Last Spring a friend of mine popped in to tell me about an amazing workshop she’d been at about how to write a book. By the end of the conversation we were both pretty revved up and had our book subjects chosen and were ready to write.

I sat down and got my ideas all on paper but they felt a little dry. I’m very pragmatic. I like lists, clear steps, and little filler. However, in a book, that can be boring.

Along comes a friend of mine who is an amazing wordsmith, and she offers to sparkle it up for me. The result is a practical book that’s delightful to read (well, it is possible that I’m biased…)

The book is called “The Nectar Effect: Be Irresistible and Attract What you Want in Your Business” and it’s all about building a business through relationship marketing. There are dozens and dozens of very practical “do it now” things you can do to increase visibility and connect with your market in several different areas of marketing: face to face, online, events, etc.

I’d love to have you take a sneak peek! I’m offering the first four chapters for free to anyone who “likes” the Nectar Effect Facebook page, and votes on one of the three covers we have suggested.

So, head on over there, click “like” and give me your vote!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Darlene

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This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. How big is God, really?

In the conversations I’ve had with people about my not going to church there seems to be a lot of fear for my spiritual safety, and to be honest, I’ve also felt a little nervous regarding the spiritual growth of my two kids without the church to kind of “back them up”.

When this happens, I’m learning to stop myself and ask “How big is God?”

If my reasons for leaving the church were “right” ones (what appeared to be a call from God asking me to leave) as opposed to my leaving for reasons of anger, rebellion and hurt, and if my purpose is to really and truly know God as He really and truly is, and if I’m pursuing that desire through scripture, open fellowship where I’m encouraging people to speak truth to me, and prayer, and if I see strong growth in my life in confession, repentance, celebration, and fellowship, then what do I have to fear? Is God not big enough to help me? And if my heart is right, and I’m open before Him and before others – including my family – is He not also big enough to watch over my children?

I’ve been surprised by the amount of fear expressed towards me about this – not just from “outside” but also the amount that has surfaced in myself. I cannot believe how much my faith has been motivated by fear. This is NOT the foundation I want to build my relationship with God on. I want to stand solidly on His love, not my fear. Perfect love casts out fear, and that’s how I’m choosing to live.

And what about fellowship? The fellowship I see in the Bible in the New Testament is less about a formal, pre-planned church service with bells and whistles, and more about people coming together to celebrate Jesus because they couldn’t help sharing, each one bringing something to contribute about what they’re learning in the faith. Each one responsible for their own growth, and coming together to know and be known by others. Since leaving the church God has blessed me with several deep, deep friendships with people, conversations that bring tears, hilarious laughter, change, prayer, teaching, support, and great love. THIS is the fellowship I believe God wants us to have. For some, they find that in the church, and I say “Praise God”. For others it’s a little more difficult.

And strangely enough, I’m a huge fan of things like liturgy and spiritual discipline, ancient prayers and the like that is pretty much only found in the church, but I’m learning to find it and use it on my own as well, and I’m thriving in the richness of that heritage, too.

So, to answer my question: is God big enough to keep me and my family safe? I have to answer a resounding “YES”.

And I’m not going to waste any more time worrying about it. Whew!

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As I mentioned in my last post, yesterday was my birthday. I have been incredibly blessed with a husband and children who seem to take great pleasure in celebrating my birthday, and yesterday was no exception. Let me give you the “blow-by-blow”

First of all, I awoke to hilarious cards from each member, and purple clothing (see yesterday’s post)

I came home from that adventure to more gifts (there were 5 “sets” of gifts – one for each decade!) These gifts were two CD’s – one was The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary which was in honour of a really fun evening we recently had at WhiteSpot (long story) that revolved around one of their songs, and, of course, I’ve always been a fan, and the other was Light & Gold from Eric Whitacre, because I was recently SO impressed with his presentation on TED and the resulting Virtual Choir he created. This CD has the song “Sleep” which is his latest virtual choir creation as well as the Lux Aurumque piece from the first one. These two CD’s were accompanied by a $50 gift certificate to Amazon so I could add more books to my Kindle!

If that weren’t enough, I was then whisked off to lunch at the Cheesecake Cafe with a dear friend whom I haven’t seen in AGES, and we talked for 4 hours, catching up, reconnecting, laughing, and me shedding the odd tear. It was wonderful! Lunch was amazing – spinach salad, sweet potato fries, and a “to die for” mushroom soup.

I staggered home from that and was presented with some of my favourite treats – “Bresse Blue” cheese, Bruschetta topping and crackers, and THREE Bourneville chocolate bars!!

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I sat down to recover from this, and after an hour or so, I was presented with gift set number four – some DVD’s that I’ve been wanting: Little Women (Collector’s Series), Dear Frankie, Mao’s Last Dancer, and The King’s Speech (which is still enroute as it’s not released yet)

Shortly after this, my parents and brother arrived, and then Tom presented us with an incredible meal: Mini Beef Wellingtons (appetizer), followed by a Salade Dauphinoise, which is the specialty salad from Grenoble, where we lived for the first 6 years of marriage, and has lettuce, walnuts, swiss cheese, and crumbled bacon, topped with a dijon mustard sauce. That was followed by a fabulous seafood fettuccine (I am passionate about seafood) full of shrimp, scallops, and salmon. To top it all off, he made his famous pavlova, with orange segments placed to spell “50″ and then had sparklers on top (yeah, 50 candles would have killed me, and singed Tom’s eyebrows off, so sparklers were better…)

After dinner we watched a movie with the family (“Bambi” on blu-ray as my parents wanted to see the newly revised version of it) and as it we were getting settled, I got my last gift set – walking pants, a walking t-shirt, and NEW VIBRAMS (my old ones from 2008 are almost worn through!) and boy, I’m gonna need them to walk off all the pounds I gained just from today! The incredible thing about dinner, is that Tom has been working very hard on losing weight (he lost 14 pounds in his FIRST WEEK on the Metabolic Weight Loss Diet) so instead of eating any of the delicious food he made, he simply served us. The man is amazing. I SO do not deserve him!

What a wonderful day! Each gift was so thoughtful, and I felt celebrated, spoiled and loved from the moment I got up, to the moment I flopped, exhausted, back into bed. I told my husband he wasn’t allowed to spoil me like that again until my 100th.

It is wonderful to be part of such a loving family. I am so very blessed.

Here’s to a new half century – may I be as much of a blessing to those around me, as my friends and family are to me!

Darlene

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So, Today is my 50th birthday. The first 50 years were a riot. I’m hoping the lessons I learned will make the second 50 even more fun!

I’ve never been much of a conformist, and am rarely labled “normal” but my theme song for the next 50 years is the following:

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Taken from the book When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple Edited by Sandra Martz Papier Mache Press–Watsonville, California 1987

Oh, and my first gift this morning was purple clothing! I have a great family!

Darlene

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Well, the graph today is looking great! Probably mostly due to water loss during my “Esther Fast” which ended at midnight. Over the next 18 days I will continue to fast on an intermittent basis (fasting Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday) to complete the prayer challenge. The polyphasic sleep pattern isn’t really working for me yet, but I’m still pushing through to get to a place of comfort. I need to sit down today and work out the actual sleep rhythm for optimum rest. Currently I’m in bed at 9:00, I sleep until 11:30 or so, get up for 2 hours of prayer, back to bed by 2:30, and up around 6:30-7:00. Feel a little “thick headed” but I’m coping. I think I need to re-adjust my times for optimal results. I’ll keep you posted!

Anyway, here’s the graph:

Regarding the slow carb – the weight has come off more slowly than anticipated, but as I re-researched I realized that I’m not getting enough protein, early enough, in the morning. I’m up early but don’t usually get to breakfast until about 7:30. According to Tim Ferriss, I need to eat 25g of protein within the first 30 minutes of getting up, so today I started with a protein shake. Once I’m finished posting this blog, I’ll have my usual breakfast. It will be interesting to see how this changes my results.

Well, that’s all for today!

Happy Walking!

Darlene

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Wee glitch over Christmas. Tough to stick with any eating plan when no one else is only splurging on Saturdays! I had sisters in from the coast, so a couple of special family dinners, and a cousin who got married on the Tuesday after Christmas, and then because I was eating so much sugar, the cravings hit again, and last weekend we had three splurge days instead of one.

The results aren’t too frightening, though.

I also finally got the book! A box of massive volumes of “The 4-Hour Body” arrived in my office just after Christmas so I’ll be able to peruse the actual book instead of trying to glean info off a small ipod/Kindle screen. This will make things MUCH easier. As much as I love my Kindle – both the e-reader and the iPod app – sometimes you need the physical book in your hands.

The truth is, I have FIVE hardcover versions of these books, all autographed by the author, Tim Ferriss. If you want a copy for free ($31.00 value) – all 550 pages packed with tips for the greatest body results for the least amount of work – check back in with me on Friday, and I’ll show you what you need to do.

Have a great Wednesday, and I’ll see y’all here on Friday with some big news!

Darlene

A little Christmas card from my house to yours!

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Last week I talked about the Art of Relaxation.

This has become a real “hot topic” for me lately, as I struggle to manage the stress in my life with all that is going on. Last week I was commissioned to write an article for a magazine that I’m involved with about this very topic, and so I thought I’d share the results here with you on my blog. Enjoy.

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Back in 2008 I had the hair-brained idea that I should walk a marathon. Understand that I have never been an athlete, and I don’t like to sweat. My brain must have been on vacation, but being who I am, I quickly got some people committed to walking with me, and they paid for their registration in the event right away – which forced me to follow through.

I was clueless about training. I discovered that Nike had this cool iPod system that would track your training, and even set up the daily training events. As I only had 4 months to train, I set up the “advanced” system. I didn’t understand half the instructions (what the heck is a fartlek?) so I just saw the distance assigned, and walked it like a sprint. 16 km, 24km, 32km, etc. I was well over 300km a month by the end, suffering from some serious sciatica and exhaustion. The day came, I walked the marathon (came in second to last), cried with relief, and then started researching.

Here’s what I learned. The body has an amazing system set up for dealing with stress – the adrenal glands, for the most part – whether the stress is physical, mental or emotional. Depending on what’s going on, these glands excrete precision amounts of different hormones to keep the body ticking along in spite of what we’re putting it through.

Unfortunately, if we don’t treat our bodies with respect, those adrenal glands run out of their own coping mechanisms, and the body starts to break down – kind of like our cars when we don’t keep the gas, oils, and lubricants topped up and clean. When we keep forcing our bodies through more stress than it should handle, without giving it the rest it needs to recover, we start to experience breakdown: fuzzy memory function, blood sugar problems, immune system breakdowns, reproductive and sexual health issues, increase in allergies, inflammation, and digestive issues, to name a few (any of these sound familiar?)

The most interesting thing I’ve discovered as I’ve pursued a healthier lifestyle with much healthier training practices (in preparation for marathon number 2!) is that the strengthening happens in the recovery phase, and if that’s not built into your training program, you’ll never reach your potential.

The adage “no pain, no gain” has no place in a true fitness program, and “less is more” is never more true than when you’re working towards endurance events. The recovery is where it’s at.

But you don’t need to train improperly for a marathon to experience this. Most of us live our marathon lives at a sprint pace. Normal everyday stresses – keeping up with domestic chores, juggling school schedules, workplace stresses, traffic jams, relationship conflicts, constant noise and activity around us, poor nutritional choices, and lack of the kind of exercise that heals instead of hurts – can all contribute to this.

Our society today takes great pride in the word “busy”. If we’re caught relaxing somewhere, we feel lazy and stupid. If people ask us how things are going, there seems to be a need to compete over who has the busiest schedule, the worst allergies, or the greatest challenges. Even church and faith can be stressful – churches always need more volunteers or money, we are challenged to spend more and more time in the Word and on our spiritual disciplines, and we feel guilty when we don’t step up to the plate. Stress is all around us, and we feel forced into keeping up with this ridiculous pace.

The Bible says “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion (or homeschool, work, illness – fill in the blank)? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28 The Message – brackets mine)

Take it from a recovering marathon burn-out. The pace we’re living at is not the pace God intended for us. Even God rested, and His call to us is to come away with Him – like two lovers walking hand in hand, just enjoying each other’s presence. That’s where relationship is built. That is where recovery happens. That is where we hear God’s still, small voice. That is where we find life. Abundant life. It’s in the resting, not in the doing.

In Exodus 14:14 God says “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Now, that’s a responsibility I’m happy to take on.

How about you?

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My regular readers will know that trying to fit everything into my life is quite a challenge.  In the last week I’ve now added an EXTRA shift at work (instead of dropping one, which was my intention) due to some real staffing challenges going on over there.  I said I’d help out until they get new staff trained.  In return, once staff is in place, they will enable me to drop a shift.  Can’t wait!  I love the job, but three days a week (and now four) is too much with everything else going on.

However, an interesting thing has happened.  My husband and I were in N. Ireland last week for a family emergency, and then he left for a business trip the day after we got back.  This has meant that I’m “in control” of my schedule without having to worry about his sleep issues, or what time he wants to go to bed etc.  I’ve found myself getting into bed, lights out by 9:00, and then being wide awake and rested at 4:30 am.  The jet lag (7 hours) is really helping me out here.  Not sure what will happen when my dear husband gets back.  We’ll see.

The cool thing is that I now have time to do some devotional reading in the morning.  I’ve had a hunger for God lately and a longing to just “check in” with Him in some meaningful way.  I feel like we’re on the path to growth after a very long period of recuperation from religious burn-out.  I have a wonderful little devotional book called “Joy and Strength” that I really enjoy, and I feel like I can now read it without a check-list.  I start my day with my “declaration” and then move on to this little book.  I follow that with a time of prayer journaling.  I don’t pressure myself into doing this, and I don’t stress about getting it done.  My heart draws me to this and somehow it feels like that’s the right way to go about living out my faith.  I go from there to my computer and get my morning business tasks done (my blog here on PraiseWalker, my scheduled social media work, my “HotSpot Promotion” work, and catching up on Facebook and e-mail).

By 6:00 I’m ready for my walk and while I walk I listen to this GREAT podcast called “The God Journey” which is really inspiring me as I learn to follow Jesus without all the religious trappings. This is followed by breakfast, getting dressed and such for work, and then “social tea” with my kids before I head out the door.  I leave relaxed, encouraged, and feel like I’ve already had a very productive day, even before I get to my job. Fantastic.

I’m going to take full advantage of this great new schedule while my dear hubby is away, and then see how possible it is to continue once he gets back on the weekend.

Wish me luck!

How do you  manage to fit things into your day?  Share your comments and ideas below.

Oh, and if you liked this post, please “like” this post !  Thanks!

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Ok, so enough already with the excuses and slack attitude!  I have got to get my butt kicked into high gear here, and I have GOT to get some help.

I thought maybe, I’d ask you?

I developed a great training/weight loss program that is based on adopting one simple habit into your life each week: – a fitness habit, a nutrition habit, or a spiritual habit. I gave it to my sister who has had a life of such amazing stress that it’s made my life look like I live in bed. During those years she’s managed to put on quite a bit of extra weight, and she asked me for help. I gave her my amazing program. She’s followed it only haphazardly and has lost a ton of weight.

How cool is that?!!!

I’m pretty sure it works not only because of my sister, but because I’ve done a lot of research into permanent weight loss, while keeping in mind that the main goal is not just being skinny, but also glowing with health and vitality.  You guys are all at least as busy as I am, so we don’t have time for complicated stuff, so this also has to be easy.  That’s how I designed it.

The problem is, I have the self discipline of a gnat, so I need help.   Even though I’ve made this ridiculously simple, I’ve still had trouble staying focused (that seems the be the story of my life…)

So, I thought I’d invite you to help me out.  Here’s what I’m proposing:

1. I’d re-open and modify the Facebook page I created a couple of years ago and did nothing with.
2. I’d invite you and all your friends to join (wouldn’t it be fun if this became a dynamic group of people with common goals and struggles?)
3. I’d post something every Friday on this blog with some background detail and practical stuff, and then set up a challenge every Saturday, based on that info, on the Facebook page.
4. We’d look at nutrition (easy recipes, high density nutrition with no counting points, calories, or weighing of food!), exercise (stretching, walking, weights), and Spiritual growth (Christian, but you’re welcome to come alongside and adapt it for your needs and faith walk)
5. You could post your questions, share your trials and triumphs, share some tips that you’ve discovered, and learn from and connect to a whole bunch of new friends.
6. We could ALL lose that spare tire, and find the energy that went packing somewhere around the time we had that first child…

I thought I’d call the new challenge the N.A.V.Y. challenge, because it’s about creating a New And Vital You, and I’m going to launch it on August 21, 2010.  The Facebook link is here.

What do you think?  Interested?  If so, please click the link above and join the Facebook page.  Invite your friends, and let’s make this a happening place!!!

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