"By the Light of the Moon"
by Nancy Sebastian Meyer
“…let your light shine before men…” Matthew 5:16
Last night Rich drove us home from one of Becky’s Maryland ice hockey games. The brilliance of the moon rivaled headlights and street lamps. The dazzling light held my attention the whole way home. Pulling into our quiet, dark neighborhood, I realized the full moon provided sufficient light to read by!
A “fingernail moon,” just a sliver, would have emitted significantly less brilliance. I pondered what factors caused the intensity of this moon’s luster. Obviously the position of the moon in relation to the sun decides the...[read more]
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News from hope4hearts...
Nancy spent October 8 with Dr. Dobson at the Focus on the Family Headquarters where he interviewed her on her newest book, Spiritually Single Moms. This two-day interview will air on FOTF radio programs on March 24 and 25, 2008—check your station for exact times.
We’re planning several WOW—Wives Only Workshop events for 2008. Keep watching for details. If your church or community would like to host a WOW event, contact us.
A new book is in the planning stages! Nancy just completed a proposal and sample chapter for a marriage book with the working title: Living With Mr. Always Right: Understanding and Valuing Your Man. |
Giving God Glory:
“Hawaiian Islands Ministries was honored to have Nancy as one of our seminar leaders. She was authentic and genuine and gave us just what we asked of her. ’ Overall we felt she had a profound perspective on relationships.”
- Mary Vinson, Executive Director for Hawaiian Islands Ministries, October 2007
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Welcome to e-talk!
Many of you asked for an update on last month’s interview with Dr. Dobson. Others want to know dates for the next WOW or about the new book project. This monthly e-newsletter is designed to keep you apprized of God’s work through hope4hearts.
I hope you will not only enjoy the contents of each monthly installment, but also be encouraged and find gems of truth you can immediately put to good use. My goal is to supply something of benefit to everyone—women, couples, ministry leaders, event planners. Email me if you have a specific need.
Words…talk…communication—they bring about relationship. Effective talking has the potential to unify us as believers (Ephesians 4:15-16) May it be so with you and me.
Until next month,
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Tips for the Lips
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord… Psalm 19:14 |
How can you increase your effectiveness as a communicator? Regardless of audience, these simple communication strategies can raise your level of connection and impact. Check them out!
- Be complimentary Observe and record things you like about people, and then be liberal in telling them what you see.
Philippians 4:8, Hebrews 10:24
- Recount your blessings Talking about some way in which God has blessed you or sharing something marvelous you found out about Him encourages everyone! Psalm 28:7
- Smile You can relax—it takes 62 muscles to frown, but only 26 to smile. J “Rejoice” is a verb, an action word. So, just do it! Psalm 4:4
- Use wise words Those of us...[read more]
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Worth Your Time: Nancy Recommends...
Often after I speak from my book, Beyond Expectations, a participant will ask for guidance concerning a difficult, sometimes abusive relationship. I am delighted to share with you a brand new book I will be recommending, called The Emotionally Destructive Relationship: Seeing It, Stopping It, Surviving It by licensed clinical Christian psychologist, Leslie Vernick. Read my review here. |
Ask Nancy:
Question: During conflict, when do I speak my mind and when do I hold my tongue?
Answer: Knowing when to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) and when to back off because “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8) is only possible when we’re living closely connected to the Spirit of God who liberally gives wisdom when we ask (James 1:5). Regularly spending time with God each day gives me a sense of which way to go when a situation grows a bit unclear. When responding to a conflict, a hesitance in my spirit tells me to refrain from speaking, but if the words on the tip of my tongue line up with godly principles, I respectfully speak up. |
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The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted. "My mommy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!”
If you've heard of a funny, clean joke,
send it to us. |
Be sure to forward this on to your friends and neighbors! |
