Going Green – yawn. As I sit at the computer trying to put this article together, I realize that we may be reaching the point of over saturation when it comes to “green”. Every paper/magazine/new TV show seems to have something about “going green”. We are constantly reminded that energy savings is at a critical stage and no place is that more true then when we go to fill our car gas tank. So, what should a person do? Why should we care? Is this really all the fault of the big oil companies and their need to make more money?

Hopefully, this is not going to be me preaching to you. Hopefully, this can be a little fun. Hopefully, we all might learn something. For the next five minutes, or however long it takes you to read this article, we will try to figure out how to take the brain surgery out of going green and show you how becoming engaged in this shift in lifestyle choices can be one of the most powerful things that you can do.

First let’s address the most important question out there in the green movement. Why Should I Care? Most of you are either parents or have children that hold a place near and dear to your hearts. I have a 15 year old son who believes that we grown ups have screwed up the world almost beyond repair – and he is probably right. What pulled me into this wild and crazy world we call “green” was the need to be able to look him in the eyes and know that I am in fact trying to fix what is broken. It isn’t too late. The technology and commercial availability of products, as well as the volume of knowledge out there on “going green” is huge. So, this is my way of giving you yet one more tool in your tool chest that can make it easier to go green…Just one thing.

How many of you have stood in the hardware store and debated whether to spend the extra money to purchase compact fluorescent light bulbs, or filled your car tank and wondered if it was time to buy a hybrid, or pondered the concept of organic milk and produce over mainstream? For many of us, this green “movement” is a lot like the adventures about ten years ago when all of the nutrition articles were coming out. One day we were all supposed to eat a certain fruit and the next day someone had found that if eaten in excess, it would cause cancer. One day bacon was good, the next bacon was going to kill you. One day organic was hype, the next it was a “good thing” and over time – for some of us years – we realized that it was up to us to figure out what was “truth”.

- Jyl’s Green Planet

What are your thoughts on Going Green?  Has news on the environment caused you to change any of your living habits?

         

There’s a million reasons. A million and one on my plate this year. From God bringing about more growth in me spiritually, emotionally as a woman of God, to Him miraculously restoring the bodies of fellow squadmates who endured a treacherous car accident not far from us in Mzuzu less than a week ago. I am thankful. My cup overfloweth with thanksgiving and praise to our Creator during this time.

Yesterday was not exactly traditional compared to what most of us do on a Thanksgiving holiday in the States, and it was an amazing day! Our day of ministry took us to a local hospital and an orphanage to lift spirits and share the gospel. Of course, Thanksgiving is unheard of here in Malawi because it is an American holiday. What was just another day for those we were able to minister to turned in to a Thanksgiving holiday I will never forget.

After spending some time in the children’s ward talking with and praying for the kids and families who were recovering from their ailments, Pastor Tonny led our group of 11 over to a cement pavilion. There were about 80 - 100 locals camped out underneath, surrounded by belongings and firewood. Pastor Tonny explained that this is where the family and friends of sick ones stay because there is no room for them in the hospital. This was a sight filled with humility.

Before we knew any better, Pastor Tonny had us leading worship songs to encourage the loved ones. Some stared blankly at us in confusion, but most clapped, sang along, and a few even jumped up to dance along with us. After our song ended, Pastor turned to me and said, “You are very welcome,” which means…”The floor is your’s.” Gulp. Nothing like impromptu preaching - something we have gotten to know quite well since our journey to Africa.

Thankfully and faithfully, the Holy Spirit in me chiseled out a heart felt message along the lines of, “We know that all of you are here because you love someone who is hurting. It does not matter that we are different, we all have felt physical, emotional and spiritual pain in our lives. We did not come here to tell you answers, because we don’t have answers. We have theanswer - and his name is Jesus Christ.” I proceeded to share scripture from Matthew, chapter 8, verses 14 - 17:

“When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’

I encouraged and challenged them to cast their burdens upon the Lord. To pray not only for the healing of their loved ones in the hospital, but to pray for their own healing emotionally and spiritually. After I concluded my message, 12 people from the crowd raised their hands and gave their lives to Christ. I knew at that moment that not being able to see or even talk to my family on such an important day to us was a small sacrifice compared to what God is using us for here. There was no other place I would have rather been than telling a crowd of strangers, gathered around to listen to what I had to say about the most important man in my life.

The beautiful people we were able to witness to at the hospital.

 

The amazing Malawian family we are spending the month with was very excited to learn what Thanksgiving is to us. I shared some of what are traditions are earlier in the week, so they had a special meal prepared for us!

Some of the staples - mashed potatoes, grilled chicken (all of the chicken…), green beans and carrots in a yummy, spicy red sauce, and a Malawian favorite - samosas! The women worked very hard on these all day, making the dough from scratch, rolling it out, frying the pieces and stuffing them with spiced meat and vegetables.

 

Mashing the potatoes. I managed to be far from a professional at this method. But they were delicious!

Before we sat  down for the grand finale, our teammate Blake shared an accurate account of the Pilgrims’ intent and landing in America. It was a great reminder for us what freedom as a Christian means, and was wonderful to share with another culture what this holiday really means to us. Click here to read more of what Blake shared with us.

The meal was delicious, the day productive, and many prayers were sent homeward in hopes that our families were enjoying the day and eating massive amounts of pie for us at the end of the day.

God Bless!

        

The Roman Catholic Church has consistently refused to ordain women, either as Priests or Deaconesses, in recent centuries.

Some sources say that the Pope has declared as infallible the teaching that the Church cannot ordain women to the priesthood now or at any time in the future. This does not appear to be true. What he has said is not that the church is unwilling to ordain women; but that the church does not currently have the authority to do so. To assign a statement the status of infallibility would have been a rare step that has only happened three times in the Church’s history: during the proclamation of infallibility itself, over the immaculate conception of Mary, and over Mary’s bodily ascension to heaven.

The church has taught that when the People of God, the membership of the church, prayerfully and devoutly reach a consensus on a topic, that this is also the will of God. ₁ Numerous surveys have indicated a near consensus in North America and much of Europe in favor of female ordination. However, this does not yet extend elsewhere in the world, where the feminist movement has not been as influential.

It seems a topic that just will not go away - particularly in North America, where the feminist movement has successfully promoted an end to almost all gender discrimination in commerce, government, industry, and education. Increasingly, adults in North America are viewing gender-based discrimination in the same class as racial discrimination, and are rejecting it as bigotry, profoundly immoral, and irrational. Many criticize the Roman Catholic church for its stance on male-only ordination; the number will probably continue to grow into the future.

Until we speak again, 

“The Inner Chick”

What are your thoughts on women and catholicism?  What has the church done well and what could they improve upon?   

Legal pendulums swing from one end of the spectrum to the other on a consistent basis, few more so than what occurs in the family court system.   

Throughout the 1960’s, women fought to get laws passed to protect women against domestic violence. After many years, the legal structure of our nation began to recognize women as victims of domestic violence. Laws were passed and enforced to protect “true victims.” Many women lived through domestic violence; many died. Some of the abusers went to jail for homicide; some were later pardoned. Regardless, women got society to recognize the truth with respect to violence against women. 

Now the pendulum has shifted.  Many women now use these laws to their advantage in family courts to bring men to their knees; and to erase fathers from the lives of their children.  To do so, women utilize tactics such as false allegations of child abuse, domestic violence, and stalking, which judges almost never question for fear of being politically incorrect. 

Women who feel justified in punishing men use these false charges indiscriminately. The unfortunate side effect here is that children are forgotten, and have become our newest victims with full cooperation from our Family Court system. Lest we forget, children need fathers too. A recent US Department of Education study, “Fathers Involved in Their Children’s Education,” will bear out these truths. 

Another facet of this issue is the education of women with respect to the legal system.  A new study purports women are filing 70% of divorces today. The important thing to consider here is that the individual filing is the party that usually wins.  The unfortunate person against whom false allegations are charged must prove their innocence while a plaintiff proves nothing. 

Consider this: an innocent father involved in a nasty contested divorce from a woman who vows vengeance is helpless in Family Court. Important child support laws enacted are now strictly, and sometimes unfairly, enforced. There are stories of fathers who lost their jobs from downsizing and/or circumstances beyond their control. When the mother of his children insists on back child support, he is thrown into jail. Child support is based on his “earning ability.” Debtor’s prison has become our most recent politically correct means to control men. Here again, our Family Courts condone whatever women allege, accuse, and dictate to control men. 

Should a husband make the mistake of remarrying, further angering his ex-wife, a second wife’s income is used as “a way to show ability to pay.” The mother of their children, on the other hand, can marry another man. The “other man’s” income is never used to lower child support. Court’s rationale - “they are not his children, not his responsibility.” Since when did a mother bear no responsibility for her children? Today’s women are earning more, and are becoming a majority in our workforce. The stay at home mom of the 50’s rarely exists today. 

False allegations of child abuse by a vengeful ex-wife devastates not only children, but fathers. The wife files first to take advantage of all laws passed to protect true victims of abuse and violence. The wife charges everything from domestic violence to stalking to child abuse. Courts almost always believe a woman over a man today. 

Despite what one may believe, Family Courts across the nation consistently believe, “the mother always makes the best parent.” 

A large number of children are ordered to see a child psychologist when divorce is filed. Counselors and psychologists are encouraged by our system to give bad reports against a father. Fathers are automatically presumed capable of abuse before any mother. 

Mothers are intentionally denying visitation to loving, child support paying fathers, who then spend money and time in court trying to get visitation enforced.  

Divorce is a reality. It is currently a billion dollar a year business. Contested divorce is guerilla warfare whether people want to acknowledge it or not. Everyone wants fuzzy warm answers to harsh reality. Unfortunately, there are none unless we all recognize the gender bias against males perpetuated in Family Court today, and the undeniable damage it does to our children. 

Years ago women had a disadvantage in our domestic courts. Now they can feel quite happy knowing most women win. They can manipulate child support into “backdoor alimony,” deprive their children of their fathers, and ruin their husband. Truth no longer exists in our legal system. 

Women  have come a long way. Women can be proud of the laws they fought hard for 30+ years ago. However, women must stop abusing these laws, or one day the legal pendulum will swing back and our true victims will not be believed again. 

Let’s remember that it is children, not women, who are the real victims of the gender bias in our family courts.

 What are your thoughts?  Does gender bias exist in our family courts?  If so, who does the law favor in your opinion?

Until we speak again, 

“The Inner Chick”

 

                           

Several years ago, I realized that I had slowly but surely stopped watching the news.  The last 18 months or so I have not watched a complete 30 minute broadcast on any channel.  It is not something that I consciously stopped doing.  It just became too much doom and gloom for me.  For the most part, it is too “entertainment” driven, whether to scare you, depress you, or overwhelm you.  I have started getting my news through reading more – on the internet, in books, and various other printed or web based mediums.  It is also one of the reasons I have enjoyed being part of Platform’s family.  Empowering through knowledge, data, facts, and opinions, but done so with the end result as being “uplifting” – is my kind of news.

 

Today I am spending a bit of time reading the latest Newsweek – not a magazine that I pick up often, but the cover caught my eye.    “Want to Save the Planet? Make a Greener Burger”.  Being someone who prides herself on staying on the leading edge of this Green/Sustainability movement, I couldn’t resist picking it up.  Now, I know buying something that caused a few trees to lose their lives isn’t very “green” of me, but I honestly believe that there is something very enjoyable (very human) about sitting in a comfortable chair, a cup of tea at my side, and enjoying some time flipping pages of a magazine or book and only stopping to read what strikes your fancy.  So, that is what I am doing.  The interesting thing is although there are some good articles – and rankings of companies, the magazine does not appear to be printed on recycled paper or using soy ink.  Of course, I can recycle the magazine, after I share it with my colleagues and students, but it seems to be a statement on this whole “green” movement.  A sort of  - close, but no cigar syndrome.  The “green” articles are good food for thought and it does warm the cockles of my heart to see “news” magazines incorporating the “business” of green/sustainability into their reporting.  I guess doing so without truly walking the walk is better than not talking the talk at all.  

             

Hello Again. I had a request to share my experience of getting my YogaFit Level 1 trainer’s certificate. It was held in an Atlanta suburb in a Lifetime Fitness facility. I’m sure you’re wondering if Smokey (my Shih Tzu) went along. Well, of course he did. So, it was Smokey, me and 21 females. Don’t ask me how I get myself into these situations because I do not know..just lucky I guess. I will tell you now that we (Smokey and me) the only two males there, had a great time and the ladies welcomed us with open arms.

 

Now, you must understand that it’s not every day that you see a 230lb. bodybuilder, with an eleven pound dog ( in his pet carrier) attending a Yoga class… let alone be an instructor. We made new friends and it was an enlightening experience…. which is why we attended. You see, regardless of how I look and what I do, I am traveling on a personal spiritual journey and I’m leaving no stone unturned. My journey has been going on for many years now. I hope you won’t mind if I touch on that along the way.

 

YogaFit is a trademarked non-traditional style which I found out about several years ago while living in Florida. It was introduced to me by a true earthly angel and I will forever be indebted to her. It was “shelter from the storm” for me. I originally attended the class because of the athletic benefits, but much to my surprise it went far..far beyond that. During the weekend class, we were surrounded by an awesome group of people. In total we (Smokey and me) spent 18 hours on the mat over the course of two days. At the end I was so energized, but as the same time, totally exhausted. It was an amazing experience. In order to complete my certification I must give 8 hours of community service. I am in the process of that now. You see, giving back is so important in life and the YogaFit organization exemplifies this. They are God sent and I am so very humbled to part of their family.

 

Breathing is extremely important in the practice of yoga. It unifies your mind, body, and spirit. It, dramatically, lowers stress and blood pressure. Most importantly, Yoga helps you to focus and keeps you in the Now. We learn to let go of competition, judgment, and unrealistic expectations. In the past years of my journey, I have come to want less, know more and shy away from drama, negativity and mindless conversation. I find myself studying nature more….being in awe of things we so easily take for granted, craving silence and the simple truth. The Yoga breath will cleanse your body and your mind.

 

Along with the “breath”, the movements will allow you to feel and to listen to your body. This wonderful practice will also assist you in letting go of self expectations and to observe life without judgment.

 

 The Yoga positions were designed to help quiet your mind and body for meditation. In my life, prayer is me talking to God and meditation is God talking to me. Allow me to quote a few sentences form Beth Shaw’s (the founder of YogaFit) 2^nd Edition book.  “You are not trying to find anything through the practice of meditation. Rather, it is through meditation that you are found. It is a mistake to think that through meditation you are trying to become somebody else. The true intent of yoga and meditation is to become the best possible version of yourself”.

 

 Yoga is not a religion, but a way to obtain a stronger relationship with yourself, your fellow man and your Higher Power. We are faced with new obstacles each day, although our core beliefs and truths stay the same: simply look into your heart.

 

I urge anyone, male or female, to try YogaFit or any style of Yoga to discover the simple wonders that await you. I wish you well on your journey.

 

Homework assignment:

 

•  Dream dreams and bring them into reality.

 

•  Forgive.

 

•  Smile.

Namaste,

Tom

    

The Glass Ceiling

More women than ever are entering the labor force but the majority of top management positions in almost all countries are primarily held by men. Female managers tend to be concentrated in lower management positions and hold less authority than men. This suggests that something beyond just sex differences in career patterns must be at work to account for the huge difference in the number of men versus women in top management positions. Although women as a whole may place less emphasis on career success than men, there are a considerable amount of women who strive for top management positions and are unable to attain them. In a recent study almost three-fours of women and two-thirds of men believe that an invisible barrier (a glass ceiling) prevents women from attaining top management positions.

What Causes the Glass Ceiling?

The causes of the glass ceiling are varied. Some suggest that the glass ceiling is self-imposed by some women. For example, women may choose to work fewer hours than men in order to spend more time with their families. Women also measure success in the workplace differently than men. Men tend to measure success by high salaries and important job titles whereas women place a higher value on their relationships with colleagues and community service. Others suggest that ingrained stereotypes and socialization cause the glass ceiling. In some organizations, the good old boy network is still pervasive. When deciding who to promote in these organizations, women are often not even considered.

Some companies recognize that employees have a life outside of the office. These family-friendly organizations offer options such as flex-time, onsite child care, employee-assistance programs, and telecommuting options for their employees which allows their workers to have a better chance of balancing their home and work lives. The problem lies in the fact that not all employees want to work in a family-friendly organization. Some employees who do not have family obligations may resent their company offering services that do not apply to them. One of the first steps in determining what employees want in the work place is to determine how people define career success. Women and men tend to use different types of measures when determining what makes a career successful. Men tend to focus on earnings, promotional opportunities and success while women focus on positive interpersonal relationships and feelings (Powell & Graves, 2003). Men and women also differ in their career gaps. Women are more likely to take a leave of absence and work a part-time job than a man. Organizations need to adopt a culture that will allow them to stay competitive but also allows their employees to maintain a balance with their lives outside of the office. Employees should be encouraged to take advantage of work-family programs that are offered in their organization. Unfortunately, women may feel reluctant to take advantage of these programs as they feel it may lessen than chance for success within the company.

Other Issues Facing Women in Business

Extensive travel is another issue that women must face when considering executive jobs within an organization. Women comprise almost half of the business travel to the Asia-Pacific region. Women must still find a way to balance family and work life and deal with doing business in countries that might not be as receptive to women in top positions as the United States. Video and teleconferencing has given companies the ability to offer alternatives to extensive travel but they will not replace face to face meetings for relationship building and contract negotiations. Smaller companies are more likely to adapt to alternative methods as a cost saving measure.

Women have made great strides in knocking on the glass ceiling but have not quite broken through it yet. This is particularly true in high technology companies where women hold less than 10% of executive positions. This is not surprising since women represent almost half of the workforce but comprise less than a third of the technology sector workforce. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that this is due to discriminatory hiring practices when it fact it may be due to a historically low interest among girls in math and science. As women continue to push the corporate boundaries and engage in non-traditional work related activities, companies will be forced to recognize the value in securing a diverse work force. The glass ceiling may not be shattered for some time, but the there are more holes in it than ever before.

Until we speak again,
“The Inner Chick”

                                    

OKey Dokey Doggie…..Well, it’s about time to make the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! And believe you-me and all my doggie friends…I’ve been practicin’ my speech!

What’s all this hoopla about you ask? Well, I’ll give you a little hint. It’s the “launch” of my ‘CANINE CAMPAIGN’ and it will be this Sunday at 9:30 SHARP at Balloon Museum lawn. AND its a doggone BIG ANNOUNCEMENT let me tell you!

So, get your paws to the pedals…head to Balloon Fiesta and the Balloon Museum (where you can watch the colorful shapes take to New Mexico’s skies…THEN mosey on over….no I take that back..;;RUN on over to my big event “UP, UP & AWAY, A FURRY FRIENDS FIESTA DAY” for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT…and more.

You won’t be disappointed…I DOG-GUARANTEE!

See you at the Fair!

       

Why do so many women join the military despite the ongoing wars? I think most women join for the same reasons men do: opportunity, desire to serve and education. In an ideal world, a soldier is a soldier and women bring nothing more than a body to fill a uniform, just like a man.

I therefore reject the idea that women somehow bring something that is more nurturing or kind or softer to the military by intent or by design. There are a number of things that the military offers that makes joining and staying in the military attractive for women and men alike. According to the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services’s Annual Report for 2008, the number one reason women stayed in the military was their sense of job satisfaction and job performance. Other reasons for women to stay in the military included access to health care, education opportunities, a sense of purpose and being part of a team. The only reason these responses were singled out as female responses is because they were collected as part of a gender study. Men might have given the exact same responses. 

Education

The military’s eArmyU program provides 100% tuition at universities and colleges enrolled in the program. An enlisted soldier, regardless of rank, can have her entire college education paid for by the U.S. Army. Even with the high operations tempo of the last decade, soldiers are earning degrees at unprecedented rates. If soldiers are not able to attend college while on active duty, now they can access more educational benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which provides the single biggest boost to veterans since the original GI Bill allowed the Greatest Generation a chance at an education. There are no combat requirements for either the Post-9/11 GI Bill or the eArmyU program. All men and women who enlist are eligible. 

Health Care

Among soldiers, there are some well-known jokes about the military’s health care system. One of the most common is about Vitamin M — Motrin, which is used to treat everything from broken bones to tooth aches. But the availability of health care is something those in the military need not worry about. Going on sick call in the military can be a hassle, but a doctor is always there. To an outsider, it would be a huge a relief knowing that one isn’t responsible for any medical bills from visits to the doctor. 

Taking Pride in Work

In the Army, they say that if you don’t like your boss, you should just wait, because one of you will leave sooner or later. While moving to new positions can be difficult for civilians, military members often thrive in new environments, excel at facing new challenges, and continue to focus accomplishing the mission and taking care of soldiers. Soldiers take pride in what they do each and every day, and women take no more or less pride in their work than men do. 

Knowing that one can make a difference in a young soldier’s life would be an incredible experience for anyone. Soldiers, men and women, wear their uniform with pride and with the awareness that there are brothers and sisters in arms who have died wearing these colors. 

A Distinct Difference Between Female Soldiers and Male Soldiers

Many female soldiers, mothers or not, love the military life, and love serving their nation, just as many male soldiers do. So what is different about women soldiers’ lives in the military?

Women across all professions still shoulder the bulk of childcare responsibilities, and military life is no different. When female soldiers feel they are able to balance home and work life, their job satisfaction is high. When they are unable to achieve balance, job satisfaction is low. In an ideal world, all women would be able to balance home and work and that would include women in the military. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world, and I can say with certainty that while women get into and stay in the military for the same reason that men do, women get out of the military for a more specifically female issue: the impact on their families. 

While struggles exist, once more, the ability to be part of the team, useful and empowered to make a difference, has counterbalances some of the issues for men and women in the military.  

Many women go through these struggles alone, without a partner to help make life-altering decisions. And whether they stay in the military, or they leave, depends on the answers they find within themselves in the middle of the night. 

Army life is not easy, and no one expects it to be. It is because of the challenges that accompany service that the pride instilled within is so hard won and held in such high regard. Women join the military for the same reasons as men, but often stay or go depending on the impact on their families. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on women in the military.  Were you, or someone you know, a female member of the armed forces?  

Until we speak again,
“The Inner Chick”

        

Team Reckless arrived safely to our new ministry site three days ago. The Lighthouse is a homeless shelter in downtown Dublin that serves hot meals and distributes clothing and other necessities to the ‘least of these’ on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings. Our main ministry this month is helping out at the shelter with food prep, distribution and clean up during these days. We are also able to share a brief message with the crowd Tuesday and Saturday nights before meal time. As a team we will share days of preaching.

 

God has blessed us through the roof with this ministry! The six of us are living above the actual shelter. We all share one bedroom, a kitchen and bathroom, but compared to what we had in mind, we are staying at a 5 star resort! Dublin is the most expensive city in Eastern Europe and on a World Race budget that could mean slim living to say the least. Our contacts here have blessed us with providing the leftover food that does not get distributed to live off of. It may not be fresh veggies and steak but we are able to stretch our monthly budget for transportation and other ministry needs by living off of their provisions.

 

We received another huge blessing coming out of 90 - 100 degree weather in Haiti to 60 - 40 degree weather in Dublin by having access to the clothes that are donated to the shelter. Shopping for winter clothes in Dublin wasn’t quite fitting in to anyone’s budget, but while cleaning and organizing the shelter’s closets the staff told us to help ourselves to anything we need. You wouldn’t think living, eating and being clothed by a homeless shelter would be something to brag about, but DANG!! Let me tell you about God providing….down to the toiletries we hadn’t yet bought, to the exact same article of clothing we wished we had brought in our packs…God just so happened to have these waiting for us free of charge in the nooks and crannies of the The Lighthouse homeless shelter.

 

Our main focuses this month will be serving the shelter the days it is open, and meeting locals any way we can to dive in to some relational ministry. This is an area I feel deeply called to as it was how I finally accepted Christ in my life. Through a relationship that had been established by someone I trusted. We have spent free time the past few days scouting out parks, cafes and pubs where we hope to become quite familiar this next month. Your prayers for the hungry, lost or confused to find us are greatly appreciated. God has worked on building our team up through love and service towards one another the past week and a half and I know we are ready to unleash those blessings on this city.

by Sara Hansen