proverbs31-woman.com

I had the privilege of speaking at the Women of Grace Conference this past weekend. What a lovely group of ladies. I went there to bless them but came away very much blessed myself.  Truly an honour and a wonderful experience.

I shared on three verses: Proverbs 31:16, Proverbs 31:20 and Proverbs 31:25.  The first about considering the field that their ministry is in, the second about helping those who are in need in their communities and the third about confidence and assurance and also knowing where and how their families fit into God’s plan for them.

Thank you ladies, and in particular, Justine Fung, for inviting me.

Debbie and I hadn’t seen each other in many years.  We’ve both had our trials and challenges during that time of not seeing one another. But we reconnected about a year or so ago when I saw her post on the Facebook page of the Christian radio station I love to listen to.  Turned out she’d remembered the station from when she used to work for me many years prior, and when looking for something more uplifting on the air, she turned the dials till she found what she was looking for.

Yesterday, she and her son, Joel, came here to visit. She’d sent me a message via Facebook to find out if I was going to be home and if that was OK. Joel is having to build up his hours of driver learning before going for his license.  So we had a cuppa together and a chat. Joel has become a keen photographer, and as I am also a keen photographer, we shared information.  And then I took them for a walk around our property when Debbie suddenly asked if we had any wood?  Do we?  Graham and I have a lot of it from fallen trees and branches.

We’d had a tree lopper here over 2 weeks before who had levelled and chopped up a dead tree, and also a live tree that was leaning precariously over our garden and left the wood lying on the lawn where they’d chopped it up. Due to our own physical disabilities, and lack of time as we both work full-time, the chopped up wood had been left lying on the lawns for the past couple of weeks and we weren’t sure how much longer it would be before we could find someone who would like the wood and could take it away. It turned out that Debbie and her family were in need of wood for their fireplace as their heater was no longer working but the cost of buying wood for their fireplace meant they couldn’t afford to get very much.  Graham and I were delighted to let Joel and Debbie load the wood from one of the trees into their wagon to take home with them. That’s a relief to us. We don’t have to try and pile it into a corner somewhere and Graham will be able to mow that part of the lawn again now.  Isn’t God good? We (Debbie and I) both had a need and our needs met the need of the other. What a blessing.

If you heard me on Vision Radio or the show 20Twenty and came looking for the book and more information, you’ve come to the right place. I was delighted when Neil rang me and asked for an interview… two in fact!  One about each book I’ve written and published: “Worth More Than Rubies: The Value of a Work at Home Mum” and “It Happened By Design” which is about a series of real life God-incidences by 30 different authors.

I invite your comments and questions and am more than happy to engage in conversation. Perhaps you have been wanting to work from home too, but didn’t know what to do, or how to go about it? That’s why I’m here you know.  God meant for us to use our experiences to help others and I find it both a pleasure and privilege to be helping others on their journeys through life.

The Proverbs 31 Woman is often perceived as some wonder woman who could achieve everything in the home and is a very high ideal to work towards and achieve, but I’m happy to share a little secret.  Look at verse 31:15 and you’ll learn that the Proverbs 31 Woman had servant girls. She had help!  She did not do it all alone. That means we don’t have to do it all alone either.  We have permission not to be superwoman with perfect life balance. We’re allowed to have others help us in achieving that goal. So, why not go grab a cuppa, and sit down and have a read through my blog here and acquaint yourself with the Proverbs 31 Woman.

Today is a sad day in the city of Melbourne.  A 29 year old woman, who was an employee of one of our media services disappeared early last Saturday morning, while walking on her way home from a night out with her colleagues. She only had 800 metres to walk. She’d twice refused a lift home from one her colleagues.  Who knows the reason why.  Her husband was waiting for her at home.

In the past couple of days it’s come to light that she was seen on the pavement by video cameras inside of shops with a man who was talking to her.  This morning it was announced that a man had been arrested last night and her body found overnight.  I think the whole city was really feeling this one. Why? Was it because of her being involved with the ABC and so there seemed to be more connection? Was it because of the way the story unfolded and so many others could relate to it?

What was reported over the week was that other women had been approached by a man of the same description in that area of recent times. Why was that not reported earlier to the police? They could have seen a pattern was emerging and been on the lookout for this guy. Instead it took a disappearance before anyone spoke up. By that time it was too late, it had become a murder.

I find it really strange, that in a society where we are so connected by the Internet and social media that people still remain disconnected in their thinking for other people. What if it had been reported about this man earlier? Would Jill Meagher still be alive today?

I know I don’t know the full story and it will probably be months or a year or two before it all comes out in the courts but I encourage you, my readers, to consider the possible plight of others if something happens to you, or nearly happens to you.  You might have survived but what about the next person?

In verses 26 and 27 we’re told how the Proverbs 31 Woman speaks with wisdom and also how she watches over the affairs of her household. May I encourage you to also consider to watch over the affairs of your neighborhood and if you see or experience something you know isn’t right, then speak up with wisdom and report it to those who need to know about it.  You may never know it, but you could save someone else a lot of grief in that process.