November 2009 CWM Interview
Welcome
Blog/Online Bible Study
Interview
Final Thoughts
Welcome
For those American CWMs you
should receive this newsletter before Thanksgiving.
May I wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and
that you are able to take time as a family
to thank God for all his blessings to you.
As Christian women every day should be Thanksgiving.
May we always take time to tell God how much
we are thankful for what he has done in our
lives and the lives of our families.
If you are planning on getting
your Christmas shopping done early you may
want to purchase “The Voices of Christian
Working Moms” for a friend, co-worker,
or a gift for yourself. You will find encouragement
and support for you as a CWM. Click on the
banner below to find out more.
Blog/Online Bible Study
The CWM blog can be found at
http://christianworkingmoms.blogspot.com.
We have many more women reading than posting.
Come join the conversation. You can find the
online Bible study at http://cwmbiblestudy.blogspot.com.
Interview
I really appreciate Kristi taking
time to be interviewed this month. Kristi
is a married 38 year old CWM who lives in
the US. She has two teen daughters ages 16
and 17. Kristi is a pastor’s wife and
teaches 8th grade English in a public school.
Kristi shares the following
joys in being a CWM: God has blessed me with
the opportunity to meet and minister to many
different people through my years of teaching.
As a pastor’s family, we are often so
involved with church activities that we are
in danger of not meeting any non-Christians!
My skills and experience have also been valuable
in supporting my husband’s ministry,
as I have served in a variety of teaching
roles at church. Another blessing has been
seeing my daughters begin to show an interest
in teaching careers and in working with younger
children at church. I’m proud to have
set an example that they can follow. Finally,
it is a joy to be able to contribute financially
to our family, which frees my husband to focus
on ministry to a greater extent.
Kristi shares she struggles
with the following: The hardest part of being
a Christian Working Mom is the time away from
my family. I chose teaching so that I could
have a schedule similar to that of my daughters,
but it has still required that I give up many
hours with them for continuing education,
grading papers, parent conferences, and other
job responsibilities. I struggle to include
family time, housework, devotional time, exercise,
and ministry in my schedule, and I never feel
that I have everything under control! Since
my mother stayed at home for many years, I
have to fight feelings of inadequacy when
I don’t seem to have time to be the
homemaker that she was.
Kristi’s favorite Bible
verse is: Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, present your requests to God;
and the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
What is God teaching you right
now?
God is teaching me to worship and praise Him
more deeply than ever before. I have been
trying to make a habit of hitting my knees
first thing in the morning to dedicate myself
to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).
As I continually strive to do this, I am finding
more peace and joy in my daily activities,
and more purpose in what goes on my to-do
list.
Words of Encouragement for other
Christian Working Moms:
If you seek Him in prayer, God will help you
know the difference in what He is calling
you to do and what you need to let go. When
you decide to say no to a request or demand
on your time, don’t hang on to a false
sense of guilt—rejoice and rest in Him!
Anything else you would like
to share:
I have a burden for Christian families, and
I would like to encourage all Christian Working
Mothers, if they are married, to make their
relationship with their spouse a priority.
Although the demands of small children and
conflicting work schedules can make it difficult,
find a way to spend time together as a couple.
The joy of a happy marriage can make up for
a lot of life’s stresses!
Kristi thanks for reminding
us to say No to requests that cause us even
more stress. I love the saying, “Say
Yes to the Best and No to the Rest”.
Thanks for your words of wisdom and for how
you minister to your church with your husband.
Final Thoughts
Can I take this opportunity
to thank you for allowing me to visit your
email box twice a month? When the idea of
Christian Working Mom started I never would
have guessed how much it is has grown. You
all are truly my sisters in Christ and it
is a joy to know some of you personally and
all of you virtually. Thanks for allowing
me to be a small part of your lives. May you
rest in God’s many blessings for you
this Thanksgiving season.
Till next time,
Kimberly M. Chastain
Kimberly M. Chastain, MS, LMFT
is the Christian Working Mom Coach and a Licensed
Marriage and Family Therapist. She is the
author of The Voices of Christian Working
Moms, 2 ebooks and an online Bible study.
To find out how to receive coaching tips by
email daily, go to http://www.kimberlychastain.com/cwmtips.htm.
To find out more about her books go to www.christianworkingmom.com.
For a free, initial coaching session send
an email to free@kimberlychastain.com.
