Broken Angel

Today we are introducing another guest blogger.  Her name is Brianne (aka Bri) and those of you who read the blog regularly have probably noticed the honesty and depth of her comments.  Today she shares a poem and we hope it to be the first of many.

Her head held low

A face she does not show

True love she does not know 

Is this her time to go? 

Feeling broken and afraid

Asking why she was made

Kneeling in the shade 

Praying to be remade. 

You are the seed I will sow 

You will flourish and you will grow

Be still as I create a different view

Please don't fight these hands that hold you. 

My love, you are not broken

Listen to the words I have spoken 

Though you have been wounded 

You will never be excluded. 

No need to earn grace

Keep your eyes upon my face 

Your wings know how to fly

Just spread them and soar high

You are whole 

Perfection is not your role

I smile when you open your heart 

This is where your life will start. 

I will keep you calm 

You are embraced in my palm

So get rid of the broken labels

Because you are one of my angels. 

Brianne Gibson

3/16/12

The Wind That Brings Change

As I look out my window, not only can I see the trees being tossed around by the wind but  I can also hear it howling and whistling around the windows.  Today the weather in New Mexico is exceptionally windy gusting up to 35mph and is ushering in a cold front causing the temperature to drop 30 degrees.  After enjoying days of 70-80 degree weather my body is screaming, “Noooo!”

I was thinking about the wind bringing sudden and drastic changes in the weather and how God compared it in scripture to His Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:1-2 says, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.”  This was the fulfillment of God’s promise to send and baptize His disciples with His Holy Spirit to empower them to fulfill their mission to grow the church.  This promise is for us too. 

One morning as I was spending time in prayer and asking God to fill me with more of His Holy Spirit, He directed my attention to the lamp sitting on my desk.  He told Me He could not put a 100watt bulb in a lamp that was only capable of handling 25watts or it would blow a fuse.  God revealed to me that I was unwilling to surrender and give Him power and control over all of my life. He would not compete or force His power on me. The more control I release to Him, the more He can fill me with His power.

What I have come to realize is when I surrender and give God control over every area of my life I don’t have to be fearful of being denied of or losing anything, I am only making room for something much greater, His power! 

I pray daily to experience the wind that brings change, the power of God’s Holy Spirit, to fill and empower me to accomplish what God is asking me to do.  I believe as His power increases and my power decreases I have positioned myself to experience the “and suddenly” move of God in my life and circumstances. 

Kathy Hammond

Time to Get Real

Please welcome Michelle to our circle.  Below is a piece she wrote while wrestling with the decision about what dream to choose.  It gives me chills and we are thrilled she allowed us to post it.  Please let her know how it hits you in the comments section.  I love this girl and would love for her to have an overwhelming response from those of you it touches!

Why am I even here? To accept love? To give love? Giving voice to dreams? Somehow there's a disconnect; between my head and my heart. Between my life and my dreams. And a pulsating, fervent warrior drums the lull of "more" in my chest.

But what? Where? What more can I achieve? I feel lik such a loser. Like I could try to live the life I want but it wouldn't work out for me because I'm not a good enough person. Like who wants me, ala carte?

I feel so weak, vulnerable, impotent. "Welcome to my life, I have nothing to offer." I will be discontent even here. Going abroad will not make the drummer stop. More. More. More. He says I'm made for more. It thumps through my veins. More. So if it is some "god-sized-hole" and it's not going away, I guess I have to deal with it. Quit running and dodging and hiding from this hole. Or pretending it's not there. Or stuffing it quiet with stress, tasteless food, heartless exercise, and bland relationships where I am not me.

Even hearing the phrase "god-sized-hole," I think, "what a croc." So maybe I'll give it another, more comfortable name. I'll just call it More. More says there are untapped depths of self-love. More says I was made for more than SUVs, cubicles, stale TV shows, Facebook, overeating. More says take off your blindfold, you are wandering in a fenced-off pig pen seeking the next comfort when there are the most beautiful mountains just on the horizon. The most beautiful flowers that create the most appealing fragrances fill the valley. Gentle animals wander and play, exuding a trust and calmness that comes from knowing they are safe. More points out the easy, pure joy of children, even those who don't have a lot of comfortable things.

More urges me to stop and hold hands, look into the eyes of a young boy with a swollen belly from malnutrition. I feel angry, heartbroken, enraged, empowered to help this boy live. No matter what it takes. To put as much into caring for him as I have into pursuing comfort. To let go of the resistance and surrender to the course of life's stream, taking me to unknown and wonderful places.

I scream - "AM I GOOD ENOUGH? I DON'T SEE HOW I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN."

Self-doubt has been a lifelong friend.

Ok. Fine. I relent. Love me. Let me find happiness providing equality and hope. Maybe I have a savior complex. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels because I'm not living wholeheartedly here, so how do I expect to do so just because I'm in a foreign country? Maybe living wholeheartedly is easier abroad because that's always been my clear purpose with humanitarian trips. Literally waking up every morning to make someone's day better and mine is certainly at the top of that list.

My heart can't escape the din of the battlefront. I want in it. I want to fight, to tend to the sick, to suit up and show up. I think I should be doing this here, maybe I can start by practicing little things. I could experiment by doing something that gives me the feeling of living my purpose. Today.

God. This is not for the numb.

Our Contest Winner!

Hello Everyone!  As promised, we are giving you some information about our contest winner as well as excerpts from an interview in which we talked about her experience at Guerilla Business School.

Our winner was Julie Cole and she is a newlywed and nurse on the mother/baby unit of her hospital.  Julie entered the contest because she realized that while she loves certain aspects of nursing, she does not love what working nights has done to her physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  There has been a part of her that knows she was made for something more, although she has not been sure yet what that is!

Julie and I during a negotiation exercise at GBS.  We were negotiating for a ride in the ambulance, but the paramedics didn't want to be suspended without pay, even for us, so we compromised on a picture in the cab!  Such fun!

While at the conference Julie did a lot of soul searching about what she's passionate about.  She was able to gain some clarity on it and realized that she is passionate about women's health and wellness.  Part of this awareness has been about learning to take care of herself in spite of her strange work hours and how incredible she started to feel once she took up a regular exercise regime.  She also has a heart for new mother's who go through so many changes once they bring their little one's home.

When asked what part of the conference impacted her the most, Julie shared that initially, it was a little hard to be in a room with 500 business owners when she does not have one yet, but she realized early on that she could apply all the concepts to her personal life.  So when the presenter said that our businesses are a reflection of us, she realized that she wants to have an incredible business someday and that meant that she would be investing in herself now; to learn, to grow, and to be incredible!

Julie and I had breakfast this morning to follow up on the conference and I think for me at least, this is when the reason for the contest became really clear.

A little background first; many of you know that the contest came up pretty fast and the deadline was tight.  It was a last minute decision on our part but it was such a great opportunity we decided to run with it even though we weren't able to offer as much prep time as we would have liked.

Due to the tight deadline we did not have many applicants, but the applicants we did have were all known to us, and so it was especially hard to pick.  Without going into all the specifics, we felt Spiritually guided that Julie was our winner.  I think there were moments that Julie questioned that because she is not currently in business for herself.  But it was clear.

So now flash forward to this morning over oatmeal at Panera; Julie was sharing about what has been going on since we returned from the conference.  Two different organizations that she loves have sought her out and she has had interviews this week.  These are not options for FT work and it doesn't mean that we are announcing she's a millionaire after attending the conference with us, (If you know an "overnight millionaire" I guarantee you there was a lot of discipline and little steps taken prior to the big payday.) but what it does mean is that as she has opened herself up to pursuing her goals and hopes, other opportunities are coming her way in areas that she is passionate about.

This is how God works!  As a mentor said to me once when I was struggling in a job I didn't want, "It seems clear to me that God made you a square peg and He is not going to keep you in a round hole."

So what areas are you a square peg in a round hole?  What are the things you'd like to change or move into?  Tell us about them in the comments section.  And be sure to say hi and congratulations to Julie! We'll look forward to seeing the changes with you!

The First Few Days in LA

It has been my experience that when I’m in a time of action...when I’m on track Spiritually and feel like I’ve been given a purpose; when I’m moving toward that purpose; obstacles come up...opportunities if you will.  They may be a simple departure from what I thought my schedule was going to be, an illness, etc.  But I have also noticed that the more important the purpose, the more opportunities I have.  My experience in this area has been confirmed by my first few days in LA, before the conference began.

On the plane I felt God suggest that I spend some time in my Bible.  I don’t like reading my Bible in sight of strangers because I don’t want to be mistaken for one of those obnoxious Christians.  You know the type right?  Pushy and invasive...”have you been saved brother?”  I make no judgement on the state of their hearts, but I have never heard of Jesus interacting with anyone like that.  So I argued with God.  I kept hearing Him say that I would get a gift if I did it.  So finally I put down my Kindle and got out my Bible (Yes, I admit it, I tried to hide the cover.  God’s not done with me yet.)  

Here was my gift...Matthew 25:14-33.  It’s the parable about investments; one servant getting 5000 talents, another 2000, and another 1000.  The first two servants doubled their investment and the last buried it to keep it “safe.”   The last servant gets chastised by his master.  “The master was furious.  That’s a terrible way to live!  It’s criminal to live cautiously like that!  If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?  The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.  Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most.  And get rid of this ‘play it safe’ who won’t go out on a limb.” (The Message) 

 I feel like I’m out on a limb much of the time.  Much of what I’m doing currently is a new skill set.  But I feel called to it.  I’m risking just like He asks me to do.  Walking in faith.

Opportunity #1, Gift #1

Susan and I met with a dear friend of mine on Sunday.  She is a vibrant amazing woman who I got to know through Marcel when I moved to LA.  I adore her and her story will just blow you away (maybe I’ll interview her for the blog someday.)  Yesterday though, I noticed she wasn’t quite the same as when I last saw her.  She was still funny and warm and beautiful, but there was an edge.  A sadness.  As we all talked over lunch she shared about the struggles she’s been having.  Longing to have a baby, in a church more legalistic than alive, struggling with what she feels she’s been taught and what feels like it’s killing her spirit.  We ended up coming back to the hotel and doing some serious talking with God in which there were tears and hugs.  She told us that she had been hesitant to talk to God lately but what prayer life she had consisted of, “I’m lost, help me.”  “Send me something.”  She left at peace.  I thought we were just going to have brunch and go shopping.  God had other plans.

Opportunity #2, Gift #2

About 24 hours after arriving I got a stomachache.  To give you a sense of what it felt like I would say picture someone taking your stomach out, scraping it up on the inside with a fork so it’s nice and red and raw, and then letting fire ants loose in it.  Pepto Bismal didn’t touch it, but I was still getting hungry at meal times...can we say infuriating?  Susan prayed for me, but nothing shifted.  For two days it ached.  I was a bit whiny I must admit.  I had been looking forward to visiting my favorite eateries for weeks.  I questioned God, and in general drove Susan crazy.  The night before the conference was to begin I announced to Susan, God, and whoever else was listening, that I knew I was at the conference for a reason and that nothing was going to stop me from being there.  That I would “drag my sorry butt to the meetings stomach ache or not.”  I topped this proclamation off by announcing, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper!”  The next morning I woke up with no pain....and promptly lost my wallet...yes, the entire thing.  I had asked God to increase my faith while I was doing my meditation that morning...I have learned it is best not to play around with that particular request. Lol.  I found the wallet (It had fallen out of my purse in the rental car that we had already returned) and the man who returned it got several enthusiastic hugs from me.

Opportunity #3 & 4, Gift #3 &4

After all this, the conference began.  It was amazing.  I felt like I got my MBA in a week and the gifts were incredible.  I’ll share about some of the things I learned in future blogs.  

Opportunities 5-1 Million, Gifts 5-1 Million

For now, since this particular post is getting long, I will sign off saying that the opportunities that came up made me realize that when I’m living in my purpose, I will be attacked, the bigger the attack, the bigger the threat I am.  Anne Lamott, one of my favorite authors, talks about the idea that the bigger the difficulty the more important the thing is that is being birthed.  

What’s being birthed in you right now?  What are the opportunities that are disguised as obstacles?  Remember as you navigate it that the bigger the difficulty, the bigger the gift at the end.

Fishers of Women

As promised everyone, here is Kathy's first blog!  We are so excited to have her wisdom to add and more valuable content for our blog!  Please make sure to leave her a comment and welcome her to our writing circle. :)

I discovered I was an entrepreneur after working about one month in the hospital following my graduation from college with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Was this what I had to look forward to the rest of my life?  Getting up before daylight and running the floors of the hospital, dealing with the stress of demanding doctors and sick patients and LPN’s that were not nice to me.  I can remember the exhaustion I felt at the end of my shift knowing I was going to get up and do it all over the next day.  

I longed to be in charge of my own schedule, be my own boss, and to determine my working hours.  After twelve years of nursing my big break finally came when I became pregnant and then two and a half years later pregnant again.  This was my ticket to stay home and care for our two beautiful daughters. 

When my girls were school age I began contemplating heading back to the hospital. Fortunately God rescued me and led me to my entrepreneur niche.  That was 15 years ago and I continue to enjoy the autonomy, friendships, personal and spiritual growth that it has provided.

String of Pearls is about women entrepreneurs that are connected to each other and are developing friendships while loving, supporting and empowering each other to grow.  If you are like I was, and looking for your niche, I would like to encourage you to take a look at our business team. We are “fishers of women”, which I will also refer to as “fishers of pearls”.  Pearls are very rare and valuable and not easy to find because they are frequently found on the bottom of the ocean concealed in an oyster shell.  

We are fishing for beautiful pearls that are concealed in their own unique shell and are longing to be discovered and set free.  Some of you may have hit bottom and are aching for change, more autonomy and are weary of your j.o.b. (just over broke).  Others may want to stay at home with your children while some are seeking friendship, support and the desire to do something that truly makes a difference in the lives of others. 

Regardless of your stage in life, our team would like to challenge you to break free from your shell and become the beautiful pearl you were created to be.  Join our movement of woman who are discovering who they are, what they want and are committed to make it happen. 

As we take this journey together our mission is to teach and mentor women to become physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy, to be fulfilled and prosperous in every area of their life, living a balanced, joyful life and to create a “String of Pearls” that extends around the world.

In the coming weeks we will be launching a more formal offer for those of you who have been reading our blog and are interested in this opportunity.  Stay tuned!  We are looking forward to sharing with you!

Kathy Hammond

Contest with $2800.00 Prize! Deadline Approaching!

I wonder how many of you have had an interest in business and wondered how to get more knowledge without paying 40K for a MBA?  The String of Pearls team is bringing you a contest for one of you to get just that.  This is a very recent decision on our part and so the deadline is tight!  We hope that you will tell friends on Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, etc. about this opportunity.  But first a few details...

The String of Pearls team is offering 1 slot for participation in Peak Potentials Guerilla Business School in Los Angeles, CA April 23-27.  This program is normally $2500.00 and it will include $300.00 toward your flight.  That brings the value up to almost $3000.00!

(http://www.peakpotentials.com/gbs/OS_web_GBS_5033120_09APRv1.pdf.) 

So what is Guerilla Business School?  This exciting and powerful program is designed to teach you guerilla business strategies for high speed success.  Whereas most people go into business to make a living, your business will be designed to create wealth and a lifetime of passive income.  All of us on the String of Pearls team have participated in Peak Potentials training with powerful results and are extremely excited to bring this opportunity to you!

Here are some things you will learn:

• How to generate million dollar ideas every 60 seconds

• How to make or save a fortune using negotiation tactics

• How to start any business or division with little or no money down

• Become a marketing genius in 6 hours flat

• How to raise up to $10,000 to 1/2 million dollars without asking anyone to finance anything

• How to get the best people working for you for half of what they would normally charge and be thrilled about it.

• Win-Win sales strategies that work in the real world

• How to set up your business for massive passive income or sell it for millions if you choose to

• And much more!

How do you know if you qualify for this contest?  We have very loose criteria!  If you are interested in it, we want to hear from you.  Any of the following are options:

• You have a network marketing business and you want to raise your effectiveness

• You have no idea if you want to own your own business but you are sick of your 9-5 job.

• You love to learn and would like to hang out with Noelle for a week

• You feel God whispering in your ear when you read this blog

• Other

How to Qualify:  We ask you to do some very simple steps.

• Notice the subscription box to the right of this post.  Sign up and give us your name and email.

• Write a page to a page and a half about what appeals to you about this training and why you want to go.  Tell us about yourself and how you found out about the contest.  (Yes, we want to hear from you about each of those questions, if you don't answer all of them you will not qualify for the prize.)

• Submit your application to Noelle at noelle1333@gmail.com.  Put "GBS Contest" in the subject line.

Deadline for submitting is Sunday, April 15.  We will notify the prize winner by Monday the 16th.  This will give you one week to get ready to go!

Please note that you will be responsible for food and lodging while at GBS.  Airfare and the tuition cost will be paid for by the String of Pearls team.  Also, the schedule for these programs is rigorous.  Be prepared to put in long days that will stretch you intellectually and emotionally.