Just yesterday I realized the blog had been really quiet for an entire week. To be completely honest, it hadn’t occurred to me until one of you so sweetly commented and asked if everything was okay with our Siesta Mama. You’ll be so relieved to know that not only is she okay, she’s actually hosting “Camp Bibby” this week. Needless to say, she has her hands very full and is loving every minute! In fact, we just returned from eating lunch with her and the kiddos and no one could leave until we found the plastic, fake spider Jackson held so dearly all through lunch. Priorities, folks.
Since she is Bibby this week, and since I’m currently obsessing over the high school girls that we get the sheer joy of hosting every Tuesday, the blog, although always on my mind, suffered only due to lack of time, not lack of material or love!
What you may not know is that May 29th brought a whole new dimension to LPM. That was the first day some of the most precious high school girls waltzed into LPM. They were quiet, reserved and scared out of their mind, just as I would have been at that age. Stink, just as I am now to walk in any unfamiliar place! However, that didn’t last long before they were all chowing down on pizza and making new friends. The most ironic part about the quietness and anxiousness is that starting that evening, all of us were going to crack open So Long, Insecurity together. Is there a book more appropriate for a high school girl? I submit that there cannot. My hope and prayer is that they grasp these truths and principles at this young age so that ten or twenty years from now, they won’t have to dig up as many roots of insecurity as some of us did.
And lest you think I’ve learned all I can about insecurity saying as though I’ve already read this book once already, think again, the Lord has let it hit me in a fresh, new way that is striking all kinds of ugly chords. He knew I would need it again, and He knew the only way I’d read it again was to take a group of high school girls through it. I told the girls the first night that I was not only on this journey with them, but that I was certain I’d learn more than any of them. So far, my predictions are correct.
I’ve received a few emails wondering how we’re doing this study, so I wanted to post some fun facts so that if you’re interested, you too could lead a group of girls through SLI.
Since Tuesday evenings are always Bible study nights, that was automatically our go-to night. When we opened up registration, we had an overwhelming response, glory to God, so we decided to also open up an Tuesday afternoon study, all as an experiment. The LPM office isn’t tiny by any means, but it can only host so many people at one time before we get crazy, so fifty girls was our cut off number. When all was said and done, by the time May 29th rolled around, we had just a small group of girls that I lead in the afternoon, then at night we have our full group, along with five leaders.
For the first thirty minutes, we all just chat it up and eat. It’s what girls do best, right? When we’re all done eating, I typically make them find one girl they don’t know and I give them a fun question to discuss, something like their favorite movie. Then, for the next hour or so, they break up into five different small groups and unpack that particular weeks homework. The book now has a workbook to go along with it and I don’t have enough good things to say about it. It is such a helpful, wonderful guide with a lot of rich questions. So rich, in fact, that just last night we had to ring a bell to break up the small groups. You know what that means, it means they’re not running out of things to talk about in small group, praise the Lord!
For the last 20 to 30 minutes, we all gather back in the board room and I give them a little challenge or devotional. The last thing they want to do is listen to me talk for another hour, so I keep it pretty short and to the point. Then we all hug and say our goodbyes.
You cannot imagine the amount of food that has come in and out of this place. Girls can eat.
We’ve ordered 20 boxes of pizza.
Nuggets trays and salads galore from Chick-Fil-A.
Enough sandwiches from Potbelly to feed the staff, the girls, and the leaders for a good three days.
Over 100 potbelly cookies. I’ll refrain from telling you how many calories are in each cookie. You’re welcome.
Jimmy Johns sandwiches that were just right.
And cases upon cases of all manner of drinks, like water, coke, diet coke and dr. pepper.
I think it’s safe to say that LPM is always learning and growing, and this experience alone has been such a learning experience for me, if not for all of us. The entire LPM Village has played a part in some way, shape or form and to say I couldn’t do it without them or my leaders is a vast understatement. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I express my thankfulness enough. They are the bomb!
This I know to be so true, no one has to convince me to want to serve and love these girls. They have my heart. Boy, do they have my heart. Tuesdays are the most exciting and yet the most exhausting days of the week, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is a complete joy and honor to serve them in this way. Oh, I pray that they would be rooted in Christ and their security would be found in Him alone. And that it would begin with me.
The first Tuesday we were ready to receive those girls with open arms and books galore!
The sweet staff made me do this. It felt so awkward that I’m still laughing.
Beth was equally as giddy and excited. She got to pop in and say hey to the girls that day. So fun!
Our typical food set up.
These Potbelly cookies are sinful they’re so delicious. And we had over 100.
If you walked into LPM on a Tuesday, this is what you might find. Isn’t it a precious sight? Brings me such joy.
How precious and what a Blessing! The family of God continues to grow. Praise the Lord!
Lindsee, this is awesome. I remember thinking when I read “So Long Insecurity” that I wished I could find a way to break it down and do it as a Bible Study for teen girls! I’m not really gidted in teaching, but that book should be read by every young lady. You are awesome!
Glory to God, that IS a beautiful sight, Lindsee! Thanks for sharing the latest. Will be praying for a dynamite-level demolition of insecurity for all involved.
P.S. You’re making me wish we had a Potbelly nearby!
Now I want a Potbelly Cookie! 🙂 Enjoy your Tuesdays with the girls. Looks amazing!
I love the picture with Beth – if you notice the placement of the pink bow on the book, it looks like our Siesta Mama has a huge pink bow in her hair!
Made me GAL! (Grin a Little)
Just sayin’…
Lindsee,
What a blessing you are to these girls! I will be praying for all of you!!!
What a joy to serve Him. Lindsee, so glad to hear from you and how re-reading “So Long Insecurity” is doing a mighty work AGAIN!!!
Well, BLESS YOU, Lindsee, and THANK YOU ALL for your ministry of outreach to these girls. What a perfect group for us Siestas to be praying for this summer. Having spent years in Youth Ministry, and now living it out with 3 teen+ sons, I am utterly grateful to people who love this age group.
And, hey, the sooner we can Say Goodbye to Insecurity, the better!! Amen and Amen.
Thank you for sharing this–prayers abound.
Lindsee,
WOW, the Lord certainly knew what He was doing when He put you in your new mission!! I so wish that book was around when I was their age, sigh. What a precious sight seeing all of those girls gathered together studying, it is PRICELESS! Keep leading them sweet thing, you will reap your harvest in due time.
With love & gratitude,
Michelle
Priorites Lindsee…where did you get your flats???
Molly, they are from Target. Go get yourself a pair, girl! 🙂
Love those Target flats – I have two pairs in red and black!
So excited to hear more about your work with the girls – I just started helping with the HS girls at our church too and need all the advice I can get! Keep posting!
Thank you, Thank you!
Hi, Lindsee!
This new ministry to the girls is so exciting!
I work with middle school kids and am involved with getting our girls’ ministry started – it is such an exciting time for us as well.
I look forward to hearing updates about the girls.
Blessings and continued energy!
Lisa
Just prayed for you, Lisa, as y’all get this girls ministry started. Blessings!
Young girls are so precious. I wish you all the best Lindsee as you arm up the next generation.
LOVE it, Lindsee!! I’ll be praying for you gals! :0)
Precious sight indeed! What a wonderful ministry and it is so exciting to see so many young ladies show up!!
Precious indeed, Lindsee! So happy this is going so well. I never doubted that you would be a fantastic leader for these young ladies. I love you Lindsee Lou. God sure knew what he was doing when he led you to LPM (or led them to you!)
Hello beautiful woman of God who blesses my life so much! I am actually thinking about, praying about leading this very study at my church in the fall. So when I just got this on my e-mail it said CONFIRMATION to my heart ~ Thank you~ you look marvelous by the way!!! I am praying for everyone who needs to be there to sign up & show up & stay connected. So exciting. Loved the book & know the bible study will be even more amazing!
Oh I know they are soaking it up! May the Lord bless your efforts!
lindsee ~ i love this so much! i thank you so much for ministering to those young girls. i recently finished listening to beth read so long, insecurity and passed it on to my dear friend with 2 teenage daughters. the book helped me immensely and i’m so grateful that teenagers have it now….secure, Christian women can impact the world!
i also wanted to share that i encouraged my college son to read the book and do the workbook. he says its really helping him! ptl!
Workbook huh…I might have to mention this to my faithful leader! I would love to do this book in a study/group setting!
I am a little jealous 😉 I want to be one of those high school girls…or well ok a leader, hehe.
I am doing the nehemiah study with a group of women this summer. I think next on my list i would love to do the So Long Insecurity book/workbook. I already read the book on my own but would love to do it with a group of women.
Hope I get a chance to do that!
Lindsee…I love it. What a wonderful, life changing gift to these girls. I love teens and I remember being a teen (oh, yes I do and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise) and I cannot tell you what an absolute joy and difference this would have made in my life.
Bless you for letting God use you in this way. I will be lifting you and these delightful young women up to the throne!
Debbie
Thank you, Lindsee, for letting us know all is well on the LPM homefront and our Siesta Mama is okay…I was concerned since the blog had been so quiet. I know she has had a blast with those kiddos and I look forward to hearing from her about them. Have a blessed weekend and thanks for the update.
Beautiful!!!
Wow- thank you for sharing! Tuesdays sound so fun and exciting- how blessed you are. As you plant those seeds I will pray for the Lord to water! Praise the Lord for such an opportunity! Perfect bible study for that age.Thank you for letting us know Mona is good and having a great week! So thankful for that. Definitely attached now and worry about her.have a great week- will keep all of you in prayer.
I needed a delight tonight- thank you for sharing how you and LPM is touching these beautiful young lives- oh so important for their life journeys – sure wish I had had a Lindsee during those formative years- maybe just maybe some of the late in life tragic surprises may be averted with through the power of the Holy Spirit speaking and healing lives during your studies
God Bless all of you and tell Beth we wish her lots of fun and memories at “Camp Bibby”
What a lovely sight! I read So long insecurity 2 summers ago, right after I had suffered a great loss. A few years ago I was told I would probably have a difficult time conceiving a child. After many infertility treatments and much heartache, we finally got a positive pregnancy test.We heard the baby’s heart beat at 8 weeks and were so excited. Our hearts were broken when we went for an ultrasound at 12 weeks and there was no heartbeat. Talk about insecurity! I felt like my body was broken and was not doing what it was supposed to. I also felt insecure about letting my husband down and that somehow I was depriving him. I read SLI in July, 2010, the same month I turned 30 years old. What struck me most is how Beth talks about how many times we are the catalysts of our own misery. The way I felt was not lining up with the facts and I began to feel incredible peace. The very next month, we learned I was PREGNANT! And this pregnancy was completely different than the first. We had a healthy baby boy, who is now 15 months old, and also ANOTHER little baby boy on the way, due in November! Praise God!
Praise God, Amy! Thank you for sharing your journey!
Precious. Thank-you so much for ministering to this age group. THEY are our legacy.
Blessings!
Melana
An absolutely worthy investment! Rejoicing with you!!!
Oh, how I wish this was around when I was a young, high school girl who had all sorts of insecurities. I pray that these sweet young things take the words they’ll read in this amazing book and tuck it into their hearts. Bless you, Lindsay, and the rest of the LPM staff for leading this important study. May we all realize just how loved we are and always remember that we are created in His image.
Secure in the knowledge I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
Shelly
I just can’t tell you how exciting this blog is to me!! I have been wondering how things were going so thanks for the update! I’m sure that lives will be changed by God thru this experience! ** LOVE the bows on the books 😉
oh my word, i can barely contain myself at the sight of that last picture. !!!! so awesome what God is doing through you, what He’s doing in the hearts of those young ladies, & so glad for your faithfulness to share Him with the younger generations (: i’m meeting one-on-one with two beautiful young ladies this summer & boy has the material hit me as i’ve prepared for our weekly meetings.
i have a heart for young ladies, especially ones brought up in the church… you know, the ones that know all of the right answers & can regurgitate facts and definitions like it’s no one’s business, but somehow have missed the LOVE of Christ in their own lives.
i will most definitely be praying for those young ladies who are part of your tuesday nights now that i know <3
Oh girl, I hear you and I’m so with you. Amen! Thank you for your sweet prayers! Blessings on you!
It’s those spiders and creepy crawlies that I am NOT looking forward to when Baby Sinner arrives. His Auntie Shelby (identical twin to Baby Sinner’s mama) said, “Oh, great. A boy! That means I am going to have to teach him that he can’t tell body function jokes around me.” Miz Shelby is all things prim and proper.But Sister Tater and I are already making plans for Camp Bibby, or in my case Camp KiKi. Wish I could have joined you all for Bible Study and those brownies.
I love every word of this post. But when I got to the end and saw the pictures of those girls – it about knocked me off my kitchen stool. I can still feel the chills going through me. How powerful and precious all at the same time.
May God continue to bless you and speak through you. Glory to His name for what He is doing there.
lindsee, that last pic (& what goes on there) is priceless. you’ve inspired me to think about where i might lead this study too. this is kingdom stuff, friend, and Jesus is nodding His approval. carry on. 🙂
Loved the last pic with all the girls sitting around looking at their books, notes, etc. So awesome!
Bless you, Lindsee. I love that photo of those sweet young girls sitting all over the floor. What a fantastic and necessary ministry. Wish I had been led through something like it at that age. I too have a heart for young women – maybe slightly older and it is my dream to be involved in full-time ministry to them. But for now I am so excited because my Nehemiah book arrived today and I am ready for the summer bible study! Hope Bibby, oops Beth, gets some rest this weekend after her Bibby camp. I love you all and what you do here in Siestaville. Bleesings from South Africa!
Blessings – not Bleesings. Sorry!
those photos warmed my heart immensely. i love seeing young people who are hungry for God. i’m involved in youth ministry at my church, and it’s been a challenge to find material. i never thought about doing So Long Insecurity with teenage girls. i just thought of it as a women’s book. thanks for the inspiration.
Oh how my heart rejoices WITH YOU.. WOOOOO-HOOOOO!!!!! All those precious girls!!! Oh Lord that they would truly find there identity in You and You alone!!! And may we (“adults”) as well!! Praise God!!!
Lindsee – when Beth said you wouldn’t be joining us in Nehemiah b/c of this study it made me so HAPPY for those young ladies! Perfect, perfect study for them. It was perfect for me last year (43yrs young), but OH, what a gift to be led through these truths during those pivotal years! BLESS you all and GO JESUS in busting up the stuff in our hearts stopping us from receiving the truth of who we are in Him!!! I pray a shield of protection and a flood of joy over LPM on Tuesdays! And beyond. 🙂
Oh Jennifer, I am SO doing Nehemiah with y’all…just not leading a group. Grin. But wouldn’t miss out on that study with y’all for the world! 🙂
YIPPEEE! So glad you’ll be walking it with us! I am actually leading a small group of ladies in my home. Trying to be ‘good’ and stay ahead of them so I’ve already done a couple of the days in preparation. EXCITED!!! 🙂
Keep it up Lindsee, these girls will never forget the impact you are making in there life…
I am so grateful y’all are studying this book with teenage girls! Keep us posted on the progress please. What a wonderful book…it should be taught in schools.
Have a glorious day!
Thanks for the update! It’s great what y’all are doing with those girls!
My 19 year old daughter went through a really dark time in her life several years ago. (I’m sure I lamented on this blog during that awful season – begged for prayers, too).
God has redeemed that child so thoroughly her dad and I are slack jawed at times.
She came downstairs and grabbed my copy of “SLI” last week, and the other night I found her in her room watching one of my “Wednesdays with Beth” DVD’s. Her hunger for the Word is insatiable! She says “Beth teaches and it makes sense to me.” Amen, girl.
I love seeing these girls sitting around your office, and I’m so thankful you all care and mentor them – this world is tough and safe places like that are desperately needed!!!
What a sweet sight…thank you for your ministry to those precious young women. It will not return void!
Lindsee, that was precious!! Thank you for ministering to those sweet young girls. I KNOW thier mamas appreciate you!
I have been blessed this summer by a young lady in college who is leading some of our teen girls (at church) through “Lies Young Women Believe”. My daughter has been able to participate and Im so thankful 🙂
Oh, my goodness…what a blessing to these sweet girls!
How I wish that someone would have provided me with something so meaningful during my high school years…my life would be different today for sure.
You are doing such amazing work that is so important. The Lord is changing lives through YOU! How exciting. May the Lord continue to bless you richly.
I love that the girls are going through this book. I went through it almost 2 years ago with a friend and boy has it changed how I look at things. I too have much more to learn but am thankful for what God has taught me through that book. Praying that these girls deal with this now and find security in who they are in Christ.
Lindsee – This is AWESOME! How precious that these young women are seeking after God. I’m thrilled for you that you are a part of that. I know God will use you to bless their lives. What a wonderful mentor they will have in you! Praying for God’s sweet blessings on you!
Is the new workbook to go with it part of the book or can it be bought separately? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Taria, it is bought separately! I think you can find it at LifeWay.
And, Taria, be sure to read Beth’s dedication in the workbook!! (I hope I got that right, Siestas) 😉