News from Janet Thompson @ About His Work Ministries

AHW MINISTRIES NEWSLETTER

About His Work with Janet July 2017

There's a Time for Every Season In Our Life

I grew up in Southern California where, with few seasonal exceptions, the weather was consistent year round-sunny and beautiful. Sunny and hot with morning fog near the beach in summer. Sunny and warm with occasional Santana winds in the fall. Sunny with a few storms, rain, and overcast days in the winter, when the temperatures might dip into the 60's. Sunny and colorful in the spring. Those were our seasons. My husband and I were actually married outside on the beach on December 19, and my daughter who was my maid of honor, was a little sunburned.

As a kid, I marked the seasons by summer vacation, school starting in the fall, holiday breaks and celebrations in the winter, and end of school activities in the spring.

Then we moved to Idaho where we have four extremely distinct and different seasons, each one lasting about three months, except this last winter's snow went from November until a few snow days in April! The biggest difference I've noticed about the two climate "seasons," is that the year seems to fly by in Idaho! We've lived here six years, and it seems like we just moved. One day I'm wearing furry slippers and sweats, and the next I'm in shorts and flip flops with a completely different wardrobe.

We're continually either going into one season or coming out of one and going into the next completely different season . . . a metaphor for our life too. That's where those of us who have been in one life season can offer counsel, support, prayer, and God's wisdom from our own experience in a life season. That's mentoring. That's what many of you have experienced in your mentoring ministries or in your personal lives. Or that's what you long for, someone to help you through a new life season.

When we moved to Idaho, we had never lived in the mountains year round. We had a lot to learn and there was always someone willing to mentor us; all we had to do was ask and be receptive to what they had learned from living here. People were amazed that a "maturing" couple from Orange County would move directly to a rural mountain community, where we knew no one, in a state we had only visited, and live with dirt roads, no trash pickup, no street lights, only two restaurants, one small market, one gas station, one stop sign they put in after we moved and the market opened, and winters that have snow up to the window sills. But we love it! Now that we're a bit "seasoned," we can help others moving here too.

One woman commented on my blog post this week, Mentoring Can Change the World: Starting with Our Children , that she and a group of friends call themselves, "Seasoned Veterans of the Word," and they're so anxious to learn more about mentoring from my new book Mentoring for All Seasons . Pam Farrel has a story in this book where she tells of forming a group of "Seasoned Sisters" to prepare for menopause together, a season I wrote about two weeks ago, Why Does God Want Us Mentoring Each Other through Life's Changes?. So that's my challenge to all of us: let's reach out to those God puts in our path to share what we've learned from our season experiences and how God and His Word helped us and will help them too. You can read in this week's blog that I'm not just talking about women; we need to start with mentoring our young girls too!

Thank you to all who have pre-ordered Mentoring for All Seasons , and we've got a great Prayer and Launch Team enthused about taking this book from coast to coast, woman to woman. Please let me know if you know of a Christian women's organization we should contact. Or if you have a blog where I could be a guest, please contact me . I have a page for blog posts to share and will have pictures on my website . Tag me, Janet Thompson, when you share on Facebook. On Twitter tag @ahwministries. Use the hashtag #mentoringforallseasons on social media. Thank you!

I pray whatever season you're in today, there's someone walking beside you, and you're walking beside someone who needs you in her season. It's a privilege to walk beside each of you, and I'm blessed to have someone mentoring me through new ways to share God's message with others.

Have a blessed rest of your summer!

About His Work,

Janet

PS: Remember ALL Woman to Woman Mentoring Resources are now available only at our website shop. Books always personally signed by Janet. Be sure to order your Mentor and Mentee Handbooks in time for me to sign each one!

PSS: New Blog Posts:

Mentoring Can Change the World: Starting with Our Children
Why Do We Care What Everyone Thinks?
Why Does God Want Women Mentoring Each Other Through Life's Changes?

Love Your Body: Use Your Freedoms Wisely

PSSS: Read the Author Interview with Jocelyn Green about her book, Free To Lean, and a chance to win a free copy.

FEATURED BOOK OF THE MONTH

Woman To Woman Mentoring

Mentor and Mentee Handbooks

$6.99ea

Purchase from our website shop signed

Fall means churches are scheduling Mentoring Ministry Orientation Coffees (or the name you've given them) and will be letting God match your M&M's. We're experiencing many orders already this month for Mentor and Mentee Handbooks so be sure and get your order to us early enough for me to sign each one and mail to you for Kickoff Night. It blesses me to know your women will be enjoying the joy of maturing in their faith together! I guarantee you lives will be changed for God's glory! Praise God.

I Would Love to Speak at Your Event!

To contact Janet

about your event

call or email to discuss availability.

Woman To Woman Mentoring

TALK TO US

This Months featured
Woman To Woman
Mentoring Ministry Testimony

Hi Janet,

We just ended our "dress rehearsal" for our mentoring program. Ready to open it up to the church.

Some women have suggested more training and an informative meeting before the Orientation
Coffee. I thought that is what the Orientation Coffee was....Wondered your thoughts on this.
I am open to suggestions.

My answer:
There are always going to be those who have a hard time leaving things up to God and prayer until they've experienced it...which was the reason for doing the dress rehearsal so you could see how it all works. Who would you be training and what would you be training? If you're following the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry as outlined, you don't know who is coming to the Orientation Coffee and you don't know who will be mentors and mentees.

My advice is to stay on track, keep reading the Ministry Coordinator's Guide. Ask those who were part of the dress rehearsal to help with the logistics of the Orientation Coffee and keep going. As a leader remember you'll never please everyone and you can't listen to everyone.

Do you have The Team That Jesus Built?

That might help as you lead and start building your administrative team.

After the Orientation Coffee:

Thank you for the Woman To Woman Mentoring Resources. Everything worked perfectly the way you have the program laid out. I just need to stick to my guns on this.

I saw God work in mighty ways as we took the steps and left it all up to Him.

And yes, I have your book, The Team that Jesus Built....need to start reading!

Thank you again!

Blessings,

Tracy

Mentoring Tip

"Our children and grandchildren need mentoring!"

"GRAMMIE'S CORNER"

Mentoring our Grandchildren in the Power of Prayer

My eleven-year-old granddaughter and her friend stayed with us last week and attended a drama kids' camp at our community outdoor theater where they put on Broadway Musicals. The girls went to camp in the morning and then the campers performed as the opening act on Friday and Saturday night. It's amazing what they teach a group of kids of all ages in just a week.

The girls and I did different activities each afternoon, but as I've written about before, and also in this week's Monday Morning Blog, Mentoring Can Change the World: Starting With Our Children . So I do a Bible study with Katelyn and her friend either in person or on Skype. Friday afternoon was Bible study time. During prayer requests, Katelyn was quick with hers, "You find the newspaper clippings about your dad. I want to know more about what happened to my great-grandpa."

To back up a bit. If you know my story, my dad was a California Highway Patrolman shot in the line of duty with his own gun when I was nine. I have copies of all the newspaper clippings and every time Katelyn visits, she asks to see them. But I had put them in such a "safe" place; I couldn't remember where they were. The whole time the kids were here, I hunted for them.

After our Bible study time together, I was talking to my daughter on the phone about it and she suggested that I show Katelyn pictures of her mommy's childhood. Bam! That triggered my memory! I had put the envelope with the newspaper clippings in the cabinet with our picture albums. My granddaughter and her friend not only saw the pictures of my dad and read the clippings, they saw God answer a prayer request the same afternoon we prayed about it.

Interestingly, the topic of our study that day was Waiting Together on the Lord. She had waited several years to see these, and then God chose that day to answer her prayer request. We thanked and praised God! Then we cried together over what was in the envelope.

Meet An Author

Free To Lean:

Making Peace with Your Lopsided Life

By Jocelyn Green

I'm delighted to share with you my friend, Jocelyn Green's latest book. I could not put this book down! You will love Jocelyn's casual and personal writing style like you're sitting on a swing chatting with her about our crazy lives. I found myself spending more time on our deck swing enjoying my view after reading Free to Lean!

Can you explain the title of your new book, Free to Lean: Making Peace with Your Lopsided Life?

Free to Lean basically explores the idea that balance is the wrong goal--and that it's not only acceptable to focus on our God-given priorities for our particular season of life, it's biblical. So what looks like an unbalanced, lopsided life is really a life that's leaning into what God wants us to do. Our purpose in life is bigger than balance.

Free to Lean helps readers to:

> Stop feeling "less than" for not being able to do more

> Shed the burden of other people's expectations

> Find ways to prioritize and order your life

> Learn to recognize the various seasons in each of our lives

> Develop the five pillars even the unbalanced woman must lean upon

> Grow in your confidence of God's plans for your life

We don't have to "do it all." We can lean into our priorities, and lean on God for the strength we need.

What inspired you to write it?

For years, I would often get the question, "How do you do it all?" And my answer has always been: "I don't!" I was amazed that people assumed I was excelling in every area of my life, when in reality, I focus on a couple of priorities, and cut corners in other areas of my life to make more room for what I think God has called me to do. I wrote this book to help other women feel the freedom to do the same. We really don't have to do it all, or do it all well at the same time. It's OK to prioritize!

For what type of reader did you write this book?

Free to Lean applies to any woman who is weary of striving for balance, and is ready for the peace that comes with following God-led priorities. That could be a mother of small children, a college student, a company executive, a pastor's wife, a caregiver for elderly parents-anyone! It doesn't matter if you're married, single, with or without children, or what you do during the day. If you're tired of trying to do it all, sister, this book is for you.

What is one truth you want your readers to remember?

We are most effective when we focus on what God created us to do-and we need not apologize for prioritizing accordingly.

We are being the best stewards of our resources when we say no to what is good so we can say yes to what is best for us in our current season of life. If you're like me, you may be prone to false guilt for saying no to someone or something, but friends, it's biblical to estimate the cost of an opportunity and consider whether it fits with what God wants us to do.

How has God used the writing of this book in your own life?

One of my favorite things about this book is other women's voices. I interviewed more than fifty women in a variety of seasons and vocations, and I learned so much from what they had to say. It was my privilege to be able to include their stories in the pages, because they really blessed me, personally, too.

I've had to re-read Free to Lean multiple times throughout the editing stages, and each time I have, God has used it to remind me of something I needed to hear at that moment. The book is full of Scripture, and I attribute these well-timed reminders to the fact that the Word of God is living and active. So even when God's Word quoted again in my own book, it still has power to touch me anew. I love that!

To learn more about Jocelyn, her books and her writing/speaking ministry visit her website.

If you would like to enter a drawing to win a copy of Jocelyn's book Free To Lean, please contact me.