459 Common Ground Loving Others Despite Our Differences with Amberly Neese *Sponsored Podcast* May 4

459 Common Ground Loving Others Despite Our Differences with Amberly Neese *Sponsored Podcast* May 4

459:  Common Ground

Loving Others Despite Our Differences

with Amerbly Neese

 

Clutter steals our peace and it also steals the peace of the ones we love. Join Kathi today in a great conversation with Amberly Neese, author of Common Ground, discussing how we can live at peace with other people. Clutter issues in our head, our heart, and our home often disrupt this peace and cause tension between loved ones. Join in the discussion to find out ways that we can clear out this clutter and live at peace with others by:

  • Finding common ground
  • Asking important why questions
  • Fully embracing and loving God, ourselves, and then others

 

Common Ground: Loving Others Despite Our Differences

 

Whether it is in politics, the professional world, a party, or a pew, we face conflict every day. As discussions get more heated and social media is deluged with opinion-spewing, hurt feelings, and broken relationships, we need hope and practical tools to navigate the tumultuous waters and live at peace with everyone.

Fortunately, the Scriptures hold the key to living at peace despite our differences. In Common Ground, a four-week Bible study, Amberly Neese combines stories of sibling rivalries from the Bible with personal experience, humor, hope, and her love of God’s Word.

Stories examined from the Old and New Testaments include:

  • Joseph and His Brothers: How to Combat Jealousy

  • Moses, Miriam, and Aaron: How to Work Together Despite Differences

  • Mary, Martha, and Lazarus: How to Appreciate the Contributions of Others

  • Rachel and Leah: Having Compassion for the Plight of Others

These stories point us to peace and reconciliation in all our relationships, reassuring us that it is possible to find common ground with everyone—despite our differences.

Giveaway: For a chance to win the Common Ground prize pack, answer this question in the comments below:

What is it that you feel is the biggest benefit to these difficult relationships in the past year

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Meet Our Guest 

 

Amberly Neese

 Amberly Neese is a popular speaker/teacher, comedian, author, and all-around encourager. She helps people like you experience the freedom found in meaningful relationships with God and others through her teaching and her books “the Belonging Project”, “Common Ground” and “the Friendship Initiative”. Amberly is a featured speaker and comedian for two national tours. She and her husband have two teenagers and live in Prescott, Arizona, where they enjoy the great outdoors, the Food Network, and all things Star Wars.

Transcript

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Avoid the Stress of Hosting a Shindig: Yes, It’s Possible!

Avoid the Stress of Hosting a Shindig: Yes, It’s Possible!

I shoo the dog from the cramped kitchen, greet new arrivals, and point to the bottle opener’s location — “The next drawer over. No, other side. There, in the front” — sticky sauce splatters the stovetop. Breathe.

“What can I do to help?” she asks.

I feign casual confidence: “I’ve got it under control” — and change the subject to her family’s most recent adventure.

The truth is, I don’t know what needs to be done. Or how to articulate it. So I might as well do it myself.

Avoid the stress of hosting?

Does this happen to you? Last-minute details keep you from enjoying time with your guests. And when someone offers to help, you’re so busy doing that you can’t think if there’s anything someone else could do.

Summer’s around the corner and, with it, the opportunity to host year-end celebrations, picnics, and potlucks. But can you host a meal, and truly enjoy your friends, without all the stress?

Is There a Better Way?

It began unintentionally.

My head throbs. But I’m unwilling to cancel tonight’s social event.

I can always excuse myself early; there’s no reason others can’t have fun!

Knowing my middle-aged brain is more compromised than usual, I list all the menu items and tasks to perform on our kitchen whiteboard.

I work my way down the list, erasing items as I complete them. When guests arrive, I hear the familiar question: “What can I do to help?”

“I’ve got it under control …”

I stop, look at the whiteboard, and say, “Could you finish the deviled eggs?”

Ahhh … My headache begins to fade.

Other guests offer to help. I ask one to cut strawberries. Another wipes down the picnic table.

Peals of laughter and conversation fill the air as we prepare the meal together.

Reduce the Stress in Your Celebrations

We’ve since perfected this dinnertime ritual:

  • Line the countertop with the necessary serving dishes
  • On a sticky note in each dish, provide simple instructions (e.g., fruit salad — strawberries, blueberries, banana, grapes).
  • Hang a list of non-food instructions on the fridge (e.g., bring chairs from the garage)

Now you can enjoy your guests from the moment they arrive rather than ushering them into the living room with drinks.

Or tripping over them as you attempt to balance food prep and conversation.

You’ll create a welcoming atmosphere and your guests will feel at home — nothing says “you’re family” like being asked to set the table!

You may even avoid scrubbing sticky sauce from your stovetop.

Need more ideas for focusing on fun and fellowship instead of stressing out about shindigs? Stop by my blog to grab your free copy of Helpful Hospitality Hints: How to Host a Meal Without Losing Your Mind.


Kendra Burrows delights in encouraging others to see God’s grace in the everyday — when she isn’t chasing the animals (and boys!) out of her kitchen. She’s still learning hospitality requires we share it all, not do it all. Connect with her at www.kendraburrows.com.

 

The One Thing You Need to Clarify Your Current Calling + Free Download

The One Thing You Need to Clarify Your Current Calling + Free Download

current calling

“I keep asking God, ‘Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it’!” My friend Lynn* has devoted years to following God’s call on her life.

But now, she’s at a crossroads.

“I’ve been crying out to God for direction,” she tells me, “and I have assurance that He is with me. But I’m not hearing any clear next step from Him for this new season. I feel stuck.”

Lynn knows, in her head, that there’s no perfect step-by-step plan.

“I just wish I knew for sure what to do next,” she sighs.

As we continue our conversation, I realize she’s afraid. She’s afraid of taking risks, afraid of messing up at such a pivotal time.

She wishes she could get absolute clarity and direction before taking her next step.

But so often we don’t find clarity and direction before taking action — we gain clarity and direction by taking action. 

The One Thing You Need to Clarify Your Current Calling

Do you sometimes wish that your current calling came with exact details of what to do? Maybe a step-by-step plan so you know for sure you are following God’s “perfect” plan for you life?           

Maybe, like my friend Lynn, you’re trying to navigate a life transition, all by yourself.

The problem with this approach? We quickly become isolated without even recognizing it. We get stuck in our own heads — ideas, options, and worries swirling wildly around — until fear takes over and paralysis sets it.

For my friend Lynn, her next step was to connect with a group of her Like-Minded Peeps.

And if you want clarity about your current calling, you need to find your Like-Minded Peeps, too … people who achieve what you desire to accomplish. 

The Power of Finding Your Peeps

 The rewards of connecting with your Like-Minded Peeps are numerous.

  • You’ll replace confusion with clarity.
  • You’ll exchange that stuck feeling for renewed energy, inspiration, and creativity.
  • You’ll move beyond over-analysis as you watch others take imperfect action that leads to success.
  • You’ll enjoy the satisfaction of new ideas.

But the benefits of finding your Like-Minded Peeps goes beyond you.

Collaborating with your Like-Minded Peeps won’t just add a little to your life; the benefits of mutual contribution and encouragement will multiply in everyone’s lives.

Best of all, you’ll be reminded of what is so easy to forget during times of change.

One Small Win: Your calling matters. You make a significant difference. Yes, you really do.

It’s time to find your Like-Minded Peeps.

Wondering how?
Click here now to download your Free Cheat Sheet “3 Ways to Find Your Like-Minded Peeps.”

(*Not her real name)

current calling


Mary Lou Caskey trains Christian coaches and communicators to influence hearts through the power of story. If you want to become a transformative storyteller,to connect with Mary Lou and get her free quiz, “Is It the Best Time to Share a Personal Story?”

 

Accommodating Dietary Needs: It Doesn’t Have To Be So Hard

Accommodating Dietary Needs: It Doesn’t Have To Be So Hard

accommodating dietary needs

It’s a Thursday night and you just invited a friend over for dinner later this weekend.

You’re excited to reconnect and share a meal — until you get a text from this friend: “Hey, just wanted to let you know that I am now a vegan. Hope this won’t be a problem!”

Your heart sinks and anxiety kicks in. What will I make? None of my dishes fit this diet.

Accommodating dietary needs

Does accommodating a dinner guest with dietary restrictions overwhelm you?

Is there a friend whom you’ve avoided inviting over for dinner out of fear that you won’t have a meal that will be both enjoyable and fit his or her diet?

As a gluten intolerant person, I get it. When I first cut gluten out of my diet it really frustrated my friends, family, and me.

(In case you haven’t heard … some gluten free items taste a little like chewing on cardboard. Here’s a list of my favorite go-to gluten free products that I always have in stock.)

At first I created a Pinterest board and started cooking new meals from scratch using special gluten recipes.

Over time however, after adding a few staples to my cooking supplies, I discovered a loophole that made cooking for my diet a breeze!

One Small Win: Rather than making an entirely new dish from scratch, create dishes you already love and modify only the ingredients that don’t fit the diet.

Let’s pretend your signature meal is some kind of pasta dish with meat sauce, but your guest is a vegetarian.

You can make the dish as usual, but leave the meat sauce on the side. You can also make an additional, meat-free sauce and have it on the side, giving your guest options.

Maybe your guest eats meat, but is gluten intolerant? Use certified gluten free pasta instead, and research your other ingredients to see if any of those need replacing.

Here is a worksheet to make this process easier if you are a visual planner like me!

Remember, if all else fails, ask your guest if he or she has any meal recommendations or if specific ingredients will be a problem.

Asking doesn’t make you look dumb; on the contrary, it shows that you care!

Your dinner guest will feel loved and cared for with your efforts and consideration.

accommodating dietary need


Kelsee Keitel is a graduate student, writer and speaker, living in Indianapolis, IN, with her newlywed husband. She is passionate about cultivating sisterhood through vulnerability and introducing young women to the freedom and abundance of life in following Christ. When Kelsee is not snuggled up with a book and sipping tea, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen or chatting with her mom.

You can read more about Kelsee’s ministry, Detangled & Free, over at kelseekeitel.com or connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

One Simple Way to Help a Friend Who’s Overwhelmed

One Simple Way to Help a Friend Who’s Overwhelmed

When I was pregnant with my third child, my doctor put me on bed rest for eleven weeks because I went into preterm labor. I was overwhelmed—to say the least. I was allowed once daily trips down and up the stairs, and a shower every other day.

Everything I did happened in bed—except sleep! Because who can sleep after lying around all day? Oh, and the medicine they give you to prevent labor is actually a stimulant, which doesn’t help. (C’mon people, this is modern America, can’t we do better?)

Overwhelmed became my middle name

That time was scary and frustrating, and I needed LOTS of help taking care of my then four and two-year-old babies, and my poor overwhelmed hubby, who could barely keep his head above water, despite the help we received.

What I learned during those weeks, and subsequently, as I endured four back surgeries in six years, is that when a person is facing overwhelm like never before, there is one thing they crave: normalcy.

During the last few weeks before my due date, my doctor released me to go on one outing a day. So one Wednesday, I chose to go to swimming lessons with my kids.

Previous to my forced bed rest, I dreaded those hectic afternoons—hurried, sweating bullets in the tropical temps of the indoor pool, trying to get unruly toddlers to comply. Sadly when I was fully healthy and able, I often wished those afternoons away.

But when I couldn’t do my regular chaotic life, oh, how I wished for normal.

My mother-in-law (a godsend) stepped in for swim lesson day. She wrangled my littles into car seats, wrestled them into swimsuits, drenched herself during the post-swimming shower routine, and somehow managed to get their sticky, wet limbs stuck back into dry clothes.

For any woman who does this on a regular basis, you know this is a heroic feat!

And all this was done for one purpose: so that I could have a dose of normalcy in the midst of my overwhelmed life. So I could watch my tiny people do their big kid kicks, get splashed, and sit in a wobbly, uncomfortable, plastic chair at the side of the pool.

But really, so I could have small dash of normal in the midst of my overwhelmed life.

A few hours of normalcy is one of the biggest blessings I received in those bed rest and back surgery days. If you want to be a friend who loves well in times of hardship, consider giving the gift of normal.

How to help a friend who’s overwhelmed

Here’s a few ways to help create normalcy:

• Take them to Target or the mall (even if they need the wheelchair)
• Go to the movies (recliner seat theaters are perfect for infirm friends)
• Go out to coffee
• Offer to accompany them to their kids’ events (you do all the “heavy lifting” if needed)
• Help with their household tasks like laundry, dishes, cleaning so they can focus their energy on time with family.

One Small Win: Call a friend who’s experiencing a hard time (illness, stress, loss of a loved one, cancer, infertility, divorce, etc.) and offer to do one of these “normal” things with her!


For more practical ways to support those you care about in the rough patches of life, you can pick up a copy of Sarah Beckman’s, Alongside: A Practical Guide for Loving Your Neighbor in their Time of Trial, which releases February 14, 2017.

Sarah Beckman is an author and speaker, living in Albuquerque, NM, with her husband, Craig, of 24 years. They have three delightful children ages 15, 17, and 20. Her experience on both sides of the “bed”—both being helped and helping others—provide her authentic viewpoint for her book, Alongside. When she’s not writing or speaking, you might find her in the kitchen creating something to share with a “neighbor” in need.

Her passion for loving her neighbor has fueled her life and ministry for over 10 years, giving her the opportunity to address audiences across the country. She has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also works as a communications coach and corporate trainer.