Do you have something you just love to do?
Isn’t it a blessing?
I love being a part of women’s ministry. I love hearing the hearts of women, learning from their strengths, hearing their struggles, watching them grow in their understanding of their Father’s love for them.
And I also love women’s ministry because sometimes I get to be a part of something cool like this.
Meeting that gorgeous blond up there in the picture.
That’s Kristin Armstrong, author, mom, marathoner, speaker, blogger, dog lover. She came to speak to our women’s group and I figured out pretty fast that I like this lady. A lot.
Kristin has a powerful and honest and wise walk with God. She spoke to us on Spring Cleaning, the most important kind, the kind of cleaning of our hearts and perceptions and expectations. Blending a combination of new thoughts, passages from her book Work in Progress and a powerful question and answer session, Kristin led us through a enlightening exploration of true Confidence, Beauty, Softness and Courage. In the days since the event, I’ve heard many of my girlfriends who were there repeating things Kristin spoke on and have received numerous emails telling me of how much her teaching touched the women of our church.
As I said, I like this gal.
She’s comfortable in her skin. She’s learned when to say, “Good enough.” She’s come through a very public divorce with dignity and grace. She’s a class act.
And she’s run five marathons.
And an ultra marathon.
Which, for the uniformed, is a marathon of 50 or 100 miles. Yes, there are 50 mile ultra marathons and 100 mile ultra marathons. And she’s run one of them.
I know. I’m still getting my mind around it. Let it soak a minute.
And in honor of Kristin and marathons and ultra marathons, how about a giveaway?
I picked up an extra autographed copy of Kristin’s book Work in Progress, just to give to one of my blog readers. So let’s come up with the rules, shall we?
Sounds like a great book. I'll be looking for it.
I out of the shipping area, but I'll check it out anyway since she comes so highly recommended! Thanks š
I love that she's as real as the rest of us…clothes that don't fit, clothes from a previous life, all stashed in a closet somewhere. I also feel a connection with Kristin because we're both Miami University Alums. š
Those are some super cute pictures! š
"Real life is messy people."
Is it ever?! When I was young I used to hate foods on my plate touching each other, now I love love soups and stews and even casseroles. Messy. I used to want everything neat and tidy, in it's place, identifiable, neatly categorized. But real life doesn't really fit those criteria, it is messy, often I am unable to categorize an event or person. And that is ok. I just have to keep reminding myself.
Thanks for sharing!
My favorite part is the fact that she's not afraid to face the world with her own flaws. It says a lot about someone who isn't afraid to "come clean," so to speak. š
I'd be up for a book!! š Thanks for this opportunity.
Alex from CA š
PS: I just RT'd it on twitter! š
I'm gonna go with what she didn't say – Prioritizing and figuring out who you really are.
But she did say it. Just not in those words.
I love the skinny jeans bit. It's time to stop beating ourselves up!
Janemaritz at yahoo dot com
We posted about this giveaway at Winning Readings: http://winningreadings.blogspot.com/2010/03/work-in-progress.html
I love this statement: Petrified dog turds in a remote corner of civilization attest to the fact that at some point in recent history no one was watching the puppy. But in my house it may also be a cat's.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
What I really like is her belief that we need to focus on our identity and who we are now, not clinging to past (or the future.
julesreffner(at)gmail(dot)com
I love her section, "Real Life is Messy." Indeed it is. She's real, and I like that.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com