WOMEN NEED THE TOOLS TO KNOW HOW TO HAVE good relationships

stomach pain. I had an NG tube and couldn't talk. I could only listen, lie there, and be still. I don't know if I'd ever really been still before that in my whole life!"

During those eleven days in the hospital, Todd says, "God woke me up." A friend gave her some advice saying, "If Satan can't make you bad, he will make you busy." Todd was forced to stop. And listen. It was at that time she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. "One of the interns came into my room and said that Crohn’s had another name. It was called the Overachiever's Disease. Yup, overachieving and overextending, that's what I did really well!"

Todd stepped back from working with the worship team, the MOPS group she was leading, the band, and the southern gospel quartet. "I put the brakes on. I had to let go of things I loved and thought were great." Learning to live with Crohn’s Disease became Todd's new job. She cut out many foods and spices, cut back on activities and tried to keep her stress level down. She also embraced a new motto: "Just because I can do it doesn't mean I'm called to it."

"If I was overwhelmed, I got sick," Todd said. "After a busy week, I needed to rest. I worked a few days a week at my church; otherwise, I managed my schedule according to my body's needs. My husband was a busy guy so sometimes it was hard to be still. But being still for me was really the work of healing."

After a few of years of resting and healing, Todd felt better and was able to do more. She began doing special music and eventually formed a new band: One Fine Day. "We are an acoustic band that's a blend of contemporary Christian with country & blue grass undertones and just a hint of blues. The band includes Briana Leigh (lead vocals, harmony, guitar & rhythm) Renee Fuchs (bass, guitar, banjo & harmony) and Craig Mozley (guitar, bass, mandolin, rhythm).

I'll Follow You Still

"In this song I talk about being grateful for the life that’s been given. Clouds have parted. There is purpose and meaning."

Todd is the current women's ministry director at Alliance Church in Hawley, MN. "I work in the office and I see to various needs there. When I started we had a lot of outreaches but most of them, with the exception of MOPS, were for men. My kids were growing up and I was graduating out of MOPS, and became interested in developing opportunities for the women in our church. I wanted to see more events available where women could get together. I wanted women to have good friends. I knew what it was like not to have friends. I knew what it was like to be alone. During this time I fell in love with connecting women to each other."

Todd started a website in 2014 to spread the word about her singing and speaking. "Right now I love the speaking. I was called to do this.

All women need to know they are loved and they are beautiful. And they need the tools to know how to have good relationships with their husbands and with their friends." Todd's husband, Steve, has seen her work and encouragement. "He realizes how important it is and really supports me in the work."

Fashion Songs

Forthcoming songs Todd is working on

"I'm developing some songs about fashion. After having three children, I didn't know how to choose clothing anymore. My body was not the same shape as it was when I was 19. I'm writing some fun songs about that: all the struggles I had changing from being young, to being a mom and not knowing how to dress that body very well, and starting to age."

Todd's fashion knowledge is an expansion of what she studied in school and learned in 4-H. "In high school we all wore the same thing," Todd said. "Now I'm learning that what the media feeds us isn't necessarily what is best. We are each created differently. Each one of us is beautiful. In high school I wanted to be tan and blonde, but with my fair skin it didn't work!"

"After my children were born, I struggled to find something decent to wear outside of the house. I doubt my husband was too excited about my stayat-home mom uniform. I call those my 'lost fashion years'. Then I stumbled across a fashion book by Shari Braendel that reignited my fire."

"Because I'm a singer, clothes have always been important," Todd said. "I began reading more and taking tips from the book." As Todd tried out the new information, people complimented her on her colors. She started teaching friends and it grew into a new way for her to mentor and encourage women. "My passion for fashion has now become a ministry to help other women struggling with how to dress in a way that reflects their inner beauty."

"I am more interested in wearing what I look good in to honor my own personal style than in keeping up with trends," Todd said. "I like to wear what is somewhat current—nobody wants to look like they