mary

Happy

Happy Rainy Monday!!!

As I look outside my window::: dark and dreary.  No moon.  no Stars. Rain running down my window.

Right now I am::: finishing this up and then heading to bed

Thinking and pondering::: I’m thinking a lot about Esther as I revisit my ladies talk I gave back in May on The Power of Your Influence.

On my bedside table:::books upon books upon books. cough drops and water

On my tv::: Faith, Love and Chocolate

On the menu for this week:::I haven’t really had a chance to finish planning that Thats on the list for first thing tomorrow.

Monday – Pasta

Tuesday – Chicken and Salt Potatoes

Wednesday –

Thursday -Lasgana

Friday – Family night

Saturday – Pizza

Sunday –

On my to do list::: clean the kitchen and bathroom down stairs

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating::: Curtains for the craft room

My simple pleasure::: SaltedCaramel ANYTHING!

Lesson learned the past week::: ummmmm 13  year old boys do not handle the restrictions that come with a concussion well….at all!!!!!!!

Looking around the house::: ugh that is all

From the camera::

:summer memories

Prayer List::: friends and family going through stuff!

Bible verse, Devotional:::

Pretty much the entire book of Esther.  That’s where I am camping for the next week as I write for the #write31days2018 writing challenge!

For more Happy Homemaker Monday posts Check out Diary of a Stay at home Mom!

Write 31 Days- Introduction to Influence

Posted on by Mary

Influence

Good Morning!  I’m Mary and I am excited to be joining in on this years #write31days2018 Challenge!  The influence of who we are can be the initial  impact on others.   How we look at our own lives speaks volumes to those around us.

So let’s go deeper into who I am before I tell you what I’m going to be writing about this month.

Who I Am

well I thought it might just be easier to do this in bullet points.

  • First of all I am a child of God and have been since I was 4 years old.   My relationship with Jesus has played an intricate role in my life and is the very reason why I do what I do!  At  16 I answered the call into full time ministry- at the time I thought it was missions but more on that later.
  • I am married to my pastor husband Ron.  we have been in our current ministry for almost  10 years.  we love our people and serve them with everything we’ve got.
  • we are parents to four amazing kiddos.  T is 13 (Boy) K is 12 (girl) J is almost 11 (boy) S is 8 (boy). J has autism Spectrum  Disorder and S has central Auditory processing disorder.  I tell you that for two reasons 1) it helps you, the reader understand the dynamics of our family. 2). when you read my blog you will understand that these are HUGE areas of influence in my life!!
  • As a teenager I lost partial eye sight.  I was diagnosed with age related Macular Degeneration at 13 and was the youngest documented child to have it in the United States at the time.
  • I’m not only a pastor’s wife!  I currently volunteer at a local Crisis pregnancy Center. mentoring in  two  areas  expectant mothers and Parenting.  I have there for 3 years and I love it.
  • I am a rafter.  I love all things creative.  I have been teaching myself to paint 9mostly watercolor) but I did my first acrylic painting last weekend.  I’m totally into paper crafting as well and have been  expanding my horizons by learning brush lettering. and I LOVE using my Cricut  for home decor. (that’s just a few things I love to create)
  • I love to Blog.  Though time and circumstances have played a huge role in me not blogging a lot over the past couple of years it is still a happy place.  I am currently working to bring this habit back into my life.
  • I LOVE to read and learn…..about anything really.  Though reading tastes have changed over time I love to be in multiple books at the same time.
  • I am an introvert.  I can be around people to but over time if I am involved with people a lot I can get burned out.  I have no problem being up front, and I actually prefer it.  I just need to recharge after  a lot of people contact.
  • I am an animal person.  we have one dog and 3 cats.  Rosie is our chocolate labradoodle and Daisy, Mia and Tia are our 3 cats.  BUT I have always secretly wanted some Crazy exotic pets.  Ya wanna know what they are….A chimp- as in a monkey. An otter.  Poison Dart Frogs (my fave animal of all in this entire world) a lemur.  cockateels.  a parrot.   a penguin.  On second  thought I should have just become a zoo keeper.
  • I have been on multiple missions trips.  3 to NYC and one that landed me half way around the world in a country that is closed.
  • I LOVE COFFEE!!  I have coffee pajamas, I have a donut coffee cup.  (but  my coffee MUST have creamer)
  •  I am severely lactose intolerant.
  • I have a Bachelors in Bible and Church ministries.
  • I love playing basketball!!
  • My favorite cities to visit are: Nashville, Washington DC, NYC, in that order!
  • I love to write….in journals,  on my blog, in my planner.   My fave is anything that involves a piece of paper and a pen bonus points if it’s pretty paper and a G2 pen.
  • my favorite household chore is laundry. (especially when the washing machine works..LOL)

The topic

Continue reading “Write 31 Days- Introduction to Influence” →

Cricut You Made My Day- My Rewards Points Story

Posted on by Mary

Cricut

Do you know what a Cricut  is?

I remember the first time I saw a Cricut..  It was 2009 and I was sitting on a hotel bed in Nashville Tennessee flipping through the channels when my inner scrapbooker landed on the Home shopping network or QVC or something.  And I was drooling!  NO JOKE.  See I have this problem.  I cannot cut things out with scissors!  they look HORRID! Well Cricut is a paper cutting machine, except since that day nearly 10 years agao it is SOOOOOO much more than that!  Fast forward about 7 years I had what is called a Cuttlebug made by the same company and it was a compact die cutting machine and I used that baby all the time (still do) and I was hunting for some dies for it . (they were getting harder and harder to find in stores so I took to Craigslist.

A sweet older woman I called said she was getting rid of all of her scrapbooking supplies and she was willing to sell them for all one price or individually.   So we took a drive.   When we arrived to this woman small suburban home I was in awe when I walked in her front door to a room filled with everything imaginable  papercrfating wise.  there were about 20 scrapbooks, paper to last a lifetime a HUGE friskers case, stamps, punches ink, .  You name it it was there, EXCEPT all the cuttlebug dies had been sold.  I have to admit I was kinda frustrated.   she looked at me and said I bought all of this brand new hoping to start a new hobby but I just never had time.  I will give it all to you for $200. My jaw hit the floor.  Hubby walked in as I am stammering like a fool.

What’s wrong? he said.

I explained

we talked about it it was too good to be true.

we decided to go for it as she said “don’t forget the Cricut. I nearly died. Never in my wildest dreams.  I got home and lugged everything upstairs.  I began to calculate and realized there was well over $1000+  in product I was floored and severely overwhelmed.  I quickly realized though that I couldn’t keep everything so I sorted and shared the blessing with others.

The downside with the Cricut was that I needed cartridges.  So I started collecting the ones I wanted that were on sale.   and the cool thing was that these image holding cartridges came with rewards points.  So I set up the account and started collecting them. 90 points here, 50 points there.  Yesterday I found a rogue  coupon from a cartridge soI hopped online to enter the code and collect yet another 50 points.

A few years ago I outgrew my Cricut I had ad hubby surprised me with one for Christmas…no cartridges needed.   you just upload your images you already had to design space and viola !

Well when I tried to get on the webpage it said there was an error, no sweat this has happened before! So I just called in.  Only to be told that Cricut rewards was no more.  I had not seen the email of this impeding shutdown.  I must admit I was kinda bummed because I felt like I had waster all those points (I estimated to the lady on the phone that I thought I had between 500-800 Points). She told me that they were honoring points on a case by case basis so she sent out a help ticket for me and that I would hear from her in the next 24-48 hours.

This evening I checked email and sure enough there was an email from the very mice lady who had helped me on the phone.  It said that I actually had 1,350 points which was enough points to give me Premium access for a YEAR!   That’s huge deal!  That is all the images on design space.  I have complete access to them for an entire year!

They didn’t have to do that.  I was late to figure out that they were closing the rewards program and yet they still  did.  I have loved working with this company on so many levels!  they fix their problems and they call or email prompt.

Last year I was working on a project and I bought a digital cartridge.  It was supposed to have 38 images but I could only access 12 of them.   I called them and I’m pretty sure the same very mice lady listened to my problem and then fixed it! and she called me back late the next day just to tell me it was all better!

What customer service!