And Then Give a Little More

Hi Friends!

Though I am a day late, as promised, I am posting tonight about the new ministry endeavor that has been keeping me busy over the past few weeks! (I have a feeling it is not going to get any LESS busy in the months ahead, by the way.) For my Facebook friends, this is not new information to you but is what I wrote in a note several weeks ago. For my bloggy friends, I look forward to sharing my heart with you through this post.

Please pray with me and for me as I begin a new chapter of my journey. I don't know exactly where the Father is taking me through all this, but what I do know for sure is that I never want to get to the place where I sit dormant and neglect using my gifts for the Kingdom. I desire to keep challenging myself in my relationship with God even when I think I can't possibly give any more. I want to go farther and pursue Him harder. And I want never to stop touching the lives of women God allows me the opportunity to encounter through my ministry. It is a high privilege and huge passion for me.

As a simple word of encouragement to you...if you are sitting on the fence today, would you consider jumping off, onto the side where God can use your life in a way that surprises even you? He wants to, you know. Remember..."you are most fully alive when you are on an adventure with God." (Thank you, Erwin McManus.) I, for one, am counting on it.


And now...the note...


Girlfriends,

I am so excited to share with you what God has been putting together as what I believe will be a powerful partnership. As you know, I have been involved in women’s ministry for the past 11 years serving in both volunteer and for-profit positions. My heartbeat is to influence women to pursue a life of truth and authenticity as they use their gifts and passions for Kingdom work. It is my personal mission statement and something I believe with every fiber of my being God has called me to do!

After coordinating large women’s events, implementing new start-up ministries for women, and been given both the privilege and platform to write and speak to women all across the country (and even other parts of the world!), I now believe God is asking me to go a little farther…stretch myself even more…and live beyond my comfort zone as I seek to use my gifts and passions for the Kingdom.

Which is what brings me to what I share with you today. I can hardly contain my excitement as I share it in this note!

Starting immediately, I am going to be partnering with Proverbs 31 Ministries and Executive Director, LeAnn Rice, to help launch a new branch of the ministry called She Seeks. She Seeks is a ministry geared toward young women, ages 18-28, who desire to be ministered to with all the resources P31 offers, but within their age group and in a relevant way, customized to their specific needs. These young women may be single, in college or just graduated, young professional, and maybe living on their own for the first time in their young adult life. My passion runs deep for this group of women, as I have seen firsthand how hungry they are for truth and the desire to just be real. Like many of you, I have walked where they walk and worn their same shoes. I know what a crucial time it is in their spiritual development and decision-making. I know how hard Satan would love to get them off course and stifled in their relationship with the Father so they will be later filled with regret, fear, and shame. I know, because I myself have lived it. And so have many of you.

Friends, this group needs our support.

What support do they need? I’m so glad you asked. ☺ They need spiritual support and encouragement, which is why She Seeks will be offering online devotionals that will be read by thousands of subscribers every week. They need mentorship, which is why She Seeks will offer online connections with spiritual supporters who can give both counsel and encouragement when needed. They need connections, which is why She Seeks will be hosting both large and small-scale events geared specifically toward this age group and their specific life issues. Most of all, they need to know someone cares. This is why now…why us…why She Seeks.

As we launch this new ministry endeavor, you can help in some specific ways. First and most important, you can pray. Obviously, this ministry cannot grow without your prayer support. As well, we need some people to be willing to be called upon to serve in a volunteer capacity, as the elements of the ministry evolves. We don’t know exactly what all these volunteer positions will encompass at this time, but we do know is that we need PEOPLE to make this work and work effectively. And maybe most immediate, we need those of you who have a gift of writing who would be willing to commit to write at least one devotional a month for our blog/online devos. Not only would this be an amazing opportunity for you to be a part of a thriving national ministry, but it would also be a way for you to gain experience in your craft and use your gifts and talents to touch many hearts.

As you pray about partnering with us to help launch this ministry, will you consider a few things?

~Is this an age group you are passionate about ministering to? Why?

~Are your gifts and passions things that could be of benefit to this age group?

~Do you believe God wants you to use your gifts and talents to touch the lives of young women you may not otherwise get the opportunity to interact with?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, would you please consider being a part of the She Seeks/Proverbs 31 team? Kingdom work defies geographical location, personality type, size, shape and color. It crosses all boundaries of marital status and socioeconomic situation. It is my strongest belief that joining hands to have a greater influence on people blesses the very heart of God. That is why I am joining the She Seeks team. Will you?

Journeying with you!

Stayin' Alive

It's been an interesting day, to say the least.

As I write this I am just moments removed from having watched the movie Nights in Rodanthe, which has nothing at all to do with this blog, except for the fact that I cried my eyes out watching it and look like a complete raccoon right now. It's times like these that I'm so glad you can't see me through this blessed computer screen. It would scare you, sweet friends, believe me.

But the way I look right now is not the only thing that scared me today. Right before heading to bed my 11-year-old son informed me that he had some "questions" and proceeded to hint around that these "questions" could possibly include some stuff from the book of Song of Solomon (if you know what I mean). Like any good mother would, I held back my first instinct to feel prude...smiled...and answered him thoughtfully with the wisest thing I knew to say at that moment..."I'll go get your dad and let you talk to him." What a fabulous delegator I am! :)

So between the movie and my son's rude interruption into my naivety, I am feeling pretty weird right now. Weird...and...kinda spent.

But before I head off to bed, I actually do have a word I hope will be of value to you today. Please forgive me for not posting last week like I said I would. I had some exciting things come to fruition that I plan on sharing with you sometime this week that demanded my attention. Please come back and check in with me. I am working against a writing deadline for Friday, but I hope to have something up about the things God has led me to by Thursday.

But back to the word I hope is of value to you.

With my hubby having the day off from teaching our THRIVING small group at church today, we decided to forgo our regular routine and attend another church in the area where a dear friend from seminary days would be speaking. The service had a great vibe from the very start, one with lots of energy and a palpable sense of the Spirit. My kids were loving the rockin' band, and so were their parents. It was right after the music that the guy with the microphone introduced us to a time of baptism. One by one, folks in full street clothes came up and walked into the hot tub-like baptismal at the foot of the stage, not too many feet in front of the front row attendees. We were more than half-way back, but the scene before us was awesome. I watched as all three of my children were glued to the picture of old becoming new, which wrapped me up like a warm blanket. My 6-year old was especially transfixed. Having recently made a salvation decision, her tender heart was clearly touched.

The guy with the microphone ended the time of baptism by telling the rest of us that if anyone else wanted to be baptized they would welcome it. They were prepared with extra clothing and encouraged the spontaneity, they said, should someone desire to make known their decision to follow Christ. I could see my daughter's wheels turning as she turned to my husband and asked, "Daddy, can I be baptized?" Immediately MY wheels started turning. I started thinking about all the things a conscientious mom in my position would like the fact that we didn't have a camera on us...the grandparents would kill us for not letting them know...how in the world would her hair ever dry in time for church to let out...and on and on. (Did I mention in addition to my delegating skills I am also a really good planner? :)

But as I silently thought of all the things that wouldn't be right about my little Shae being baptized in such a spontaneous way, I could see my husband being led in another direction. Without consulting me, he turned, whispered something in Shae's ear, and the next thing I knew, they were gone.

I could feel my inner protest coming on.

But before I had a chance to panic, God spoke to my heart and said, "Lisa. Stop worrying about the things that don't matter. This is not about those things or your preferences. This is about me. Learn from your little girl. Never stop being spontaneous in your relationship with me."

(Man, He's got a way with words.)

And so I sat, without a camera or a grandparent in sight, waiting for my little girl to be baptized in a church we had never set foot in before today. We didn't know one deacon (I doubt they had one) or even the name of the guy with the microphone. And I have to tell you, it felt phenomenal to be free from my own set of rules.

The way this story ends is probably not the way you think it did. My precious 6 year old, Shae, did not end up getting baptized today. After all the mental stressing, my husband reappeared in a few minutes, this time holding Shae with her head firmly on his shoulder, sniffling. Turns out she has my shy genes and decided she wasn't quite ready to take the plunge. (Breathe, grandparents. I'm sure you'll be there. :)

I look forward to the day she will make that outward testimony of her inward decision. But what I learned today was a rich lesson in obedience. Staying alive in the Spirit. Throwing out my own set of rules and living spontaneously for the Kingdom.

Lord, help me. I never want to stop.

Priorities

Hey friends!

The three great loves of my life are off of school today, so instead of spending time writing my regular Monday blog, I will be soaking in a day with my kids. Thanks for understanding! Please check back with me on Wednesday, as I will post then.

There is a Season

I love being a mom.

It is, truly, one of my most favorite things in the world to get to do. I am sure I am not the best mom in the world, but I am also sure I love it with an unbridled passion.

Just today, I got to experience my “mom-hood” in a cool way. With temps in the high 60’s, we spent the afternoon outside with the kids soliciting money in exchange for cans of generic Ginger Ale and left-over Halloween candy. It brought joy to my heart (not only to clean out our pantry) to see my children enjoying such a carefree, child-like task. As with many moments as a mom, it was a simple...beautiful..."cherishable" moment.

But before I was a mom, I experienced other memorable moments. I laughed, before I was a mom. I made really tough decisions. I loved and I was loved. I walked with Jesus and I walked away from Him.

Before I was a mom, I had a pulse. I had a DNA structure. I had a name.

My journey has not always included my role as mom. Now, it does. And praise be to God for that. But it hasn’t always.

Which is why I think I am so passionate about encouraging women to resist defining themselves by a certain role or task. Because as life changes, often, so do our roles.

Not long ago I was asked to read over a bio of mine that was to be included in an article I had written for a magazine. When I did, what I read gave me pause. “Lisa Whittle is a wife, mom, author and speaker…” and on from there. I took a step back and realized that all the ways I defined myself in that bio were task-oriented. They were beautiful tasks. They were wonderful tasks. But they were…tasks. Roles. Things I got the privilege to do.

They were not, however, what made me…me.

I know that is a somewhat foreign concept for most of us to swallow. We are used to defining ourselves by our roles, most of our life. We are the daughter of a preacher. The wife of a doctor. The mom of an honor student. Someone’s best friend. A career woman. A Sunday School teacher or youth volunteer. A really good neighbor.

These roles are beautiful gifts from God for us to enjoy while we are on this earth. But I am being reminded of late that these are not what we were created or put on this earth to do, despite how awesome and fitting for us they may be. But rather, we were put on this earth to live in a state of intimacy and fellowship with God…sharing His powerful message of hope and redemption…and living a life that surprises people, in a good way.

More and more, I am convinced our roles in life are gracious gifts God has given us to be able to be a little more comfortable on this earth, while we are here. They are beautiful and rich and full. But we need to keep them in balance.

Today, let’s remember that we were created to worship God, not our roles. Let’s enjoy them. Let’s do them well. Let’s treasure them while we have them.

But let’s enjoy Him more. Pursue Him stronger. Make being His daughter the main thing on our mind. Relish in the fact that our role as His child will never change, no matter what earthly role may.

I hold the visual of my toothless daughter selling generic Ginger Ale to a sweet passerby today in both my head and my heart, happy to have gotten to be her mom long enough to have that moment and praying for many more of the same to come.

But I hold the promise in my heart that I am a daughter of the King, forever and always, even beyond the days He has given me on this earth to experience a beautiful, breezy day with my family.

Thank you, Jesus, for this season and these roles.

Thank you, more, that you have an eternal role for me, far greater.

“I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: 
To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet. “ Psalm 27:4: (The Msg)

Life Books

This morning, I have books on the brain.

Maybe it’s because I have a 3:00pm conference call today with a publisher about my next two projects. I am excited about the potential this call brings, as I am excited about the message my projects could bring to the lives of those who read them!

But I am also thinking about another book. This book, in a sense, has already been published. It’s ending is already written, even though I am not able to cheat and flip over to the last page and read it. Some of the chapter titles in it include: Bleached Blond Hair with Black Eyebrows…Caught Kissing the Deacon’s Son in the Back of the Church…and my personal favorite, More Than Enough Parking Tickets to Re-carpet College Dorm Third Floor. To name a few.

But there are some others that just could not be left out. They are important to the story, though I’m afraid they don’t carry quite the same light-hearted feel as their predecessors.

~Mess-Ups, Regrets, and Years Full of Tears
~Trying to be Perfect While Failing Miserably
~Believing the Lie and Chasing after Nothing

These chapters could be joined by others with many of the same themes. But the point is still the same. And I think you get it.

Fortunately, the book doesn’t end with these more difficult chapters. Though I haven’t yet read the ending, the chapters that follow some of the tougher ones I just mentioned take things in quite a different direction…

~Rescue Effort
~Undeserved Acceptance
~Swept away by love
~Never the Same

The book I write about, of course, is my very own life book. It’s a book containing pages of my journey. Some of those pages bring joy, while others bring pain. But they are all pages of my story -- my life book -- which as of 12:02am on Monday, February 2, is still being written.

If you are reading this blog, your life book, too, is still being written. Your book may contain many chapters, or maybe a few less, but regardless of the word count, you have accumulated a lot of pages. Your chapter titles may differ from mine, or maybe they don’t. But my guess is that even if they aren’t a perfect match, they contain your own set of beautiful moments, painful moments, and rescue effort moments in your life. Just as do mine.

King David’s life book is chronicled largely in I and II Samuel. As I continue in my study of these amazing books, I am reminded of what a good read it is! ☺ In fact, I would dare say I have yet to read a better novel! I love what he writes in one of his life book chapters, which if I do so humbly suggest would have to be called something like, “New Beginnings”…

“God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I cleaned up my act,
he gave me a fresh start.
Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways;
I haven't taken God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works,
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.” (II Sam. 22:22-25 Msg)

And then, in his concluding thoughts on this subject, he summarizes his experience in 18 simple, but beautiful words…

“God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.”

Having personally gone through the book writing process, I am fully aware of how difficult a re-write of a project really is. It is often grueling, rarely welcomed and usually tedious. But that is where the book writing process I am familiar with and the life book writing process (thankfully) differ.

It’s different because the Author is different.

What this Scripture says to me is not that I can have a do-over or erase moments from my life book and have it re-written for me. David didn't have that luxury, and neither do I. No, those things are said, done, and documented in many of my chapters. But rather, it suggests to me that what He sees in my story is probably very different from what I see. What He knows about its value in my life is on a much deeper level than my personal analysis can bring. While I may know my own chapter titles, He knows the way the story ends. He’s already read the last page of the book.

This morning, as I think about my life book, I am reflecting on many things. But one thing is for sure. I may not be able to re-write the chapter on bleaching my dark hair blond, but I can ensure that my story doesn’t end like a Greek tragedy. Thankfully, I have everything to do with that.

It’s in reflecting on II Samuel 22…embracing the blank pages…and asking God to open up my eyes to see what He does when He reads my text.

I wonder what this day’s pages will say in my life book? I think I’ll go to sleep, wake up in 6 hours, and find out.

Questions

I’ve come up with a new quote this morning. I don’t know whether it's good or bad, it’s just where I currently am. It came to me this morning while I was putting laundry in the dryer for the 6th time in half the number of days, thinking about what to write about in this post.

“If you don’t know what to say, just share your heart. In it, you’ll find your words.”

I don’t know if it’ll work, but I’m hoping that it’s true.

But before I start sharing my heart, let me qualify this post by assuring you that I am not disillusioned. I am not upset. I am not even discouraged. But I am asking some questions.

My weekend has been full of questions, really. They ranged in scope from the simple, “Did you get my email?” (hubby)….to the more than one word answer kind…“Mom, why don’t Graham and Micah wear ties to church?” (If my little 6-year daughter only knew how “unsimple ”THAT was!)…to the “I-don’t-understand-this-and-I really-wish-I did” moment I experienced last night while at my computer.

I had just finished viewing a Utube video montage of the former President with the title, “Thank You, Mr. President.” It was a 3.5 minute tribute of pictures from President Bush’s years as our Commander and Chief set to a moving song by Christian artist, Steven Curtis Chapman. I watched, in remembrance of many of the moments the pictures captured. As I did, I wondered. To myself. Then the questions came.

Why did this man seem to have such a hard road while in office? Why did he not have the “success” or approval of the world when he is clearly a man of faith? Why didn’t God exalt him and make his name great like He certainly could have done?

I could come up with theories to answer these questions. I have, actually. But last night I knew it was much more than that. That’s when this verse came to my mind.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8 NIV)

I have been comforted by this verse lately, as it seems to keep re-occurring in my life. Up until last night, this verse wasn’t related to any questions I might have had about the former President or his last 8 years in office. It was much more about my life and how I’m feeling right now and what is going on in my heart.

I think I’ve come up with what that is.

I used to think I didn’t like “questions.” I mean, the mere idea of having to ask a question about something signified to me that I was lacking something or wasn’t capable of figuring something out myself. I’ve always been a “do-it-myself” kind of girl and love to wave my flag of independence. But I don’t think that’s what this is about.

I’ve decided that it’s not the questions I don’t like. In fact, sometimes I love them. I love being asked about the day one of my children was born…what Jesus is showing me right now…how my husband and I met…what circumstances God brought into my life to get me my book contracts…where I got the super cute vases on my mantel that look like they cost $200 apiece but came from a grocery store for only $19.99 apiece. Those are all questions that make my heart leap when I am asked them.

On the other hand, there are questions I don’t like as much.

Case and point: A young woman from another state across the country wrote me this week and asked me why God had allowed her to be in a terrible circumstance beyond her control.

It’s one of those questions a great book can’t answer for you. You can offer Scripture. Gather information and give your opinion. But at the end of the day, it’s a question that just cannot be answered.

Those are questions I just don’t like. It’s not the questions in and of themselves. It’s really about not having the answer to those questions.

I’ve decided I don’t like not being filled in.

And that is where I am today. With a heart full of questions.

Are you, God?
Will you, God?
Can you, God?
Have you, God?

Some of these questions can be quickly answered. Some cannot. All in some way probably won’t be, at least not in the way I’d like them to be.

So I will continue on today, with Isaiah 55:8 playing in my head, hoping it somehow makes it’s way to my heart.

I’m good. Just have some questions.

Don't Hit the Button

Out of all the words I might have anticipated hearing come from an argument between my boys, these were not among them.

“Oh great, Micah. Just great. You just killed our dog!”

I nearly spit my diet coke out on my desk. From the escalation in my son’s voice, I just knew it had to be something dire. My mind raced with thoughts of my 60 pound son falling on our 5 pound dog, severely injuring him. I guessed it was a terrible accident that resulted in a broken limb or something worse. My brain started going in a million different directions, all in a matter of about 15 seconds.

Bracing for the worst, I jumped up from my desk and made my way into the kitchen where the argument had ensued. There I found my younger son, Micah, cowering in the corner, looking really worried. His older brother, Graham, was fuming. Maggie, on the other hand, was looking up at me, playfully wagging her tail. She was gloriously oblivious to the tense situation before her.

“What in the world happened, guys?” I asked. “What happened to Maggie?”

Graham spoke up right away. “Micah killed our dog, mom! He let Maggie eat a piece of a Smores pop tart, and now she’s gonna die! Someone told me that chocolate is deadly to dogs, and thanks to Micah, Maggie ate some!”

I admit that I am no dog expert, but at the sight of our very energetic dog, it was abundantly clear to me that Maggie would not soon be going to doggie heaven. I exhaled with relief. It wasn’t that I was glad Maggie had ingested a crumb-sized portion of a chocolate filled pop tart – it was just that compared to what I THOUGHT might have happened, this was the better of the two.

After calming Graham down and reassuring Micah that Maggie would not, indeed, die over this, I retreated to my desk to finish whatever I was working on.

That’s when it hit me.

Graham’s reaction…

…was so much like my own sometimes.

Like Graham, there are moments in my life where I react to situations and circumstances that I don’t fully understand, and I quickly get frenetic. I jump…I become alarmed…and I go to pieces. In an instant, I lose it. I become flustered and frightened. I am thrown into my feelings of inadequacy to handle whatever it is that presents itself as a complication in my life.

And then…I hit the panic button.

I can only imagine the frustration God feels over my reaction. I can relate on some minute level, knowing the frustration I felt with my own son over his panic in the situation with our dog. His response was so unnecessary. Even though what happened might have warranted a reaction, his was way over the top.

Friends, may I encourage you this morning not to hit the panic button in your life? As you read this post, you may have circumstances in your life that seem way out of control. You probably have things in your life that seem dire. Maybe you are feeling such urgency and pressure that you are convinced your fate is sealed. Things may not look pretty. Life often doesn’t.

I love what the Word says about these moments in life. “So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.” (Psalm 46:2 NLT) This Scripture suggests to me that the tough stuff of life is a sure thing. It WILL come. Big things. Bad things. Crises. Major life disappointments. Circumstances that will make even a strong person want to hit the panic button.

But though we are tempted to respond with panic, God desires for us to trust. It’s easy to exercise our faith when things are going well and within our control. But what about those moments that keep us up at night with worry – those messy life moments where nothing seems sure?

It is in those “mountain crumbling” moments when we are tempted to panic that God says, “Don’t.”

“Trust.”

“Wait.”

“I see what’s going on.”

“And I’m not panicking.”