 “The quality of our lives,” stated my pastor during a recent sermon, “is determined by the quality of our relationships.” Nothing could be truer. Good friends and loving family are like islands in the fast-moving streams of life. They provide a place where we can temporarily dock from our duties, shuck off our shoes, and wiggle our toes in the warm sand of companionship. I call them “featherbed friends,” because they provide us with a soft place to land. How restoring it can be when we make room in our lives for those who support, encourage, and lift our spirits! Unfortunately, not every relationship will be as restful. We all know those as well who, whether consciously or unconsciously, drain us dry if we let them. Somehow in our search for more respites during the daily rigors, we must learn to differentiate between the two, inviting more time in the first even as we learn to limit or, in some cases eliminate the latter. The reality is that there will be only a few choice comrades throughout a lifetime who truly care and understand unconditionally enough to stay the course. I can tell you from experience that you can be the most popular person on the block—one with a Facebook full of friends—but very few real and restful ones. Likewise, you can spend your life constantly surrounded...continue  These days Judi is a busy author and motivational speaker for retreats, seminars and workshops. She has published numerous other articles, poems and essays, both religious and secular. Her six books are all non-fiction works. Prodigal In The Parsonage: Encouragement for Ministry Leaders Whose Child Rejects Faith is written from personal experience and provides hopeful, helpful and heartwarming insights for parents, especially those in ministry, who are walking the prodigal pathway. Simple Seasons: Little Lessons for Large Living, is a devotional featuring a compilation of her articles from Woman'€™s Touch Magazine. It All Comes Out In The Wash: Sorting Through Priorities When Your Load Is Out of Balance, weaves a wash-day theme that helps women Gain the knowledge to help turn the Tide in bringing their spiritual lives and relationships back into balance. True North: Staying on Course Through Life'€™s Changing Circumstances, employs her experiences living in a remote Alaskan village to create an enjoyable journey, helping the reader find faith and footing whatever direction life takes. Camp Gramma: Putting Down Spiritual Stakes for Your Grandchildren combines personal examples with practical helps to impart insight, wisdom and the tools for embracing modern-day grandparenthood. Everyday Sabbath: The Art of Real Life Rest explores the foundational principles God used in establishing Sabbath rest and illustrates practical ways to insert Sabbath rest into your daily routine. Judi and her husband Jim are recently retired district superintendents of the Northern California-Nevada District.
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 I wish I could be more confident! So many times I’ve whispered this prayer. Sometimes God asks us to do crazy things. Following Him requires a great deal of faith, and confidence is a good thing—or is it? Confidence: a full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing. This culture heralds strong, confident women. But strength and confidence in what? In ourselves? We need to guard ourselves from this bad idea. What happens when we come to the end of our strength? Or when someone comes along who is more talented? As a social worker, I have watched the feminist movement champion the power of femininity and self-reliance...continue reading.  Kimberly Waldie is married to an incredible man, mother of four great (sometimes challenging) kids, and pastor’s wife to an awesome church in Traverse City, MI. She has served over 20 years in ministry to children, youth, women, and alongside her husband as lead pastors. She has a passion for speaking, teaching, and mentoring women to discover their true identity in Christ and navigate the challenges of womanhood. As a social worker and adoptive mom, she has worked with families dealing with the difficult issues of foster care/adoption. She enjoys using her horses for ministry, writing, running, and spending time with her family.
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