Inspirational Quotes

Blessings to you -

Would you like to help with a project? We are collecting inspirational quotes and short thoughts to encourage and uplift Christian women in business.
I'd venture to say that all of you creative, intelligent, dynamic ladies have some inspirational quotes or tid-bits of advice to share with other Christian businesswomen. Here are a few examples of what we're looking for to get your creative juices flowing:

• Can you even count each grain in one handful of sand? God’s thoughts towards you are more numerous than the sands of the sea.
• To be the most effective, moment by moment focus your attention and thoughts on one thing at a time.
• You have an advantage. You have access to power beyond yourself!

Please reply to this post with any quotes that you'd like to offer. Please make sure they are your original quotes, or you can post a favorite of someone else's as long as you include their name. If we choose to include your quote, we will also include your business name/website address as well wherever we use your quote!

Questions? E-mail us now. Thank you

Are You Ready for 2009?

Hello readers,
Earlier this week, Koinonia Business Women had our December group meeting in Olympia. Although it was a smaller group due to snowy weather, we had a lovely time of Christmas goodies, fellowship and encouragement.

Seriously... do not miss the January group meeting or the upcoming *BLING* e-Zines. We have fun and interactive things planned, which will help you set goals and focus your actions for 2009. I won't let the cat out of the bag yet... But I really want to! Even if you can't attend our live meeting, you can still follow what we are going to be working on.

More to come... in the meantime, please visit our main site at www.KBWomen.com or our new online community at www.KoinoniaBusinessWomen.ning.com. Have a blessed weekend everyone!
Posted by Krista Dunk

December Holiday Meeting!

Hello Ladies,
The December meeting for Koinonia Business Women is tomorrow, December 16th!

Location - RE/Max Four Seasons in Olympia, WA.
Time - 6:30-8PM
We will have a Christmas theme for this meeting, so bring a goodie to share with the group.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!
Krista & Tammy
www.KBWomen.com

November Meeting Report

Greetings! The Koinonia Business Women's group had another great meeting this week. In attendance, we had small business owners, real estate agents, ministry leaders, aspiring entrepreneurs, & a network marketing gal! Krista presented a message about our self-images, which sparked a flurry of discussion. Tammy challenged the group to see ourselves as God does, not through the eyes of other people. Everyone was interactive and showed their depth & richness in joint participation!

Would you like to join us in December? If you're in the South Puget Sound area, meet us on December 16th in Olympia for our local meeting... holiday style :-)! Please RSVP & get more info at www.KBWomen.com so we can prepare a place for you. Meetings are free!

You Are Blessed Today!

Why Prayer is Crucial, by Krista Dunk

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." - Luke 18:1

Have any of you read the book called 90-Minutes in Heaven? It's a very interesting read for sure. Here is a quick summary of the first part: A pastor was in a fatal car crash, died, spent 90 minutes in Heaven, then was miraculously brought back to life when a passing minister felt an overwhelming urge from God to pray for him (although he had already been dead for 90 minutes). Here were my questions after reading that book - Why did God have that passing minister pray? Couldn't He have simply had the pastor get up and walk out of the car without the prayer? Are our prayers really that important? Yes, apparently they are.

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." - John 16:24. Here's what I've learned so far from the Word about prayer:

• When we pray, we set our minds on Godly things and on His will.
• When we pray, we authorize His hand to move.
• When we pray, we use the authority God has given to us.
• When we pray, God sends angels to help.
• When we pray, we cast our cares on God and let Him take over.
• When we pray, God answers according to His will.
• When we pray, we plant seeds for our future or for the future of others.
• When we pray, we can minister to the Lord.

Many of us have the idea that prayer is more of a feel-good factor, something we do for our own psyche or for our own "spiritualness". Now it's time to see how prayer equals action. We take action by praying, and God takes action by responding. Let's discuss a few of our bullet points in more detail.

When we pray, we set our minds on Godly things and on His will. Daily life is busy. If I were to try and list my daily routine and responsibilities, it might make my head spin! However, by having a mindset or attitude of prayer throughout the day, we bring our focus and thoughts back to God daily, hourly, moment by moment.

When we pray, we authorize His hand to move. This was a huge revelation to me. Before, I did not realize that God waits on me (and others) to ask for things and to pray about situations. He literally may not move or work until someone prays. Just like in the 90-Minutes in Heaven book, God needed a man to speak the words out to start His healing power in motion. Prayer changes things. As Tammy would say, God is a gentleman. He waits for an invitation. His mighty hand is ready to act on behalf of His people and according to His will.

When we pray, we plant seeds for our future or for the future of others. In the Bible, you can see a common theme or principle at work. It's the symbolism of the seed, the sower and of the agricultural growing process. Prayers are seeds that we sow in the supernatural realm that will cause results to show up in the natural world. We can pray for physical, emotional or spiritual healing, provision, protection, peace, children, direction, etc., for ourselves and others. These words and prayers that we speak out to God are used in a very powerful way. As we know, "life and death are in the power of the tongue" and this is why. Prayer is seed.

In those 3 examples alone, we can begin to see how powerful our prayers are as individuals. They are crucial to every aspect of our lives, including our careers or businesses, our families, marriages, health, friends, our country, and our world. The amazing thing is, is that God actually needs our prayers. Our prayers really do make a difference! Think about what you can do today to impact the world around you with your prayers.

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." - James 5:16

International Day of Prayer

Blessings to you this glorious day!

Today is a day that we are called across the globe to pray. Specifically, we are called to pray for the persecuted.

In Iraq, Africa, North Korea, the Philippines, and around the globe, Christians are beaten and killed, churches burned, and laws passed to restrict worship. Christians today face as much persecution as ever before. Jesus said his followers would not receive better treatment than he did, but he did promise the Comforter. Through prayer, we can encourage those suffering for Christ's sake.

In many other countries, Christians are not allowed to organize freely and are forced to retreat underground just to worship. In countries like China, unsanctioned religious groups, human rights lawyers, democracy advocates and many others are continual targets of repression from a government that fears them as 'undesirable social elements' as noted in an article in Christianity Today.

As Americans, we have a hope and a gift of freedom to practice our faith daily. Our calling today is to practice that faith and freedom by praying boldly and without ceasing for our brothers and sisters across the globe who desire those same liberties.

"If we believe the gospel is life eternal for a person, if it is Good News to the poor, why should that Good News be stopped? It's their choice whether to accept or not, but it is their basic human right to hear that news," declared Sam Paul, secretary of public affairs at All India Christian Council.

Join us at Koinonia Business Women as we praise God that the Gospel will prevail and pray that every person who hears it will turn their hearts toward Him who loves and saves. Pray also that God's hand will move mightily in those countries where there is pain, suffering, brutality and persecution on Christians today, for a safe and free tomorrow.

Pray boldly and without ceasing.

Economy Got You Down?

Coming VERY soon, we're going to be offering a teleseminar series on these financial topics:

• Current Economy Best Practices & Biggest Mistakes (business & personal finances)
• Biblical Money Mindset. So, what does the Bible say about money anyway... and do you believe it?
• Think Like a Millionaire. High-level investing strategies & how to put your money to work for you

Tammy & Krista will be interviewing two very wise Christian financial experts - Pastor Ray Frederick and CPA Larry Layton. You will NOT want to miss what they have to say. Between the two of them, they have impacted hundreds, if not thousands of people and their financial mindsets based on Biblical principles. More information TBA - stay tuned.

For now, please submit questions (if you have any) to be answered during the calls. If we use your question, we will mention your name on the call! Please post a comment to this Blog with your questions. Thanks!

What Are You Made For?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what God has made you for?
Or what your divine purpose is as a successful, faith-filled woman?
“We are the clay, and thou are Potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Isaiah 64:8

Consider this: We are as a lump of clay in the potter’s hand. God is molding and refining you with is caress and loving touch, and it is our job to remain pliable and in right spirit with God. This is true for all aspects of life and business. We are being molded for something truly magnificent, something that God will use for His appointed time.

When we consider all the elements of the wheel, water and pressure of the potter’s hands, how they all work together to create a beautiful earthen vessel, we can easily tie that craftsmanship to the work of God in our lives.

Sometimes it is hard to keep our balance and stay firmly planted where God has placed us. The pressures of the world, the economy, the weight of the care for the family can all feel as though they are mounting against us. What is key is to stay in touch with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that together you will be created into the beautiful piece of work that can solely be used by God and for His glory.

Be cautioned - the emotions of your inner man can get you off balance and out of sync. Just like an earthly potter’s emotion during working hours at the wheel plays a sensitive role in making a beautiful and durable earthen vessel. Every time a joyful potter puts clay on the potter’s wheels, spinning and forming it according to his will, the result is always superb and delightful beyond degree. On the other hand if grief floods the potter’s soul, no remarkable vessel is made by his grief-troubled hands. The product always reveals the potter’s emotion.

When we get off balance with Him, just as clay can become imbalanced on the potters wheel, we may go flying every direction or simply slump in the middle of the wheel, just as clay that is out of touch with the potter’s hand does. God wants to mold, sculpt and caress us into the divine beauty that He has planned for us to be. Will you allow him to?

Every believer is in the hands of God and being shaped according to His perfect will. As the potter pats the clay for a purpose, so is the Lord in shaping us through chastisement, not to destroy us, but to teach, discipline and strengthen us. It is also a wonderful manifestation of His great love for His children.

When God has completed the sculpting process according to His perfect will, we are not done yet. It’s time to get refined – in the fire! This process makes us strong, giving us stamina to endure the pressures of the world. -But He knows the way that I take when he has tested me. I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10

Caution: This is often when the enemy will come even stronger against us to get us to crack under the pressure of his lies and deceit. Stand firm child - God is there watching, strengthening, adorning and waiting to bring us up, through and out of that fire. On the other side of it you will be a piece of beautiful artwork, ready for His divine use. – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

We encourage you to stay the course, even if the pressure is seemingly too much to handle – ask for God’s hand to move to relieve, to support so that you may keep moving toward what He plans for you. Coming out of the fire too soon can actually cause us to crumble when the next round of pressure comes. Then, the process starts over again at the wheel. We have to be patient, wait on the Lord and rebuke the attacks from the enemy. – Casting all your care upon Him, for he cares or you. 1 Peter 5:7

1. How many times do you need to go back to the wheel?
2. How many times do you crack under the pressure of the refining, which is when God puts the beauty on us for His glory and purpose?
3. What do you feel at this moment?
4. Where are you in the process?
5. Imagine the sculptor and the gentle touch it takes to create a beautiful piece of art.
6. What shape are you noticing you are taking on through the process?
7. How will you use your new shape, adorned with His best, in the world, your family and your life?

The Wonderful Result

The result is so amazing to the point that we could be led to sing “How Great Thou Art.”

The final piece is not just for viewing pleasure; no, God wants to use you. He may make you a vase to adorn you with flowers for sharing their scent and beauty. He may make you a bowl for holding fruit to feed and nurture others with. He may make you a cup for watering souls. It’s always something to be shared, not kept hidden.

So true to believers in Christ, as we are in the Master’s hands, we go through a progressive process and the time will come when the greatness of our Maker will be displayed through our lives in an awesome way.

Think of where you have come from, how He has sculpted you thus far. Resist the temptation to come out of the fire too early, causing crumbling under pressure. Allow Him to finish what He has started with you. Remember what you have learned, and advance to the next stage. God wants you to have victory!

Koinonia Business Women - Who Are We?

Listen to our audio blog or read it below.

Tammy Redmon & Krista Dunk

Greetings,

My name is Tammy Redmon, co-founder of Koinonia Business Women: We are the premier source of encouragement, training and inspiration for faith-filled women business leaders in their life, career and walk with God.

Our hearts are to be in fellowship with God and like-minded believers: Expressing our depth and richness in joint participation.

Are you a Christian woman in Business?

Are you living to your full potential?

Are you looking for your purpose and passion?

At Koinonia Business Women we lift up and encourage professional women around the world to be bigger and bolder in their walk with God.

Our monthly meetings are a place to network with other like-minded believers, gain tools, clarity, Godly wisdom and encouragement as you seek to live life fully empowered, pushing toward your full potential.

At KBwomen we are Teaching faith-filled women how to have success by combining the principles of business & faith"

Our vision is to be the premier source of encouragement, training and inspiration that will forward women business leaders in their community and career.

Through fellowship and teaching we are lifting up today’s faith filled women leaders to realize the fullness of their God-given potential and anointed calling

With our monthly meetings, online teleseminar series, ebooks, and newsletters, the god-inspired offerings that we provide keep us top of mind as the single source in Godly encouragement, professional training and inspiration women believers.

KBwomen is taking Christian knowledge and combining it with business savvy attitudes and reaching out to professional, faith-filled women in our communities and beyond.

Join us at kbwomen.com to find out how you too can get plugged in to this rich and exciting God inspired resource!

We will see you soon.

Tammy and Krista

Mobile post sent by KBWomen using Utterli. Replies. mp3

What a Group!

Wow - we had a great Koinonia Business Women's meeting last night! There was wonderful diversity in ages and in businesswomen types - Business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, executives, managers, independent agents, and more.

The discussion time was rich, starting with Tammy's teaching on the "sling-shot" effect in our lives, leading to how to patch "cracks" that happen as we're challenged and stretched by personal growth. The atmosphere was encouraging, interactive, safe, and genuine.

Are you coming next month? Our next group meeting will be held Tuesday, November 18th in Olympia. Location TBA soon. RSVP now at http://www.kbwomen.com/.

October Meeting - New Location

Get ready... The October meeting for Koinonia Business Women is Tuesday, October 21st from 6:30-8PM. We'll be trying out a brand new meeting location with a private meeting room!
Meeting Location: Cutters Point Coffee, Martin Way SE, Lacey, WA. Easy access from I-5 also makes Cutters Point a great meeting spot for ladies traveling from Tacoma, etc.

Please visit www.KBwomen.com and RSVP for this meeting. Meetings are free! Bring a friend! We look forward to meeting you :-). Even if you forget to RSVP, please come anyway.

Who should attend? Godly women who are;

• small business owners,
• executives & managers,
• run a business for someone else,
• aspiring entrepreneurs,
• and in general - professional and business women!

If you feel like you belong here, then so do we.

Persecuted for Your Faith?

As a Christian businesswoman, I recently experienced some online persecution on a social networking site. Here is the irony - I was hoping to get feedback from other Christian business owners on the challenges they experience. With the abrupt hostility I faced, my own question was answered!

We in the U.S. experience "persecution" on a much smaller scale (usually) compared to Christians in other countries, where they experience financial, physical and even legal persecution for their faith. However, what we deal with is real none-the-less. Anti-Christian attitudes, unfair treatment, ignorance, slander, prejudice, and more rarely, attacks on property are realities of Christian life in the modern-day USA.

Realize this - the offenders, at the core, are against God, not us as individuals.

What can we do? Pray. Forgive. Do not let our hearts be troubled. Overcome the offense. Seek God on how to respond or if to respond at all. Sometimes the antagonist is actually seeking answers about God.

Are you wondering what I did? I did not respond - it was futile. These folks were questioning, yet not really wanting answers. "Light" and just the mentioning of "Christian" was offensive to their darkness. In this world we will have troubles, but He gives us His peace to see situations and people through His perspective. And now this situation can be shared to encourage others to press on towards the prize, no matter how many others want to trip you on the way!

Meeting #2 is Sept. 30th!

Yes that's right... This Tuesday, September 30th is Koinonia Business Women's 2nd live meeting happening in the Olympia/Lacey area. Ladies, if you're a Christian business owner, manager or executive, ministry leader, aspiring entrepreneur, independent consultant, manage a business someone else owns, etc., this meeting is for you.
Come for fellowship, skill building, networking, & fun.

Date: Tues, Sept. 30th
Time: 12:30-2PM
Location: 4431 Martin Way, Lacey - Fusion Cafe

Visit www.KBwomen.com to RSVP for our meeting. We will be also having two available in October - Dates & location TBA. We look forward to meeting you.

Our Inaugural Meeting!

Hello friends,

The first live meeting held by Koinonia Business Women was this week! We had women there from various aspects of the business world - even aspiring entrepreneurs.

At the end of our meeting time, we received feedback like this:

"This group is a God-send. An answer to my prayers."

"I need this group. I work with an office of all men, so this fellowship and time of refreshing from the Word is great!"

"I'm so excited to have the opportunity to join and be a part of this organization. Being around excellent people and learning from everyone inspires me."

Last night, Tammy and I shared our vision and extended an invitation to over 100 women at a large, Olympia church's women's event. Join us now! It's an exciting time for the Koinonia Business Women's organization. You belong here.

Krista Dunk, Co-Founder Koinonia Business Women www.KBwomen.com

Can God Bless the Work of Your Hands?

It's an interesting question, right? God says He will in many different scriptures. However, there are specific things potentially mixed with "work" which He cannot bless, such as:

• Lying, because He is truth,
• Laziness, because He gives us the power to get wealth,
• Lust, because He loves self-control,
• Selfish desires and fleshly ambition, because He cares for people and commands us to do the same,
• Pride (unteachable attitude or boastfulness), because He says He will lift up the humble,
• Indecision or unfulfilled promises, because He Himself makes promises and has covenants,
• Poverty mentality, because He's waiting to pour out the storehouses of Heaven,
• Bitterness, because He freely forgives you,
• Unfaithfulness, because He is faithful,
• Deceitfulness, because things done in secret will be brought into the open,
• Justifying wrong actions, because He searches and knows our hearts, and
• Worldly wisdom, because His ways are true wisdom.

We say "work" with quotes because your work is not solely what you get paid to do. It can include serving, a volunteer ministry, what you do at home for your family, any kind of effort you put forth (to of course include jobs, businesses, etc.). There is a character/attitude and a work ethic that is a very necessary ingredient of God being able to bless the work of your hands.

Keep coming back for more on this topic! Scroll down to subscribe to our Blog RSS feed and get alerted each time we post. Blessings...

Welcome to Koinonia Business Women's New Blog called "BLING"!

What is Koinonia Business Women?

Koinonia Business Women (KBW) is an organization originally created by two Christian business women in partnership for a joint purpose. We are "Building & Empowering Today's Christian Businesswomen".

What is this Blog for?

Ongoing conversation, encouragement, business skill building tips, Godly wisdom, and updates on KBW event information. We shift perspectives in thinking so that women stop under-living and start performing to their own personal greatness.

What does BLING stand for?

Building, Leading, Inspiring, & Nurturing Godly businesswomen! We liked the meaning behind BLING's word-play and we just like sparkly bling stuff too, so it was a perfect fit!

Who is this Blog for?

Professional women, aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, ministry leaders, executives, women who run/manage a business for someone else, and women in business in general.

Some of you ladies may be 'none of the above' (right now). However, if you feel you belong here anyway - welcome!

What does the word Koinonia mean?

Hearts in fellowship with God and with like-minded believers: Expressing our depth & richness in joint participation.

Where can I get more information?

You can visit www.KBwomen.com, and www.koinoniabusinesswomen.ning.com for more information!