May 19, 2012

10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Join us for Part 2 of Dr. Bob and Cheryl Moeller’s nationally recognized marriage conference, For Better, For Worse, For Keeps.

Register by contacting Cheryl at ten.tsacmocnull@relleomlyrehc

Lunch will be on your own at a local restaurant.  A list and map will be provided.

Conference is free, but a free will offering will be received for the Moellers.

See you then!

Compass Christian Counseling invites you to a Bible Reading and Silence Retreat

on

Wednesday, April 4th  through Thursday, April 5th

at

St. Vincent Palloti Retreat Center

N6409 Bowers Lane

Elkhorn, Wisconsin

Join us and have your body and soul refreshed as we read through the Gospels with other women from Illinois and Wisconsin.

There will be generous slices of time for personal study, prayer, reading, silence, naps and walks on the lovely grounds.

Wednesday night dinner is provided.

Thursday breakfast and lunch is provided.

Light snacks and coffee will be available during Reading Sessions.

Registration Information

Register by Friday, March 30, 2012

Price:  $110 includes a private room, three meals, coffee service

To register, email moc.gnilesnuocnaitsirhcssapmocnull@syak

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

This spring, I will be available to present a message for women entitled, “The Gift of BeingYourself.”  How would our lives be different if we believed – were 100% convinced in the deepest part of our souls – that we were truly designed by God and were wonderfully made?  Would we have greater joy, peace and freedom?

Using God’s Word and thoughts from David Benner’s book of the same title, this message will help us understand we best glorify God when we are fully ourselves.  My prayer is that this message will move us one step closer to understanding how precious we are to God and allow us to embrace our strengths and gifts and use them more fully.  My hope is that it will lead us each to a more satisfying life.

Please feel free to call me today.  I am booking dates for spring now.

Other Topics

1. Intimacy in Marriage – It is More than Romance

2. Don’t Blink –Keeping our Eyes Open to the Communication Needs of Our Family

3. Life with an Adolescent – How to Thrive and Survive

4. Delighting in God – the Source of our Joy

5. Praying for Kids and Grandkids – Our Highest Calling

Contact me at moc.oohaynull@ikswoktawsyak, moc.gnilesnuocnaitsirhcssapmocnull@syak or you may call on my cell phone 847-912-1787.  You can also contact me through my website for Christian grandmothers: www.americangrandma.com.

Hope to hear from you soon.

You may want to check out my book on Amazon Kindle.  One Endless Line of Faith: 30 Days of Prayer for our Grandkids is now available at a very reasonable price.  If you don’t have Kindle,the book can still be downloaded to your computer.

http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Line-Faith-Grandchildren-ebook/dp/B0060SXANU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325235056&sr=8-1

I awoke to the clanging of pots and pans, the chatter of children and the smell of burning toast —all indications that my kids were preparing breakfast in bed for mom.  Soon four little kids would appear at my door,  carrying a tray laden with food (not quite like the one pictured above.)

“Mommy, we made you breakfast!”

All four would climb into bed with me and giggle as I ate very last delicious bite of watery scrambled eggs, burnt toast, lukewarm juice and weak tea!

Breakfast in bed prepared by my children was a treat—not because it was a perfectly prepared meal, but because it was a gift of love given by my children.

We understand that children are a precious gift from God.  Most of us are  serious about doing the best we can to raise  our children to become responsible and mature adults. Our dedication is result of our overwhelming love for these  children and our love for God.

At the same time, we are painfully aware of our own imperfections and struggles. On occasion we feel as if we are appearing at God’s door with a tray of watery scrambled eggs and burnt toast and find ourselves greatly disappointed in our own efforts!

I find great comfort in remembering my joy and delight at receiving  my children’s imperfect breakfast but perfect offering  of love to me.

I love to think that God is delighted with my attempts  to care and nurture the children in my life even when my efforts are are less than perfect.

We can be comforted in recognizing that our children benefit from what we offer in love  and  that our motivations as parents and grand parents  really do make a difference in their young  lives.

Being good parents or grand parents is not about perfection, but is about a consistently  loving relationship with our children.

For Edith, the revelation that doors have locks as well as hinges, created an openness to recover a healthy balance between personal, home and ministry life. Regularly closing the door to renew and refresh her own mind, as well, as enjoy the family God had given her, required grit and a commitment to God’s Word, renewal and rest.

The post-modern Christian functions as if doors only have hinges. The gates swing wide open for the needs of family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. Everyone has access. Opportunities to renew the mind through reading, rest, prayer, solitude or reflection seems indulgent rather than indispensable. The predictable fatigue, discouragement and negativity generates confusion and guilt. Serving becomes a burden, relationships crack, joy evaporates, exhaustion overwhelms as we react to life and the next pressing need.

We wonder what has gone wrong with our souls. Author, Phillip Gulley, expresses our dilemma with these words: “Elton Trueblood talked about how we’re a cut flower world. We sever things from their life source and expect them to flourish. And we cut ourselves off from God and are dismayed when our lives wilt and fade. We want joy and beauty, but we want them without having to stay connected to the One who gives them.”

A renewed mind is a beautiful and joyful thing. A renewed and healthy mind flourishes when we attach to the One who restores both mind and soul. It requires grit and a commitment to barring the door and spending time only with Him. So, pull the shades. Turn off the phone. Pretend no one is home if you must. Remember doors have both hinges and locks. Spend time alone with God and renew your mind and heart.

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” Matthew 6:6 The Message

If you are looking for help as you reconnect with God and care for your heart and spirit, we would love to be part of the process. Please feel free to contact us about available appointments.

In Christ,
Kay Swatkowski, MA
Compass Christian Counseling at North Point Church

moc.gnilesnuocnaitsirhcssapmocnull@syak

847-746-5524 VM

847-912-1787 (cell)

Many of us clearly understand that our praises are like sweet fragrance to our Heavenly Father. On the other hand I’m not so confident that we believe our complaints are just as important to Him. Sometimes we complain to Him alone, and find comfort in His presence. At other times, when the hurts, disappointments and wounds of our past and present are too much to handle alone, we need another person present to help us in our time of need.

With childhood mental and emotional wounds, counseling professionals have learned that specifically naming the hurt, the loss, and the abuse is the beginning of healing. In the presence of a Pastoral Counselor, wounded souls learn to see their childhood experiences as part of God’s work in their lives, making those painful events and experiences useful to Him. As counselors, our determination is to teach our clients not to look at these events as life-defining, but rather to let go of the hurt and anger that keeps them stuck in a pattern of complaining and never healing.

For my complaint to be effective, I must specifically name it my Heavenly Father. Read the book of Psalms in the Bible if you are still not convinced. God created me and knows my strengths and weaknesses. He knows my pain and the trouble in this world. That is one of the reasons Jesus took on the form of a human body, and one of the meanings of the cross. He experienced my pain, my shame and took from me the punishment I deserve for my selfish, demanding, faithless self. So every time I complain to Him, I invite and allow Him to move into my life with His consistent mercy, His sustaining grace and His unconditional love, which brings me to the maturing process spiritually.

When I come to Him with my complaint His arms are open to me. When I come with my praises His arms are open to me. In either scenario, He wants me to know Him and trust Him well.

Life is so very hard and without the secure belief that He is in control of every chapter and line of my story, my complaints would be no more than whispering in the wind. But every day He wants me to know how much I need Him and how much He loves me. My praises and my complaints are both invitations, prepared by Him, to climb into His arms to find safety, peace and meaning in this troubled world. How else could I know the meaning of Jesus’ words. “In this world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33