Jayne Bowers

    Eve's Sisters

     Over the past several months, I’ve become more aware of how the Bible can actually be used as a self-help book as well as a source for inspiration, guidance, and wisdom. Just this week I submitted my final galley proofs of  Eve's Sisters to Inspiring Voices, a publisher associated with Guideposts. The book demonstrates the application of both spiritual and psychological principles to the lives of women in the Bible and the women of today. Yes, I'm self-publishing, but that's a story for another day.

     Armed with a background in psychology, I could readily spot the application of certain psychological principles to their lives and ours. Like the women of today, the women in the Bible struggled with emotions, relationships, and personal choice as they navigated their way through life. They felt apprehension, jealously, and self-doubt. And like us, many of them squared their shoulders and faced their fears head on. They raised families, struggled with relationship issues, and suffered abuse. With its themes of love, faith, and individuality, and fulfillment, the Bible can actually be seen as a self-help book.

 Regardless of age, ethnicity, social class, nationality, race, religion, or century, we’re more alike than different. Old or young, rich or poor, American or Chinese, Christian or Jew, we’re all sisters and daughters in His kingdom. Some of us, like the sweet infant in this photograph, are just beginning our journey here on Earth while others have traveled down the road far enough to have learned a few lessons. As we walk life’s path, the women of the Bible and their stories can teach, encourage, and guide us along the way.

 I've begun working on an ebook about what community college students need to know to be successful in college. Many of them are first generation college students who are also juggling families, jobs, and a host of other responsibilities. At the same time, I KNOW what it takes for them to succeed...if only they would listen! Maybe they'll buy my ebook.

Being Alone on the Beach

by Judy Burges

For people like me who have lived all or nearly all of our lives on the coast of South Carolina, the beach is such an integral part of our lives that we can’t imagine not having it there within a short drive.  It’s not someplace special and magical that we visit for a week or two every summer and then leave, but it is a place where we can always go to escape from school, work, and all the details of everyday life.  It doesn’t matter how young or old we are or what our station in life is; the beach is always there to transport us from whatever we need to escape into a world of peace, calm, and tranquility.

I like going to the beach with family or friends and simply relaxing and enjoying the company of the people I care about, but what I really love is going to the beach alone.  Yes, as I get older it takes more of an effort to get there, but it is always worth it.  As soon as I sit down in that chair which seemed so heavy as I was hauling it over the sand dunes, and will seem even heavier on the return trip, all the cares of the world vanish.  I brought a book, but I don’t care about reading now; there are people all around me, but their activities don’t interest me; I could go for a walk, but what I really want to do is just sit here and be.  I can close my eyes, listen to the sound of the surf, feel the sun on my face, and think about absolutely nothing.  There is not another feeling in the world like it.  Whatever problems have been pressing on me at home or at work disappear, and I am left with nothing but the joy of being alive and in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  How can I have any worries when God has provided this place for me to sit quietly and recharge my batteries?

After a few minutes, or maybe an hour, of this quiet, I begin to be more conscious of my surroundings.  There are children building sand castles, teenagers throwing a football, couples and families strolling along the water’s edge.  It’s getting hot, and I get up for a quick dip in the ocean, then come back and take out the book I’ve been eager to begin reading.  I am back in the world, but with a new perspective and a feeling that whatever happens, I will be okay. So I guess this place is special and magical after all.