Browsing Tag

autumn

Blog, Books, Business, Faith, Family, Parenting, prayer, Speaking, Speaking Events, Spiritual Gifts

Beautiful changes

sunflowers & purple flowers

sunflowers & purple flowers

It’s officially Autumn (Fall), one of my fave times of year. The leaves haven’t changed to glorious colors yet here in Missouri, but will soon.

“Autumn, the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful.” Heather Stillufsen

I’m knee-deep in writing my next book (on repentance – the book cover reveal is soon!), attending a ladies’ Bible study at my new church (Hope City Church in Harrisonville, Missouri), and leading a writers’ Progress Pod for my writing coaches CJ and Shelley Hitz’s membership site, Christian Book Academy. The brilliant idea and software for Progress Pods with The Next Tiny Step were created by Richard Ralston of New Zealand.

The progress pod helps with accountability and support to reach your goals and dreams faster. I love the ladies in both my Bible study and my pod each week! They are so sweet and encouraging. Some women in our pod are just starting to write their books and others already have published several. Many of us also write blog posts, speak, and coach. The main thing is just to keep going and not quit!

Beth Jones, International Speaker & Author

Beth Jones, International Speaker & Author

If you need help coaching to step out to speak or to write your book, here’s my coaching page for beginner speakers and writers. 

One of the ladies in our pod, Constance Diakow, just published her first book; it’s a cute children’s book called Henrietta and her Special Rain Boots. You can find it for sale at Amazon here. Another author, Jill English Johnston, has written a Be Still book series with beautiful photography, such as this one, Consider: Trusting the Abundance of God.  

dolphin Image source: http://www.defenders.org/

dolphin
Image source: http://www.defenders.org/

I was so honored that my writing coach Shelley asked me to lead one of the progress pods. I asked my husband Ray to help me name the pod. He has a quick wit and said immediately, “Dolphin Pod,” because dolphins swim in pods. He also knows that I LOVE dolphins.

When we got engaged, Ray didn’t have a lot of money then to buy me an expensive diamond engagement ring, so he bought me a gold dolphin ring. I still have it and keep it in my jewelry stand. (He later bought me a beautiful diamond one!)

dolphin engagement ring

dolphin engagement ring

This past Friday, I attended the ladies’ retreat at Hope City Church with our beautiful daughters Heather and Eden, and Heather’s beautiful, previous neighbor, Samoy. God’s presence was there and it was so fun! Over 260 ladies signed up for this first-time ladies’ retreat at Hope City – wow! This blew me away.

Ladies' RetreatL to R: Beautiful ladies! Samoy, me, Heather, & Eden

Ladies’ Retreat
L to R: Beautiful ladies!
Samoy, me, Heather, & Eden

Continue Reading

Blog, Faith, Family, Fitness, Marriage, Parenting, prayer, Time Management

Fall’s glorious colored leaves: The beautiful lesson of letting go

fall tree's orange leaves

fall tree’s glorious orange leaves

Good morning (or afternoon, or night, depending on where you are right now!). Today I’ve been awake since 3 a.m. Insomnia is no stranger to me; I’ve been battling it occasionally for several years now.

Melatonin helps. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body’s pineal gland, a pea-size gland located just above the middle of your brain. When the sun goes down and light turns to darkness, the pineal is “turned on” and your body produces melatonin, released into the blood. This usually happens around 9 p.m. and you start feeling less alert and sleepy. 

Sleepy man. Source: platinumtraininginstitute.com

Sleepy man.
Source: platinumtraininginstitute.com

Melatonin levels stay elevated about 12 hours through the night. After sunrise, they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 a.m. Some people don’t produce enough Melatonin.

Taking Melatonin works sometimes to help me fall and/or stay asleep. You can get the capsules at Walmart or on Amazon. Taking Melatonin doesn’t work for everyone. It even gives my friend Stephanie nightmares! But you can try it to see if it helps you sleep. (DISCLAIMER: Check with your doctor first if you have any health issues or you’re on any medication!)

I didn’t take any last night. I fell asleep and when I awoke at 3 a.m., I tried what I usually do when I have insomnia: pray. I did this for about an hour. I prayed for my family and myself. 

Asian woman praying

Asian woman praying

Praying is at least doing something good and useful if you have insomnia. Sometimes I hate nighttime, because if you do wake up, there’s not a lot to do and I really dislike being unproductive (and laying there, staring at the ceiling!). Restaurants and stores are closed, too. It’s boring!

When I still couldn’t sleep after that and felt “bright eyed and bushy-tailed“, I decided to get up, dress (meaning throwing a comfy sweat shirt over my black yoga pants and putting on sneakers), and drove to get a cuppa’ caffeine. Usually that is my morning coffee, but today a cold Dr. Pepper (with chocolate doughnuts) just sounded good!

Dr. Pepper and doughnuts

Dr. Pepper and doughnuts

It’s rare that I drink a soda any more (I quit drinking Coke years ago), but not as rare for me to eat doughnuts. I’m working on conquering sugar, just not this morning! Not the breakfast of champions and so not how I want to set the tone for the new year. Please pray for my self-discipline, would you? I know I have to make the choice, daily!

Yesterday I worked on my 2020 Vision and my Personal and Business Goals for 2020. I got this workbook in Diane Cunningham’s free webinar, promoting her Life Change Club. Have you started writing down your vision and goals for the coming year?

Vision 2020

Vision 2020

90 Day Business Goals

90 Day Business Goals

I’m so happy that I completed Diane’s workbook and set my 2020 Vision and Goals. One of my personal goals is about praying for our grown children and our grandchildren, but learning to let go. To trust God. God loves our kids even more than I do!

Ray and I with our 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Leah, & Eden

Ray and I with our 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Leah, & Eden

I’m a recovering control freak, and I’ve been working on this one, letting go and letting God, for literally years. It’s so hard. But if I don’t let our kids go, they’ll never mature and grow. They’ll never learn to fly, and to soar.

eagle soaring

eagle soaring

A great verse to pray over your children and grandchildren is Isaiah 40:31.

Our beautiful, precious granddaughters Violet & Annabelle

Our beautiful, precious granddaughters Violet & Annabelle

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

I love this quote about Autumn. It is so timely and appropriate right now with me facing empty nest, learning to let my grown kids go, and fall’s gloriously colored leaves here in Missouri. “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”

Autumn

Autumn

tree with yellow leaves

tree with yellow leaves

red, yellow, & orange leaf

red, yellow, & orange leaf

To cope with empty nest (I really love and miss my kids!), I’m focusing on cleaning, organizing, decluttering, and purging. Also for 2020, I’m concentrating on my health (despite this morning’s junk food breakfast!) and on my business and personal goals, such as writing my first children’s book. It is about my and our daughter Leah’s black cats Natalya and Jax becoming “friends.”

Jax and Natalya

Jax and Natalya

I just hired the illustrator for this book to draw the pictures inside the book this week and I’m so excited and happy! She does beautiful work!

To be first to hear about my children’s book’s release as an eBook on Amazon, be sure to sign up as a subscriber to my newsletter (ezine) at the top of the page on the right hand side.

freedom

freedom

What do you need to let go of this coming new year 2020?

  • Your grown children;
  • Your spouse;
  • Your excess weight;
  • Anger, depression;
  • Fear, worry and stress;
  • Control;
  • Broken dreams;
  • Forgiving someone;
  • A sin you committed in the past;
  • Excuses;
  • Laziness;
  • Sugar or carb addiction;
  • Alcohol and/or drugs;
  • A toxic relationship;
  • Self-doubt;
  • Poverty mindset or other mindsets hindering your success;
  • ____________________ (you name it).
Blog, Faith, Marriage, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Writing

Hot chocolate with marshmallows and such

Image source: Lightstock.com

Image source: Lightstock.com

Golden Hues

“Autumn brings cooler days

Effusing fiery golden hues.”

~ Copyright 2012 Joseph May

I have a new addiction this fall: pumpkin spice cappuccino. Between that and Sonic grape slushes, I’m not doing a very good job of conquering my sugar addiction, so please pray for me! (Yes, seriously, pray.)

Below is a picture of me with my cappuccino before church yesterday. Pastor Jeff taught on discipleship and I was challenged by his question: who is discipling you and who are you discipling? We all need a Paul (teacher) and a Timothy (disciple) in our lives. 

Me with pumpkin spice cappuccino

Me with pumpkin spice cappuccino

I’m also loving the beautiful colored leaves. This is my fave time of year, besides spring. It used to be winter until the last couple of icy winters, where our car’s tires were sliding on the highway and it freaked me out. Planning to get new snow tires soon! (I also dislike all the germs and how people get so sick during the winter…especially if it involves anyone in my family!)

changing leaves

changing leaves

 

colored leaves

colored leaves

 

yellow leaf

yellow leaf

Although fall and spring are now my fave seasons, I’m still a snow bunny at heart and love how pretty the white snow looks outside, but my husband Ray (a paramedic) says I don’t have to work in the slushy mess like he does. He’s right. I get to enjoy looking at it from inside our toasty warm house, under a soft blanket with my fuzzy socks and drinking a hot chocolate with whip cream!

Heart socks

Heart socks

My sweet Facebook friend Debbie Oliver is constantly posting pics of delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows, whip cream, and sprinkles that inspire me, like the one in the pic below! Debbie is founder and group leader of Debbie Oliver Ministries. Isn’t she beautiful? Her heart is, too! I hope one day to meet her in person. 

Debbie's hot chocolate

Debbie’s hot chocolate

Debbie Oliver

Debbie Oliver

We’re now in the final quarter of the year. It’s a great time to examine the goals you made at the beginning of the year. Which ones have you accomplished? Which ones remain undone?

Let’s finish 2016 with intention and obedience. God still has things He wants you and me to do this year! Pray and ask Him what that is, and then obey. 

Metamorphosis: Transformed from Fear to Faith

Copyright 2016 Beth Jones

The remaining goals I have for this year are:

  • Improving my health and fitness (eating healthy and walking/jogging 3-4 times a week; I need to get back on track!);
  • Working on my marriage (improving communication; dating; intentionally building intimacy);
  • Praying daily for Ray, our children, grandchildren, and other family and friends;
  • Outsourcing help for my newest books – hiring a formatter to format my Word file for Kindle at Amazon for my new book, Metamorphosis: Transformed from Fear to Faith, and hiring a graphic designer to design the cover for my eBook, How To Write Fast: Making Your Writing Dreams Come True, to get it ready for print (a physical book copy) for you.
  • Traveling. I have a specific place where I’m praying to go this year, if God provides financially (just one of many!). Where do you want to go? “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!” (Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!)

Are you enjoying this fall? What are your fave things about autumn? 

What remaining goals do you have for this year that you need to get done? Leave your comments below.