Smart Women Keep It Simple: Getting Free from the Unending Demands and Expectations on a Woman's Life

Tired and frustrated with the treadmill of life that is going faster and faster? This book can help you.

How do you sort through the thousand demands upon your time, all clamoring for attention at once? So you prioritize and reprioritize; make snappier do-lists; get yanked this way and that-totally off balance; and end up feeling frustrated, guilty, and tired? Does life seem to be out of control?

Smart Women Keep It Simple shows how today's woman can get balance in her life by:

Accepting realistic limitations.

Cultivating realistic expectations.

Establishing realistic goals.

Annie Chapman believes the key is a simple devotion to Jesus Christ where a woman's ultimate commitment is to please Christ. Freedom begins when the unending demands and expectations of other people are evaluated in light of one's devotion to Christ. In her down-to-earth style, Annie Chapman shows how this truth can be lived out in daily life. Women will be helped to evaluate their marriages, mothering, and missions; eliminate attitudes that hinder devotion to Christ from flourishing; and establish life pattern that lead to growth in that devotion.

Born in West Virginia, Annie Chapman began studying music while attending Moody Bible Institute. Later she changed her major to Home Missions. Little did she know that the Lord would lead her into a highly successful music ministry to the family. A ministry that would include writing and singing songs that deal with interpersonal relationships, using Scripture and personal testimony as its source.

In her early teens Annie met her future husband Steve. They grew to be good friends throughout junior and senior high school and shared a special bond as born-again believers. Three years after graduating from Moody Bible Institute, Steve and Annie were married and became a part of the popular singing group "Dogwood." Annie toured with the group for three years before devoting herself full time to being a mother.

Annie never lost the desire to minister with her husband and in 1981 the Lord granted Steve and Annie's vision. Says Annie, "Ever since we were married, we wanted to be able to work together, so it was a nice transition for us to gradually develop our ministry."

Now her two children, Nathan and Heidi, contribute talent to their parents' ministry. Not only do they sing and record with Annie, but Nathan wrote a poem to his sister that was put to music and became a touching song about sibling love.

Since 1981 the Chapmans have recorded several albums (including a "musical" focusing on family commitment) in national distribution-all dealing with real-life situations, such as meeting the needs of one's spouse, rekindling the romance in marriage, parenting and its challenges, and "dating" from a biblical perspective. Annie and Steve not only sing together but have written Married Lovers, Married Friends and Gifts Your Kids Can't Break with Maureen Rank. Another of Annie's books, Smart Women Keep It Simple, is also co-authored with Maureen Rank.

The Chapmans have appeared on several television shows, including the Billy Graham Crusade. Steve and Annie were also featured guests of Dr. James Dobson in his film series "Turn Your Heart Toward Home."

size : 5.3 x 8.3