Tuesday Night

On Tuesday Nights, I meet with an extraordinary and unlikely group of women, all working hard to be more like Christ, and all trying to bring that faith and example to their families. We are a very diverse group, and each of us has a different family dynamic.  From kids to husbands to God's plan for our lives, we have a no secrets policy, and a what happens on Tuesday night stays there.....with one exception. The tremendous studies we do on biblical characters and their lives, and the actual education part of our night each week. Those moments  and discoveries I can share with conviction  and without crossing the trust line that is so important in this group.  I hope you enjoy our discoveries as much as I have....

The first book we chose was called "Unglued" written by Lysa TerKuerst of Proverbs 31 Ministries. you can see P31 here

This incredible book was for sure written by someone who had followed me around and journal-ed my life for a few years....seriously. I have never had a book impact me so much as a mother, wife and Christ follower. When I brought it to the group, it was an instant hit. This world is crazy and we all know it. (secretly that's why I love it)

There is a study guide and we used it to get us going, along with a video series to walk us through some of the key components of the study.  The things we experienced were phenomenal! We also got a peek at Italy and Rome, where the author traveled for the video series. And as far as dealing with anger, we all agreed we are at different levels of maturity and needed perspective on dealing with and changing those Unglued moments in our lives. We all have them- at work, with kids, husbands and other family. With the general public, on the phone and in living person. 

Mostly, thinking first would save us all a lot of trouble.....if only our mommas had told us that as children. (over and over and over)

 The tools provided started conversations about our triggers to becoming that Unglued girl that is so - well- not beautiful. I call mine "mother hen syndrome" . Another girl recalls  she has exploded all over the place, then she experiences "explosion remorse". Others admitted to storing up their anger explosions to use at a later undetermined date, and another just couldn't ever see it coming, and it was so intense that she couldn't stop it until it was too late.

So the question is, how do we keep ourselves from becoming Unglued in moments of intense emotion, exhaustion or passion? How do we use scripture and prayer to overcome our own issues to be a Christian woman that Christ would be proud to call his child?

We used this book to guide us each individually and as a group to come up with solutions to our problems as individuals. Keeping one another accountable is one way to help accomplish this. Another way is to have scriptures everywhere that apply to your situation. I love the scripture "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"- so I put it on a post it and stuck it in my car. I also have several around my home and on my phone. I started reading positive and encouraging books, listening to Christian radio and subscribing to Christian blogs that remind me I am a child of God.  Reminding myself of Christs love and sacrifice has helped me to stop-think-reign in before I explode. Its a challenge for all of us- and we by no means have it perfect. But we are growing and getting it right more often than ever.
 I'm careful not to let people bait me into a confrontation anymore.stop-think-reign in  I am more careful than ever about my language and my body language when in a tough situation. stop-think-reign in  I know my other girls are doing the same, and repairing relationships long scarred by our outbursts and responses. 

In this book there are four categories of "Unglued Mommas", and we each put ourselves into one of them. Recently I thought of re-evaluating my own category, and I am finding all of my hard work has paid off and I am coming Unglued less and using my Stop-think-reign in process more....

Spending much needed time fellow-shipping with and getting to know this small group of ladies has been fascinating to me and even though I am sure we aren't changing the entire world, we are changing our own corner of the world, one less Unglued moment at a time. 

(The book Unglued has been read by myself 4 times and I refer to it on a regular basis. I have read other books by this author and others from Proverbs 31 Ministries and receive nothing in return for talking about their ministry, books or authors. I don't need compensation- Women's ministry is something I carry in my heart and I am both inspired and intrigued by this group of women who are not afraid to let their faith be known through writing, blogging and living for Christ.)