Giftedness ©

Gifts and talents are amazing.  We all have heroes we admire and respect.  We admire their courage and strength, their knowledge and intellect, their creativity and inventiveness.  We admire their talent.  It seems kingdoms and countries have been led by men and women such as these.  Sometimes we observe such talent and think, ‘Oh, if I just had a tiny fraction of that person’s talent.’ 

The fact is that we all have our very own set of gifts and talents.  We may not be the best speaker or leader, we may not have political savvy or be the best guitar player or worship leader.  But we might be awesome at childcare.  We might be an awesome cook or an excellent gardener.  Perhaps we excel at writing poems, throwing a football, knitting or training puppies.  The point is, it doesn’t matter what we are good at only that we recognize that we are good at something.  And that something, no matter how big or how small, is the exact talent or gift that we are meant to have.  More importantly, that gift or talent is meant to be shared with others; it is ours given to us to by the creator to be used for all. 

The truth is if we were all great leaders there would be no one to lead.  If we were all top notch guitar players the band would sound horrible without the rest of the instruments.  Large and small, gifts and talents cannot be measured in value based on popularity because they are all necessary; let us all give thanks for our own special gifts.   

Thoughts on Women of Faith © 2011

Women of Faith. What does that mean? How do we come to fall into that category? Hmm, fall into a category, that’s an interesting concept, but it doesn’t apply here. Being a woman is part of who we are, part of our assignment from God. Faith is a choice and not something we fall in to.

In this case, ‘Women of Faith is a Christian women’s organization that has been holding non-denominational conferences at various locations around North America since 1996’ at least that is how it is defined according to Wikipedia. But in my experience it is so much more. Attending a Women of Faith (WOF) conference cannot be narrowed down to a simple definition. It is an experience. It is true that part of WOF is the whole ‘getting there’ dilemma. Can we take the time? Will the family survive? What about the expense? Should we stay in a hotel? Who we will go with and on and on. It is no small task to actually get a woman to step out and attend a conference designed solely for her, for 2 entire days. But, when everything falls into place and the WOF experience begins, you will never forget it.

I attend the WOF conference in Hartford, CT. This is significant for two reasons: 1) it is close to my home and 2) it is the closing conference for the season and that makes it really special. This year’s WOF conference had something for everyone. Comedy, drama, psychology, science, music, and of course worship and testimonies. From Shelia Walsh’s poignant bible study and testimony to Ken Davis’ outrageous comedy I cried and laughed until I was near dehydration. As a scientist by education I truly appreciated Dr. Henry Cloud’s presentation of the Law of Happiness and how the science behind happy people so closely follows the reality of Christian teaching. One could say that God’s law is the key to happiness. But we all knew that didn’t we?

One of the favorite things I enjoy about WOF is not only the opportunity to connect with nearly 9,000 women in worship which brings glory to my heavenly Father, but also the obvious connection between the WOF team. As these women share their hearts, their brokenness and their encouragement with the audience, we can observe not only how their stories affect those in the seats around us, but also how they affect their co-team members sitting on the ‘front porch’. I watched as they cheered each other on, were humbled by each other’s talent and wept over their heartbreaks. From April to November these women and men leave their families on the weekend and minister to thousands of women across the country. The production of the conference is timed and goes on without a hitch as the same material is covered weekend after weekend. Yet I see these women weep for each other over material previously presented and I see them bent over in hysterics as Ken Davis kills us with his comedic view on life. I see Henry Cloud choke up as he speaks of the importance of connection. This is the essence of what the Women of Faith experience is - the connectedness. This is where women are touched and encouraged by women who have faith that accepting the love of our Savior is what will get us all through.  I am so grateful to all those who make the Women of Faith experience possible and I am better for having experienced it. 

Book Review - The Fight of Our Lives

The Fight of Our Lives by Bennett and Leibsohn is an eye-opening read that will either have you up in arms and wanting to fight for liberty and justice for all ‘Americans’ making you jaded against Muslims in general or cause you to wonder why we just can’t all just get along. Are we in a fight for religion, fight for freedom, or just a fight for survival?

I recommend this book because I think we all need to be more self-educated on what the real fight against terrorism is. We need to look at all the facts and not just those presented to us on syndicated networks. Bennett and Leibsohn refreshingly present facts that are outside of what the mainstream considers ‘politically correct’. The facts are not pretty. Are we so busy protecting people’s feelings that we’re missing protecting the public at large? Read The Fight of Our Lives and determine for yourself. The publisher of The Fight of Our Lives has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend this read.

Book Review - The Final Summit

Andy Andrews returns with David Ponder in The Final Summit bringing us a welcome reunion with a favorite hero. Taking place years after David Ponder was given The Traveler’s Gift, we learn how his life has turned out.


The Final Summit reads like a fine mystery uniquely padded with some of Andrew’s favorite characters from history. Ponder is not only reunited with those he has met in his previous adventure but he is honored with the presence of historical greats as he struggles to find the answer to the continuation of life.

The reader is swept up as he yearns to help David Ponder in his quest. This read is highly recommended to those seeking a good page turning read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The publisher of The Final Summit has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend this read.

Book Review - Max on Life

Max on Life by Max Lucado



Max has taken over 170 common life-affecting questions posed from his readers and answered them as only Max can in his easy reading style while also offering scriptural guidance. From financial worries to relationship and family issues Max brings light to what’s bugging us. To the lost struggling for answers to life’s most difficult questions Max is compassionate and convicting. Struggling with debt? Max speaks the obvious – “stop spending”! With his laid back deliverance Max leads the reader to hope and healing, guidance and comfort. The scriptural references are refreshing as we see the answers to our questions have been answered before we thought of them! With a separate index of listed subjects and scriptural references Max On Life promises to be a valuable reference book for the shelf of any family or individual.  The publisher of Max On Life has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. I enjoyed this book as I do all of Max Lucado's books and highly recommend this read.

Life in a Fog (C)

Driving to work this morning my progress was slowed, hindered, and made more dangerous by fog. Fog is literally a cloud sitting on the ground; its density reducing the visibility of those caught in its midst. Within the fog are hidden dangers. We cannot avoid what we cannot see; likewise we cannot run to that good thing that is hidden from our view.

While driving through this physical fog I was reminded of the spiritual or mental fog we can sometimes get caught in. Our minds can become foggy; we can’t think or ‘see’ things clearly. The busyness of life can fog our minds; distractedness steals our vision. While the fog of our mind is present we are exposed to hidden dangers. We act without thinking clearly or sometimes thinking at all and we make wrong choices. Other times good things pass us by as our vision is clouded. We aren’t even aware of what we’ve missed as we go about life ‘in a fog’.

As my 2 hour trip approached its completion the bright and morning star made an appearance and the fog cleared. We have our own bright and Morning Star that is always available to help us see things clearly revealing the truth of what is ahead. When we focus on our Savior, the Son shines brightly in our lives casting out darkness and fog. With Him “there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” Luke 12:2. If we rely on Jesus He will put his hands on our eyes and like the man in Mark 8:25 we can have eyes opened, sight restored, and see everything clearly. Today let our fog be lifted and let us receive that good thing He is waiting to bestow on us.

By Liz Hall

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

See Saw(C)

By Liz Hall

My work office has once again been moved.  For those of us that work in corporate America we know that there is no such thing as permanence anymore.  Gone are the days when you work for a company straight out of college and retire from the same company 30 to 40 years later.  These days it seems that even the very office space that you occupy is subject to repeated relocations depending on company re-structuring, leasing of new office space and on and on.  And so, my office has been moved.  It is now deep inside a building once occupied by ESPN, far down a narrow hallway and further still from any kind of discernible cell phone service.  This later issue troubles me a bit.  I often have missed calls from people I need to talk to.  I was attempting to make a call recently and meandered to the end the building near an emergency exit door just to get a couple of bars on my cell.  Waiting for a connection, I decided to sit on a stray conference table left in the hall.  Here is where the situation becomes interesting.  Apparently, I sat at the very end of this long table but did not realize that the legs were closer to the middle of the table rather than the end.  As the connection came and the phone started to ring I was suddenly in motion.  I was going down as the opposite end of the table went up!  Plop!  My would-be table seat became a singularly occupied See Saw and I hit the floor.  For a moment, life seemed turned upside down.

Have you ever had your life turned upside down?  That’s a loaded question I know and many will say ‘Oh sure, I know exactly what you’re talking about, I’ve been there’.  In today’s economy and high unemployment rate many have had life as they know it completely altered.  In 2003 I lost my job of 16 years and was out of work for 2 ½ years.  As a single, working Mom things for us changed to say the least.  In hindsight I consider myself lucky.  That was before unemployment was the crisis that it is today and eventually I rejoined the work force.  Natural disasters have recently paid an unpleasant visit to the Northeast.  Tornados in Massachusetts, earthquakes felt from Ohio to Canada, hurricane Irene battering the Carolinas to Vermont and flooding in the weeks to follow due to additional tropical weather.  Sometimes these things are forecasted and we heed the warnings and prepare.  Sometimes there is no warning.  From unemployment to loss of electrical power our comfort zones are removed and it feels as though life has been turned upside down.  And yet, when we finally get that job or when the power is eventually restored, the recovery process continues.  The cost can take years to overcome.

This business of having life turned upside down is not new.  Those who followed Christ and were witness to his life, death and resurrection were accused of this very thing!  Turning the world upside down!  In the 17^th chapter of Acts when Paul was in Thessalonica preaching that Jesus was the Christ, unconvinced Jews caused a riot and claimed “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.  Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus”  Acts 17:6.  The Jewish people seemed surprised, yet the coming of Christ was foretold. 

And so I suggest that sometimes having our world turned upside down is a good thing.  It is often in retrospect that we realize the gift of what having gone through an unsettling time is.  I lost my job, but I gained perspective and learned not to lean on my own understanding.  I was encouraged and supported by family, friends and a community of believers.  I was humbled at a community food bank and that’s a good thing.  My faith was strengthened as I comforted others who worried about my ability to raise my family and pay my bills.  My son was 13 at the time and he finally got to go to a skate camp that had previously not fit into my work schedule.    I worried less about the whys and focused more on being thankful.  I can look back and say that what I gained during that time far outweighed what I lost.  The benefit outweighed the cost.  I can’t say I look forward to the next bump in the road, the next time life is turned upside down, but I don’t fear it either.  After all, I have been warned…tribulations will come, but I believe in the One who has overcome the world and He is always with me reminding me to be encouraged and of good cheer.