Introducing Mighty Strong Girls

Not long after I returned to the workforce after having my daughter, I couldn't bear the separation. And a part-time, work-from-home some of the time opportunity became available at the newspaper in Decatur where I was working. I had to cross to the "dark" side and work in advertising.

It didn't work out long, as many part-time opportunities don't, because it was a demanding full-time job crammed into a part-time position. But one of the most fun things I did was a large, beautiful, glossy magazine. I LOVED the magazine!

It was all I could think about, and I deeply desired to start one in Springfield because at the time, they didn't have one. But I would need start-up money, and I was pregnant with my second. We were trying to move closer to Springfield. The timing was bad.

I began freelancing for the State Journal-Register, which led to a job there in their special publications division in advertising. In no time at all, I brought my idea of a magazine to my supervisor. And we launched Springfield's Own magazine -- and I'm still doing some freelance writing for it today.

So having previously conceived and launched a magazine, I had the idea of starting a local magazine for girls ages 13-19. A place that is: 

* authentic and honest

* gives girls a voice

* portrays girls and women in a non-sexual way

* gives businesses and other ministries a place to reach these girls without compromising their values

* builds a community centered on faith and encouragement

* connects girls in central Illinois with not only each other but also with girls and girl struggles across the globe (ie. child labor, sex trade, etc.)

* promotes mission work

* and above all, helps girls discover their own calling in Christ -- free from the distractions of our sexualised and materialistic culture.

Instead of jumping right in, I prayed. And day after day for a week (God knows I need LOTS of assurance!), my devotions, church sermon and even world events (a national petition to get magazines to stop Photoshopping images!) were confirming my vision. 

I want to share a couple of ways he affirmed this calling, because I never believed that God worked this way (until I had faith), so I didn't know how it worked.

That week, the regular devotion I get via email opened to this sentence: "I think one of the greatest needs in the Christian community is for individual laymen and laywomen to dream some dreams about how they can use their talents to impact people's lives for Christ."

The next day, another devotion ends like this: "And I urge you to demand righteousness of yourself, because societal change always begins with one person, one home, one man or woman, one boy or girl, willing to make a difference.

"DISCUSS. Be specific: What could you, your church or your neighborhood do to reclaim this nation for righteousness?"

And then, this national campaign to magazines to "Keep It Real" and stop Photoshopping images to create realistic standards of beauty.  Part of the message: "Yet instead of taking up the media-constructed 'challenge' of fitting into a bikini, we’re empowering you to put the pressure back on the magazines that perpetuate such unrealistic standards of beauty for women everywhere. We want print magazines to pledge to use at least one non-photoshopped image of beauty per issue."

My thoughts were something like, "That's it? One non-Photoshopped image? That's all? It's not enough. It won't go far enough. They need total transformation, not just on images but articles. Our world, these girls, they need better alternatives in magazines."

 

GULP. 

It became clear that God wants me to use my talents to reach girls in order to help give them a healthy perspective of body image and to learn that Christ calls each of us to use our unique skills for kingdom work! Our beauty lies within!

And so, for me to not do exactly what he's calling me to do  would be kind of hypocritical.  

At first I thought I couldn't afford to do this, and then I discovered an awesome online publishing company with a beautiful system for creating e-publications. Then I remembered I could apply to become a ministry with this great organization called Ripe for Harvest. So I did, and the idea was approved. And apparently that makes me a missionary, which means I have to raise support from churches, people, businesses and other ministries. That's the scary, pushing me outside my comfort zone part. But that's OK. Because I believe in this, I have seen the need exists and I truly believe others will, too!

Because I envision Mighty Strong Girls as more than just a magazine, it's part of a MOVEMENT. My ultimate vision is that sponsorships would also allow for an annual conference in Springfield further creating a safe community for girls to get even more encouragement and education about how to listen to God,  a revolving business loan program for girls coming out of the Bible Telling School and/or Children's Redemption Orphanage Home in Sierra Leone, a mission trip for girls to see for themselves the challenges girls in other countries face, and scholarships for girls attending the local Lincoln Christian University.

I am so excited about this ministry, because while there are a small number of national projects, there's nothing that brings these girls together day after day so that they don't feel isolated, so that they get daily encouragement and so they can connect with other girls locally to keep them motivated. The magazine content will be written by experienced writers (likely college age and above), but it will be driven by an editorial board comprised of local girls ages 13-19 from various churches and schools in Central Illinois. 

Topics will include fashion, art, relationships, faith, finances,  upcoming Christian events, devotions, Biblical challenges aimed at growth in faith, entertainment, profiles of local girls and women and profiles of other women in the world (using missionaries to help gather content). Further, we will have seven bloggers from this age group to write on various topics, with a new post every day that will be promoted online. And there will be a section for parents, to give them the tools and encouragement to be supportive of their teen girls. 

So, if you stuck with me so far, THANK YOU! Thanks to the many, many women and teen girls who have already thrown their support behind Mighty Strong Girls. If you are passionate about this cause, please join us. There is a place for anyone who desires to be part of this movement! We have many needs, and you can see a few below or go online and read about what your role may be (writer and photographer volunteers, teens for the board and bloggers are needed!) at www.mightystronggirls.com. If you know a girl who may need this kind of encouragement, please share with her. That's huge and appreciated. 

So...what's next anyway?

A couple of years ago, I began working with high school girls at my church. I am not entirely sure why, as teenage girls make me uncomfortable. OK, that's a lie. Teenage girls TERRIFY me!


They always have. Even when I was one. I might have even scared myself -- the things teenage girls do, say and think....wow. There are no words. 


But I have a girl. A fired-up, strong-willed and emotional one. Who will someday (too soon) be a teenager. I suppose deep down that's what motivated me to serve -- to get to know the teenage girl. 


I discovered in the last few years that -- thankfully -- teenage girls are NOT entirely scary. But the story doesn't end there. In fact, it's just the beginning. They are a bit of a mystery, and when you start to unravel it, that's where the little bit of scary comes in. But it's not her fault. Spend just a little bit of time analyzing the messages society, media and peer groups are sending her. Not to mention the messages we are personally or partially responsible for. Is it a wonder if today's teenage girl could be emotionally stable? 


The pressures to fit the mold of the "ideal girl" are sucking the life out of our girls, creating robots with personality disorders and completely robbing them of knowing God's greater plan for them. It makes me angry and sad. 

I have gotten to know several girls quite well, and through one Bible study, learned their testimonies. Whatever they have overcome, almost always its roots were in a comment, visual imagery or pressures to "be a certain girl." You know the girl. She's the one in every teenage advertisement, clothing billboard, Disney show. Essentially, she's not every girl. She's the unattainable girl. Add to that the expectations of parents, teachers, peer groups -- it's emotionally exhausting and confusing.


One girl from my group. Her battles with body image were real (eating disorders and self harming) and intense. But she was finally making significant progress. And the hope she saw was that her voice could make a difference to other girls who were in that same "stuck" spot she was in.  But what to do with it? She asked me. I said, "Write it out, your whole story with all the details." 


I don't know why I said that. Except that I'm a writer, and I find it therapeutic. But she wanted more. She wanted to help other girls. So we both prayed about what to do. I started observing and listening. 


At first it was frightening to take stock of the television shows, slick advertising, magazine fashion layouts and even the nightly news. Girls portrayed in such a cookie cutter way -- thin, caked in makeup, a perfect smile. Even sexualized -- long hair, accentuated breasts, long legs, pouty lips, sexy poses way too grown up for girls. Then the mean, vicious reactions to any girl who wasn't ideal. But I KNEW this much. Taking senior photos for five years has shown me this is really what girls want -- they want to model, or they want this "look." What I think they really want: to be known, seen and recognized. And the world they live in predominantly shows them only one path: their physical appearance. 


Consider that 80 percent of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner. 


And what makes me most sad about it is that they are being spoon-fed SUCH A LIE about what gives life significance! 

"Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments," says author Lisa Bloom, who wrote Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World.

Beyond that, God warns us that the world will look at these things (the physical appearance) but he doesn't (he sees what's on the inside). Pretty amazing, isn't it, that the Bible is this relevant today! And THIS is the message girls NEED to get. 


So I did find some positive movements and programs aimed at boosting girls' self esteem, but nothing with the muscle I was looking for -- FAITH.

As far as I could find, nothing available has the lasting power to impact girls because it leaves out the God-breathed truth of the matter: that he created us all unique, with a purpose and plan. When that plan unfolds, the beauty from within shines so great. And even when we stumble, He loves us and will never leave us even if we fall short of someone else's definition of "desirable."

It's no wonder my young friend doesn't know what to do with her testimony. We could not find the right outlet for her story. The world, it seems, wants to stifle such voices. In the midst of that, I felt God pushing me to make a way to lift up her voice for others to hear. Not just her voice, but where are the authentic teenage girl voices anyway? Where are the resources to help girls discover who they are in Christ? Where can the teenage girl be herself and yet also feel part of a tribe?

I was out of options. I prayed that God would show me another way. Any way. I begged, because honestly if I were designing a ministry for myself, it would be aimed at grown-up and much-less-scary women. But he didn't show another way or have something else in mind. The answer came in the form of daily devotions, sermons and Bible readings -- I should use my gifts and talents and create the way. God gave me: time; a fiery passion for my daughter and all girls to gain self-confidence and know how God views them; all the skills necessary; many of the contacts to launch such a ministry; a venue to form a non-profit; and the resume of having already done this sort of thing that was part of my vision. 


Dang! God: 6, Me: 0. 


And so a new ministry for teen girls was born. Read more about what it is and how you can be a part of this movement for our girls on my blog tomorrow!!

Jehovah-jireh

This is like one of Dan's favorite things to say. It means "the Lord will provide." He picked it up after our first mission trip to Mexico, after noticing how all situations -- no matter how seemingly hopeless -- seemed to be worked out in God's favor and for his glory. 


And so it seems fitting and appropriate that days after I asked for prayers for Dan's passport and for our personal finances as both relate to his upcoming mission trip to the Ukraine, God heard our prayers. By several "venues," we realized we will have EXACTLY what we will need to replace Dan's income for the 15-day trip. We learned that and then discovered two days later that his passport is in the mail on the way to us. Praise God! Jehovah-jireh! (As a side note, we finally got the payment plan we were seeking with a healthcare provider, too, which helped further put us at ease!)


I cannot thank you enough for blanketing these issues in prayer! I was so elated at how God blessed us and showed us so quickly that he was working things out -- not for our benefit, but for his. We serve a mighty God! A God who is revealing and unraveling his calling on my life right now -- plans I will share later this week! Please be sure to check back and see the awesome plans he has in store for me next. And no, I'm not going back to Africa....yet anyway! 

Praise God for my husband and his heart for missions!

One of the "things" that was holding me back when God called me to Africa this spring was that Dan had JUST decided to go to the Ukraine on a summer mission trip with Athens Christian Church.


He went to the informational meeting. And what my heart (selfishly) desired was that he would come back and announce that we were both going to the Ukraine. We were eager to get back into short-term missions! 


However, the trip would be very task-oriented. Very manual labor task-oriented. I am a weak assistant for my project-loving husband when it comes to moving simple furniture. This was NOT the trip for me! They would be digging a cellar, moving or building (I'm fuzzy on the boring construction-related details!) a wall and putting in a ceramic tile floor. All very appropriate and fitting tasks for Dan. It was like the trip description was written with him in mind. No orphans to photograph. No stories to collect. Not even a VBS to plan. 


And so when I was called to Africa and then finally admitted to myself that the trip was a good fit for me and would definitely fulfill a need for Rick and Paula, I still hesitated. Because of finances. Because Dan already committed to this trip; he was emotionally tied in and eager to go! I didn't want to destroy that, and two big, expensive trips for each of us in one year seemed unlikely. Especially since I'd just left my job and we were -- for the first time ever -- a one-income family. 


But God indeed provided the first time around, and I have complete and total faith that he will again. Despite Dan not getting "paid time off" with his job. Despite the frustratingly slow trickle of work I'm getting. Despite the fact that we're still waiting on his passport (a long story I PRAY I won't have to blog about!)


Just today, a family member handed us a check for $175 to "feed the kids" while he's gone. How awesome is that?!? 


Dan will go to the Ukraine with a pastor from ACC and two other construction worker types. They have a long list to accomplish, not a lot of resources where they're going and a small crew. 


Will you pray that God will provide in mighty ways for them? That he would allow them to complete projects in a way and pace they hadn't imagined? And that they would all grow in a brotherhood of faith with a spiritual renewal that fills them up? 


These short-term commitments are scary for us -- not because we're afraid of the work or the place we're going or the things we're doing. Financially they have ALWAYS been hard to plan for because we don't get "paid days off." So even if we raise enough money to cover the cost of the trip itself, the bills still come even though the paycheck doesn't! Will you also pray that Dan's trip doesn't financially set us back? Pray his employer would see the good in it and pay for his time off, or even better that he would reach someone back home for Christ through his actions! 


In the past, we've always planned ahead for trips like this. Lately, we're living on faith and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do! 


But it's a choice we made when we agreed to be obedient to God's will for our lives. After we noticed this one disturbing trend: In the six months I was working full time, making more money than ever, we weren't doing ANYTHING at all mission related. We weren't even financially contributing to any causes, despite all that extra income. Then Dan got sick. And I became miserable in my job. God made us aware that we'd turned our back on something that used to be our passion. 


If we want to take a vacation (we've taken three week-long vacations in our 12 years of marriage), we have to work more or save more. Or, we can work more or save more for a LIFE-CHANGING experience. 


Dan has never complained. Never grumbled that he doesn't get to relax on the beach or jet set somewhere exotic. If it comes down to a choice, he WANTS the mission trip. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally (maybe not physically!), he comes back more refreshed and renewed. So it's a no-brainer for him. And, while I'm more likely than he is to want an exotic vacation, I must admit if I had to choose one or the other for the remainder of my life, I would go on mission trips. They really are that great!


Today I want to praise God for Dan. For the awesome servant I married who is such a courageous husband and dad. For a man, who despite major physical pain and challenges in the last two years, isn't afraid to push forward, to travel halfway around the world to a remote village in the Ukraine and be the hands and feet and mouth of God! 





I almost forgot...praise God (I think!) for a husband who isn't too proud to buck cultural norms and put on a skirt when the mountains are colder than he expected on our first mission trip to Mexico. Yes, he really did this, and the Mexicans asked that he never return. No, I'm kidding. We have no idea what they said. We don't speak Spanish. But I'm thinking one of those beautiful African patterns would look lovely on him. I wonder what the Africans would say! 

How can you live a life that matters?

God undoubtedly called me to a trip to Africa. It was eerie, because it was so clear and distinct. And it caused me to fear God, as we all should in a healthy sort of way. Not obeying suddenly was more scary to me than obeying -- despite the fact that I would operate outside my comfort zone to further his will for me. 


The comment I heard most often was "You're faith is so strong." Or, "I don't think I could do that."


Oddly enough, those are similar to words I said the first several times I met and talked to Paula Miller, the very missionary I visited and assisted in Africa this past April. Her response resonates so deeply with me now, and was confirmed at a recent sermon at my church preached from Deuteronomy 28. A summary -- obedience is blessed; disobedience is cursed. 


Another comment I got was, "God's never spoken to me like that." 


I believe God talks to all of us; sometimes we simply aren't actively listening. His word itself gives us the directions we need to be obedient. 


Still, it's clear that everyone can't obey every single command of Jesus' in the same way. Not everyone is called to do the SAME thing, or to sell everything they own, but we are ALL called. I love this video and what it reminds me about obedience and how being obedient doesn't always necessarily mean an audible voice of God. Sometimes it's just doing what we know in our heart to be right because he told us it is.


You can check out the video HERE.


Is his written word (instruction manual) enough for us? Or is this where we create "holes" in the Gospel? I have absolutely cut out holes in my Gospel. I've repented, and now I crave the opportunities and abilities to fulfill his word. 


If you're interested in EXACTLY how God wants to use us to help around the world or in our own backyards, check out these specific scriptures at World Vision's Web site HERE. Read them, meditate on them, pray about them, incorporate them in your life in a way that makes sense and has an impact! I can't wait to get started! Can you?

Hanging out in the waiting room

Romans 5:3-5 (The Message)
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!


Have you ever arrived for a doctor appointment only to find the waiting room brimming with people and illness? Naturally it's a day when your to-do list is longer than your weekly grocery list. And you can just feel your teeth gritting and grinding in frustration and annoyance as you sit and stew for minutes, then an hour and you haven't even been called back yet. "What the...."





What if you instead turned your entire perspective around. You walk in and excitedly realize you might get a whole hour -- to pray, read your Bible, meditate. What a gift from God that you can set everything aside and focus on him and what really matters most. Passionately patient!


Right now, I'm in one of life's waiting rooms. God called me to leave my full-time job with nothing lined up to replace lost income and help pay our mounting medical debts. Then he called me to go to Africa without even a dollar to finance my own trip. Why would he do this? Why am I still sitting here jobless? 


It would be easy to complain, and don't get me wrong -- I have bad days and get stressed! But God has already shown me he will provide. He DID provide -- every last penny for my mission trip. And while we're not making much headway on medical bills, I was just able to pay all our bills in the third month of me being unemployed with a few odd jobs here and there. 


This, how ever ridiculous it may sound, is my choosing. Yes, I COULD get a job. I am perfectly capable. But when I prayed in January that I would surrender myself to God's will, I made a commitment that I would have faith and let him worry about the details. Sound nuts? We're such control freaks about our lives that it is very, very difficult to walk where he leads! Well, he very clearly led me to Africa and then worked out every last detail. What a faith strengthening exercise that was!


So I'm back in the waiting room, reminding myself not to get frustrated. God has called me again, and I am working toward obedience. Can I follow him in faith without losing hope? Can I shout my praises in worship while hemmed with troubles? I think I MUST, because I promised and he's never let me down yet. And he has a promise, too...that he will show me what to do if I am alert (which is hard to do when I'm annoyed and frustrated!), that I will become virtuous in my waiting, that I will not feel shortchanged and that he will pour generously into my life through the Holy Spirit. 


Wow. Making a choice about how I view my waiting room seems quite easy in light of this! I will wait, excitedly, for him to keep his promises to me!

Angry and sad and confusing....oh my!

Warning: This post is harsh, but it gets better. So please in the name of all that's decent and right in this world, stick with it, love me in my unlovable state and read it all the way through!


Lately I've been sad a lot. God's really breaking my heart for the things that break his. And it's, well, really truly heart-breaking in ways I never knew I could be be heartbroken. 


For instance, I couldn't listen to an NPR story on chronic acute malnutrition in a Yemen village this morning without bawling. 


Maybe because I've seen it...face-to-face. And "it" has a name. Lots of names. Sadly I didn't even get this woman's name, because I had to walk away. I could not muster a single word, and I was "working" lest I cry right then and there! She has given birth to eight children. Three of them are currently walking the earth. She has named and then said good-bye to five of her own, burying them in the ground before they had a chance to grow up. And here's the thing: It's not a fluke. This is one of many, many sobering realities for the poorest on our planet. Did she do something to deserve this life? Just try to look one of them in the eyes and ever say or think it. The reality is THIS COULD BE YOU. The only difference between this woman and me is the place we were born. 

I've also been angry lately. Oh, so angry. At God somewhat for the state of our world, for not giving me more resources to help the heartbroken. But mostly at other people. With their new cars, vacations, ridiculous "toys," weekly mani/pedis, rituals that involve their hair. You get the point. I'm angry at how it seems people take things for granted. I am angry at the reality that a mom in Africa is forced to wait a week to take her dying child to see a doctor because she doesn't have $1 -- the amount it takes to get a cab and get there.


Did you know that Americans spend $31 billion on their pets every year, $13 billion on plastic surgery, $65 billion on jewelry and an astounding $705 billion on entertainment and recreation? 


Did you know if every American church-goer tithed, there would be an extra $168 billion? To eliminate the most extreme poverty on the planet for more than a billion people, it would require 40 percent of that -- $65 billion. 


These numbers -- presented in "The Hole in Our Gospel" -- kind of make me more sad. 



I am angry, too, because the place where I come from -- my upbringing, my world -- put such a high value on "things," more stuff and achievement that is tied to a dollar figure. I watch as people I love look down their noses at their own family members who can't "afford" a car or boat or RV (loan) and snub their own blood, blaming them for not being successful enough to pay their own way. 


Then I wonder where my parents would have been without the occasional handout from my grandparents or where we would be without my parents helping out. Certainly we wouldn't have paid off all our debt without the occasional shoes, back-to-school clothes and food that my own and my husband's parents have aided us with over the years. And without their help, how could we possibly leave a legacy for our own children. How can we teach them what money means if we aren't showing them? 


1 Timothy 6:17-19 says "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they make take hold of life that is truly life."


I love the way Richard Stearns also describes the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 25:14. The master gives to each "according to his ability," but what he expects is that we multiply our gifts for his kingdom. I want my kids to know: It all comes from God; we are not entitled to it but entrusted with it and we are to use it to further his kingdom. 


God talks to us more about money than most any other subject. He WANTS us to have wisdom in this matter. This I know well, but I'm reading along thinking of all the people I know who could do so much to further God's kingdom, to end pain and suffering, to feed the poor, to help a woman in Africa watch her children grow past age 5 or get a cab to see a doctor. I was literally getting mad at what the people in my life are NOT doing. Can you imagine my indignation and self-righteousness? 


Then I read on in Stearns' book last night to discover that 87 percent of non-churchgoers view Christians as judgmental, 85 percent view Christians as hypocritical, 70 percent view us as insensitive to others and 72 percent believe we are out of touch with reality. 


Yikes. Was he writing that for me? 


And so I MUST turn the table if I am to call myself a Christian. I must get that darned plank out of my eye. Because to be Christian is to be Christ-like. And besides loving ALL people, Christ was forgiving, revolutionary, truthful, radical and genuine. 


There it is. MUCH WORK is to be done in me. Who am I to be sad or angry and then judgmental when I'm sitting here among the 1 percent of the world's wealthiest people? And then, to make matters worse, look at that scripture in Timothy again. He is calling out the "rich," and while I may not feel rich in my society, the reality is I AM rich, and there's no dollar amount on the call to action here: Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. The time for action is NOW. 


The church doesn't exist within the four walls where I worship every Sunday. And I love this quote in Stearns' book, too, by Billy Sunday: "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car."


Will you take this challenge with me, Christian sisters and brothers? Will you take the church to the people? Will you help be the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus? Will you be radical and revolutionary with me? 


Look at the woman above again. She's beautiful, isn't she? She's happy (probably more so than most Americans) and she has faith in a great God who can perform miracles. Brother and sister, WE are her miracle! She is praying for us, for us to be the hands and feet. 


God gave us all the tools and resources to change the world. We have all we need to end poverty. But until we join forces in faith, we can never create the church that God envisioned!