Training leaders in my home in June to start small groups, retreats, Bible studies to teach women Biblical foundations of motherhood, marriage, discipleship.
Dark-blue eyes the color of blueberries, stared up intensely in the direction of my voice. Two matching bruises on her forehead, gave a battered look to her tiny face, with dripping dark strands of hair and pearl-white skin framing her face. At that moment, I was star-struck with my little new born, first child, Sarah.
At almost 31, never having changed a diaper, never knowing a mom who had nursed her children, and not even knowing how to hold her, I was not expecting the overwhelming love and reverence that would fill my heart the moment she arrived and was gently placed into my arms.
For a moment, I had her alone, and quiet filled the room. As I was holding her gingerly so as not to harm her, it was as if God was whispering to me:
“You are holding eternity in your arms. This little one is a miracle gift from me. Will you cherish her and love her so that when she grows up, she will believe that I love her? Will you be responsible to shape and fill her mind with the best stories so she will always believe in heroes? Will you whisper to her the secrets of my ways, teach her what is true, give her a place to grow strong and a sanctuary for life in which to celebrate all that is good in life so that she will fill the treasure-chest of her soul with all that is good, true and beautiful?”
Truly, for me, it was a defining moment. In one brief twinkling of time, totally startling thoughts to me, the imagination of what a home could be was wrapped in this little 7 pound gift. I would be the conductor of the life that shaped the potential locked in the heart, soul and mind of this little one. I began to understand that I would be a conductor of life for this little one born dependent on my guidance, love and direction of her life."
A Ministry to Mothers
The conviction about the strategic role of motherhood grew into a passion and call on my life over the years. Since I became a mother, I have studied the Bible about the issues of motherhood and had written 12 books, many of which underline the profound importance of motherhood. By God's grace, this is the 20th year Clay and I will be hosting a Mom Heart Conference: a place to encourage, instruct and inspire moms to embrace their calls of motherhood to build godly generations.
We launched a small group ministry to encourage Moms to start groups of encouragement to others in their area to be sure mamas everywhere are having the opportunity to be inspired in their roles to raise godly generations.
We will be relaunching a new Mom Heart Website that will give more articles, training, ideas, and videos to encourage moms in their roles and in their groups.
The Core Message
Mothers are the civilizers of nations because they civilize, train and inspire their children to love God, to have a heart that values righteousness, they model serving Christ in front of them every day. Through this amazing work, children become adults who serve God actively and who bring His kingdom to bear.
When a culture has lost the imagination of the importance of motherhood, and has forgotten that a baby is God's best work of art and creativity, making an eternal human being in His Image, then a culture can adopt devastating practices that we have all witnessed in planned parenthood.
What a person believes and cherishes in their hearts determines what a person does and how they behave in life..
A Call To Engage, to be Involved
What are you doing, planning, that will change your world for God's glory? How are you planning to bring His light to bear? This is not a time for passivity or excuses, this is your time to live a story of faith for God by reaching out and seeking to help others know Him, love Him and serve Him.
How Am I Going to Own My Life and Ministry the next year as I seek God?
**The next couple of weeks, I will be out of pocket because I will be in Europe meeting with leaders to discuss how I might do a Mom's conference, a leadership intensive to train others in ministry, and a homeschooling conference for missionaries and women there who lack support. Please pray that God will open doors and allow us to minister to thousands of moms to have a vision of motherhood. I hope to either host more leadership seminars in my home, and in other countries, or video tape my leadership conferences to send all over the world. (We just taped our messages in June and will be making those available.)
**We are planning to put up a page in Spanish on my blog and are in the process of translating a couple of books in Spanish to inspire and encourage those in the Spanish speaking world.
**I have written a new book that gives vision and purpose of home that I hope will inspire women all over the world with the vision of how they can use their homes to be sanctuaries of all that is holy to cultivate all in their homes to be followers of Christ.
**A friend and I also plan to do weekly podcasts speaking of issues that might encourage women. Pray we can get this up and going. It's coming soon, when I return!
Join me and hundreds if other Women!
I hope you will not tire of seeing my posts about Own Your Life. I hope you will bear with me one more time. I have received so many letters asking for further help and inspiration and so I decided to do my own blog, podcast and series to refresh and encourage you, my friends in ministry using these tools.
But this fall, I will be doing a series using my book Own Your Life, and the planner, with podcasts and stories to help inspire women to think more strategically about their own lives in light of how God might use them in this world to bring His light and love right where they are. I hope you will join me.
You may buy these books as a resource to my Monday and Friday sessions this fall to help you plan how to Own Your LIfe, Own your Fall, Own your ministry, Own your family! :)
So, pray for my safety on this trip. Please pray for good health. Pray for Joy who will be with me. Pray for God to keep opening doors for us to encourage and inspire women all over the world. Pray for our leadership meetings with women where I will be visiting. I will be back in a couple of weeks. God be lifted up in your life and in mine!
Many of you know that we, our family, Clay and me, have a ministry that develops all of these materials and conferences and outreaches. If God ever puts it on your heart to become partners with us in our projects, you may donate it HERE. It is because of our many friends and supporters that we have been able to pursue our projects for the last 20 years. Thanks to all of you who have been a part.
