Escaping the Slinky from LPV on Vimeo.

*Hey Ladies! Lindsee here, hopping on really quick to let you know we have given all of our tickets away. We love y’all and are praying for a fresh outpouring of the spirit over each of you this weekend. Happy Friday!

Good Thursday morning, Sisters! Has this week flown by for anyone else? Anyway, we actually have another post that you should be looking for later in the day. It may or may not involve your siesta mama and a little hello. She loves y’all too much to just leave you all hanging all week! Grin.

But, before we could post that, I wanted to make you well aware that we have 20 tickets to giveaway from our Siesta Scholarship Ticket Fund. If you’ve known about the Duluth LPL but just knew you didn’t have the finances right now to swing it, then this is your opportunity! As usual, if you would please please call the office and ask for Kimberly, she’ll get you all ready to go. You can call 281-257-3344 or call toll free at 888.700.1999. If you happen to call during the lunch hour, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

We love y’all so much. See you in just a bit! (Be looking for the new post around noon CST.)

Hey Y’all! We have left this blog to be silent for an entire week! Gasp!

Sometimes this blog is extremely busy, and other times, it’s eerily quiet. I know it’s past time to check-in when I start seeing comments wondering if all is okay here at LPM or with our Siesta Mama. Just know that when we say we think about you every single day, we mean it with every ounce of our being. It’s just that sometimes you have to live life instead of write about life, and both Beth and I were doing that last week. She had a much deserved and needed week off after taping for a solid week, and I got busy with a few other things at work, then had a few days off myself as some of my family from Colorado came in town. Plus, with the long Memorial Day weekend, I just wasn’t on my computer much at all. That’s just life.

Speaking of Memorial Day, I did enjoy a four day weekend after playing hooky (and by playing hooky I mean I asked for the day off) from work on Friday. A couple of my cousins who are now of college age came to Houston and on Friday we had a pool day and literally had the entire apartment pool to ourselves. It was heaven! My grandparents also tagged along, which is always a blessing, but at 85, they move at a different pace than they did 20 years ago. However, in my nearly 28 years of life, I don’t think I’ve spent one Memorial Day with my grandpa, who is a veteran. It was fun to get to be with him. He didn’t say very many words last night, but I know he had a lot to think about. I took him to a custard place near my parents house last night after dinner and he ordered a kids size vanilla with butterscotch. He told me he didn’t want to overdo it. Bless him. I got tickled but thought it was the cutest thing. He even paid for my custard. What a stellar date!

Anyway, after four days of sleeping in, playing, shopping and spending time with my family, today it was back to life, back to reality. So, that’s just a little bit about what’s been going on!

This coming weekend our dear Beth is back at it with Living Proof Live in Atlanta. Are any of you getting to attend?

We’ve been waiting to share with you that during the Greensboro LPL event, which also doubled as the 15 year celebration, LifeWay asked Rich, our amazing photographer, to create a memory book that both Beth and Travis could take home. For lack of a better term, it is stellar. (I’ve now used that word twice in this post. Overkill. But I’m keeping it. Word of the day anyone?) The book is so much more than a scrapbook! It is a representation of the past 15 years through pictures and Rich worked so hard to make it excellent. However, not only did he do that, he then went the extra mile and put it into vimeo format so we could share the book with you all. You might want to know that it’s about eight minutes long, but worth every bit of your time. So, if at any point this week you have a few minutes to spare, be blessed by this book!

Rich, thank you so much for your hard work!

15 Year Album from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

I think that’s all for now, but just wanted to say hi.

We love y’all and hope you have a fantastic Tuesday!

P.S. I was tempted to say terrific Tuesday simply because of the alliteration, but thought you all might make fun of me. But it’s fun nonetheless!

Recently I had dinner with a new friend. We discussed all things ministry, church, worship, and dating over some delicious margarita pizza. For a first time get together, we hit it off pretty easily. That’s a blessing in itself because you never know if your first time meeting up with someone is going to be painfully long and awkward, or easy and refreshing. I left feeling refreshed and grateful for the handful of new friends the Lord has blessed me with over the past year and a half.

Among our other topics of conversation, she asked me about mentoring young girls. Basically, she was curious what I had seen work and what hadn’t in my short time in ministry. While I love this question, and actually receive that exact question in my email inbox often, I liken it to parenting. (Since I’m a parent and all, you know.) I’m no expert whatsoever, but I’ve learned that there is no formula, and the experience is different for everyone. However, over the few short years I’ve had the privilege to mentor some young girls, there are a few things that have never fallen short. Because I’m always looking for ideas, and because I don’t mind sharing what I’ve seen be effective, I thought what better way to share than to post a blog.

I know for a fact many of you are doing the thing and have the same question!

I am curious, however, how many of you out there specifically work with high school girls? Whether it be by volunteering at your church or an organization, or those of you who might be on staff at a church serving in some type of girls ministry role. So, let’s consider this post a roll call, a little advice, and a place to give ideas. How does that sound? (Of course, these ideas can really be applied to any mentoring relationship.)

I’ll start by sharing what’s worked for me:

1) Be Real:

I don’t know if you know this, but you may think because of their young age that girls don’t pick up on if you’re faking it or not. But I’m telling you, they know. They pick up on it. They can smell a fake a mile away and they want nothing to do with it. So what does this mean? It means that although you might be their mentor and they the mentee, they want to know you! They want to know that you are not perfect. That you do not have it all together. That you sin. That you don’t always spend an hour in the word each morning. That you get mad and irritated with your family. That you have friend issues. That you are struggling to survive just like them. It means you speak these things to them. Obviously, there is wisdom and discretion in what you share and to what extent and how many details, but that doesn’t mean you can’t own up to your crud, too. It takes two to tango. Take that rare opportunity to learn from them as well!

2) Ask Questions: (Ask hard questions!)

How are you? That’s a very vague and empty question. A question anyone can hide behind. I have learned over the years that the more specific the question, the better and more effective. This actually took me a while to learn and ironically, one girl that I dearly love was always so annoyed when I asked this question that she would ask me what I meant and what did I really want to know? I’m so grateful for her honesty because it broadened my horizon of questions. Asking the hard questions is also vital, because who else is doing it? I think sometimes we don’t want to ask the hard questions because that can get messy, but discipleship is messy. To throw some conversations starters out there, here are some good questions:

– How is your relationship with your friends? Is there any drama or gossip that you need to set straight? (If you have or know a high school girl, I can almost promise you there will be drama of some sort.)
– How is your relationship with your parents? Siblings?
– How is school?
– How is your relationship with your boyfriend? Who’s holding you accountable? What are your boundaries?
– What Bible study are you doing right now?
– Are you harboring any sin? Struggling in secret in any way?

3) Never FORCE them to talk:

While you are there to mentor them, hold them accountable and be real with them, there is nothing worse than someone forcing you to talk. I promise you, over time, they’ll say what they need to say when the Lord gives them the grace to do it. Gently encourage them, for sure, but don’t ever make them feel threatened.

4) Create Safety:

Each girl needs to know that you are a safe person. They need to trust you. Trusting someone takes time, especially if you’re starting this relationship from scratch. This means they are free to tell you anything with zero judgment or condemnation, only grace and love. This goes hand in hand with sharing your life as well. The more you share, the less perfect you are to them, the greater the chances of them opening up to you.

5) Go through a book together:

Sometimes as a high school girl, an older mentor whether it be in college, just out of college or older, can be intimidating. Because of the intimidation, they’re less likely to speak up and just be themselves around you. The book you read together gives you an opportunity to approach certain conversations or topics that could otherwise be awkward or just plain hard. Your book can be your guide. Some great resources for you would be your youth pastor, LifeWay or even Christian Book Distributors.

6) Know what teenage girls struggle with:

This may seem like common sense, but we have to know what we’re dealing with here, what our target audience is. We have to be in the know. While you were once a teenager and have struggled with similar things, because of the rapid speed of technology and the effect it’s had on the way we do things, we need to understand their world. You can be certain a few sensitive areas include: identity, body issues, friendships, dating, family, faith, and all things dealing with relationships whether it be emotional, mental, or sexual. And while we’re at it, you can certainly add in communication these days. How in the world do they communicate besides instant messaging, texting, and any online chatting? It’s a big world out there.

7) Pray with them:

Don’t just pray for them, pray with them. Have you ever denied prayer? I know we all want it and need it, but unfortunately, something about praying out loud for someone on the spot scares us. However, although I sometimes felt awkward as a young girl, nothing meant more to me than the ladies that never let me leave their sight without praying for me. Not only does this teach them how to pray, how to love and what it looks like to be discipled, it also gives them a chance to receive that prayer and those blessings first hand and to hear what you are praying. There is power in prayer. There is power in praying out loud. And there is certainly power in praying with the girls.

8) Listen to them:

This may be the most redundant of all to you, but in all seriousness, the more you give them the time of day and listen to what may seem mundane to you, the more they’ll be willing to tell you. Listen, no one is going to open up to you until they know you care. And not just that you care about the hard, serious things, but that you care about the homework they loathe, and their favorite place to shop. The more you genuinely hear them out without cutting them off, the farther your relationship will go.

9) Do things with them:

One really great way to build a strong relationship is to just do everyday life with them. Go see a movie, take them grocery shopping with you, go shopping together, invite them over for dinner with your family, hang out at the pool, and so on and so forth. It doesn’t always have to be a formal one-on-one get together. In fact, it’s in the “mundane” that real life and real discipleship happens. This is also a really great way for them to see a peak into your real life.

It looks so easy on paper, but mentoring, discipling, however you want to label it is easier said than done. But we were called to make disciples, each and every one of us. I’d love to hear from you guys. Y’all are a wealth of wisdom! What are some things you’ve seen work for you?

Oh, and for a little encouragement, there is truly nothing like investing your time in a young girl, only to watch her go off to college and do the same to the younger girls around her. The Lord doesn’t always allow us to see the fruit of our labor, but when He does, it’s the sweetest, most rewarding gift ever. Your investment will be worth it, dear friend. Do not grow weary in doing good!

Hey friends! Just a quick update! We’re getting a lot of questions in the comments about logistics of how everything works like how the video driven study works, where you can purchase the videos, how much they’ll be, if you need to to the study alone or in a group, how to purchase the book and etc. Be looking for a post soon on each of those details! I promise we’ll do our best not to lead you astray. In the meantime, purchasing your workbook is top priority! You can find a link to the LifeWay website right below the video. Until further notice, I hope that helps! We’re so grateful you’re excited! And we’re excited, too!

Announcing Siesta Summer Bible Study 2013 from LPV on Vimeo.

You can order your workbook from LifeWay by clicking here. Or you can purchase it at your nearest LifeWay location!

Big Prayers for a Big Week! from LPV on Vimeo.

Last week after getting my wisdom teeth removed, plus one added bonus, making it a total of five teeth, I got a little frantic as suddenly I felt one of my stitches loosening up. It had only been five days since my surgery, and I had been told and read that most stitches last at least seven to ten days. Hence my anxiety. Much like this paragraph might be TMI for you, I then proceeded to call my doctor and explain in full detail what was going on in my mouth. I know y’all, it’s disturbing. I do apologize. But it could be so much worse. Relief flooded me when the nurse told me that was very normal and I was okay. Oh, and while I was at it, to eat something more than just Slim Fast. Not only was I relieved, but also I was ecstatic, because well, food. Need I say more? I was starving for something solid.

Ironically, the next morning I had a different doctors appointment where I proceeded to spill my guts and ask every question in the book about all sorts of things. I left that appointment with answers and feeling very secure for the path that lay ahead of me.

I also felt very humbled.

Other than a counselor, and maybe your spouse, who else do you feel complete freedom with to ask some of the most bizarre questions, and not only that, but share what others would label as WAY to much information, besides a doctor?

But the truth is, if you really want to get well, or fix something that is broken, you have to be 100% transparent with your doctor and do everything they tell you to get well. And last I checked, I think we’re all into the getting well business. Who likes to be sick, broken and messed up? It’s no way to live abundantly.

You see, I would be what you might consider the perfect patient.

Anyone, eh hem, my mother and best friend, could testify to this.

For instance, as I mentioned, I had my wisdom teeth removed. Upon leaving the doctors office after your surgery, they give you a sheet of paper along with your prescription medications explaining the step-by-step process on how to heal the quickest and easiest. The minute I was out of my coma to a place I could actually comprehend what I was reading, I poured over that sheet front and back, word for word.

Not only did I nearly memorize every word, I also did what it said. It was, in fact, the only way to get well.

When I got off the phone with the doctor the other day I kind of chuckled to myself as I thought about all doctors and nurses have to go through. They see the good, the bad and the very, very ugly. I realize I’m no nurse, but I happen to have a nurse as a roommate, and let me tell you, she and I lead very different day jobs.

Because my mind never sits in one place, I immediately thought of how this affects our relationship with God. The degree to which we’ll be honest with Him about our deep messes, our brokenness and intense struggles (as if He isn’t already intimately acquainted with every detail), is the degree to which we’ll be healed.

And the degree to which we’ll do what He tells us to do to trash the trash in our lives, also holds some weight. Sometimes we know exactly what to do to get well, but we’re just stubborn enough not to do it. Yet, He says He’s given us everything we need for life and godliness. Not that we would get caught up in just following the rules, but that we would get caught up in the grace offered to us.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4

Mercy, what messes we are all in. Not one of us is immune and not one of us is perfect. This is both good news and bad news! Because none of us is immune to any pit of sin means we need Jesus in the worst way, but because none of us will attain perfection here on earth means we can cut one another a little slack. It also means for those of us perfectionists, to take a chill pill. Or, for those of us holding someone to a perfect standard, to take them off the high horse we’ve put them on.

I’m far from being any type of scholar, but naturally I thought of the healing at the pool that Jesus performed.

“After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” John 5:1-9 (ESV)

I’m not going to pretend I know all the history of all that went on here, but can we all agree that thirty-eight years is a long time? I realize that some of us are bound up for much longer than that, but isn’t it exhausting?

I may have grown up in church, but I can assure you I didn’t even begin to think about grabbing onto some healing until I was 18 and a senior in high school. And it wasn’t for the lack of people encouraging me, pointing me towards truth and loving on me. It was because of my own pride, and the fact that I liked my sin. It felt good. I can’t imagine an invalid feeling good, but I can imagine getting too lazy in our sin that we never want to get up and move on, because if any of us have tried, we can testify that it is h-a-r-d.

Notice that after Jesus asked him if he wanted healing, he didn’t even say yes! He gave an excuse as to why he was still laying there.

Is that not so true of us? We can think of every excuse in the book as to why our healing has yet to come to us. As to why we’re still drowning in sin. Or why that stronghold still holds all the power in the world over us.

“I have no one to help me…” who are we waiting for? Who are you waiting for? What is that one thing you think can heal you? Sister, stop waiting. His name is Jesus.

That brokenness, that shame, that addiction, the mindset, that sin cycle, that stronghold, that lie, that greed, that lust, that past, that hate. He came for that. Our excuses, though they may seem legitimate at the time, are illegitimate.

“Get up, take up your bed and walk!” Today is the day.

If it seems impossible, it might be, but the Lord knows your fears. Knows how painful it might be. But He’s still telling you to get up and walk! Walk free! Walk confidently! Maybe it’s time to stop asking God for some healing and believe He’s granted us the freedom. The freedom He gave us on the cross.

Or maybe you have yet to even ask the Lord for some freedom, but you’re dying for some! Today is the day to ask! Tell Him every single detail. What may seem insignificant to you, is not to Him.

Some of us need to let God simply demonstrate His power through us.

He is trustworthy. He cares. He sees. He loves.

And ultimately, He heals.

Walk on, Sister.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)

I’m curious how many of you are singing the next lines to the song posted above, “wish it was Sunday…”. Makes me laugh!

Truth be told, Sunday is easily one of my favorite days of the week, and Monday one of the hardest. I have the great honor and privilege of getting to sing on our worship team at church, and since we added an evening service a few months ago, that means that the weeks I’m serving, I’m liable to be at church all day. Listen, this isn’t me complaining in the least, I am so delighted and happy to do it, and consider it a great honor, but it certainly zaps me of some energy come Monday morning.

Hence the manic Monday. I’ve been known to leave my house on a Monday morning headed to work only to realize I left my computer sitting on my coffee table. And well, that’s kind of a necessity. I may or may not have done that this morning. Sigh.

Anyway, as I often do, I was scrolling through my phone last night deleting the masses of unnecessary pictures I have stored on there, when I decided an iPhone dump for this Monday was in order.

For the record, our sweet Siesta Mama has a very full plate right now, you wouldn’t waste a prayer on her at all, so I’ll do the best I can to hold down the fort while she works to serve you all in a different capacity. So, I do apologize in advance if you get tired of hearing from me! But rest assured, she will hop on when she can.

Without further do, a little Monday randomness for you.

Every other Thursday night I’m taking a small group of girls through “Believing God”. I’m so proud of them for coming because that study is hard! Especially as a high school girl. But what makes me happiest is when they say their five statement pledge of faith at the beginning of each week. I wanted to capture this so I’d remember it! Oh, if they just got those five truths at that age. Such liberating truth!

Remember that time I confessed to y’all that I unintentionally rub my feet together when I’m really tired? And then I confessed I remind myself of a cricket. Well, KMac, my beloved coworker found this pillow at a little shop right after that. You guessed it. This pillow now sits on my bed. I love it.

We’ve had our fair share of interesting visitors here at LPM, but most recently, we’ve welcomed a crane. It’s slightly bizarre, but we are all very intrigued. I’m not quite sure what he thinks about us, though.

My friend recently texted me this picture. For the sake of all embarrassment, yes, this is my hysterical, typical laugh. I’d label myself an unattractive laugher. But seriously, life is good when you’re laughing this hard!

My  sweet mom and I at a wedding recently. This was the photo booth! How fun is that? I’d just like to give a shout out and say that moms are the best nurses. Remember how I told y’all recently I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed? Well, I did it a little over a week ago and I survived! Praise the Lord! This was all largely because she took such good care of me afterwards. I’m thankful.

Speaking of wisdom teeth, you know you’ve arrived when you get snail mail from a four-year old. My favorite get well card of all time.

One of my favorite things about my church is all the young families. I love getting to spend time with them and their precious kiddos. Truly, not much brings me as much joy as getting to do just that. Anyway, this was my placemat for dinner one night. It made me so unbelievably happy!

I recently had to make a little drive to the country. Apparently, that’s where road signs don’t matter. “No Motor Vehicles”. Funny.

One fun thing about roommates is that it means you can take random midnight trips to the grocery store. This particular evening was one for the books. Oh, and in case you were curious, I’m kind of obsessed with apples. Hence the delight in this picture. My roommates just go along with it.

LPM is in it to end it! For more information on what that means click here.

Since I don’t have babies of my own to brag about, I choose to brag about my BFF’s baby. For my recent trip to Austin for a wedding, Ellie was my car buddy. Tell me, is this not the best three hour view? She’s scrumptious.

That wedding I keep referring to was a for a dear friend I’ve known since birth. It was a beautiful wedding! And one of the most unique weddings I’ve attended for sure. Everything was so Brittany. Anyway, ten years ago this year the brides daddy passed away. The most bittersweet thing was watching her older brother give her away at her wedding. Not a dry eye!

Oh, and speaking of Ellie, I had her all to myself Friday night while her parents had a date night. She makes me so deliriously happy. We played and played before bed time. This is us. She was more interested in eating my phone. But what nine month old isn’t? This is pre-bed time.

After an hour of off and on giggling, talking and fussing in bed, she decided play time was more fun. So played we did. Needless to say, contrary to “Goodnight Gorilla” that girl was not ready for goodnight. Not that I minded. Party time with Aunt Lou! We were both happy.

Houston has had amazing, yet unique weather for the month of May. I keep imagining I live in California, because that’s what our weather has been like. Perfection, if you ask me. Because of the weather, I’ve gone on as many walks as possible at a trail near me. Normally, I might go for a run, but seriously, who would ruin this weather with a run! I convinced my roommate to go with me one Friday evening. Clearly, we both enjoyed it.

Sometimes you go for a walk and you stumble upon a treasure.

You have to cherish every minute of these Houston weather days. Also, I’m apparently into bridges. Awesome.

Yesterday I had a different viewpoint at church than I typically do. I took this shot during our last worship song. Honestly, words can’t describe how grateful I am for my church. I’m glad the Lord has planted me there for such a time as this. It blesses my soul.

Y’all have a happy Monday!

For those of you who feared we might not post the LPL Eugene recap, no worries! We’re just doing a little shake up here on the blog this week. Grin.

Beth did a wonderful job of summing up the weekend in the previous post, so I’ll just let the video speak for itself.

Living Proof Live | Eugene from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

We hope y’all have a wonderful weekend! Shockingly, on May 3rd, it’s a chilly 58 degrees here today in Houston. I’m not completely sure, but we might be breaking a record low for Houston this late in the spring. But lest you think we’re complaining, we’ll take it! Scorching temps are just around the corner.

Oh, and for your viewing, or rather, laughing pleasure, you all need to know I’ve reached a new low. Our sweet Beth brought some leftover cake to the office on Wednesday, so I decided to serve myself a piece yesterday afternoon for a little snack. However, I didn’t realize until I got back to my office that I had served it on my upside-down plate. No wonder the plate felt so unstable! I was beyond tickled. THAT’S how easily entertained I am. I hope you are, too! Bless my heart.

Happy weekend, y’all!