What dream do you have tucked deep within your heart? What do you long to do with the days you are given on this planet?

We all have a dream of doing something big, of making a difference, of changing the world.

Dreams are engrained within the human heart…and so is the desire to pursue them.

When my hubby and I made our way to the mission field, it wasn’t a random journey on the way to nowhere. We were chasing a dream to go global with the Gospel.

When I started The M.O.M. Initiative to equip and enable the church to make mentoring intentionally missional, it wasn’t a flippant attempt to find something to do. I was chasing a dream to reach the moms of this generation so that we could reach the heart of the next generation.

Catherine of Siena once said, “Be who God created you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

and William Carey once said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

We were created to dream and to dream big.

But no matter how good or God-given our dreams are, if we chase them without chasing the One who gave them to us first, we will find ourselves empty handed and broken hearted.

Moses was a man who had a dream. 

He was to set his people free.

But have you ever wondered if the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt might have happened earlier had Moses sought His Father’s face before he killed the Egyptian soldier?

It was during a time when wickedness reigned and babies boys were being slaughtered. Jochebed gave birth to a son, and like any mother, she was desperate to save his life.

In an extreme act of faith, she placed her baby boy in a basket, tucked him in the reeds along the Nile River and waited in hopes that God would somehow intercede and save her son. 

No one knows for sure…we aren’t told in Scripture, but perhaps Jochebed hoped the momma-heart of the childless Princess would prevail over the political proclamation of death.

Jochebed’s daughter maneuvered her way to the Princess as she lifted the baby from the Nile. Offering the ideal breast-feeding provider, the wise little girl devised a plan that would enable her momma to continue raising the tiny tot that was already hers.

After years of holding her son close and pouring her life and her faith into his heart, Jochebed returned her boy to Pharaoh’s daughter.

The Princess named him Moses because his name means, to lift up. She had lifted him out of the water and was looking forward to day when she would be able to lift her adopted son to a position of power.

But as her boy became a man, his Jewish roots became more deeply rooted and he longed to see his people set free. 

Exodus 2:11-12 tells us,

“Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.”

Moses may have dreamed about how he could somehow set his people free…and it may have even been a dream God had tucked deep within his heart, but instead of first seeking the Father’s face, Moses set out to fulfill his dream on his own.

His knee-jerk reaction sent him fleeing into the wilderness where he would spend the next 40 years trying to forget that he was called for so much more than tending sheep.

But it was there, on the back side of the mountain, that He would find the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was there, at the foot of a burning bush, that God would confirm his call and define his dreams.

Yes. The dream Moses had to free his people was not only a God-given dream ~ it was to be his destiny. But before Moses was to chase his dreams, he should have first chased the One who had tucked that dream in his heart in the first place.

We all have been guilty of chasing a dream before pursing the One who placed it there.

But there is nothing promising about reaching a Promised Land without the power of God’s presence. It was a lesson Moses learned the hard way, but it was a lesson he definitely learned.

After crossing the Red Sea with the children of Israel, Moses said to God…

“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Exodus 33:15

We all chase after dreams. But the goal is not to see a dream come true, it is to chase hard after the God who gives us the dream.

Our service for God can never be a substitute for our relationship with God.

Moses chased after a dream, but in his own pursuits, he found God.

Don’t you love knowing that God will even let us make a mess of things and stray from all we know, yet He will reveal Himself to us in burning-bush-fashion to remind us that what we are looking for is only found in Him!

So, should you dream big dreams? ABSOLUTELY! Chase GOD and dream BIG!

What dream are you chasing today? Have you sought to fulfill the dream or are you seeking the One who tucked that thing in your heart in the first place?

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Hey sweet friends! Today, I’m starting a series called The Chase!

We all chase a myriad of things. If you’re a momma, you know all about chasing things! You probably spent an hour this morning chasing down your kids and chasing after them to clean their rooms and put their toys away.

But everyday, we all are chasing something.

We chase dreams,

we chase peace,

we chase purpose

we chase hope

we chase love

we chase acceptance

we chase joy

we chase God

we chase fame

we chase fortune

we chase satisfaction

and we even chase lies

We are all chasing something.

Join me on this ten post journey as we discover that the very thing we are chasing is designed to drive us to the arms of God.

What are you chasing? Right now…what is it that your heart is pursuing?

“For who has despised the day of small things.” 

Zechariah 4:3

We hear messages from well-meaning preachers and passionate speakers about how God calls us to the grand, the prominent and the substantial. And our hearts begin to beat with a desire to go where no one has gone before and accomplish the impossible.

And sometime He does. But God’s will is not only found in the great big, mountain-size dreams that He tucks in our hearts. Sometimes, His perfect will is smack dab in the middle of the mundane.

So, do you sense God has called you to bigger and better things? Has He given you a vision for a ministry that is beyond you, yet you know it is for you? Are you stuck in neutral as you are waiting for it to unfold?

Sometimes we want the prominent before we walk through the petty; we seek the splendid instead of the small. But serving God is seldom a battle for position rather an aligning of our will to His. How, where and to what extent we serve is entirely up to Him.

While it’s part of our DNA to desire to accomplish more, the goal is not to do more. The goal is to know Him more each obedient step of the way and let Him define the extent of our accomplishments.

This has been a hard one for a girl whose favorite quote is, “Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God.” ~ William Carey. But the ultimate purpose in attempting great things for God must always be motivated by a heart that knows Him and desires to make Him known.

It’s an odd phenomena, but those who have been called into the ministry must be very careful that their work does not become the object of their worship. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the grandness of the call and neglect to focus on the greatness of God.

Small things may be where He choses to leave us because we’d crumble under the weight of something bigger. But small things are just as important to God as the big things.

He gives significance to extending a cup of water in His name, to serving dinner to a stranger, to comforting a hurting heart. These are small things, but in the grander scheme of things, God gives them significance.

Yes, small things may be stepping stones to bigger things to come. But He reminds us that our faithfulness to fulfill His call to small things is a determining factor to His willingness to call us to bigger things. He doesn’t call us to bigger if we haven’t been faithful to the small things first.

‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’Luke 19:17

Have you missed God’s call to the small things because you can only focus on the big things? Are you content to know that our faithfulness to fulfill His call to the small things is as important as accomplishing the big things? Do you know you’ve been called to something bigger than yourself, but you’ve struggled with each small step on the way? 

I’m so blessed to be able to travel and meet women in different towns, states and countries and I LOVE not only meeting the precious women in each place, but to get a bird’s eye view of how their women’s ministries are doing. Some are thriving. Others…not so much.

Women’s ministries are as unique as the churches they function in. Some seem to have it all together. Others are falling apart at the seams. But the unraveling of a women’s ministry doesn’t normally happen over night.

Time and circumstances  have a way of bringing out the best and worst in all of us. Some ministries stand the test of time, others don’t.

Some aren’t actually falling apart, they just weren’t sewn together right in the first place.

SO…how can a seemingly thriving women’s ministry become a mess? What are the signs and symptoms of a ministry gone awry?

Here are 12 ways to ruin a women’s ministry:

1. Don’t get it started well in the first place ~ Good women’s ministries aren’t just thrown together, their prayerfully and carefully sewn together. They are thoroughly thought through and prayerfully planned out. The right time, purpose, place, people, strategies and structure are an important part of all successful women’s ministries. If you want to ruin yours, don’t get it started right in the first place.

2. Be a domineering leader ~ Good women’s ministries are lead by women who understand that we lead best when we serve. Others aren’t drawn to demanding, demeaning or domineering leaders. If you want to sink your own ministry ship, be a bossy leader and you’ll discover you are the one creating holes in your own ship.

3. Don’t pray ~ Prayer is where all good things begin, including good women’s ministries. Without prayer, there is no power, no true wisdom and no dependency upon God. If you want to ruin your ministry, don’t pray about the decisions you make or the people you are ministering to.

4. Be more concerned about the task than the people you are ministering to ~ Good women’s ministries focus on those they are there to minister to, not an event of a task. If you want your women’s ministry to fail, forget about the needs of the women you minister to and set your sites on the event you are planning, the meeting you are having or the goals you are setting.

5. Be exclusive ~ Good women’s ministries are really good at including everyone and about seeing those on the fringe who long to be involved but tend to feel excluded, or maybe never have found where they fit in. If you want to mess up your women’s ministry, make it like a social club, where only the strong survive and only a select few are able to be involved.

6. Don’t consider the women’s natural abilities or spiritual giftedness ~ Good women’s ministries encourage women to discover and use their spiritual gifts by inviting them to join in various activities and events. They notice who is good at what and help them find the joy of serving by asking them to be part of something using the areas of their giftedness. If you want your women’s ministry to take a nose dive, don’t allow women to discover their giftedness. Don’t allow them to strengthen their spiritual gifts. Just throw women into areas they aren’t suited for and watch them fail.

7. Be a drama queen ~ Good women’s ministries minimize the drama that is sure to happen in a high-estrogen environment with a variety of different women who have different personalities, different love languages and are in different seasons of their lives. If you want your women’s ministry to be plagued with problems, stir up a hornets nest and watch the women in your ministry respond to your lead by making a big deal about every little thing.

8. Cleverly disguise your gossip as a prayer request ~ Good women’s ministries not only minimize the gossip, they deal with it well. The Bible calls us to build each other up, not tear each other down. If what you are getting ready to say doesn’t need to be heard, then just don’t say it. And if you want to destroy your women’s ministry, cleverly disguise your gossip as a prayer request and then don’t wonder why things begin to fall apart at the seams.

9. Make it all about you ~ Good women’s ministries are lead well, by humble leaders who love well. They have no agenda to make the ministry about themselves. They sincerely want to point people to Jesus and to minister to the hearts of the women not only in their church, but in their community. If you want to see the walls of your women’s ministry come crashing down, build a house of mirrors, where you make it all about you…where everywhere everyone turns, all they see is you…where you are large and in charge and everyone knows it.

10. Don’t be ministry minded ~ Good women’s ministries are lead by a team of women who get ministry. Just because someone does ministry, doesn’t mean the really get it. Ministry is hard. It’s painful. Those you desperately try to minister to will hurt your heart and time and time again you will find yourself the target of words that wound, misunderstandings and even lies and insults that bread dissension and hurt the cause of Christ and the body of Christ. If you want to mess up your ministry don’t be ministry minded and either buckle under the weight of it all or allow yourself to join in the chorus of discontentment.

11. Have no purpose statement ~ Good women’s ministries filter everything through their purpose statement. They don’t try to do everything and be everything. They know that they have specific goals, as a ministry, to achieve and they don’t think they have to do everything every other women’s ministry is doing. If you want to blow it as a women’s ministry, do what ever comes along or sounds good and don’t have a purpose statement through which you filter all you do.

12. Stay so busy or be such a control freak that you don’t nurture your own relationship with Jesus and you try to do everything yourself ~ Good women’s ministries are lead by those who treasure their time with Jesus and guard their relationship with Him well. They know their ministry is to be an overflow of their relationship with the Lord, not a substitute for it. They don’t try to control everything or stay so busy that they can’t or won’t spend necessary time with God. If you want to ruin your women’s ministry, neglect your relationship with God, try to control everything and stay so busy that you wind up doing everything yourself and you have no time and no true fellowship with the Lord.

So, there you have it. Twelve ways you can ruin your women’s ministry.

Have you found yourself guilty of any of these? Do you see any of these areas that need to be adjusted in your current women’s ministry? What did I miss?

My heart still hurts every time I think of Mother’s Day without her, so I thought I’d share this post again for all those who are without their mothers on Mother’s Day.

Hi sweet friends! I’m trying to come to grips with the fact that Mother’s Day is just a few days away! It will be 

my first Mother’s Day without my mom and I have to confess, I’ve been a bit weepy lately.

How on earth can a girl do Mother’s Day without her mom? I mean, I know that I’m very blessed to have two moms, but the one who loved me and raised me as her own is gone…and all I can say is, “I’m sad.”

But Mother’s Day isn’t supposed to be sad!

So, for everyone who has lost her mother this past year…this post is for you! I’m going to post a little poem I very unskillfully embroidered for my mom when I was a teenager. And then I’ll list 10 things I miss most about my mom.

I’d love for you to comment with the ten things you miss most about your mom. It’s just a way to spend time thinking of the legacy she has left behind and honoring her even though her chair will be empty. She may be gone, but she is not forgotten.

Mother

Who gave me love and held my hand
And caught me when I fell
Who never slept to comfort me
When I was scared or ill
Who praised me when I did my best
And wept when I did wrong
Who smiled at silly things I did
And taught me to be strong
Who gave and shared and cheered and cared
With her heart and hands
Who will always be a part of me
My mother, my best friend

The 10 things I miss most about my mom:

1. Her hands
2. Her voice
3. Her smile
4. Her strength
5. Her wisdom
6. Her conversations
7. Her correction
8. Her laugh
9. Her presence
10. Her love

This Mother’s Day is going to be hard. My heart aches for her. I know this sounds pitiful, but I really want my mommy!

But she’s with Jesus now and I’m thankful God gave me the gift of a conversation with her that confirmed that she knew Him. And, so I rest in knowing that she knew Him and that her faith has now been made sight!

But I’m also blessed with a precious mother-in-law

And a WONDERFUL birthmom! 

Oh how bittersweet Mother’s Days have become. Counting my blessings and missing my mom at the same time.

Maybe you are too.

Now it’s your turn, sweet friend. Share the 10 things you miss about your mom; add a little poem or a message of hope to those who have lost their moms.

And please know that I will be lifting you up in prayer this week as you, like me, will be without your mom on Mother’s Day.

You  sweet ladies know how much motherhood means to me and how I treasure my role as a mom! There’s really nothing like it! And when my sweet friend, Julie Sanders told me about the book she had been working on it made my heart smile big time!

I knew it would be something I wish I would have had when I was an expectant mom! And I knew it was something that would minister to the hearts of expectant mommas regardless of whether they were carrying their baby in the womb, anticipating bringing home an adopted baby or considering having a child soon.

So, grab a cup of coffee and get comfy, and join my interview with Julie! She is one of the most gracious women I know and I assure you, you will feel the same way when you’re done.

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Julie, could you share with us what we can expect from EXPECTANT?

EXPECTANT is a collection of 40 devotions for new and expectant moms that uses transparent stories and biblical truth to offer hope and wisdom to women transitioning into motherhood. If you have dreams and hopes of what mothering will be, your heart is already Expectant.

Women enter motherhood in a variety of ways, so EXPECTANT shares encouragement for every mom as she grows into being a mother. That may mean she grows a pregnant belly or a home study for adoption, but she will grow. By talking about real issues like changes in your body, your marriage, your work, and your schedule, EXPECTANT helps new moms think through necessary transitions to find hope and confidence right there on the changing table or playground.

Like spending time with a loving, honest mentor over coffee, EXPECTANT uplifts women. The devotions are organized into sections about you, other grown-ups, the baby, and your new normal. Each one includes words from scripture to grow your heart, as well as questions to get the conversation started with a friend, mentor, or dad-to-be. It’s formatted so that it would be easy to do with a partner or small group of moms. 

Each journey into motherhood is unique, but every mother’s heart is expectant. 

Julie, how is motherhood different than you expected?

I knew I would love our children, but I never imagined how much I would enjoy our children. Every season has been amazing, but moving through the changes of childhood, along with the accidents and surprises, has kept me prayerful. Being a mom is great for your prayer life! 

Being a mom has stretched me more personally than I ever expected. God uses motherhood to expose my weaknesses, my failures, and my sin. While I’ve been watching our kids grow, God has been growing my heart and life. 

What are some of your favorite motherhood books?

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp is foundational. Sharon Jaynes’ book Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids really challenged me when I was deep in the elementary years. I was so inspired to make the most of time with our kids. Vicki Courtney’s 5 Conversations books for boys and for girls gave me direction as JoHanna and Jacob were growing, especially since I never had a brother. I needed the wisdom from those authors! 

One thing I’ve learned as a mom is that I should never stop learning, so I’m always excited to find a new book or resource to make me a better mom. If I ever think I’ve got all the bases covered, something changes and I’m sent to my knees, searching for wisdom! 

Your website is called Come have a Peace. How do you find peace as a mother?

I’m convinced God means for us to live out our days experiencing His peace in the practical, real life, relational stuff of our days. For a mom, it seems impossible sometimes, but we aren’t meant to stay in heavy, discouraged places on our mothering journey. We’re meant to find peace, and Jesus said we find it in Him, (John 16:33). Mamas need that message all day, every day, and often through the night. 

God has used major transitions, distance from family, and multiple crises in our lives to show me my “peaceful mom’s heart” does not depend on my circumstances. I’ve become a “pray all day” kinda mom who cries out often and openly to the only perfect Parent we know, God Himself. I’ve learned to give myself a lot of grace and let myself off the hook of expecting perfection, refusing to compare myself to moms around me. (Remind me of that, will you?) And I give our kids a lot of grace, trying to keep the “big picture” in mind as God unfolds His plans for them. He’s doing a great job with them!

The greatest complement I receive is when our kids have friends over and they say, “Your house is so … peaceful.”  Love that! 

What was most difficult for you during the “young years?”  How did you grow as a mother?

When I delivered our first baby, it was quite a finale to our pregnancy! Nothing happened the way we anticipated. I was left with fear and disappointment, and it took a long time for me to feel whole again. Feeling fragile was not only hard, it wasn’t what I expected.

I always wanted to have children, but I also loved being a teacher. Making a transition to spending the day with the baby at home was not as easy as I thought it would be, and before long I found myself overcommitted and worn out. I was challenged to take a close look at where I found my identity and where I placed my trust. Motherhood turned out to be as much about growing me as growing our children. 

It seems like women in their early twenties are discouraged these days to become a mother so young. What type of encouragement do you have for young couples ready to become parents?

No one is every fully prepared to be a mom, but giving yourself a chance to grow and mature in wisdom helps you be the best mom you can be and want to be. God is able to do extraordinary things with moms who start as ordinary women. If you wait until you’re perfect and have a well-padded portfolio and house with a fence, you might wait a long time. 

A wise mentor once encouraged me not to rush through the sweet years of just being a couple. Strengthen your oneness during your pre-child season, and you’ll be better parents when the time comes. As you enter parenthood, you’ll find that it’s a lot about growing yourselves while growing your family. 

I’m thankful my mentor slowed us down; God’s timing is unique for everyone. Seek Him together. The most important part of the decision about when to start a family is unity between the mom and dad-to-be. It’s never worth it for one anxious spouse to push the other forward. Your hearts must be longing and expectant together.

Will you be overwhelmed if you start young? Every mom is overwhelmed at times, regardless of age, but God will be there to Father you lovingly into an experience more amazing than you ever imagined. He has a tender place in His heart for moms, and He knows all you hope and all you anticipate, (Isaiah 40:11). He is the one who has grown your mama’s heart to be so EXPECTANT.

I’m SO thankful for the opportunity to hear Julie’s heart and to share this interview with you! Be sure to stop by the EXPECTANT page to find out more and to purchase your copy for $4.99 on Kindle or for use on the Kindle App.

Julie’s first baby has grown up and gone off to college and the second is close behind. Having a baby looked different than she expected, but the motherhood journey has exceeded all she imagined. As a pastor’s wife, Bible teacher, and women’s ministry leader, Julie enjoys walking the path of motherhood with moms in all seasons. Connect with Julie at her website Come Have a Peace, where she offers peace for your days by sharing God’s truth for the things of life, marriage, and motherhood. As you grow your family, she will help you grow your Expectant heart on the journey of motherhood.

Find Julie on Twitter at @JulieSanders_ and join in the conversations about EXPECTANT on Facebook.

The dynamic and demographics of each local body is different.

Just as most churches take on the personality of  the pastor, most women’s ministries do the same.

There are different leadership styles, different cultural settings, different denominational considerations, different needs, different giftedness and skills within the body, different goals and just a ton of other differences.

But common threads are found in the fabric of every thriving women’s ministry.

Threads you need to be sure you have if you are going to see your own women’s ministry thrive and not just survive.

If you’re starting a women’s ministry or are involved in one now, be sure your ministry includes:

1. A prayer team ~ Nothing happens of any value apart from the leading of God, so a prayer team is really essential. One who not only prays for direction, and one that not only prays for an upcoming event, and one who not only prays for the church staff, but a team that prays for the women consistently.

2. A ministry team ~ Not everyone involved in doing ministry really get ministry. It’s not about the task getting done, it’s about the people you’re ministering to…so a team of people who get that is really an important link to your women’s ministry chain. Having a group of people who can accomplish the goal doesn’t mean they are people who love the body well.

Your ministry team has to be ministry minded or they’ll find themselves frustrated at those who aren’t giving at the same level they are. Gather a group of women who really have a heart to minister to others in a completely sacrificial way for the glory of God and you’ve got the team. These are people who get voted on a women’s ministry board, but women the leader picks to surround herself with based on prayer and the leading of the Lord and recommendations from others who she trusts.

3. An inclusive serve team ~ We are all given different spiritual gifts and different natural abilities to be used for the glory of God. A thriving women’s ministry will have a team of women who are functioning in their giftedness well. Be aware of those precious women on the fringe who are never asked to do anything. They are probably starving to be part of something bigger than themselves but have never been invited. Ask them what their spiritual gifts are. If they don’t know, help them discover them. Ask them what the like doing or are good at and invite them to participate in the next event or some aspect of the ministry. Be inclusive. Be intentional. LOVE them with the love of Jesus and watch them bloom as they become part of the team. It’s a beautiful thing, sweet sister!

4. Choose your leaders well ~ Leadership is key and unfortunately if you don’t choose your leadership team well, you will have some major friction going on. Good leaders lead by serving. They don’t fight for the top, the fight for the bottom and lead from the front while others see how they serve from behind. Nothing is beneath them and their hearts are to raise up those around them, not dominate them. Good leaders aren’t worried about the lime-light, they only want to shine for Jesus and help others do the same. Be sure your leadership team is grounded in humility. Choose leaders who serve well and you will discover a powerful leadership team.

5. Develop a purpose statement and filter everything through it ~ God calls us to fulfill specific things as a body of Christ. Women’s ministries are to function in their calling as well. Not every good idea is good for you and your women’s ministry. Not everything everyone else does is what you should be doing. If what others are proposing doesn’t fit into what you are called to as a ministry, then ditch it.

6. Diversify ~ A women’s ministry can’t be and do everything. Allow your small groups and Sunday School Classes to function well in some of the areas of fellowship, discipleship and ministry. Pray, plan and strategize how you can be most effective as a ministry. Don’t try to replace what the other ministries in the church are doing.

7. Be Intentionally Missional ~ Look for ways your women’s ministry can get involved in your community and make a difference beyond the four walls of the church. Spearhead events and ministries that help your church escape the Christian bubble and be the church in your community. Involve those within your church who have relationships with other associations/organizations/neighborhoods/etc… outside the church and be intentionally missional. Use Acts 1:8 as your guide and be sure you have your bases covered as a ministry…your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth. This is your calling, sweet sister. Do it well!

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

It’s not a comprehensive list, but if you make these all foundational to who you are as a ministry, you will be a ministry that thrives, not just survives. You will be a ministry that is making a difference not only in the four walls, but in the community and in the world.

What about you? Do you have a women’s ministry? How will you help your women’s ministry today? Does this list help

Hey sweet friends! Just a note to let you know how super special you are to me! I ADORE each of you!

For years, God has called me to minister to women and I LOVE doing so…and I absolutely LOVE to see women’s ministries thriving in the local church.

So, for the next 3 posts, I will continue this 4 part series on women’s ministries.

Just recently I was speaking at a women’s retreat that was an amazing display of how God’s love flows through His people! When the retreat was almost over, I began scanning the room ~ my eyes landing one each and every women at that event. It really was such a beautiful thing.

Those precious ladies were laughing together. Crying together. Praying together. Worshipping together. And playing together. 

That doesn’t happen when we’re rushing in and out of church on a Sunday morning. There are times when we need to get away and get together to be refreshed and refueled.

Oh, how I love to see women loving on Jesus and loving on each other like that!

After being involved in women’s ministries for over 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of organizing a lot of events. The beauty of it all is that no matter how worried I was that things wouldn’t fall into place, they always did. And if you’ve been in women’s ministry for any length of time you know that it is definitely a God thing!

But God calls us to lead well. To surround ourselves with those who are skilled in areas we are not. He calls us to raise up others and invite them to become who they were created to be by participating in the process. And we’ll talk more about how to organize a women’s ministry in your church next week.

But today, I just wanted to provide you with a simple list of 17 things to consider when organizing an event. It also has a budget sheet that will enable you to figure out what to charge so you can pay for your own event and/or keep expenses down to a minimum.

Click the link below to download your own free copy of A Planning Guide for Event Planners and let me know if it is helpful when you plan your next event!

Oh…and if you are in need of a speaker, I’m booking events for the second part of this year and I would be honored to speak at your next event. You can click here to see my list of topics.

Click the link above or below to download your free Planning Guide for Event Planners!

A Planning Guide for Event Planners – Resource

Women’s ministry is seldom easy and sometimes even a little messy. Sounds a lot like life, huh?!

But women’s ministries are a strong, unifying component to a healthy church. They bring women together and provide opportunities for women to sharpen the spiritual gifts God has given them. Women’s ministries are key to making care happen well in a local body of believers. They are like the hands and feet of a local body that run to help those in need.

• They are the feet that walk into the nursery and that hands that hold the babies while mommas are able to sit in a service and be strengthened by the Word of God.
• They are the feet that walk to the hospital and the hands that hold a precious sister’s hand as she begins to pray with her right before she goes back for surgery.
• They are the feet that run throughout the church in search of just the right decorations for the upcoming event and the hands that place those decorations in just the right place.
• They are the feet that scurry to the supply closet to find the much needed paper towels for the bathroom and the hands that clean the sticky crushed peppermints on the hallway floor and the coffee spilled on the counter in the cafe.
• They are the feet that hurry to welcome every new face that enters the doors of the church and the hands that reach out to hug them so they feel like they’re not just a visitor, but a part of the family.
• They are the feet that rush to the nursing home to spend time with a lonely woman who needs to know someone cares and the hands that prepare a meal for those who would never be brave enough to ask for it, but need it nonetheless.

Women’s ministries aren’t just a peripheral part of the local church. They help each local body of believers love on each other well and minister to their community with the love of Jesus.

They unite women like nothing else can. They become a means by which women laugh together, cry together, pray together, grow together and strengthen one another.

I’m a woman who absolutely LOVES women’s ministries! Much of my time is spent relating to women’s ministry leaders who truly love the women in their local body and in their community.

Through the years, I’ve seen women’s ministries at their best and at their worst. But when women’s ministries function well, it’s a beautiful thing! And to be honest…there’s nothing like them!

TAKE A MINUTE AND SHARE ABOUT YOUR WOMEN’S MINISTRY. WHAT’S GOOD? WHAT’S BAD (REMEMBER TO PROTECT OTHER’S REPUTATIONS AND NOT NAME NAMES )

(If you are in need of a speaker for your next event, I’m booking for the end of this year and the beginning of next. I’d love to hear from you and discuss how we can partner together to minister to the ladies at your next event! You can find out more about my topics by clicking here.)

The dawn pierced the sky with laser beam rays of light shining brightly over the horizon. It was a new day, with new hope and new possibilities

We’ve all walked through difficult times when the world seemed to cave in around our hearts, crushing us under the weight of it all. We’ve all struggled to make sense of a world gone mad and a life that makes no sense at all.

• The loss of a loved one
• The loss of a home or a job
• A disability or disease that wreaks havoc on ones future and finances
• Discovering a child has been molested
• Losing a job
• Divorce
• Domestic abuse
• Miscarriage
• Loss of a baby
• Son or daughter goes off to war
• Son or daughter goes off to war and doesn’t come back
• You find yourself being the caretaker for your mom or dad

The list goes on as long as the heartache that happens and the hope that is lost. But God is faithful, dear friend. Even when life is hard, God is good. 

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:22-25

When our lives are shaken, God is still faithful. When our hearts are broken, God is still good. When we aren’t sure what to do or where to go, God is still there.

He is not only faithful to you, but He is faithful to His Word. His character assures us of that.

The storms of this life are inevitable. We all face them.

But walking through a storm shrouded by God’s presence, peace and power is much better than trying to find our way alone.

Today, if your heart is hurting, I want to encourage you to know that God is faithful. He is there for you and He stands with His arms wide open for you to run to Him and find peace.

It may be dark, but the dawn is coming, sweet friend. His mercies are new every morning. GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS!

Have you found it hard to trust that God is good when life is hard? Will you run to Him today?