Love Cajun cookin’? Last year the Lord used a Cajun Cookoff in our congregation’s fund-raising efforts for missions. It’s a fun way to bring together delicious dishes and an opportunity to get together with church and community family and friends.

I lived in Louisiana for a few years and love Cajun food–for me helping plan a Cajun Cookoff was a lot of fun.  In our church there are also several great cooks and lovers of Cajun food.  In the past we had done a church crawfish boil with great success, but we did not make much money.  The goal this time around was to have great food and raise funds for missions.

Twenty-five cooks were asked to participate and given the choice of three to four categories of food to prepare: side dish, main dish, soups, and deserts.  We tried to make sure we had a few cooks signed up for each category. Cooks were also allowed to sign-up for more than one group.

The side dishes were vegetables, dirty rice and such.  The main dishes were all kinds of meat pies, jambalya, and main dish items.  In the soup division, we had gumbo and bisque.  The desert category was amazing with white chocolate bread pudding taking the prize.

One thing we told everyone attending was that not everything should be spicy, and indeed we had many other dishes, but all were excellent.  Cooks were asked to provide enough to serve a teaspoon portion to about 60 people.  The small portions were served in small disposable cups, much like a grocery store uses for product samples.

Not everyone tried everything, but we had about 75 to 100 people and we wanted to make sure we had plenty to sample.  As each participant entered our tasting, they were given a score sheet to rank each dish from 1 to 10.  The dishes were identified by numbers, so you just scored the numbers instead of description of food.  They walked around the area tasting what they wanted. Then at the end we totaled up the tally sheets and announced winners.  We wanted our cooks to know there was nothing scientific about the judging. If there was a tie, a coin was flipped to see who the winner was for each category.  We had aprons monogramed with Cajun Cook-off for each category winner.

The cost of the ticket for entry into the event was $5, but in hindsight, $10 could have charged because everyone left full! It was a fun event with great participation from both the cooks and attendees.

Back in August, reader Julie David emailed asking for MMCW’s recommendation for the best book on Christian women mentoring other Christian women. This sparked a week long discussion of our favorite mentoring and leadership books with Julie via email. Here’s a list of books we have personally read and used in no particular order.

Page Hughes recommends:
The greatest mentors in the Bible: 32 relationships God used to change the world: A Devotional Guide
by Tim Elmore
A devotion guide leading you through 32 mentoring relationships throughout the Bible.  Lots of fun to see how God has used personal relationships to encourage and inspire His children throughout the Bible and through the years since.

Table for Two: Doing Life and Savoring Scriptures Together by Amy Pierson and Mona Cowan
I am presently working through this mentoring book. This mentoring book is written by two ladies from Prestonwood Baptist church in Texas. Written to mentor teens, it’s perfect for women too.

Kellie Renfroe recommends:
Guardians of the Gate: Enriching Your Life Through Spiritual Mentoring by Ann Platz
I heard Ms. Platz years ago at a mentoring luncheon in Atlanta and fell in love with her Southern charm and humor. She is a mentor’s mentor filled with wisdom and continually points readers to the Bible. I love the chapter about spiritual gatekeepers.

A Pebble in the Pond: The Ripple Effect : Leadership Skills Every Woman Can Achieve by Julie Baker
Wonderful book for those involved in leadership and mentoring leaders. Ms. Baker covers topics from basic leadership concerns to more complex subjects in an easy-to-read style that lends itself to discussion.

A Woman’s High Calling by Elizabeth George
Excellent meat-and-potatoes study of “twelves” essential to a godly woman’s life. Mrs. George cuts no corners and tells it straight–covering everything  from setting priorities to dealing with negative situations.

Breaking Free
by Beth Moore
Fabulous Bible study for small groups or individual use, especially for abuse survivors and for those who have issues with addictions, boundaries, relationship problems. I highly recommend this study for every woman–it should be required reading! Available in hardback book, I recommend the indepth study with the workbook along with either the audio CDs or the Leader’s Kit with DVDs.

Molly Evert recommends:
The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace for marriage mentoring.

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson for mentoring a younger mom.

Vicki Huffman recommends:
Women Mentoring Women by Vickie Kraft

Vickie Kraft was one of the first leaders in women’s ministry to write about the need for women to mentor women.  This book is a classic on the subject.

Marriage Miracle by Bob and Cheryl Moeller
I am taking individual and small groups of women through this book Bob and I wrote. Although the word marriage is in the title, it’s for singles too. It contains scripture, principles, and stories for softening one’s heart. It also has a prayer and discussion question section at the end of each chapter. At the end of the book are practical exams, grids, worksheets, and prayer guides that, if used with the searchlight of the Holy Spirit, will soften your heart.

What are your favorite mentoring / leadership books?

“The fruit of righteous is a tree of life. And he who wins souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30

Key #1: Consider Christ
Jesus ministered to masses. He molded and developed 12 men and challenged them to carry His message to the ends of the earth. The ministry of Jesus changed the world! We can learn everything we need to have a successful ministry by looking at the practical ways Christ conducted His earthly ministry.

How can we be like Christ?
* Define your purpose.
*Share your passion.
*Seek your people (develop a team of leaders).

Key #2: Converse with Christ
Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer. He prayed for those that He was molding and building. He prayed for those who would come to know Him in the future. Prayer is the key to witnessing God’s productive power in your ministry.

How should we pray?
* Bathe everything in prayer.
* Pray for the small things and the big things.

Key #3: Compel them to come
Jesus called many to drop everything and follow Him. His invitation was clear and compelling.

How can we compel others to join us in following after God?
*Advertise your events in print and by word of mouth:  invite, invite, invite!
* Canvas the community.
* Invite other churches.

Key #4: Communicate constantly
Jesus used every opportunity to reach out and communicate with others. He not only spoke to and taught people; He was a Master at listening to their hearts.

How should we communicate?
* Write letters and newsletters monthly.
* Send cards for encouragement.
* Make calls and send emails.

Key #5: Compassionate concern
The compassion of Christ was evident in every move He made. He reached out to the poor and broken. He was patient with those who did not understand. He worked among the hurting to make a difference in their lives and to share the love of His Father in a real and tangible way. Everywhere we turn, people are hurting. We are called to minister.

How can we demonstrate compassion?
* Look for needs.
* Listen closely and actively. (Focus on the person speaking.)
* Pray immediately with them (out loud).

Key #6: Coach your leaders
Jesus worked with the twelve to give them the boldness and confidence that they needed to go out and share His message. He taught them as they walked the dusty roads together. He demonstrated how to minister as the twelve looked on. He poured Himself into these men in order to teach them to touch the lives of others for the Kingdom.

How can we develop our leaders?
* Choose prayerfully. (Ask God to help you match gifts to service.)
* Disciple diligently.
* Challenge constantly.

Key #7: Consistently teach the Word
The most important key to having ministry success is to effectively and consistently teach the Word of God. Jesus spoke the words of the Father. He spoke the message of the Gospel wherever He went.

How can we consistently teach His Word?
* Encourage individual study.
* Let every event draw people to the Word. (Use a theme verse.)
* Celebrate growth.

Stephanie Little, Guest Writer

Apples of God…Beautiful mentoring program that teaches wives and mothers to cook.

Learning to Become a Mentor…Nancy Leigh DeMoss interviews Apples of Gold founder Betty Huizenga on how mentoring might be easier than you expect and more meaningful than you thought possible. Free audio download or just read the transcript.

Whether you are diving into a pool or just having fun with friends, you will enjoy this summertime treat. Invite guests to come swimming. You don’t have to own a big pool. You could even have a small child’s pool and dip your feet as you soak in the sun. As each guest to bring their favorite dip and what they like to dip into it. Some suggestions are: spinach dip and Hawaiian bread, carrots and ranch dip, chips and salsa or cheese dip. You can go to the sweet side by doing a caramel dip with apples or a chocolate chip cheese ball with chocolate graham cracker sticks. If you have a chocolate fountain or a fondue pot you could provide the chocolate and ask guests to provide items to dip like fresh berries, marshmallows, graham crackers, gummy bears, pound cake, or almost any cookie.

You can also visit MMCW’s recipe box for more dip ideas including Easy Fruit Dip, Quick Buffalo Chicken Dip, To-Die-For Cheese Dip, and Mexican Corn Dip.

For party decorations, why not go with beach towels and pool toys in bright vibrant colors. Play fun beach music to set the tone. After a while in the sun you may want to move indoors to watch a funny movie. Evan Almighty is a good movie that is about a man God asked to dip into faith. Your guests will laugh a lot, but you will also have the opportunity to talk about a real Bible character that had to choose to believe God over what the world was saying. In the end it saved both Noah and his family as they dipped (submerged themselves) into faith with God.

A fun take-home favor could be a recipe of your favorite dip or even a prepackaged bag of the ingredients to be mixed at their convenience. Include the recipe and a kind word thanking them for coming.

I used this party as a kick-off for our women’s ministry last year. I used the acrostic Dive In Please for the word dip. The women were encouraged to dive into women’s ministry. We had sign-up areas for participation in upcoming events. The party was held at a local neighborhood swimming pool and the movie shown at the end of the evening in the clubhouse.

Kellie’s Note: If you are looking for inspirational party themes, be sure and check out Page’s book Parties with a Purpose. It is a must have go-to book for party planning with eternal focus.

Fall is a beautiful time of year to get away to a women’s ministry retreat. Here are some thoughts on how to make it the best retreat ever…

1. Take along a notepad and pen. Be prepared to let God speak directly to you regarding your life right now and how He wants you to move forward. Confront any sin/weaknesses He reveals to you with a  teachable, humble heart that says, “Lord, I want to hear from you.”

2. Be prepared for a time of refreshment, renewal, and learning about God. Spend time in the Word, and even time by yourself, by the pool or in the room alone, being still and hearing God’s voice.

3. Be prepared to feel God redirect or confirm the priorities He has for you at this time: your role as a wife, as a mom, where/how to serve and ways He is calling you to minister right now.  It’s a time to think through each family member and how God would have you be involved in their lives: to pray for each, to invest in each, to give you wisdom and discernment in restoring/building relationships. It’s a great time to be still and listen to God as He shows you His best things for you to put on your calendar: time to bring back date nights,  make time for lunch with a friend or friends more frequently, His creativity in reaching the heart of your child. Bring your calendar so you can be ready to put HIS will for your life, your talents, service, role as wife, mom, and friend (and more roles) on the calendar.

If you would like to attend the Desperate for God Women’s Conference, where staff from MMCW will be the guest speakers, visit www.womenonthemove.org for details. We would love to see there!

One of the things I love about women’s retreats is the break.  As a homeschool mom of four, there’s nothing quite like a room full of lively female chatter that I don’t have to referee!

I love women’s retreats because that’s when I’m reminded I’m not the only one who leaves the ladies room checking to make sure I haven’t tucked in the wrong stuff and let the stuff that should stay hidden hang out!  And when it does happen you have a massive group of women who will totally feel the pain with you–and then laugh until their sides hurt and the tears run freely–all because they get it.

When there’s a women’s retreat with a conference room full of ladies who know full well they left all their kids at home I love watching what happens the moment a baby who was brought along with her source of milk starts to cry.  Every beautiful head in that place turns because we are all sure that baby is crying for us.

Have you ever watched the ladies at a women’s retreat stand in line for a cup of coffee or the product table?  It makes me laugh every time–they are all swaying to keep their imaginary babies quiet!

Just the thought of a conference room full of estrogen can be intimidating.  But the best thing is nobody argues about whether or not to use the air conditioning–it’s automatically on full blast!

I love the praise and worship time at a women’s retreat.  The smiling faces, the tears flowing, and heart-felt, prayerful worship moves my heart at a deep, deep level.  Singin’ with the Sisters–it’s heaven on earth!

Looking across a conference room full of women makes me wonder so many things:  How many of these ladies left dishes in the sink?  I wonder how many of them forgot to use deodorant today?  Could it be that there is a new widow or recently diagnosed cancer patient here?  Is it possible that in this large throng of God’s feminine creation there is one who would understand me and be my friend?

I love the camaraderie of women’s retreats.  The conversation flows freely (and so does the coffee and hopefully the chocolate) and the laughter is contagious.

Tip:  Make sure you bring tissue in your purse or you’ll smear your makeup when you laugh (or cry).

Bring a friend.  The fun is great and you’ll need someone to laugh with a few months down the road when you remember what happened at the conference.  Laughing alone is kind of sad!

Book far in advance.  Anticipation builds excitement!  It’s more fun to go when you’ve been planning for months!  (And it gives hubby and kids plenty of time to get used to the idea of being Mommy-less for a few days!)

Travel light.  At least on the way there.  Every woman knows she’s going to do at least a little shopping… so leave room for books, CD’s, a gift bag and all the other stuff you might win or pick up.  Actually–the best idea would be to bring an extra bag, or suitcase, or U-Haul!

Come early.  This is the best way to get the best seat so you can take the best pictures and maybe win the best prizes.  This is also good because you can stand on your seat at the front of the auditorium and wave at everyone coming in.

Desperate for God Conference

Come meet Carla and other MMCW staffers at our first women’s conference on Friday and Saturday, November 13-14^th. To register visit www.womenonthemove.org.

We’re looking forward to meeting you there!

MMCW is excited to announce we have been invited to speak at the Desperate Women Conference in Lawrenceville, Georgia, November 13-14th.

The event is open to the public and will kick-off with a concert Friday night with grammy nominated gospel singer Antonia Lawrence, break-out sessions with MMCW staff on Saturday, and a women’s expo throughout the weekend.

We are looking forward to meeting many of you at the conference! Our hosts, Women on the Move women’s ministry, has special pricing at the Hampton Inn at Sugarloaf. The hotel offers free breakfast on Saturday morning—let’s all plan to meet for bagels and coffee!

For conference details, including topics and to register online visit www.womenonthemove.org

I’m Not Who I Was Women’s Ministry Video

Down the Garden Path
* Decorations were various gardening tools, a Gazebo and bench, fresh flowers, gloves, and watering cans.
* Seed packets were decorated with ribbon and labels to make name tags.

Games we played:
Flower Bingo – Print out bingo cards with 16 to 20 squares per page. Have each participant fill each square with the name of a flower. After everyone  fills their squares, begin calling the names of flowers out as the girls mark their cards. We worked from a prepared list of flower names.  The winner is the first lady to mark all the squares in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Scavenger Hunt – We did our scavenger hunt throughout the botanical garden in the middle of the hotel where we stayed. You could do this wherever you are meeting. Come up with clues as to where to find each object. You could have them bring the object back or have someone to sign that they reached their destination and picked up a clue. This can be done in a mall or outside depending on your meeting space.

Our teaching sessions centered around the seasons of life: seasons of preparation, seasons of planting, seasons of growth, seasons of harvest. Our focus was for women to know that God is with them no matter what season of life they may find themselves in. Our focal passage was Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 11.

Spring Training
This is another spring retreat my church has done focused on preparing us to get into the game. We used a football theme and decorations.

On Friday night after our tailgate party we had the actress who played coach’s wife in the movie Facing the Giants speak. Following her talk we watched Facing the Giants. You would not have to have Shannon speak, you can choose to have an area coach or his wife to talk about how God has prepared them for this season of their life.

The next morning we had sessions on suiting up, building endurance, staying in shape spiritually, and end zone dances (celebrating what God has done). Before each session we held a pep rally where we sang praise choruses and did cheers for Jesus. Our take-home favors were small spirit sticks we made to remind the ladies that we take the Holy Spirit with us wherever we go.