Which will you choose?

It’s great to be back!

Before I write anything else, I would first like to thank all of you who sent in your stories for my book. It has been truly amazing to hear about how God has touched each of your lives in very different ways. Through your testimonies, I am reminded anew how only the love of our Heavenly Father can truly satisfy a heart and change a life. Thank you for your honesty and your willingness to share with complete vulnerability in order to impact a reader’s life. These stories surely will. So, thanks!

If you’ve wondered where I’ve been for the past several weeks, our family just got back from a week’s fun in sunny Florida! We have had this trip planned for many months, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. After the flurry of school starting, two birthdays, our wedding anniversary, the conference, Bible study, and the book edits, my brain was in full overload and needed to do some “brainless” activity! Where better to do that but DisneyWorld? :)

Needless to say, we had a great time. The kids are at just the right age to go, as we no longer needed diaper bags or strollers to haul around…and they were all willing to walk without being carried! It was a beautiful thing for us, as we have never been in that position before on a vacation. We had great empathy for our fellow Disney-goers who were in that current situation. We wanted to tell all of them, “Believe me, it gets easier!” (In some ways, that is. :))

The point of my blog today is not to tell you about all the fun we had, though I could fill this blog with our many adventures. But there is something I observed on our vacation that I am itching to write about, since it ties in heavily to my next book, Behind Those Eyes. And these days, that is heavily on my brain.

On the way to Disney, we made a quick stopover at SeaWorld in Orlando. I must admit, this was as much for me as it was for the kids. I absolutely LOVE all things water, including (but not relegated to) aquariums and sea life. Once there, we did the necessary rides to appease the kids and visited several gift shops full of stuffed Shamu’s and shark necklaces. But the highlight for me came with the Sea and Land show… code for dolphins and birds. I was mesmerized with all the sights and sounds around me – the vibrant colors of the stage and the grand costuming of the performers. I was amazed and enthralled by the acrobatics and the mastery of the performing dolphins, all jumping in unison on a single cue. It was a beautiful representation of the genius of God of the Universe in creating such magnificent creatures of the deep.

As I took in the show, I periodically glanced around the auditorium filled with 5,000 + fellow SeaWorld attendees, all of whom appeared to be sharing in my awe. It was then that I decided that this had to have been one of the happiest places on earth…watching a dolphin show at SeaWorld. I saw older men, young children, moms, dads, teenagers, grandmothers, and babies, alike, all grinning madly and applauding loudly. It was a happy, blissful scene.

But as we left the auditorium that day at the conclusion of the show, I noticed that the bliss left with us. I overheard one woman in front of me as she snapped to her young son, “Sean, you just stepped on my foot! Watch where you are going!” The smiles and looks of pure glee had been erased from the faces of those who had minutes before looked like they could not have been happier. Which brings me to my point. In this life, is it happiness we are searching for…or something else entirely?

Robert J. Morgan, a pastor and author from Tennessee, once said in a sermon, “Happiness is an emotion, and joy is an attitude. Emotions come and go, but attitudes come and grow.” This statement could not have been truer had he written it specifically for my friends at SeaWorld. And I witnessed its truth that day, firsthand.

So, while we may think we just want to achieve happiness in this life, happiness is quite a fickle emotion. Just like those of us experienced 25 minutes of pure happiness during a Sea and Land show at SeaWorld, so do we experience temporary moments of happiness most everyday of life. Want proof? Think about savoring a meal full of all your favorite dishes. For those few minutes of indulgence, you are truly happy. Getting a great parking space at the mall brings at least a few seconds of happiness. And receiving a kiss from a child you love has the same effect.

But then…what are we really left with? When the emotion comes and goes, what stays with us? Do we live from happy emotion to happy emotion to fill a void deep in our soul for something lasting?

I submit to you today that what we are looking for is JOY, not happiness. A joy that is lasting and true. A joy that cannot be squelched by outside circumstances or determined by happy moments in life. This joy is amazing and it only comes from one source… Jesus Christ.

Think about that today. Are you happy? Or are you full of joy? There is a big difference, I have discovered.

I, for one, choose joy.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11

Help me write my book!

I need your help in writing my next book!

As you may know, the book I have coming out in April is entitled, Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women. Here is the description of the book, taken from the Thomas Nelson catalog… “A look at the various roles women play as they cover for the inadequacies they feel, why they do so, and who they really are in and through Jesus Christ. Behind Those Eyes encourages women to face the reality of who they are and who God created them to be. The result helps to mend broken souls, repair relationships, and strengthen connections with family and friends.”

So, here’s where you come in…

~Do you have a story or insight that speaks of a time when you tried to be perfect, act confident when you really weren’t, tried to fake being happy, or wanted people to see you as more spiritual than you really were?

If you do, then please send it my way! It just might be included in one of the chapters! (Please only send stories that you don't mind sharing with the readers. First names only will be used, and names can be changed for protection and privacy. Send stories to lwhittle@juno.com.)

But here’s the catch…

1) I am in a little bit of a time crunch. This book has already been edited and is now in the stage that it will go to proofing by Nov. 1…so…I have this week to work on it, but then next week we are on vacation all week. When I get back, I will have two weeks to complete the copyedited manuscript changes until my deadline. So, I would need your story soon!

In tweaking the book, it became apparent that we needed a few additional different kinds of stories to appeal to a cross-section of women…which brings me to my next stipulation…

2) If you are married, I need a story that doesn’t involve your husband or children (if you have them). We are looking for stories from when you were single or before you had children.

I can’t wait to hear from you! I know you have a story to tell!
Lisa :)

All...Him!!!!

If excitement were an emotion I could adequately express through the keyboard, you would see that my heart is doing back flips right about now. Breath of Heaven 2007 came…and went…and left a God-sized impression on many hearts, including my own!

There are so many things I could write about this morning, regarding the weekend. I could talk about the speakers and the messages they shared -- how their words of encouragement and truth resonated with everyone in the room…or the dramas -- how completely insightful and meaningful they were (my gifted friend, Vanessa, wrote and acted in several of them)…or the dances -- how moving and beautifully appropriate they were…or the music -- how we jammed, rocked, and praised Adonai together…or the videos -- how funny and clever they were…or the set -- how amazing the lighting and staging looked -- SO many things…too many things…that I could write about this morning, though all the adjectives I am coming up with right now to describe the conference aren’t quite doing it for me, as I think back on my experience.

The truth is…I really want to write about something else -- something that made this weekend much more for me than just another conference.

This past weekend, I watched the body of Christ work together in the most beautiful way to accomplish what one person would not be able to manage alone. And it was one of the most thrilling things I have ever watched happen.

See, forgive me for being cynical, but with all of the discord, backbiting and backstabbing that often goes on in Christian communities, (and we likely all, have at some point, experienced), I admit that sometimes I fall into the trap of believing that Christians simply cannot co-exist for long without drama. And…even if we can manage to co-exist for a period of time, we certainly cannot work together without something happening to break the cohesion at some point.

But this weekend changed my mind.

This weekend convinced me that what God details about the body of Christ in I Corinthians 12 is, indeed, both His intention and His passion for us as sisters and brothers in Christ. Because, as I witnessed with Breath of Heaven, where the spirit of the Lord is, there can be and will be…cohesion.

My mind this morning is filled with thoughts about our cohesive team. I love and appreciate all of them so much that I simply have to share them with you…

~The gift of service was manifested by….women like Cindy, Melissa, Valarie, Traci, Carole, Rita, Ashley and Shannon…women who came and gave of their time and talents to create an atmosphere of love and warmth out of their pure love for God and others. (Thanks, Dianne, for lugging the rug to the church and back!) And women like Lynda…a beautiful woman who radiates joy in literally every situation and lives to serve God and those she meets. (You think I inspire you, girl? You inspire me…doubly.) Greta, Rhonda, Dawn, MaryAnn, Jennifer, Donna, Julie, Hope, Christa, Maria, precious Libby and all of the other women who cared less about what they could get than what they could give.

~The gift of exhortation was manifested by…many of my sweet sisters on the Proverbs 31 team. I think especially of Shari and LeAnn, who God clearly sent to deliver to me a specific message of encouragement on Saturday. Thanks for listening to His prompts. You girls prove that girlfriends truly CAN cheer for each other!

~The gift of administration and leadership was manifested by Teresa, and Matt, and Jason, and Corey, and helped by Trey and Donna and Keith…and others. Working alongside of all of you was so much fun and made me remember how much giftedness there is in our community of believers.

And others like…

Debbie and Tara…girls that I both really like and really love, and girls who seek no personal recognition…whatsoever. Both of you have encouraged me in ways you don’t even know about. Your “behind the scenes” details did not go unnoticed by me or Brenda. You truly kept things rolling. (Including, me!) :)

Ginny and all of those who helped keep our "tanks" full by nourishing our physical bodies.

Sweet Nedra…who hung with us and kept smiling, even when I knew she wanted to go home and soak her feet!

Blake and Will…who have more talent in their little fingers than most of us have in both our hands – and feet. You are so clearly gifted by God. I enjoy watching your creativity.

And Brenda. Wow. First of all, I love you. You are my friend, and I enjoy being on your “team.” You are an amazing example of how to do a job with excellence, but without losing your ministry heart. I greatly admire how God uses you to allow women to use their gifts by your open and discerning spirit. Talk about the gift of administration! It’s all you, girl!

Praise be to Jesus…for showing up at our conference – HIS conference – and breathing into us His life and grace and truth. Praise Him for His spirit that unifies, not divides. Praise Him for His power to touch hearts…and change lives. Praise Him for giving us His all and allowing us yet one more opportunity to give Him back our all. Praise Him for His Sovereignty. Praise Him for his purposefulness. Praise Him for His love. Praise Him.

Breath of Heaven 2007…was all Him. And man, did it show.

Lisa

“God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful!” (I Corinthians 12:4-11: The Message)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wreXolBRAsg

(Brenda McDowell and me before the conference, smiling through our STRESS! :)

Nobody

I recently heard the news that a woman I once knew and cared about is sick. She has cancer. I’m not even sure what kind. But whatever kind of cancer it is, she is very sick.

If I said her name, you wouldn’t know who she was.

How do I know?

Well…I don’t know for sure. But I doubt you would know her.

I, myself, haven’t seen her for years. But here’s what I remember about her…

She was always a very unassuming woman. She has never held the limelight in anything, so far as I know. She isn’t in to fashion, and never has been. (I’m sure she doesn’t own a pair of designer heels.) She is not wealthy. She lives alone. Her nails are yellowed from nicotine, and her gravely voice reflects her long-standing addiction. Her middle is thick and her teeth aren’t exactly white. She isn’t a Nobel peace prizewinner. She doesn’t have her own website. To most, she is probably a nobody. And now, this “nobody” has cancer.

My mind is filled with thoughts about this “nobody” this morning. For years, she was my teacher. She was also my friend. She was kind, compassionate and witty, and she influenced my life. I doubt she knows that I am writing about her this morning or even, that I am thinking of her. But I am. Though in the eyes of the world she may be a nobody, she’s a definite somebody to me.

Much more importantly, she’s a somebody to God.

Jesus says so Himself in Romans 9:25-26 when He says, “…I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved. In the place where they yelled out, ‘You’re nobody!’ they’re calling you ‘God’s living children.’” (The Message)

Though the accolades of the world will likely never find her, my friend, the “nobody,” has the eyes of Jesus gazing intently on her. He doesn’t care about her fashion sense or her social status. He doesn’t notice her fluctuating weight or her shade of teeth. When Jesus looks at her, He doesn’t see a nobody, but rather, a beautiful somebody that He dearly loves and cherishes as if she was the Queen, herself.

You are, too, by the way. Dearly loved…and cherished…and elevated by God. Lest you are finding yourself feeling like a nobody today, please remember that He is the one that calls out the “nobodies of this world” and “makes them somebodies.” Talk about a powerful endorsement!

My friend, the “nobody,” may not live to become an earthly somebody. If the cancer doesn’t take her life, eventually, something else will. But because of her relationship with Jesus Christ, her Heavenly status in the Kingdom of God trumps any and every earthly success that would give her the recognition required for you to know her name.

You can call me a “nobody” any day.

It's almost here!

Occupying my thoughts this morning (and most days, lately) is our upcoming 2nd annual Breath of Heaven Conferences for Women. It is a wonderful conference that God placed heavy on my heart to help establish in 2004, and in 2006 we had our first conference in late March. It was a beautiful conference, with the Holy Spirit of God showing up in a massive way. Priscilla Shirer was one of the featured guests in '06, and her message on prayer touched my heart in ways I didn’t think existed. (Like many of you, this p.k. “vet” has heard a lot of sermons on prayer through the years!) But God's message, through Priscilla, was incredible beyond words!

For months, I have been earnestly praying for this year’s conference and asking God for a repeat of 2006! At the ’06 conference, I witnessed the difference between a really neat event and an event where the spirit of God shows up and takes over…and I want the latter to happen again this year. I believe that whether or not that happens hinges on one thing: prayer.

So…I’m asking for yours.

If you would, please pray with me about these specific things…

1) For the Spirit to show up and move among us, changing our hearts. That has to happen in order for the conference to go from a “cool” event to a supernatural work of God.

2) For women TO come and the women WHO come. We anticipate around 1,200 women to be in attendance, and some are coming as far as California.

3) For the featured guests (speakers, worship leaders, leadership team) to be in right spirit and fully empowered by God to do His work.

4) For me...with a varied role that goes from overseer, emcee and session leader, I need God’s strength and wisdom to do my job. The flesh side of me wants to do it well, but I also want to do well so that I am not a distraction to anyone but a minister of God’s message to these women.

The theme of our conference is found in Job 33:4, where it says, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” For those of us who He has given life to for the 2nd time around, we know about that BREATH from God!

I covet your prayers during this busy and hectic time leading up to the conference, and for the October 5th & 6th conference, itself. To read more about the conference go to http://www.bohconference.com/ or go to my website at http://www.lisawhittle.com/ and click on the link.

May God breathe down on us! Less than two weeks and counting!


Lisa

Shouting His Fame!

I am so excited, I just had to break my self-mandated "Mondays-only" rule for blogging!

My girlfriend, Leslie Neese, is one of the newest cast members of this season's SURVIVOR. Last night was the first episode, and it was awesome! My family and I are huge Survivor fans anyway, but watching last night was a thrill beyond words.

Last night, Leslie SHOUTED HIS FAME...loud and bold...for the entire national audience to see and hear. Faced with what was undoubtedly her first personal "challenge," the cast was asked to enter a Buddhist Temple in China to take place in a ceremony in order to be welcomed by the people. They were all assured by the host, Jeff Probst, that it was not a worship ceremony. But as the cast filed in, you could see that this was going to be a big problem for a woman of faith as Leslie is. She politely refused to participate and did not enter into the building.

When Jeff Probst asked her why she wouldn't participate in the ceremony she said these words ... "I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The only One I will get on my knees and bow for will be for Him." POWWW!!!!! What a powerful and bold statement! Leslie REPRESENTED out there....big time!

So...watch Survivor this season...and cheer Leslie on. I know her to be a woman of character and prayer, and I know she has prayed for this opportunity for many years. I talked to her right before she sent in what would be her 11th audition tape for Survivor. And as I watched last night, I couldn't help but believe that God had prepared her...readied her...through all the season's she DIDN'T get chosen for such a time as this. Because He knew that faced with an issue of convenience or earthly pressure, she would instead, choose Jesus...and in the process, shout His fame to millions of people watching her!

Praise God! He will let His "fame" be known!

Lisa

Back to the Beginning

I recently had a conversation with God that went something like this…

Me: “God, I want to know you more. I want to know more about You and Your Word. Please show me where to read and what to read so I can experience growth on a different level.”

God: “Ok, then. Go back to the beginning. Start over.”

Start over? I thought. What is that supposed to mean? To be perfectly honest, it was not the answer I was expecting. I was hoping for a more specific word from Him like “Go directly to John 6” or “You are to study the book of Ruth” or something of the kind. Start over were not the words I wanted to hear. Admittedly, it’s in my nature to reject the notion of “starting over”…in relation to, well, most anything. Though some may think that “starting over” sounds like an exciting prospect, a fresh chance, a new start/clean slate, it just feels like an awful lot of backtracking to me. And I am a more forward thinker, keep going, full steam ahead kind-of-girl.

But when God speaks, I have finally learned to listen.

So with those seemingly non-specific instructions, I opened my Bible to Genesis, where it made the most sense for me to be in starting over. But I soon came to see that the starting over didn’t really have much, at all, to do with logistics. And God knew exactly what He meant by taking me back to the beginning.

Let me explain…

Not long after I started writing and speaking, a good friend of mine asked me if I had thought about writing Bible Studies for women. Uncensored, I gave her my most honest and straightforward answer that until then had been tucked neatly in the corners of my heart… “No, not really. In order to be a Bible Study teacher, I need to first become a better Bible student.” She looked puzzled by my comment, keenly aware of my background as a pastor’s daughter being reared in the church. After all, I was practically birthed in a worship center (then called a Sanctuary)…cut teeth on the church pew…and waded through my school years under the watchful eye of a church congregation. I learned Bible stories at the earliest of ages. But I was very serious about what I said. There is a difference, I have learned, between knowing ABOUT something, and truly knowing and understanding something. The older in my faith and age I have gotten, the more I crave to know God more. And knowing Him more means first recognizing all that I DON’T know about Him, but want to.

Traditionally in the past, when I started a Bible book study or character study, one could find me in the nearest Christian bookstore looking for a “guide” or workbook to sort my way through it. After all, I, like so many others, love to read most anything I can put my hands on. I read devotional books, inspirational books, autobiographies, and yes, even the sights and smells of Biblical commentaries excite me. Make no mistake about it…I love books. I have always loved books. I am a voracious reader of books. And, of course, I also love writing. It is very near and dear to my heart, at the top of my list of pastimes and passions, surpassed only by my love for God and my family.

But after this particular conversation with God, I didn’t go out looking for an outside aid to help me in my studies. I felt led, instead, to go straight to the source, Himself. I cracked open my Bible to page 5 and asked God to show me and teach me, one-on-one, guiding me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I asked for His discernment. I requested understanding. And something really cool happened for me. Can I tell you that I have thus far been on a 30-something day journey with God through Genesis that, despite lack of outside aids, has been without void or lack of anything? It has been among the most exciting “quiet times” of my life, and through it, God has revealed something to me that I had possibly lost perspective of. Maybe you have, too.

Friends, God’s desire is for us to know Him. That’s the way He set it up and the way He wants it to be. It’s a one-on-one, up close and personal, breath-on-breath, kind of a relationship He desires for us. No outside sources are needed or required for this relationship to happen or for us to know God. Helpful as they can be, other good sources, books and aids are not absolute necessities in engaging with God and delving into his Word. His infallible, inherent Word stands alone, and it truly needs no companion or third party involvement to give it power.

I know, I know…this is weird comment for me to make, the lover of books and the craft of writing, that I am.

I’m not conflicted, though, at all, in saying it. Because it has nothing to do with loving books or writing…or supporting and encouraging outside aids for study of the Bible.

It has to do with our human nature…my human nature…to exalt things and people, sometimes to the neglect of the One who deserves our exaltations. It’s the fact that often the perspective is misplaced in our Godly desire to grow and experience God. Over time, because of our long-held traditions or lack of confidence in our own relationship with God, we may begin to feel like we have to access Him through a certain type of study or with our usual inspirational aids to help us. If we don’t have those things, we fear that it won’t hold the same meaning for us, and our study time might not be fulfilling to us. We come to rely on the insights of others given to them by God when He longs to reveal things to us in an equally personal way. I don’t know about you, but for me, one of the single coolest things about having a relationship with God is knowing that I do not have to go through anyone else to get to Him. Remember the beautiful picture of this by the tearing of the veil? (See Mark 15:38 and Hebrews 9)

Whether or not we have the confidence in our relationship with God or our understanding of Scripture is not the issue. Jesus says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” The deal is that we come with the request (for wisdom), and He delivers every time we ask for it with the understanding we need to grow and learn. The process is extremely personal and yes, pretty…basic. But amazingly deep and beautiful, all at the same time.

As for me, these days I am learning to be a better Bible student. I’ve got the best teacher in the world, and ironically, I am the only one in this particular class. Talk about intimacy!

Lisa