Everyone deals with stress in different ways. You may not deal with stress by eating but there could be something else that has a hold on you. Are you struggling to break free? It’s possible to find peace. Surrender that control and you can feel good about yourself again.

Take the next step:

Is your need to be loved controlling your life?
How to cope with change
Win the battle against stress

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it?

Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. If stress dominates your life, you could be looking to move passed those situations. It’s hard to cope with stress when you can’t put the past behind you. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Are you ready to choose a different path?

Jesus came, and died, and rose again to wipe the slate clean. He was scourged, tormented, and finally nailed on the cross for humankind’s sins – this was all part of God’s plan to bring you and I back into relationship with him. God wants to be a part of your life … in fact, not just a part of your life, but wants you to live in full fellowship with Him. Is this the life for you?

God loves you and created you to know Him personally. He longs for you to have the kind of full life you were always meant to have. So why do people not experience this kind of life? People are lost and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love. Because of our sins, we justly deserve judgement. But God provided his Son, Jesus Christ, as the only provision for our sin. He died in our place, then he rose from the dead.

We must individually trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally, receive forgiveness for our sins, and experience His love: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

We trust God through faith. You can trust Christ right now by faith through prayer! (Prayer is just talking with God.) God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

Togetherness is a part of Christmas celebrations. Even with family squabbles, the Christmas season is packed with family functions. Spending time with family makes us happy. When stress plays a larger part in Christmas than family it’s hard to be joyful. Peace can be hard to come by in a busy household. This year, rediscover the joy of the season. Find out what really makes you happy this Christmas.

Take the next step:

Decorating on a small budget
Eating Christmas favourites without the guilt
Stay healthy over the Christmas season
Tips for stress-free company parties this season

Can you use your gift of hospitality to share the gospel? Open your home and God can do wonderful things.

Related:
Athletes in Action Canada – Learn how you can get involved with the ministry Steve serves with!

If your idea of the perfect holiday involves fresh air, gorgeous views and incredible food,

I know, I know, work doesn’t sound very restful, but if you have a job that keeps you inside, seated at a desk most of the year, you might be surprised how refreshing a little farm work can be.  One of the things that makes modern work so stressful is that it’s often hard to see the results of our efforts.  Projects can stay in flux for years with ongoing task lists that are never quite done.

Not so with farming.

If your task is to weed a row, you get instant results. A quick glance over your shoulder will show you just how far you’ve come.  No one will ever ask for a memo detailing your process or ask you for the most cost effective way to perform the task.  Even better, once the job is complete, it is complete.  There is no room for argument or opinion or rationale.  If all the weeds are gone your job is done and you can go and rest knowing that you have completed exactly what needed to get done today.

It’s starting to sound pretty good, isn’t it?

If you’re ready to try the good life for a few days a site like World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming can hook you up with a small holding organic farm that is in need of volunteers.  Volunteers work on organic farms, often for 2 weeks and receive room and board and a unmatched experience in exchange.

If you’ve always wanted to see the vineyards of Tuscany or the wild beauty of Kenya, volunteering is an incredible opportunity to see the world up close.  Come and learn and see how much fun it can be to get your hands dirty!

Are you stressed? If you don’t have time for a vacation but could really use one, try our free life lesson Beating Stress.  You’ll be matched with a coach who will talk through your answers with you as you learn.

Have you tried volun-touring? We’d love to hear your stories.

The definition of what counts as a sport is expanding.

Takeru Kobayashi, six-time hotdog eating champion at the MLE (Major League Eating) league, was arrested on Sunday after he attempted to jump on stage at the conclusion of this year’s competitive eating event. (CNN)

It so happens that yesterday while eating dinner at a restaurant, some friends and I were discussing what constitutes a sport after noticing one of the TVs was showing a poker tournament. Does poker count as a sport? Does competitive eating? What about video games? Each of these have leagues, championships, professional players, and avid followers. But what separates a “sport” from other competitive activities?

Looking up the word in the dictionary doesn’t help much. The first definition says that a sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature,” but another definition says it is a “diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.” By that definition, you can look forward to competitive knitting and grass growing, coming soon to ESPN! For the record, poker is given its own category on ESPN’s website, while competitive eating is seemingly absent.

We’ll likely be unable to come up with a definitive list of what constitutes a sport; any such list will be necessarily subjective based on our interpretation of what requirements are necessary to classify as a sport. Maybe the better question is one of wisdom rather than classification: With obesity rates and type 2 diabetes rising, is gluttony of this sort something we should be celebrating?

Obviously eating 68 hotdogs in 10 minutes (the current world record) isn’t intended to be an everyday activity, but idolizing someone for their ability to eat large quantities of food seems at best trivial, at worst dangerous for a person’s health.

What do you think? Is competitive eating a sport? And whether it counts as a sport or not, is it something we should be encouraging?

Related:
Are you an “emotional eater”? – Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by feelings which means that most of us are guilty of using food to cope with emotions.
Starving for life and loveliness – Have you ever felt like losing five pounds? I have … and it turned out to be the beginning of a 10 year diet which nearly killed me.

Step1

Setting up a team

Team Responsibilities

1. Pastors – are the main cheerleaders. We recommend someone in the church lead the event team other than the pastor. This frees the pastors to handle their responsibilities while being the promoter from “up front”.

2. Coordinator – sets up the team, coordinates all team activities, contact person for FamilyLife Canada, responsible for payment to FamilyLife Canada, insures all details from info page have been followed and on the day of event – welcomes people and introduces FamilyLife Canada team

3. Prayer – sets up a team of prayer warriors to pray beginning 3 months before event and thru event.

4. Promotion – set up a team of promoters (personal invitation is most effective), responsible for printing of all promotional materials and insuring they are distributed.

5. Registration – handling all money and registration information. It is recommended that a fee be charged for the couples. This places value on the seminar and requires a commitment from the registrants. By offering a discounted rate or incentives, registrations are required by a specific date and will solidify attendance (walk-in registrations should also be accommodated; allow for extra seating).

6. Food – Provide coffee, water and some snack items, such as muffins and fruit for breaks.

7. Audio/Visual – A sound technician familiar with your system.

Equipment needs:

• Projection screen large enough to be visible to every audience member.
• LCD portable projector and stand for audio-visual presentation.
• DVD player able to play all formats of DVDs.
Must have sound patch cord to connect to the DVD player from your sound board.
• Sound system appropriate for the room including 2 lapel or headset microphones.
• Two music stands or two small podiums.
• One table for FamilyLife resources.
• Water for speakers (Bottled is preferred).
• Access to facility 2 hours prior to start for set up.

8. Resource Coordinator – getting resources from Power to Change Resources (www.powertochangerc.org, 1.800.667.0558) or local bookstore, setting up resource table at event, handling sales, packaging up unsold books and shipping back to Power to Change Resources including a cheque for the total amount of sales.

9. Follow-up – Using the tools your church has along with the resources that FamilyLife offers. Each event will have increased impact when effective planning is implemented. Your event can have far reaching results with a coordinated plan that uses your group’s resources and that of ours at FamilyLife Canada.

Step2

Promotion

The most effective method of promotion is having a couple approach other couples, personally invite them and offer to pick up their registration. Along with personal invitations there are other effective materials to use.

Promotional Materials from FamilyLife

• Video clips
• Posters
• Invitations
• Bulletin inserts
• Bulletin ads
• Email ads
• Press releases
• Power point slides

Promotional Schedule:

3 months in advance

• Set up team
• Prayer begins for event
• Event information placed on promo materials from FamilyLife Canada (determine date, location, cost and contact person)
• Printing posters, invitations, registrations
• Posters up, invitations available
• Info sent to other churches/groups (set up contact person from other churches)
• Play clips in church (begin with cupids)
• Personal invitations
• Put info on church website
• Bulletin ads
• Announcements from pulpit

2 months in advance

• Play promotional clips in church
• Personal invitations
• Email invitations
• Bulletin ads
• Announcements from pulpit

1 month to day of event

• Send second email invitation
• Play promotional clips
• Personal invitations
• Bulletin ads
• Bulletin inserts
• Power point slides
• Press releases for newspapers
• Announcements from pulpit

Step3

Day of Event

The best preparation is to have your people ready for the challenges that may occur. A/V problems, people unable to fulfill their responsibilities. These can be a distraction but don’t need to have a negative effect. Our speakers are able to roll with whatever occurs and realize that God will still do amazing things since He is never surprised.

The schedule is flexible and will be adjusted by the speakers where needed throughout the day.

• Registration – this is for those registering at the event.
• Manuals – one per person. Having pens available is appreciated by the couples.
• Breaks – since schedule could vary please note that break times may vary slightly.
• Speaker Needs – bottled water is great.
• Lunch – we find it is best to have couples go off by themselves for lunch so they can work on the project.
• Resources – Book table should be set up before people arrive.
• Introduction – MC to give welcome; give facility details (Washrooms, etc) and
• introduce the speakers. (2-3 minutes)

Step4

Follow-up

We suggest sending out a letter of thank you to your attendees giving suggestions for follow-up.

FamilyLife offers a number of resources to supplement what your church offers.  These can be found on our webstie.  www.familylifecanada.com

• Articles

• Video Answers

• Need Prayer
• Need Answers – Mentors are available to interact with your people on family and life issues
• Need Jesus
• Conference Information including our Weekend to Remember and other One Day Events

Each event will have increased impact when effective planning is implemented. Your event can have far reaching results with a coordinated plan that uses your group’s resources and that of ours at FamilyLife Canada.

Step1

Setting up a team

Look for people in your organization who can fill the following roles:

1. Champion – makes the initial agreement to host A Day Together event, promotes the event through enthusiastic leadership, sets up the other team members, welcomes attendees on event day, and introduces the FamilyLife Canada team to attendees.

2. Coordinator – organizes the team, coordinates all team activities, acts as the contact person for FamilyLife Canada, arranged payment to FamilyLife Canada, and ensures all details from the information page have been followed.

3. Promoter – makes invitations to associates, takes responsibility for the printing of all promotional materials, and ensures that all promotional materials will be distributed.

4. Registrar – handles all registration information of attendees, and provides a final registration count for the coordinator.

5. Food Coordinator – provides coffee, water and some snack items for the breaks (such as  muffins and fruit)

6. Audio/Visual – A technician who is familiar with your system and can run the media throughout the event day.

Equipment needs:

• Projection screen large enough to be visible to every audience member.

• LCD portable projector and stand for audio-visual presentation. (Min. 1800 lumens)

• DVD player able to play all formats of DVDs. Must have sound patch cord to connect to the DVD player from your sound board.

• Sound system appropriate for the room including 2 microphones.

• Two music stands or two small podiums.

• One table for FamilyLife resources.

• Water for speakers (Bottled is preferred).

• Access to facility 2 hours prior to start for set up.

7. Resource Coordinator (optional) – contacts Power to Change Resources to obtain a great selection of marriage related resources, sets up resource table on event day, handles sales, and ships the unsold merchandise and the cheque for sales back to Power to Change Resources. www.powertochangerc.org 1.800.667.0558

Step2

Promotion

The most effective method of promotion is personal invitations.  You and your team members are the best ones to encourage couples to attend.  Below are some tools to help you.

• Video clips

• Posters

• Invitations

• Email ads

• Power point slides

Promotional Schedule:

3 months in advance

• Set up team

• Event information placed on promo materials from FamilyLife Canada (determine date, location, cost and contact person)

• Download and print posters, invitations, registrations

• Posters up, invitations available

• Personal invitations

• Put info on employee website

• Place advertisement in employee bulletin or newsletter

2 months in advance

• Personal invitations

• Email invitations

• Place advertisement in employee bulletin or newsletter

Last Month

• Send second email invitation

• Play promotional clips on employee website or lunch room

• Personal invitations

• Power point slides

• Place advertisement in employee bulletin or newsletter

• Additional posters in new locations

Step3

Day of Event

The best preparation is to have your people ready for the challenges that may occur.  A/V problems, people unable to fulfill their responsibilities. These can be a distraction but don’t need to have a negative effect. Our speakers are able to roll with whatever occurs and realize that God will still do amazing things since He is never surprised.

The schedule is flexible and will be adjusted by the speakers where needed throughout the day.

• Registration – this is for those registering at the event.
• Manuals – one per person. Having pens available is appreciated by the couples.
• Breaks – since schedule could vary please note that break times may vary slightly.
• Speaker Needs – bottled water is great.
• Lunch – we find it is best to have couples go off by themselves for lunch so they can work on the project.
• Resources – Book table should be set up before people arrive.
• Introduction – MC to give welcome; give facility details (Washrooms, etc) and
• introduce the speakers. (2-3 minutes)

Step4

Follow-up

We suggest sending out a letter of thank you to your attendees giving suggestions for follow-up. FamilyLife offers a number of resources on our website.  www.familylifecanada.com

• Articles

• Video Answers

• Weekend to Remember Conference

• Need Prayer

• Mentoring – ask questions

• How to become a Christian

• Video Answers

Step1

Setting up a team

Team Responsibilities

1. Pastors - are the main cheerleaders. We recommend someone in the church lead the event team other than the pastor. This frees the pastors to handle their responsibilities while being the promoter from “up front”.

2. Coordinator – sets up the team, coordinates all team activities, contact person for FamilyLife Canada, responsible for payment to FamilyLife Canada, insures all details from info page have been followed and on the day of event – welcomes people and introduces FamilyLife Canada team

3. Prayer – sets up a team of prayer warriors to pray beginning 3 months before event and thru event.

4. Promotion – set up a team of promoters (personal invitation is most effective), responsible for printing of all promotional materials and insuring they are distributed.

5. Registration – handling all money and registration information. It is recommended that a fee be charged for the couples. This places value on the seminar and requires a commitment from the registrants. By offering a discounted rate or incentives, registrations are required by a specific date and will solidify attendance (walk-in registrations should also be accommodated; allow for extra seating).

6. Food – Provide coffee, water and some snack items, such as muffins and fruit for breaks.

7. Audio/Visual – A sound technician familiar with your system.

Equipment needs:

• Projection screen large enough to be visible to every audience member.

• LCD portable projector and stand for audio-visual presentation.

• DVD player able to play all formats of DVDs.

• Must have sound patch cord to connect to the DVD player from your sound board.

• Sound system appropriate for the room including 2 lapel or headset microphones.

• Two music stands or two small podiums.

• Water for speakers (Bottled is preferred).

• Access to facility 2 hours prior to start for set up.

8. Resource Coordinator – getting resources from Power to Change Resources (www.powertochangerc.org, 1.800.667.0558) or local bookstore, setting up resource table at event, handling sales, packaging up unsold books and shipping back to Power to Change Resources including a cheque for the total amount of sales.

9. Follow-up – Using the tools your church has along with the resources that FamilyLife offers. Each event will have increased impact when effective planning is implemented. Your event can have far reaching results with a coordinated plan that uses your group’s resources and that of ours at FamilyLife Canada.

Step2

Promotion

The most effective method of promotion is having a couple approach other couples, personally invite them and offer to pick up their registration. Along with personal invitations there are other effective materials to use.

Promotional Materials from FamilyLife

• Video clips
• Posters
• Invitations
• Bulletin inserts
• Bulletin ads
• Email ads
•Press releases
• Power point slides

Promotional Schedule:

3 months in advance

• Set up team
• Prayer begins for event
• Event information placed on promo materials from FamilyLife Canada (determine date, location, cost and contact person)
• Printing posters, invitations, registrations
• Posters up, invitations available
• Info sent to other churches/groups (set up contact person from other churches)
• Play clips in church (begin with cupids)
• Personal invitations
• Put info on church website
• Bulletin ads
• Announcements from pulpit

2 months in advance

• Play promotional clips in church
• Personal invitations
• Email invitations
• Bulletin ads
• Announcements from pulpit

1 month to day of event

• Send second email invitation
• Play promotional clips
• Personal invitations
• Bulletin ads• Bulletin inserts
• Power point slides
• Press releases for newspapers
• Announcements from pulpit

Step3

Day of Event

The best preparation is to have your people ready for the challenges that may occur. A/V problems, people unable to fulfill their responsibilities. These can be a distraction but don’t need to have a negative effect. Our speakers are able to roll with whatever occurs and realize that God will still do amazing things since He is never surprised.

The schedule is flexible and will be adjusted by the speakers where needed throughout the day.

• Registration – this is for those registering at the event.
• Manuals – one per person. Having pens available is appreciated by the couples.
• Breaks – since schedule could vary please note that break times may vary slightly.
• Speaker Needs – bottled water is great.
• Lunch – we find it is best to have couples go off by themselves for lunch so they can work on the project.
• Resources – Book table should be set up before people arrive.
• Introduction – MC to give welcome; give facility details (Washrooms, etc) and
• introduce the speakers. (2-3 minutes)

Step4

Follow-up

We suggest sending out a letter of thank you to your attendees giving suggestions for follow-up.

FamilyLife offers a number of resources to supplement what your church offers.  These can all be found on our website.  www.familylifecanada.com

• Articles

• Video Answers

• Need Prayer
• Need Answers – Mentors are available to interact with your people on family and life issues
• Need Jesus
• Conference Information including our Weekend to Remember and other One Day Events

Each conference will have increased impact when effective planning is implemented. Your event can have far reaching results with a coordinated plan that uses your group’s resources and that of ours at FamilyLife Canada.

Step1

Setting up a team

Team Responsibilities

1. Pastors - are the main cheerleaders. We recommend someone in the church lead the event team other than the pastor. This frees the pastors to handle their responsibilities while being the promoter from “up front”.

2. Coordinator – sets up the team, coordinates all team activities, contact person for FamilyLife Canada, responsible for payment to FamilyLife Canada, insures all details from info page have been followed and on the day of event – welcomes people and introduces FamilyLife Canada team

3. Prayer – sets up a team of prayer warriors to pray beginning 3 months before event and through event.

4. Promotion – set up a team of promoters (personal invitation is most effective), responsible for printing of all promotional materials and insuring they are distributed.

5. Registration – handling all money and registration information. It is recommended that a fee be charged for the couples. This places value on the seminar and requires a commitment from the registrants. By offering a discounted rate or incentives, registrations are required by a specific date and will solidify attendance (walk-in registrations should also be accommodated; allow for extra seating).

6. Food – Provide coffee, water and some snack items, such as muffins and fruit for breaks.

7. Audio/Visual – A sound technician familiar with your system.

Equipment needs:

• Projection screen large enough to be visible to every audience member.
• LCD portable projector and stand for audio-visual presentation.
• DVD player able to play all formats of DVDs and sound patch cord to connect the DVD player to your soundboard.
• Sound system appropriate for the room including 2 lapel or headset microphones.
• Two music stands or two small podiums.• Water for speakers (Bottled is preferred).
• Access to facility 2 hours prior to start for set up.

8. Resource Coordinator – getting resources from Power to Change Resources (www.powertochangerc.org, 1.800.667.0558) or local bookstore, setting up resource table at event, handling sales, packaging up unsold books and shipping back to Power to Change Resources including a cheque for the total amount of sales.

9. Follow-up – Using the tools your church has along with the resources that FamilyLife offers. Each event will have increased impact when effective planning is implemented. Your event can have far reaching results with a coordinated plan that uses your group’s resources and that of ours at FamilyLife Canada.

Step2

Promotion

The most effective method of promotion is having a couple approach other couples, personally invite them and offer to pick up their registration. Along with personal invitations there are other effective materials to use.

Promotional Materials from FamilyLife

• Video clips
• Posters
• Invitations
• Bulletin inserts
• Bulletin ads
• Email ads
• Press releases
• Power point slides

Promotional Schedule:

3 months in advance

• Set up team
• Prayer begins for event
• Event information placed on promo materials from FamilyLife Canada (determine date, location, cost and contact person)
• Printing posters, invitations, registrations
• Posters up, invitations available
• Info sent to other churches/groups (set up contact person from other churches)
• Play clips in church (begin with cupids)
• Personal invitations
• Put info on church website
• Bulletin ads
• Announcements from pulpit

2 months in advance

• Play promotional clips in church
• Personal invitations
• Email invitations
• Bulletin ads
• Announcements from pulpit

1 month to day of event

• Send second email invitation
• Play promotional clips
• Personal invitations
• Bulletin ads
• Bulletin inserts
• Power point slides
• Press releases for newspapers
• Announcements from pulpit

Step3

Day of Event

The best preparation is to have your people ready for the challenges that may occur. A/V problems, people unable to fulfill their responsibilities. These can be a distraction but don’t need to have a negative effect. Our speakers are able to roll with whatever occurs and realize that God will still do amazing things since He is never surprised.

The schedule is flexible and will be adjusted by the speakers where needed throughout the day.

• Registration – this is for those registering at the event.
• Manuals – one per person. Having pens available is appreciated by the couples.
• Breaks – since schedule could vary please note that break times may vary slightly.
• Speaker Needs – bottled water is great.
• Lunch – we find it is best to have couples go off by themselves for lunch so they can work on the project.
• Resources – Book table should be set up before people arrive.
• Introduction – MC to give welcome; give facility details (Washrooms, etc) and introduce the speakers. (2-3 minutes)

Step4

Follow-up

We suggest sending out a letter of thank you to your attendees giving suggestions for follow-up.  FamilyLife offers a number of resources to supplement what your church offers.  These can all be found on our website.  www.familylifecanada.com

• Video Answers
• Articles
• Need Prayer
• Need Answers – Mentors are available to interact with your people on family and life
• Need Jesus
• Conference information including our Weekend to Remember and other One Day Event

A Feast Fit for Three Kings
It’s that time again. Time to start basting the turkey and getting ready for one of the biggest meals of the year. Why not ‘Wow’ them this year with a gourmet twist on the classic favorites? Read more.

Take action: Try our series of online lessons Carols of Christmas .  Your answers will be matched with a personal email study coach.

You said it: This week, Jane* commented on an article saying, “We’ve been married 24 years, but for the last 10, it has been rough. His interest in sex has been declining rapidly, and even though he says he recognizes the problem, he seems unwilling to do anything to change…” Read more. (* name changed)

Blog: Decorating Tips for Big Impact on a Small Budget
To ensure you get the look you want in your home, you have to have a plan… Read more.

Feature: Lost Arts
These days, society’s fast pace leaves most people running ragged. Two-income families try to keep up with life’s demands and financial pressures. The idea of making time for needlework or homemade cookies seems almost frivolous. Read more.

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “Can thankfulness be taught?” Join us in the chat room November 24, 2009 @ 10:00pm EST for this chat, and check our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.