Ready to Get Real?

Hello, friends!

If you are coming over from Lelia’s blog, you are in the right place! I am honored to have authored the featured book for Lelia’s newest on-line study, Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women. Rest assured that as the facilitator of this study, Lelia has prayed over her decision and given careful consideration to what study to lead you in next. That girl loves you all so much! I am excited to get to know many of you as she already has.

And for those of you are stopping by and haven't come over from Lelia's blog, welcome to you, too! Glad you are checking in. If you are interested in joining this on-line study, please visit Lelia to link up. If not, I'd love for you to read on, anyway! I promise...this post is not nearly as long as my last one. (I know, I know...a collective sigh of relief.) :)

So...next question. Who am I and what is Behind Those Eyes really all about?

I’m so glad you asked. :)

Behind Those Eyes is the story of a woman who got tired of pretending and finally decided to choose what was real. It is about a woman who one day realized she didn’t have to have it all together to be loved by her Jesus. It is about being genuine…getting honest…and telling the truth. It is a book that’s impact relies heavily on the heartcry of its reader. It goes there, and if you take part in its study, you’ll have to…too.

But don’t let that scare you. You are in great company if you’re uncertain as to whether or not you are ready to face truth. The woman I write about didn’t start out wanting to be real. For some time, she wasn’t fully committed to truth. No, it wasn’t something that came easy to her. She was a born pretender, like so many who share her gender.

But one day, in a hair salon on the other side of town, she had a conversation with a hair stylist that changed her life. She didn’t go in expecting to find a story or get a spark of inspiration. She wasn’t looking for a light bulb moment or a “change your life” in a day scenario. But that’s exactly what happened. Because in a simple everyday interaction, Jesus showed up in the most unlikely of places and in the deepest places of her heart, showed her a picture of the game of pretense she had been playing. And it forever changed her soul.

That woman, of course, was me. I wrote the book for you. And most of all, I wrote the book for me. Because I am the first one to need to hear its truth. I didn’t want to tell on myself quite as much as I do or be as honest as I was in the 10 chapters of this book. (I hope you can handle my truth, friends, as you read it.) But I simply couldn’t ask you to go there and get real if I wasn’t willing to first go there, myself.

If you’ve visited my blog before, you know I have a passion for keeping it real. It is a passion that has burned in my heart ever since I learned the value of living and walking in truth. HE is truth, friends. Trust Him with your heart when you crack it open to see what’s hidden deep inside. And remember that when you do, Satan will fight you at every turn. Count on him to be up to his old tricks. He’ll likely try to convince you that being real isn’t really that important. He may tell you that your secrets can stay neatly tucked away, and you’ll never have to go there if you don’t want to. He will probably tell you that you have done all right so far without being authentic and genuine. But don’t believe the lies. The master of deception hates it when we get real, because he knows that at the end of all things true and honest stands our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And his evilness would prefer that we never make our way to Him.

I am praying for you, friends, as you start this study. I will do so by name, and I will do so often. I am always open to your thoughts and comments, as God speaks to your heart and calls you to His Truth. I am truly honored to journey through this study with you.

Oh, and on a slightly lighter note (since the book has many funny and VERY TRUE stories in it to illustrate its truths), there’s a piece of interesting trivia about it that you may not know. (And those of you who DO know, you are banned from the competition. You know who you are. :) ) The title of the book was not originally Behind Those Eyes. When I submitted it to Thomas Nelson, it had a different working title. If you want to take a guess as to what you think it once was, leave me a comment and you could win a free book to begin your study! Since most of you have not yet read the book, I’ll give you a small hint. It is a two-word title that looks at the pretense of females in a completely different way. Get your creative thinking caps on and give it a guess.

I want to leave you with one thought to consider as you begin this journey through Behind Those Eyes. And it is that “the truth may initially hurt, but the truth may be the best thing that has ever happened to you.” And you can quote me on that. :)

On the Truth-telling journey with you!

P.S. If you read my last post you know that I am scheduled to be in the Caymans Island today. But due to Gustav, we were postponed until a later weekend. Obviously, Shari and I are disappointed (as are the ladies who were coming to the retreat), but God has a plan. I have to admit, I'm thankful that plan didn't involve flying into a Level 3 hurricane. But hey -- I was willing. :)