The Women's Empowerment Group

 Pauline Respress, BAS,M.Ed., I often find myself in a state of confusion when I place my trust in man. The more I grow the more I realize that I must never place my trust fully in man.  Man will at times shake us to our core if we place our trust in them.  Trust is a very funny animal at times--one action or inaction can in fact shoot a spear through those that we trust. We begin to question whether or not the person is trustworthy and the cycle of doubt begins to seep in and taint our ability to trust. This is when we must place our trust in GOD and ask him to protect us and even us.   Even us-- so that we can first trust him and then allow us to walk with him as we encounter untrustworthy people. Trust at times can be fleeting, even elusive.  Because at times it is hard to decipher who comes to help or hurt. Sometimes the devil comes to us disguised as a lamb ; and when our instincts kick in and sends up a red flag--we must ask God to streng...

When I think of God's infinite wisdom, my mere finite wisdom is at awe.  As I grow more and more into my woman-ness, I find that true wisdom is received through simply living. Simply taking one day at a time and aspiring for God to give just us a portion of his wisdom when we need it. Wisdom is rooted in action though--we must live and live fully in order to achieve it. We must allow life to punch us and stab at us, until the lessons become apparent and then wisdom shows up. Wisdom is a state that we achieve after the storms and winds of life. It is the gold star that we achieve as a result of living through and surviving life's many winding roads. The roads of life are much like God's infinite wisdom, there are too many for the human eye to see--to wrap our heads around.  But the more we live --the more chances we have to encounter --another chance to be infused with a tad bit more wisdom. When I think of the bible and the many stories that are enclosed within it--...

At times we can stay stuck in what used to be--we have memories of who we used to be-- and those memories can at times-- stop us from being who we are today. I remember a time that I was able to just get a job with not much effort. It was as though I was miraculously put in a place that needed me. But as the years rolled by this mojo seemed to wain,--slowly. So what do we do when we are not able to do what we used to do? When time and circumstances don't seem to match up---When hope and action has been activated--And all that we have worked towards doesn't seem to align with where we are.  In these moments we have to trust that GOD would not prepare us for something-- that he will not provide. He will not show us things in our visions that he will not in time- HIS time have us to experience. Our goal is to stay in the mindset of change-as GOD introduces us to new experiences we must morph ourselves into who he aspires for us to be. We must practice daily the ability t...

Sometimes we must take a look at our vision and ask ourselves the question. What am I trying to accomplish? What is the ultimate place that I want to land.  Do I want to be a mere carbon-copy of what I see around me?-- or do I want to stand out from the crowd. We all have different reasons for being here on earth..we all were placed here for a purpose. When we can attach our purpose to our vision then we can begin the work of traveling where we are suppose to go. Our purpose is the place in us that drives us--it is that thing that we live to do. Sometimes my vision is greater than the place that I stand, it is my look over the horizon beyond the human eye. If I can see that there are possibilities in my vision, then it tells me for sure that it is achievable. We must start with a vision no matter how small --or large, and then take that vision and nurture it--give that vision all of the energy that you can muster. Everyday we must take out our vision and scan it for potential f...

Pauline Respress, BAS, M.Ed., As I age-- I realize the importance of being able to say that I might be wrong. In a sense wrongs right us. They allow us to reshape and reform our thinking. Our paradigm's become fluid and are able to be adjusted and corrected as we go. Our thinking is in our control, we are able to take a thought and turn it inside out. Our thoughts no longer rule us--we rule them. The old tapes that habitually play in our minds become a mute point. We can literally turn the volume down and no longer listen to them. A tree tells us much about right and wrong, a tree stands firmly in the ground and cares not about its wrongness or rightness--it simply is --it simply exists and goes with the flow of the seasons. Sometimes it blooms too early and other times too late-- but it still carries on. It still embraces it's space and its uniqueness even among all of the other trees that stand around it. For many years I shivered at the idea of being wrong--of not g...

  Pauline Respress, M.Ed.,   As I travel on this journey, I realize more and more how much power the word NO possesses. It frees us and other to take care of themselves. It turns a caretaker or codependent person into someone who takes care of themselves. It draws a line in the sand for some and tells them I am here for you--but this is where this train ride ends. Some may throw fits and kick and scream and call you unmentionables. But eventually they come to know --that love does not mean saying YES all of the time.  Love means I will honestly express to you what I am feeling and I will tell you NO from a place that is good, a place that has learned to look out for me as well as for you. A place that can no longer take the back seat-- all of the time, out of fear of losing you. A place that is stronger now, more whole now. This new place holds great meaning to me --it is born out of a lifetime of hiding myself out of fear of shining way to m...

At some point in life we have to set boundaries. Boundaries are clear imaginary lines that we place between us and the world. Boundaries are necessary in order to keep people from invading our sacred space. Sometimes when we do not communicate to people --people infer that anything is game. That they can do or say anything to you with no consequences. If you can imagine with me for a moment-an imaginary circle around you --much like a hoola-hoop. When we invite people into our lives they live outside of that circle, until we willingly allow them in. Everyone is not meant to be inside of our circle--some must always live outside of your circle. This does not mean that we don't communicate with them--it just means that they remain at arms length. My mother use to says that you--feed them with a long-hand spoon. I have always been open to everyone allowing them into my most sacred place--but I have learned on my journey that we maintain our level of peace, by not allowing in those t...