Freak Out Woman ~

Week 1 of Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Study ~ Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst

“Look mom, we cleaned our room!” shouted my four year old son.  One look and I came unglued!  “HOW HARD IS IT TO PUT YOUR CARS IN THE CAR BUCKET? YOUR ARMY MEN IN THE ARMY BUCKET? YOUR SISTER’S DOLLS IN THE DOLL BUCKET? OH NO, INSTEAD THEY ARE ALL THROWN IN ONE BIG PILE!!!!”  Turning around I started in on my husband, “Thanks a lot!  I thought you were going to help me!  I should have done it myself in the first place!”

Mom of the year or decade I was NOT, the saddest part, I can’t even remember the looks on my children’s faces. I do remember my husband saying to me, “If you want perfection from a four and one year old, you will always be disappointed.  That makes me sad for you.”  OUCH!!!

Perfection was always expected of me.  I knew no other way.  I was raised with the expectation of perfection, “if you are going to do something, do it perfectly, there is NO other way!”  The motto in my family home.  I wanted to change that for my own home, I just didn’t know how.

Fast forward ten years later…

“Mom what can I do to help you?”  asked my daughter.  “Megan if you can’t see what needs to be done and then do it, don’t bother!  I swear I have to do everything around here.  You all enjoy family coming over while I have to make sure everything is done!”  I yell.  The next words my daughter says to me breaks my heart and makes me have a huge amount of respect for her (I wish I could have said something like that to my parents.)

“If Jesus’ birth means a perfectly cleaned house and yelling every year….I wish He hadn’t been born, it doesn’t make Christmas Eve fun.”  says my 11 year old daughter.  OUCH OUCH OUCH.

Right then I stopped what I was doing and I gained a new perspective. Never did I want my daughter or anyone else to remember Christmas or any other get together that way.  I decided to let my perfectionist tendencies go.

Has it been easy?  Uh, NO!  I have went from all or nothing attitude.  I have had a hard time finding a middle ground, however, holidays and family get celebrations are a lot more fun around here.  I haven’t yelled in years.  I don’t care which bucket things go in as long as they are picked up and my daughter loves celebrating Jesus’ birth all year long.
I would say that’s progress!

Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Study is having their very first BLOG HOP ~ check it out!!!

Unglued Facebook Party

It was such an honor last night serving beside Melissa Taylor and Team for our very first Facebook Party.  There were over 500 comments.  It was crazy – but in a good way 🙂

I thought I would try to highlight some of the FAQ’s for those who were unable to make last night’s party.  Remember there is still another party so get your questions ready.

1. What is needed to participate in the study?  Just the book Unglued, everything else such as the participant’s guide, DVD, conference calls, etc. enhances the study.

2. Is there a cost to join the study?  No, Melissa never charges to join her studies.  The only cost is for the book, unless you borrow from a friend or the library.

3. Which is better an e-book or an actual book?  It’s your personal preference.  I own an eReader but when doing studies I prefer to have the actual book.  Again, it’s just your preference.

4. What time do we get on the computer to do the study?  Melissa posts assignments on her blog at the beginning of the week.  As your schedule allows you check the blog.  Complete the assignments as listed.  To make it even easier, you can sign up to have all the blog posts sent to your email.  It’s completely on your schedule.  However, I do caution – you will get out of the study what you put into the study.  Meaning if you don’t make it a priority, you won’t get very much out of it.  I schedule my study time.  I get up at 4:00 a.m. and spend two hours before work doing my study assignments.  I have done this for the last five studies and this is my favorite part of the day now.

5. Do I HAVE to get up at 4:00 am?  NO, it’s what worked for me.  I wanted to make my time with God and my study time mesh together.  I needed it to be first thing in the morning before a busy hectic day started.  I wanted to start my day off with my mind and spirit in a good place and this is what worked.  I also didn’t start at 4:00 am.  I began getting up 10 minutes earlier each week until I found the amount of time that fit for what I was looking for.

6. Are the conference calls worth the money?  The conference calls are worth double the money that Proverbs 31 charges for the simple fact that you get a link to download.  You then own that conference call and can listen to it whenever you want.  I still go back and listen to some of the conference calls from a year ago.  The other benefit is to make a connection other than online.  Online is great but when you can but a voice to a name and hear someone tell their own story, it deepens the experience.  I highly recommend the conference calls.

7. What are these small groups all about?  We have formed some Facebook small groups that provide a more intimate setting, allowing for the possibility of gaining a closer relationship with each member and accountability.  We discuss the study while getting to know each other on more a more personal level.  The very first small group that was formed was for Hidden Joy last year.  I thank God for that group. We have been there for each other through some heartaches and celebrated joys.  We are still together even a year after Hidden Joy ended.  The groups are completely private and secret – NO ONE except group members can see any posts!!!  We have double and triple checked this.

8. Where can I sign up?  To sign up for the study go to Melissa Taylor’s Blog – on the right hand sidebar you will see “Sign Up for Bible Study” enter your information there.  For the Small Groups on FB watch for a post on Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Studies Facebook page.  The groups fill up fast.  Unfortunately, we have a limited number of groups.

9. I still have questions?  That’s great!!!  Email your questions to MelissaTaylorQuestions@gmail.com

The next Facebook party will be Thursday, August 16th from 4-5 pm EST.  Meet up with Melissa and our team of leaders on our official Facebook page. There you can ask questions, comment, and we will respond to you. If you have questions about our team, what they do, what I do, Proverbs 31 Ministries, our small private Facebook groups, upcoming studies, our previous studies, our conference call series, our personal lives…whatever!  Many of us will be present to chat with you.

It’s a Celebration and a Party

Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Studies is celebrating over 10,000 “likes” on Facebook!  We are so excited and blessed. Our team works hard to reach women where they are and provide them with the tools they need to have real hope for real life…all through the power of Jesus.

To celebrate on Facebook we are having two parties and six giveaways!  Yes, you read that right – SIX giveaways!  For more information about our parties, visit Melissa’s blog here. 

Now on to the other big news ~ our winners to be announced from yesterday.  One person will win an Unglued book along with a Participant’s Study Guide.  Another person will win a complete conference call series ~ Part 1 & Part 2.  The lucky winners:

Unglued & Participant’s Study Guide is……Faith Rausenberg

Conference Call Series is……Tanisha

Congratulations to both winners!! Faith please email your address and I will get your books out today.  Tanisha please email me your phone number so I can register you for the conference calls today, the first pre-study call begins Monday, August 20th. My email address is veronicaherzing@gmail.com

For those still anxious to win, remember we are partying with Melissa this week ~ SIX giveaways!!!!

Official Drawing Results

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To my wonderful guests, my Facebook Page has reached 100 Likes! Which means someone won the conference call series and our winner is Kendra Anderson Keller!! The next prize is at 200 Likes and you can help get us there by clicking the Like button at the right of your screen. Remember, the more you share my new Facebook Page, the faster I get to give away prizes!

Unglued…..Oh and A Giveaway!

Mark your calendars!

September 23, 2012 – that’s the day that the Melissa Taylor Online Bible Study of Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst begins!!! ; I know, I can’t wait either, it’s going to be soooo good!

For six weeks with Melissa Taylor, her Online Bible Studies Team and thousands of our closest girlfriends we will gather on Melissa’s blog to learn how to process our emotions and resolve conflicts that lead to a much more peaceful life. ; We will also learn how to:

• Know with confidence how to resolve conflict in your important relationships.
• Identify what type of reactor you are and how to significantly improve your communication.
• Respond with no regrets by managing your tendencies to stuff, explode, or react somewhere in between.
• Gain a deep sense of calm by responding to situations out of your control without acting out of control

I don’t know about you but I can use that in my work and home life! ; Read the first two chapters here for FREE!

Do you know what my most favorite part of the studies are? ; The conference calls! ; The calls are better than ever before, you don’t want to miss out on these:

• Part 1 Unglued Conference Calls: ; Beginning on August 20th, just seven days away, there will be four pre-study conference calls to get us prepared for the study! For $14.00 you get four calls live and the download! But wait, that’s not all (yep, just like the TV infomercials)
• Part 2 Unglued Conference Calls: ; Beginning on September 24th, the first of six conference calls will begin. ; Again, these calls are live and include a download that you get to keep! ; But wait, if you act now…..

Order both Part 1 and Part 2 now and get them both for $24.99 ~ the best value ever!!!! ; If you want to know who will be the guests on the conference calls, click here.

GIVEAWAY

Some lucky person will win a copy of Lysa TerKeurst’s new book Unglued along with the Unglued Participant’s Guide I will also select a winner for a complete conference call series – Part 1 & 2. Two winners and all you have to do is to be entered is follow the steps below:

1. Leave a comment below.
2. Visit Melissa Taylor and register for our next study starting September 23^rd.
3. Get MORE entries by sharing this blog post on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. {One extra entry for each}. Leave a comment below letting me know where you sharing.

UPDATE:  Winner will be announced at 6:00 am on Tuesday, August 14th.  Check back then!

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You can connect with Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Studies by visiting us on…

• Melissa’s Blog
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

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To my wonderful guests, my Facebook Page has reached 100 Likes! Which means someone won the conference call series and our winner is Kendra Anderson Keller!! The next prize is at 200 Likes and you can help get us there by clicking the Like button at the right of your screen. Remember, the more you share my new Facebook Page, the faster I get to give away prizes!