Watch: Mothers & Daughters The Divine Duet

We hope you all had a fabulous Mother's Day!  For those of you who missed it, the video of Lisa and Elizabeth's talk from Tuesday night is now online.  Just click the video below to check it out.

(Email subscribers, click here)

Divine Duets Greatest Hits!

We are so glad so many of you could join us Tuesday night for our spring event: "Mothers & Daughters: The Divine Duet."  Many of you have asked us to post Lisa and Elizabeth's "Greatest Hits," so we wanted to provide a summary below.

Next week, we'll post the video of their talk for those of you who missed it, so be sure to check back!

10.  I Will Survive—Mothering is far from easy, but you will make it through! 

9.  Nobody’s Perfect—Nobody, not even our mothers and daughters are perfect and that’s by design.  Manage your expectations and be willing to let things go. 

8. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling: Don’t allow the hurtful words or names spoken to you to become your identity. 

7. Build me Up Buttercup—Never underestimate the power of encouraging one another and building them up.

6. Strike A Pose—Moms, you are a model for your daughters and for better and worse, they will imitate you. 

5. Say A Little Prayer—Prayer is a powerful secret weapon for both mothers and daughters.  Don’t be afraid to use it.

4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T—Even when it seems impossible, when we choose to obey our mommies and honor our mothers, God will take care of us.

3. If I Could Turn Back Time—We can’t go back and change the past, but unforgiveness and bitterness can’t debilitate us when we choose to forgive.

2.  Don’t Stop Believing—No matter what hurts you’ve experienced, it’s never too late for a fresh start in any relationship. 

1. Girls Just Want to Have Fun—enjoy the gift of this relationship and have fun together!  

"Stuff" My Mom Says

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

With our Mother's Day Changing Season event coming up this Tuesday, I thought I'd share a little post I wrote last year inspired by my wonderful mom.

My mom is full of little tidbits of advice.  I mean, I'm pretty sure I could write an entire book on her little nuggets of wisdom.  I'm sure lots of you have heard of "Stuff" Girls Say, so today I give you my very own "Stuff" My Mom Says:

4.  "Physical Chemistry is an important component in a relationship...sometimes it might get you into trouble, but you can't have a great relationship without it!  

If you ask her, she'll deny she ever said this, but there was a time in my life when I needed to hear this.  This is going to sound obvious, and I'm embarrassed I needed to be told this,  but it's not just enough to have a guy who really likes you and you somewhat enjoy being around...you need to have chemistry!  To this one, I will also add that my mother also liked to tell me that "nothing good happens after midnight."  And as usual, my mother was right!

3.  "We are a team & we stick together!"  

Growing up, my four siblings and I would groan as she would hammer this into our heads as we walked out the door and bounded off to school.  But she was right.  My mother was always speaking to us about the value and gift of family and how it was our job to look out for one another, protect one another, and always, always build each other up to others.  As I'm writing this, I see how it can apply to my marriage as well...who likes to listen to a wife nag and complain about her husband all the time?  My brother has taken this to the extreme and when he got married, his beautiful bride gave him matching "Team Robertson" shirts.  Isn't that adorable?!

2.  "You weren't made to fall, you were made to rise into what God has for you."  

These words were gold to my broken, 19-year-old heart.  I wrote a whole post about them here, but essentially, it helped me examine all major life decisions —boys, jobs, moves, friends..even shopping— am I rising or falling?  Sometimes we get frustrated and tried of waiting so we fall into something that's less than God's best, but my mom continually reminds me that I was made to rise into what God has for me, and so were you!

1.  "See how the Lord loves to take care of you!"

When I was in third grade, my parents got tickets to see Amy Grant in her LEGENDARY "Heart in Motion Tour".  Being it was on a school night, my mom was concerned about her little 8-year-old staying up late at the greatest concert of all time.  It was also right around the time of standardized testing so she told me to pray about it and that she would call my teacher to get her thoughts.  I prayed my little heart out and when I came home she said that she talked to my teacher and she said that the tests were planned for the week of the concert, but unexpectedly, the tests hadn't come in, so they had to postpone them a week.  It was an Amy Grant miracle and God had heard my prayer!  My mom looked in my eyes and said, "Elizabeth, see how the Lord loves to take care of you!"

I couldn't believe how personal and real God could be and that he would care about something as silly as an Amy Grant concert, though I'm sure He's a fan!  Ever since then, my mom has never been far with her saying...when I found 5 fabulous roommates to live with in college, when I stumbled into my first big girl job, when a hurricane threatened, but did not destroy my wedding...and the list continues to go on.  God is good and if there's one thing my mom reminds me of over and over again, He loves to take care of me!  


Have a nugget of wisdom from your mom, sound off below!  Or you moms out there, what's the number one nugget you want to be remembered for??

PS:  Do you have tickets for next Tuesday's Changing Seasons?  Click here for all the details!

Next Changing Seasons Event: May 7!

Just in time for Mother's Day, we are excited to announce our next Changing Seasons event, "Mothers & Daughters: The Divine Duet."  See below for all the details and be sure to tell your friends!  We can't wait to see you there!

Ready to buy your tickets?  Click here.

Note: online tickets are $16 due to processing fees.

Noah Walked (Part 2)

Image via Pinterest

By Lisa Robertson

Yesterday we looked at the story of Noah and how through this beloved Bible story, we see God's plan, purpose, provision, protection, perfection, and power. 

But Noah played a part, too!

Noah prayed--When Noah walked with God, he probably prayed and talked with God.  (If God called you to build an ark and fill it with two of every living creature, I imagine you'd pray, too!)   

Noah partnered--as the plans unfolded for this massive undertaking, Noah partnered with God-nail by nail, board by board to build an enormous ark.  Interesting trivia-the proportions detailed in Genesis 6 describe perfect dimensions for large ships that have been built for thousands of years following the building of Noah’s Ark.  They dimensions and proportions were perfect to keep ships from capsizing.

Noah persevered--Noah was laughed at and ridiculed by his friends and neighbors, but Noah knew God and understood God’s faithful guidance.  He didn’t give in and he didn’t give up.

Noah paid attention--there were lots of details to be figured out and adhered to.  Noah paid attention to God and the detailed plans.

Prayer, partnership, perseverance and paying attention are ways to help us progress in our faith walk- even today.

The story of Noah is a beloved Bible classic.  One that can be enjoyed by all ages.  But it's so much more than an ark, animals, a flood, and a rainbow.  It's the story of God's plan and promises.  

The P words are one way to help us to remember the elements of Noah’s Ark.

God’s plan, purpose, provision, protection, perfection and power remain available to us today.

And we are to pray, partner with God, persevere, and pay attention to God’s work around us.

These simple steps will help us walk with God.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Noah Walked (Part 1)

Image via Pinterest

By Lisa Robertson

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Noah has always fascinated me.  As a child, it was the first Bible stories that I learned.   Sunday schools around the world are filled with something depicting Noah’s Ark.   When my children were small, at bedtime we would gather all of our stuffed animals and Beanie babies-(keeping the tags on, so they wouldn’t lose their value, of course!) and load them on the children’s beds which were our version of Noah’s Ark, while we acted out the story and waited for the pretend to rain. to fall. 

“For forty days and forty nights, it rained…”  by the 10^th day of rain in our story, the children were asleep and the animals were cleared from the beds, making room for the sleeping children.  We would say a prayer, kiss them goodnight and thank the Lord for another completed day of life.

Noah still interests me and I though I've heard the story countless times, I continue to learn new things about this well-known man.

One of the first descriptions of Noah in Genesis 6, is that he walked with God. 

Being a woman who loves to walk, this appeals to me.

Walking has been proven to be a very beneficial exercise.  It can lower your blood pressure, strengthen your heart, reduce weight, help you to ward off depression, strengthen muscles and endurance. And even improve your prayer life.  The list goes on.

I walk with my friends in hopes of accomplishing some of these health benefits, and Noah walked with God.  He was God’s friend.  With all the walking they did, I imagine he was God’s healthiest friend!

In Noah’s day, not only was walking the most common form of transportation, it must have also served as a wonderful way to talk with God and listen to God’s plans for life.  I would expect Noah to kneel, sit or stand with God. Walking seems so simple and so common.  Noah is a mighty man of God, a hero of the Bible, and the Bible describes him as a man who walked with God.

God had a plan for Noah--He wanted Noah to build an ark--in the desert.  

 He had a purpose for the ark…..a terrible storm was coming and God wanted to save Noah and his family and preserve the animal kingdom.   

God provided for Noah.   

God’s plan was perfect.   

Noah and his family would see God’s power and miracles.   

They were protected by God. 

He had a promise for Noah and his family-the rainbow.

All of these Ps--God’s plan, purpose, power, perfection, protection and promise are still available for us today.   

Much has changed in our world since the days of Noah, but God has not changed.   

God can reveal his plans for each one of us when we walk with Him.  

 He has a purpose for us.

 Even today, the Bible is filled with dynamic promises for us.   

His ways are perfect and higher than our ways.

And we still need God’s power to guide and protect our lives.

Noah had a part to play, too, but we'll look at that tomorrow.  Stay tuned!!  

Pushing Back on Procrastination

By Elizabeth Robertson Williams

A few months ago, I noticed that the lining of our shower curtain was developing some mildew on the bottom. As the weeks went on, the mildew continued to grow and soon enough the shower curtain was pretty much covered. What did we do about it? NOTHING. Every time I stepped into the shower instead of enjoying the chance to be refreshed and cleansed, all I saw was the growing fungi invading my shower, yet I just sat back and watched it grow.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I resolved that this couldn't last one more day, so I went to the store and for $5.00 I purchased a new liner. Within five minutes of walking into my apartment, the old liner was out and new liner was perfectly in place.

$5.00 and 5 minutes. That was all it took. Afterwards, it was as if the whole bathroom had been transformed and the shower was once again a relaxing haven.

Why had I been putting it off for so long?

Maybe it's just me, but this pattern isn't just with my cleaning. I tend to put things off because I don't want to deal with them, but the longer I wait, the more it grows, and the harder it is to actually face them. In my life I see myself taking this approach in all kinds of areas--relationships, forgiveness, and even my prayer life. Thinking things like:

"I really need to talk to this person about how I feel, but now isn't a good time...I'll do it next time I see them."

"My heart is plagued with unforgiveness, but I'll tackle that in a few week when things aren't so crazy."

"It's been months since I've had some quality time praying and reading God's word, but I want to wait until I have a good hour so I can really focus."

I find myself waiting for the "perfect time," that never seems to come. The longer I put things off, the harder it is to address them.

Sometimes taking small steps towards facing the things I'm avoiding can be a great approach. Whether it's e-mailing a friend to set up a time to talk instead of waiting for the "right time;" opening up to someone and confessing my unforgiveness so they can help hold me accountable; or beginning to pray just three minutes a day instead of waiting for the hour when I have no distractions...is it ever easy to find an hour in the day with no distractions?!

It's possible to start with simple, manageable things to slowly begin tackling the things we try so hard avoid.

The shower curtain was one small part of a growing mess in our apartment, but once I finally took the initiative to address it, I found myself more willing to tackle bigger projects like messy closets, disorganized cupboards, and piles of mail that I never wanted to sort.

Today if you find yourself putting something off like relationships, forgiveness, faith, or even a shower curtain full of fungus, try thinking of one simple step you can take towards slowly addressing whatever you're avoiding.

When I feel plagued by procrastination or avoidance there is such comfort in knowing that I'm not alone. Whatever mountain we're putting off, God is ready and willing to take our hand and lead us through. Don't let your heart be discouraged, but be still and rest calmly in His rich mercy.

"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."
Isaiah 41:13