When studying for any major test, such as the GED, it is important to create an environment that is conducive to learning the most possible during each study session.  There are several ways to help better your studies, below are a few examples of these effective study habits.

1) Eat healthy snacks a.k.a. “brain food”.  It is never good to study on an empty stomach.  Food helps to keep your body active while fueling your brain also.  Eating a healthy snack such as an apple with peanut butter will help to enrich your studies because apples are good carbohydrates, which release serotonin (a chemical that helps to calm your nerves) in your body, and peanut butter is filling and rich in healthy fats.  By eating while studying you avoid an upset stomach from stress and you induce better learning.

2) Study in environment that mimics the place you will be taking your test.  If you are taking your test in a formal classroom setting, it is best to study in a setting that is similar, such as at a desk.  If you spend your time studying on your couch in front of the TV, then you are creating an environment where your studies will be slowed due to distraction.  Also, studying in an environment like this makes you less mentally prepared for the long hours of sitting in a desk to take your test on the test date.

3) Listen to Classical Music.  While this theory has been disputed, there are many studies such as the Mozart Effect that have drawn positive conclusions that listening to classical music while studying stimulates a part of your brain that studying doesn’t typically use; thus opening your mind to absorb more knowledge in a different way.  So turn on some quiet classical music and see how the sound affects your studies.

While putting all of these study habits into effect, you can work with Joshua Resource Center to further your studies for the GED through their New Beginning Program.  To learn more about what the Joshua Resource Center has to offer please contact us.

“For the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7-NKJV)

Just as this Scripture states, God created us (women) to be powerful, loving and of a sound mind.  Because we are created in His image we are able to live in peace.  However, oftentimes life gets hectic and overwhelming and we find ourselves pulled in so many directions that we cannot begin to find any peace in our lives.

Here are three simple ways to create a peaceful environment:

1) Take a moment to turn off all media connection. By taking a moment to turn off the television, shut down the computer, and put your cell phone away, you will create a place of brief solitude where you can relax.  Take this time to catch up on some much-needed reading or to go for a walk.  Whatever you do during this time, make sure it doesn’t involve any type of media.  This will help you to create a healthy boundary in which you are not constantly consumed by other people’s thoughts and opinions in your life.

2) Keep a clean living space. Just as the old saying goes, “A cluttered space, leads to a cluttered mind,” living or working in a cluttered space creates anxiety.  So take a few minutes a day to straighten up the area you live and work in and you will notice a significant difference in your work/living quality because you will no longer have the distraction of a messy area that you know in the back of your mind you have to clean at some point.

3) Set aside a distinct time for yourself weekly. In the Bible God charges us to “Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us.  Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” (Ezekiel 20:20-NIV)  God urges us to set aside a time of Sabbath-a time of rest in Him.  It is understandable that you may not be able to take a full day each week just to rest, but it is essential to your peace to set aside some time to yourself each week.  By doing this you are able to set a healthy boundary with loved ones and employers/coworkers, while honoring God.

In order to be a successful woman, it is essential to have a sense of peace in your life.  If you are able to create an environment of peace, you will be more equipped to function successfully on a day-to-day basis, while setting up healthy life boundaries, thus breaking a cycle of over-work and emotional drainage.

To learn more about how to live a life of peace check out Joshua Resource Center and learn about our New Beginnings Program.

A Blount County organization with the mission of helping women better themselves through training, mentoring and empowerment received monetary votes of confidence from the Knoxville Chapter of E-Women network.

E-Women assist members in building their businesses and lives through networking, encouragement and emotional support.

Emily Cox, chairwoman of the E-women Network Foundation grant review committee said her organization selected Joshua Resource Center (JRC) from a slate of 15 non-profits in the greater Knoxville area. The Knoxville chapter recently completed its first year as a chartered organization. Cox said the committee felt JRC’s mission correlated with the fundamental spirit of the E-women Network – women supporting women in business and in their lives.

“JRC provides women in need the educational support to enter the workplace” Cox said.  “They are helping women to get back in the workplace and feel a purpose, which is the spirit of the E-women network locally and nationally.”

The organization wanted to give the grant to a small organization that helps women. Cox explained that many small organizations don’t have the same access to a variety of grants, as do larger organizations. E-Women raises money for its grants by auctioning off products and services donated by individual businesswomen who belong to the organization at each of its monthly meetings. The organization provided JRC with a $6,000 grant.

Pat Thompson, founder and president of JRC, accepted the award in Dallas, TX.

“The grant has provided more women and children with life-changing assistance” she said. “The Joshua Resource Center helped 11 women earn their high school diploma in 2008. That means 11 women have more self-esteem and confidence and are better prepared to support and care for themselves and their children.”

Kathy Kagley, JRC’s program director is excited to see so many of these women and other JRC participants become employed or improve their employment.  Kagley said, “this would not be possible without the financial help from the e-Women network.”

For more information about E-women, visit their website.  Joshua Resource Center may be reached by calling 865-380-5370.

Restoring “hope and dignity – one life at a time” is the mission of the Joshua Resource Center (JRC), a faith based organization empowering women in Tennessee.

JRC has worked with hundreds of women who have lost their personal power. They have lost the understanding of their uniqueness as a woman and they have lost the power of knowing their value and worth.

Psalm 139:13-16 says that God “..created her inmost being; He knit her together in her mother’s womb…His eyes saw her unformed body”.  Therefore, she has priceless value even before she is born.  She was and is loved by Her Creator, God, and He formed her uniquely and specifically to be a person of value with skills and talents.  When a woman explores this truth and integrates it into her foundational core of beliefs, she begins the journey of reclaiming her personal power.

This understanding creates an environment for her to stir up the dreams in her heart that have been stagnate and suppressed.  As her dreams are allowed to be a part of her, it motivates her soul to come alive, to wake up with energy for the day, hope for tomorrow and joy of being on the journey.

Dreams give meaning to establishing priorities for living her life on purpose.  To establish a dream, to see it become a reality requires the power to set life priorities that nurture the dream and allow it to grow.  This means saying NO to some things and some people and yes to others.  Priorities must be set for the significant areas of your life; spiritually, financially, emotionally, physically and mentally.  You will feel uncomfortable establishing a new normal in your life but it is worth it! A scripture that I have memorized and personalized it for myself comes from Psalms 3:5-6.  It helps to calm me when I am feeling anxious or uncertain and establishes my focus again and again; “I will trust in the LORD with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways I acknowledge him (God), and he (God) will make my paths straight.”

Reclaiming your personal power includes setting goals that align with your priorities and life purpose.  Life purpose is not always a grand dream or vision somewhere out in the future.  Life purpose includes the here and now; it definitely includes being a woman which is a wonderfully, unique opportunity; it may include being a mother, a wife, friend, neighbor, what you do in your career and how that makes a difference for others, to name a few examples.  Set your goals in full view of your dream(s), priorities and life purpose.

Your goals need to have an estimate of time; when will you start and when do you expect to complete the goal?  You will need tasks listed within the goal that are needed to accomplish the overall goal.  These are your small steps that allow you to begin and started moving toward your goal.  They must be in writing and kept visible where you can read and refresh yourself as often as possible.  Don’t be afraid of writing them down!  These are goals and target dates that you want to honor with the best of your ability and resources.  You become empowered each time you complete a step toward your purpose or goals.  When you need to modify and change a goal or date, do it!  Stay on the journey – keep moving forward!

Your power is in the understanding that you are valuable.  The unique person that makes up who you are; your unique personality, talents, skills, education, experience, faith, hair color, eyes, body shape are needed in this world.  Your dreams in the depth of your soul, your heart, your being are needed in this world.  You are needed to fulfill your part of the journey of life that is and will connect to thousands of other who need you to be present, to be giving, to be receiving, to be real, alive, and contributing with the uniqueness that is you alone.  If your fingerprint is unique to you alone and it is; how much more valuable is your wholeness important to the world!  Reclaiming your power includes integrating this truth into your life, your foundational core of beliefs.

Reclaiming your power is active not passive.  You cannot simply think and wish for your life to be different.  It requires thinking and dreaming and resting and refreshing but it also requires much being, much doing before you will begin to see the changes.  Learning to have joy in the process is powerful!  Some days or even moments will be a delight and others will not.  Disappointment, discouragement, setbacks and setups will be a part of your journey, just as they are now.  How you handle those circumstances will determine how well you maintain your power as a woman.  Learn to laugh more, feel the joy of being on the journey, love who you are and who you will become!

A woman of power, true beauty inside and out, giving herself to the purpose she was created for in her mother’s womb; is there anything more beautiful?

Participation in JRC’s New Beginnings Program, empowers women to break the cycle of poverty and abuse.  To learn that God created her to have a good future; a future that challenges and restores her to the power and purpose He intended for her (Jeremiah 29:11).  JRC invites women to explore this truth and integrate it into her foundation, her core beliefs for reclaiming her power as a woman.

You can learn more about Joshua Resource Center’s program by calling 865-380-5370.

Written by Patricia Thompson, Founder and President, Joshua Resource Center, Inc. 501(c) 3, 2004-2009.  Patricia is the 2008 Crystal Award Recipient for her work with women and children in TN.  She also received the 2008 Femtor Award from E-Women Network, the world’s largest international association of business women.  She is the author of “Inspirational Stories of Ordinary Women” and has published many articles advocating women’s issues.

Learning positive personal boundaries are critical to good self-image, confidence and a healthy lifestyle.  At JRC we help women who normally do not have healthy boundaries and are seeking self-sufficiency to break the cycle of abuse and poverty in their lives.  I want to introduce you to Sharon (not her real name) whose story is an example of extremely poor boundaries that held her captive in a very abusive marriage for years.

Sharon wrote, “I am a survivor of domestic violence. To most people I appear to be happy. I live in a good, quiet neighborhood, but I have a secret. Have you ever heard the saying, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors?” For almost thirteen years I was like a prisoner, shut off from family and friends, but unlike real prisoners, I had no hope for early release for good behavior. I am married, (soon to be divorced) to an alcoholic, drug abuser whose only concern is where his next six-pack or his next high is coming from.  But, that wasn’t all; he was very controlling, and so violent. I couldn’t tell you how many times he became violent. I never knew from one minute to the other if something would set him off, so of course I never knew when the next slap, hit, black eye or the next hateful word would occur.  How many broken promises? Words were spoken only to be broken.”

She continued, “A little over a year ago I got very sick, and had to go the hospital. I feared I wouldn’t make it. Two days before critical tests were being run on me, my husband picked up his things and left me.  But, I thank God for that day because my eyes became wide open and I knew at that moment I could never rely on him for anything.”

During this traumatic time of Sharon’s life she found the Joshua Resource Center and through the “Setting Healthy Boundaries Series” she learned new ways to live a healthier life emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Sharon learned TIP #1 – That she had a right to set her personal boundaries.  That setting healthy boundaries was necessary for developing and maintaining a good self-image of who she is.  This allowed her to communicate to her husband and to others her new found self-respect and self-worth.  That she would no longer accept inappropriate behavior from them.

Tip # 2 – Sharon learned that other people’s feelings and needs are not more important than her own.  This was a real paradigm shift for Sharon as she had spent most of her life trying to care for and to please others without regard for what it was doing to her.

Tip # 3 – Sharon learned it is ok to say NO.  It was destroying her to please others.  In addition to being a prisoner to her husband’s abuse, she literally was eating herself to death and had gained well over four hundred pounds of weight,

Tip # 4 – Sharon learned to communicate her feelings and needs to others in regard to the boundaries that were comfortable for her.  She found it easier to let someone know when they crossed those boundaries or behaved inappropriately toward her.

Tip # 5 – She also learned to trust her-self to know what is best for her.

This is the rest of Sharon’s story as she describes what she experienced during the year long program she attended at JRC, “I can tell you what I found – women who were going through similar things like we were. This is the part I like to call the healing process; I learned I am somebody and what I think does matter. I learned boundaries and how to set them and use them daily.  My husband did call and threatened me and broke in a few times, and I had many sleepless nights but I could tell him no and I did not want his drinking or drugs or abuse in my life. I let him know that these were not acceptable to me, and it felt victorious!”

JRC’s holistic program invites a woman like Sharon to explore the truth of her value as a person and teaches her through a series of lessons how to set boundaries for living a healthy life.

Participation in JRC’s New Beginnings Program, empowers women like Sharon to break the cycle of poverty and abuse.  God created her to have a good future; a future that challenges and restores her to the hope and purpose He intended for her (Jeremiah 29:11).  JRC invites her to discover this truth and integrate it into her foundation for change and restoration.

Restoring “hope and dignity – one life at a time” is the mission of the Joshua Resource Center (JRC), a faith based organization empowering women in Tennessee.

You can learn more about JRC’s program by visiting our website at www.JoshuaResourceCenter.org or calling us at 865-380-5370.

Written by Patricia Thompson, Founder and President, Joshua Resource Center, Inc. 501(c) 3, 2004-2009.  Patricia is the 2008 Crystal Award Recipient for her work with women and children in TN.  She also received the 2008 Femtor Award from E-Women Network, the world’s largest international association of business women.  She is the author of “Inspirational Stories of Ordinary Women” and has published many articles advocating women’s issues.

If you’re wondering about the GED, you probably need your high school diploma. The GED is a second chance for people who never graduated high school. How does it work? The GED exam is made up of 5 tests, in reading, writing, science, social studies, and math. After passing the GED exam at an official GED test center, your state department of education awards you a diploma. The GED diploma is accepted by almost all U.S. colleges and employers, including the U.S. military and police academies across the country.

The GED is for people who need a high school diploma for work, school, or personal achievement. Any adult who doesn’t have a high school diploma is qualified to take the exam, whether you’re 18 or 80. If you’re between the ages of 16 and 18, your state requirements may vary. Most states have special requirements for people below age 18, since it’s better for most people to stay in school and get their traditional diploma.

It’s no secret that life is easier with a GED diploma. You’re qualified for more jobs, and you can go to college to train for a career. Plus, you gain the self-respect that comes with earning your diploma. A lot of people are afraid the GED will be too hard, though. They have jobs and children, and so they don’t have time for classes. Plus, they had a hard time in school and aren’t looking forward to another classroom.

Earning the GED doesn’t have to be hard, with the right preparation, and there are a lot of options for GED preparation. Traditional GED classes are often available for low cost at your local adult school, community college, or library, and GED preparation books are available at libraries, bookstores, and online.

The most promising new option for GED prep, though, is online learning. Many GED learners struggle with traditional textbooks, but online GED preparation can provide guided, interactive, easy-to-understand learning tailored to you. It’s better than a classroom for most learners because you can study at home, at your own pace. Through your computer, you can get personalized, one-on-one study time that helps you prepare for the GED quickly and easily.

Whichever kind of GED preparation works best for you, it’s important to make a commitment to get a GED, if you’re an adult without a high school diploma. As time goes on, the job market gets more competitive. More jobs require high school diplomas or college coursework. The GED is your chance to make up lost time, earn a diploma, and get on track for success.

For more information about GED Classes in the Knoxville are, call Joshua Resource Center at 865-380-5870 or contact us online.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/is-the-ged-right-for-me-1164857.htm

It is a fact that emotional abuse is a common denominator in many marriages. However, the irony is that most of the times both the abuser and the victim are unaware of the fact that their marriage is marred by emotional abuse.

This is because emotional abuse often means one thing to the victim and another to the abuser. Both the abuser and the victim play an important role in this vicious cycle. On the one hand, the abuser is both a coward and a bully at the same time. He/she exposes his/her partner to such an inhuman treatment because he/she is sure that there will be no serious repercussions for this act on his part. On the other hand, the victim, often due to ignorance or for the sake of the marriage plays the role of a passive martyr.

What is needed is a heightened level of awareness on the part of both the spouses to save each other from this common vice. Any constructive relationship has to be based on mutual respect and understanding and a genuine concern for each other’s views, beliefs and opinions.

What is Emotional Abuse?

Emotional abuse often comes in the form of a bulky package. It involves a variety of behaviors aimed at battering the heart and the soul of the victim so as to gain effective control over him/her. The various attributes of emotional abuse are:

a) Isolation

Many a times the abuser tries to socially isolate the victim so as to make him/her dependent on himself/herself for his/her basic social needs and aspirations. A series of restrictions and controls are imposed over the victim, to gain control over his/her social life. It is the abuser who often decides about the persons with whom the victim will interact and the friends with whom he/she will socialize. Any external social support system imposes a threat and a challenge to the abusers authority over the victim. The abuser may often deliberately insult the victim’s friends and relatives so as to scare them away. The abuser may resort to emotional blackmailing, mood swings, tantrums and denial of communication to impose his/her will over the victim. He/she may take recourse to actively spying over the victim and may openly question his/her loyalty towards marriage. This is invariably accompanied by unreasonable demands on him/her. The chain of events may include checking on the victim, depriving him/her of any transport or means of communication, inquiring about his/her daily routine, criticizing his/her friends and relatives and so on.

b) Verbal Abuse

By verbal abuse we often understand yelling, shouting and calling names, which is very true. However, many a times the abuser may not be that blatant in his/her modus operandi and may take recourse to a subtle approach by using tacitly insulting or humiliating remarks. The basic motive is to undermine the victim’s sense of self worth and shatter his/her self esteem. Verbal abuse may also include insulting and criticizing the victim’s family, name calling, being sarcastic, making threats, blaming, etc.

c) Financial Abuse

Financial abuse is an extension of the emotional abuse where the abuser uses money as a tool to gain control over the victim. The abuser may deny appropriate financial freedom and support to the victim or may place unrealistic financial responsibilities on his/her shoulders. The abuser may exhibit financially irresponsible behaviour so as to disturb or confuse the victim.

Emotional Abuse is Worse than Physical Abuse

Though emotional abuse unlike physical abuse does not leave us with bruised eyes and swollen faces, still it is worse than physical abuse. The victim often fails to realize that he/she is being abused and may have his/her mind and soul bludgeoned to an extent where he/she may consider himself/herself responsible for his/her plight.

In the long run, emotional abuse may seriously damage a person’s mental and physical health.  You have every right to protect yourself and your children from the long term damage of emotional abuse.

For more information contact the Joshua Resource Center at 865-380-5370.

In the United States, one in four women and one in nine men suffers physical or emotional violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Researchers asked adult participants in the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey if they would answer questions about intimate-partner violence. More than 70,000 Americans – just over half those asked- agreed. The results are alarming, especially because this study was done over 6 years ago.

The results:

• 23.6% of women and 11.5% of men reported at least one lifetime episode of intimate partner violence.
• In households with incomes under $150,000 per year, 35.5% of women and 20.7% of men suffered violence from an intimate partner.

• 43% of women and 26% of men in multiracial non-Hispanic households suffered partner violence.
• 39% of women and 18.6% of men in America Indian/Alaska Native households suffered partner violence.
• 26.8% of women and 15.5% of men in white non-Hispanic households suffered partner violence.
• 29.2% of women and 23.3% of men in black non-Hispanic households suffered partner violence.
• 20.5% of women and 15.5% of men in Hispanic households suffered partner violence.

“The majority of those who report violence- and the burden is predominantly on women- reported multiple forms. They experienced threats and attempts and assaults and unwanted sex,” Michele Black, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, tells WebMD.

If you or someone you know is suffering physical or emotional abuse, contact the Joshua Resource Center at 865-380-5370.

Lives being transformed!  Healed Without Scars is changing the blueprint of women’s lives that have been filled with brokenness, pain and self destruction to a blueprint of a future life filled with purpose, power and peace!

Lives are being transformed – JRC is accepting new clients for the Healed Without Scars series.  No charge for women who qualify.   March 10 was the first class and taught by Pat Thompson, Founder & President of JRC.