Dear Miley,

      Bravo, girl! You DID it; you really did it! You lowered the price for selling yourself and to an even bigger audience. What a success story! 
      Thanks for letting my daughter's generation know that price for being on their T-shirts in grade school was too high by lowering yourself to an all-time low of cheap. 
      Clearly you have liberated yourself by owning your body. Thanks for paving the way on that. Thanks for bringing sex down to a child's level with teddy bears and bubble gum, because clearly we aren't showing our children enough sex. Better make it more appealing, kind of like creating drugs that look like candy. That's classy.  
      So is gyrating, jamming things between your legs and showing most of your body to a national audience on an awards program that is watched mostly by teenagers. You are  obviously showing the world true girl-power. And you've taken trashy art to a whole new level. You must be proud. 
      Plus, you clearly outsmarted everyone and elevated yourself to a brand-new category of "thing."
      Thanks for creating headlines so that those of us who have long since tuned you out could see what you're up to, and pray. 
      Sincerely, 
      A mom who still sees you as a beautiful creation, no matter what

      All sarcasm aside, the real question I have is why is this today's "ohmygosh" news feed item? 
      Did this really shock you? 
      Perhaps we should know by now that this is what happens when a child is "sold" into the entertainment business at a young age. She learned early on that she was a product to be consumed. It came with money, lots of it, and fame and boys and stuff. 
      Don't we know by now that sex sells. In fact, it's BIG, BIG business. Here in America, there is plenty to be sold but even more to be bought. Our lovely land of liberty is filled with eager buyers. 
      Maybe we shouldn't be so mad at Miley. Maybe we should look inwardly. Maybe we should be concerned because human sex trafficking is THE fastest-growing business of organized crime and the 3rd largest criminal enterprise in the world. 
      Maybe we should look around in our culture at how we have demasculinized men and glamorized fatherless families. We are raising a generation of boys who have learned that they can buy whatever they want — even physical pleasure. Is it a mystery why so many girls growing up today are seeking to fill a void in the attention/affection/love department? Check out the instant gratification, the unsupervised preteen population online, growing numbers of broken families, the growing pornography business, the way we continually self-medicate...and ask yourself again, was Miley's show really so shocking? 
     According to the FBI, "the majority of sex trafficking is international with victims taken from places such as south and southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union, Central and South American and other less developed areas and moved to more developed ones, including Asia, the middle East, Western Europe and North America."
      Yes, we are really good at building up a culture of object-loving men who stand ready to buy sex and look at women as things, trash, junk, products. And we're not so bad at raising generations of girls with self esteem problems who are willing to go to great lengths to look like the packaged women on the covers of magazines at our supermarket checkouts, many of whom are desperate for love and affection anywhere they can find it. These aren't statistics. They are your neighbors, friends, people in the pews in your community church.
      Instead of lashing out at Miley, maybe we could better expend our energy on something that matters. Change. 
      It's time for change. It's time for girls to see themselves as valuable. It's time for boys to respect girls and treat them like the treasures they are. It's time to sort through the lies, the sexualization, the objectification, the trafficking and begin to align it with the TRUTH. 
      Not even Miley is that far from it. Once upon a time, she stood in an audition and proclaimed her faith. She knows of a heavenly Father who loves her dearly. But like many of us, she was fed lies, a lot of lies — big, beautiful, colorful lies repeated many times over — so much she began to believe this was what was true. 
      Instead of shaming her, and girls like her, maybe we could, I don't know, pray for her. Pray for her and for Robin Thicke. Pray for her generation, for our children. Pray we don't become so desensitized to casual sex that we can't find our way out of the mess it creates. Because I fear that we are sitting in the middle of a pretty big mess already. God created ALL things, sex included, and like all things, we abuse the design of sex when our sin touches it. 
      Pray for the one thing that can deliver us, no matter how far we've gone into darkness. We have a Redeemer, one who can make us new. One who can give us hope. One who gives us eternal life. One who has declared victory for us. 
      Pray that we seek truth and find it in the name of Jesus. 

      P.S. If you are a dad of girls or can forward this to a dad of girls, a friend sent it to me yesterday. It's a powerful way you can build up the confidence in our girls and attempt to avoid her falling for our culture's lies. Despite the prevalence of media in our children's lives, parents are STILL and will always be the No. 1 influence on their children. This is a short read of five very easy tips for dads that you won't regret reading: http://www.covenantrelationships.org/2013/02/5-things-every-daughter-needs-to-hear.html

Whose story will you be responsible for telling?

     It's amazing what you can find on Google. 
     I watched a girl's "story" unfold on Saturday night at the Edward Jones Dome, the $280 million stadium where the St. Louis Rams play football. 
     The display of sexuality left me speechless, which isn't easy. 
     First, it was literally IMPOSSIBLE not to notice the video. All four 8- and 9-year-old boys sitting between my husband and I could hardly take their eyes off the screen all night. They are boys. They LOVE screens. It was the first thing one of them noticed when we sat down. 
      Using Google, I learned that Edward Jones Dome's JumboTron is a Sony (there are two), standing 20 feet high and 26 feet wide. The system is big, colorful and LOUD. And the videos are extremely professionally executed to grab and keep your attention.
      It was there that I watched one of the 28 Rams' cheerleaders tell her "story." The series of videos on the cheerleaders is called "Meet _______ (fill in girl's name)." 
      This is what I learned in the video: Her name and where she goes to school. Plus, how she felt about the location and suit she wore in the calendar photo shoot. 
      What I saw was this: A TON of skin, cleavage and more of a girl than ought to be seen at a "family-friendly" football game. In fact, her suit was skin-colored on the top with a bit of red fringe. So it actually looked from a distance like she was topless. From poses to clothing (there was some footage of the cheerleaders helping rebuild homes in Oklahoma, wearing next to nothing there, too), it appeared she was "offering" herself to the viewer. It was INCREDIBLY sexual. I hesitate to describe more, because it's not appropriate even to write about, let alone see! This short clip was nothing short of soft-core porn. 
      It made me sad for my children — both my son and daughter — because it's such a mangled mess of messages they have to sift through in their generation to avoid being contaminated by the lies we are fed by the media. Pornography addiction will grow, relationships will be damaged, girls and boys will be broken. 
      I also felt sad for the girl in the video, because I am sure her story is more interesting than her body. But the 33,000+ fans there on Saturday will never know it, nor will the others who see her video online. She is simply portrayed to be enjoyed. A thing. An object.
      I went online and viewed a couple others to see if this was the exception. In one case, the viewer doesn't even hear the girl's voice in the first 20 seconds of her two-minute video. It's just images. Then I clicked on the 22-minute video featuring one of the football players. His story, his voice comes on immediately. And he's not talking about how he feels about his uniform or a photo shoot. 
      I wasn't sure if I was more angry or sad. Both probably. Sickened for sure. Perfectly convicted that we would never take our son to another pro football game (I sure hope there won't ever be cheerleaders at baseball games!!). 
      The thought struck me...I wonder if this girl, or so many other girls know they are being reduced to men's "playthings" and fantasies right in the presence of women and children. (Please don't be haters of girls who participate in this behavior...many are so broken and confused by the world we live in!) So many girls fall for the lie that all that really matters is her exterior shell. So many have been taught to believe that their story is their physical appearance. So many are crushed by expectations that can never be. The reality is that most girls' bodies were never designed to look or move or pose in these impossible ways because it was never the intent of the Creator who lovingly made them to be more than the sum of their outside parts. (Psalm 139)
      It made me sad that in our world, in less than three minutes, more than 30,000 people heard THIS story. And not the stories of Morgan, Amanda, Gabby, Rachel, Breanna, Deanna and Madeline — a few of the girls whose stories are featured in the next issue of Mighty Strong Girls magazine. They aren't soundbites. They aren't objects. They are real girls with real aspirations and dreams. They are girls who already accomplished great things and are courageously inspiring other girls to do the same by graciously allowing me and the writers of Mighty Strong Girls to share their stories with anyone who is willing to hear! 
      In my humble opinion, there isn't a JumboTron big enough to feature their awesomeness. The reality is we struggle to get a few hundred copies of the magazine printed to celebrate this kind of story. Meanwhile, I cannot fathom the amount of money that goes into the wardrobe, photo shoots and video production for these 28 cheerleaders. To sell sex. 
      I was reassured yet again that God is on my side this morning. We know the growth of Mighty Strong Girls will be slow. We know it will be challenging. But we know it's God's will. (Among the verses I received this morning was Zecharaih 4:10, which says "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.")
      I also have hope because amid the terrible mangled mess of brokenness are hearts that seek something more, something meaningful. I am so hopeful for my children's generation, that they will be the ones to become seekers — looking for the truths that only God can provide and spreading that hope like wildfire! 
      Right now, Mighty Strong Girls is still $554 away from being able to publish a small number of magazines for our Sept. 5 event where we will unveil the cover of our back-to-school issue of Mighty Strong Girls. We have a week of prayer to let God work on providing this amount!
      My board has lovingly decided that if the money isn't in the account, the magazine isn't printed. They won't let me and my family incur more debt. And while we have enough monthly supporters to print the magazine, we also have other expenses like mileage, computer cartridges, postage, software, website upkeep. So we still need funds. $554 will allow us to print 150 copies; $774 will allow us to print 200 copies. 
      Can you help us? Even if you cannot give, you can help! Pray that God will provide this week so we can share wholesome, empowering girl stories to help rise up a confident generation of seekers. Pray for the work of Mighty Strong Girls. And pray for girls who don't know their value, that they would be convicted about the TRUTH of their beauty and worth. 
     If you can take a few minutes, meditate on the scriptures and prayer sent in the devotion that came from our prayer intercessor Linda O'Toole this morning: 
     Isaiah 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxious, look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand..

     Isaiah 41:13For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'

     Isaiah 54:4Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

     Deuteronomy 31:6Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

     A mighty roar is being released!

     Let this company of strong women with integrity and love be released Lord, in Jesus name.

Fear and the known

Earlier this week, I took a red pen and circled five verses in Isaiah. Five verses in my church Bible reading plan. Five verses God knew I would need this week. Five verses to give me encouragement, to lift me up, to remind me how great His love is for me. 

In the midst of deadlines, changing seasons of life, new things, challenging things, scary things, things requiring more faith. In the midst of a week where stress was high and sleep simply could not be found. 

Every night I've prayed that God would wrap His arms around me and rock me to sleep. Each time, He has instead nudged me awake and into prayer. 

I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
    saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
    and will not throw you away.
 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

See, all your angry enemies lie there,
    confused and humiliated.
Anyone who opposes you will die
    and come to nothing.
 You will look in vain
    for those who tried to conquer you.
Those who attack you
    will come to nothing.
 For I hold you by your right hand—
    I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
    ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.'

Isaiah 41: 9-13

"Don't be afraid. I am here to help you." 

Isn't that the most lovely message from our heavenly Father? I know what I have to do, and the list is long. The deeds seem unending. There is no. way. 

Our world likes to make it seem like we — like man — can do all things. As if we're in control. And when we stumble, like we will because we can't possibly do it all, the world says we cannot admit it. 

That's a painful and lonely place to live. I'd rather have an authentic life. One where fear is not in the unknown. One where fear is met with a loving God, who tells me I don't have to worry about all things or be discouraged. I don't have to worry, because I don't have to do it alone. 

He makes a way. He reassures me. 

As the week continued and I read more in Isaiah, I found myself circling and highlighting verses with two distinct themes: 

1. Verses that speak of His unending, ceaseless and passionate love for me. 

and 

2. Verses that shout of His mighty power as the CREATOR of ALL life. 

He loves me. And He loves you. Deeply. 

From Isaiah 44-46, here are some samples of God, the 

LOVER OF MY SOUL
whom I have chosen
who formed you in the womb
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb
I summon you by name and bestow upon you a title of honor
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places
I have made you and I will carry you; 
I will sustain you and I will rescue you. 

and 

THE CREATOR OF ALL LIFE
Maker of all things
I form the light and create darkness
It is I who made the earth and created mankind in it. 
My own hands stretched out the heavens; 
I marshaled their starry hosts
He who fashioned the earth, he founded it
he did not create it to be empty, 
but formed it to be inhabited — 
I am God and there is no other
I am God and there is none like me. 

"He walks with me, and He talks with me."

I know I'm not alone. I feel God's presence with me even and especially in moments of the unknown. Because He is known. And in that, there cannot be fear. 

Dear God, 
Thank you for being the author of life and caring so much for me that you were there with me in my mother's womb and that you continue to call me by name. Thank you for making yourself known to me this week. Thank you for meeting me in the places where fear can take root and choking it out with your presence. Thank you for walking ahead of me and clearing the path. Forgive me, dear God, when I stumble, when I try to take control, when I try to do things as the world might dictate I should. Forgive me when I'm prideful, angry, bitter or resentful. Restore in me a pure heart, one that seeks to rest in your promises alone! Amen.

Blessings

     Maybe this is just me. Maybe God doesn't work this way for everyone. Maybe I'm slightly crazy. Maybe all of the above. 
     God seems to show up at the last minute, when I need Him most, when I have called out His name over and over, when I'm desperate. 
     It's not as if I'm NOT praying all along. It's like He waits until I am nearly ready to give up, throw in the towel, turn my back. Thank God He doesn't wait until I do; but it's as if I don't know what else to do. 
     Maybe it's because He wants my little prayers to become BIG prayers. Maybe He wants me to go from "popcorn prayers" to falling on my knees prayers. Maybe He wants me to stop thinking of my problems as "little things" because He wants to be involved in ALL of my life. Maybe He wants to see if I will really and truly go put my hands on my Jeep in broad daylight in front of all my neighbors without regard for what anyone thinks or says and pray that He will intercede. 
     Yes, I did that (luckily I had some crazy, prayer-loving friends who did it with me!). 
      I've heard it said that when you string this many coincidences together, perhaps it's time to stop thinking of them as mere "coincidences." 
     When I pray big. When I ask others to join me in praying big. God moves BIG. 
     Has this ever been the experience for you?
     Four weeks ago, I was desperately frustrated. I was not without faith, nor was I doubtful, but I saw no obvious answer. My situation went from grim to "no way out." I really wasn't sure if I would be able to get gas in my vehicle. The credit card was, in fact, past its $10,000 limit but strangely enough (or not!), it was working. 
     I bought gas. I got groceries. I prayed. And then I prayed bigger. Friends joined in prayer. We laid hands on a giant pile of paid-off metal and asked God to find a buyer who would pay all of what we wanted for it. 
     Four days later, He answered the prayer. Exactly! 
     Now the credit card is nearly down to a $0 balance. And there seems to be money in my ministry account. Not quite enough. But more than I thought! 
     It seems as if God is patting my shoulder and saying, "Didn't I promise I would take care of you?" (I can imagine Him in His big, but gentle God voice adding, "Oh, you of little faith.")
     I took my eyes off the problem and turned them to Him, and when I turned around, the problem was gone. But He's still there. Promising. Encouraging. Providing.