RESOURCES from 4word
The Difference that Friendships Make
Emily (second from the left), with Diane (left) and the other SoCal 4word gals. We mention 4word local groups rather frequently here on the blog. They are a huge part of Diane’s vision for 4word, and today we’re bringing you a story to demonstrate why they are so… Read More
Can I Pray For You?
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Matthew 11:28-30 When I arrived at… Read More
When You Don't Fit the Traditional Mold
Former professor, mother of two, consultant and church elder, Andrea Trice has worn several hats in her lifetime. She also co-authored a book on work-life balance, which is what we chose to interview her about today. -------------------- 4word: Looking back over your career, was there a… Read More
Advice to My Younger Self
As part of an ongoing series, NPR has been asking working women to offer advice to their “younger selves.” It’s great to look back and really think about what kinds of things I could have done differently or realized earlier. If I could go back to when I… Read More
Praying for Boston
Ladies, meet Atinuke Diver, or Tinu as she likes to be called, who lives and works in Boston. As you know from Diane’s Monday blog, she was in Boston last week, and she and Tinu had planned to meet for breakfast, but those plans fell through in the… Read More
Where Does God Run?
What a week this has been. I arrived in Boston last Wednesday night for the Salvation Army National Advisory Board meeting, already shaken from news of the Boston Marathon bombings. The next morning I woke up to hear about the devastating explosion in West, Texas. By Friday we… Read More
Women Who Work, Love and Pray
Diane with 4word Portland leaders Maria (left) and Katie (right) at the Portland Good Friday Breakfast last month. It's been a little more than a year and a half since Diane's book "Work, Love, Pray" was published. Since then, the topic of working mothers and working women has… Read More
Does Working Mom = Massive Guilt?
Meet Tracy Thomas, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Bright Hope, wife of Tojy and mother to Soraya, Caleb and Zachary. Tracy has been a working woman since her teens – she paid for college working at carnivals every summer (as a “carnie” she likes to call it), selling… Read More
A Purposeful Life
One of my friends Charlotte likes to say that “the purpose of life is to have a purposeful life.” I love that quote because it reminds me how simple life really is (even though it often feels complicated!). The thing is, “purposeful” doesn’t necessarily mean “important,” the way… Read More
Finding Meaning in the Mundane; How Celebrity Apprentice Brought You The Bible.
Last week more than thirteen million people (me included) tuned in to the History channel to watch The Bible, a new mini-series that presents dramatic interpretations of several key biblical stories and passages. The Bible series was created and produced over the course of four years, with input… Read More
Talking with God
Meet Rita Burgett, another friend who Diane recently met while on a plane. Rita and her husband live at Eagle Mountain Lake in Fort Worth. He started a business creating software for the senior housing industry, and they have operated the company as a Christian business for the… Read More
Pressure to Be the Perfect Christian
Feeling like you have to put on a good show at church? There’s a fine line between wanting to do your best, and feeling like you need to be perfect. It’s pretty natural to want to put your best foot forward, but putting too much emphasis on the… Read More
Surviving as a Single in a New Church
Meet Jessica Bufkin. A former junior high English teacher, Jessica currently serves as Editor for SingleRoots, a website that encourages Christian singles to be intentional with their lives and offers many resources to assist them, including a free eBook, When Will I Get Married? This week, we chatted… Read More
Divine Interruption or Intervention?
I’ve been thinking a lot about Jonah lately. Do you ever wonder what he was doing before God told him to go to Ninevah? I’m willing to bet he had plans he was in the middle of, goals he was trying to accomplish. He seems like the planning… Read More
Practical Steps to a Stronger Faith
Have you established goals in the area of faith for this year? In a way, setting goals for your faith seems redundant. Shouldn’t we always be striving for our best when it comes to our relationship with God? Yes! But we all know it’s easy to get distracted… Read More
Top 10 Interviews of 2012
Welcome to 2013! The new year is officially here, but before we forge ahead with another series of interviews with inspiring women, we wanted to pause and call your attention to some that you might have missed in the past year. What follows is a list of our… Read More
Raising Middle Schoolers
As an area director for Young Life and step mother to two girls aged 17 and 20, LaTonya Stevenson has a good deal of experience with the challenges facing today’s middle schoolers. Last week, she shared some of her insight with us. -------------------- 4word: So you work at Dallas… Read More
My Christmas Traditions
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Beth mentioned in her interview that Christmas traditions help make the holidays special. On this Christmas Eve, I wanted to share a few of mine with you. My favorite thing about Christmas is having our whole family together: Chris, all four… Read More
Holiday Christianity in the Work Place
Every December we hear about a battle over the word “Christmas,” as some businesses have gone to the more generic “Happy holidays” type of greeting. On one hand, the holiday season represents a great opportunity to live out your faith at work in a non-aggressive way, but is… Read More
Comparison: the Thief of Joy AND of Community
Today we’ll introduce you to Emily Rudolph. She’s been married to Travis for three years. Although working at a church wasn’t her plan, God led her to a position as Women’s Equipping Director at Watermark Church in Dallas, where she uses the gifts He has given her to… Read More