my unexpected family...

CHOSEN and TLC are the hardest things I have ever done. Undoubtedly. And yet it is resoundingly true that camp is my favorite weekend of the summer. It’s crazy if I really think about it - terrible bunk beds and virtually no sleep, mediocre food at best with subpar coffee, running around like a chicken with my head cut off prepping games and then trying to run the games - which typically means yelling over at least 20 teenagers, navigating any number of challenging conversations and wanting to put my heart on the line in all of them - but not wanting to overstep their line or cause them any harm. Never wanting to do it “wrong” - never wanting to cause additional pain or do damage. But then there is SO MUCH LAUGHTER, the kind that makes your stomach hurt as you simultaneously question how recently you went to the bathroom because you might just pee your pants a little bit if you don’t pull it together soon. There is the sweet little 12-year-old who says she is going to come up with a theme song just for you. There are all the hands flying in the air when you ask for a volunteer to play a pre-chapel game because they LOVE the crazy so much. Their faces light up before you, alive, free, safe. They belong. During worship you hear the sound of their sweet, sweet voices rising up alongside Emily. They may not fully understand what they’re singing, but it’s amazingly beautiful that they’re singing anyway. Kody presents the message and they listen intently and with respect. He talks about family being one of the gifts of grace - acceptance into the FAMILY of Christ. That resonates in a huge way. You watch their eyes dart around the room - connecting with friends and leaders that have truly become like their family in a unique and distinct way. THIS is their second family. Camp is somewhere they feel at home.

Camp is 3 days, less then 72 hours, and yet I truly believe it is a sacred place. It is set aside and those hours are given to us to use with great care. We have an opportunity in that space to shine light, bring hope, and embrace with compassion. We have the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus - but sometimes I’m not sure we even know what that really means. We say things like show up and be poured out and emptied, but really living it out is a challenge. It stretches us beyond what is comfortable and asks us to LITERALLY give it all, entrusting everything to Him, ready to have our hearts broken for the sake of someone else. Since I was a little girl, I pictured myself married with babies of my own; and yet He gave me a family that looks SO VERY DIFFERENT. He gave me teens that so desperately need to be loved, who need to be reminded they are seen, who need to be embraced right where they are. He gave me teens who have experienced loss and trauma and He shaped and molded my heart for such a time as this. He gave me the capacity to CHOOSE them and I am fiercely protective of each and every one. He called me to them and wrote them into the narrative of my life. I didn’t know this is what He had, and yet this is the story He planned and purposed. THIS is His best for me - THEY are HIS BEST for me - and they are my GREAT JOY!

when your bucket list and foster love and missions intersect...in AFRICA!

Earlier this year, my friends took me to brunch to celebrate my birthday, my 32nd birthday to be exact. We took the train to San Juan Capistrano drinking mimosas all the way (ps if you live in southern California and haven’t tried this adventure yet - you should - it’s a DREAM!) then ate at the incredible Ramos House Café. While we were there we talked about how this year I was going to try and DO some of things I aspire to - I’m not waiting anymore for a REASON to celebrate or live large, I’m just making the memories now - adventuring now - writing down the dreams and then living them. So I read off my bucket list (which is shockingly short) here’s what it included on March 12, 2017: Catalina Island, Africa, Breakfast at Ramos House (CHECK), Duffy Boat Ride, Experience Israel, Malibu Safari Wine Tasting, dinner at SUR, Train to Santa Barbara for a weekend with Mere + some more lifelong hopes - have my daddy walk me down the aisle & have Kevin, Jamie & their kiddos all there & have Anna, Emy, and Mands as my matrons of honor, adopt at least one sweet asian girl and one african boy, take my family to Carlsbad State Beach for a week with the Garcia Family and the Linthicum Family, take at least one mission trip with my husband & one with our family, at some point invite a single girl or a single guy to be part of our family for a holiday so they won’t feel alone or forgotten. We took care of Breakfast at Ramos House that morning and then took our our calendars and planned for an overnight in Hollywood to accomplish dinner at SUR together in July. I love that I have friends who will dream with me! That said, I knew then and know now only God can fulfill my lifelong hopes - as you know, life today doesn’t look anything like I anticipated - and it isn’t always easy. However, I often pray that in the midst of the lonely, the Lord will be mighty and use me for His plans and purposes. I have asked Him to give me strength to run toward Him and to seek Him regardless of my feelings and desires in this season. 

That very same day as we chatted about all this year MIGHT entail, there was a short term missions kick-off at EvFree Fullerton and while I brunched blissfully unaware of all God had in store, mighty things were brewing. You see this summer, my passion for foster teens and a bucket list dream of Africa in my 30’s will intersect and I have no doubt as I laugh and sing and cry alongside these beautiful African teens, my heart will grow, and God will work in me and through me in mighty and life changing ways! 

I have been asked to lead a team to Rwanda to put on a camp for orphans throughout the country. In 1994, in just 100 days, over 800,000 people were slaughtered in one of the most devastating genocides the world has ever seen. Hutu extremists killed 70% of the Tutsi population and 20% of Rwanda’s total population leaving the country and their culture ravaged. It is now illegal to talk about ethnicity in Rwanda; however, we know that true reconciliation and forward movement can only come through forgiveness. While we are at camp, we will focus on grace, forgiveness, and hope beyond circumstances made possible through of the saving blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7). 

From August 4 - August 16, my team of 12 tremendously gifted and passionate individuals will wholeheartedly and eagerly serve the orphans of Rwanda. The vast majority of our time in-country will be spent putting on camp in the district of Bugasera. We will have lessons and small groups each day as well as music, crafts, and games. Our last day of camp will include a birthday party complete with cupcakes from a nearby bakery - I have no doubt that will be a highlight! We will also be visiting a special needs orphanage to deliver supplies and spend some time with children who have been cast out due to disease. Though they are considered unworthy in the eyes of their people, we know they are made in the very image of God, fearfully and wonderfully, with a distinct plan and purpose (Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 139:13-16). 

I am exceedingly glad to be journeying to Africa and feel confident the Lord is asking me to follow Him in this great adventure. I believe we are a saved and sent people and it is my joy to be SENT for this purpose. I am honestly humbled and moved and truly cannot believe that the Lord was readying my heart and preparing me for His call in such remarkable ways. I have seen Him move in my heart in regards to foster care and a deep love for the orphan over many years. It started at World Changers when I was only 15. That first summer serving as His hands and feet as a Dandy Sanding ROOF RAF and interacting with a foster teen who had been taken in by his grandma, I knew beyond question that I was called to adopt, that I had the capacity to love one who is not my own, but deeply loved by the Father. He continued to stir my heart through Teen Leadership Camp - I was captivated by the most incredible teens - I heard their stories and was moved by their loss, but also their resilience, strength, hope, and joy despite harrowing circumstances. As I prayed for the teens upon returning home from camp, the Lord opened my eyes to their desperate need for the light and love of Christ to be poured into their lives through the faithful investment of adult leaders who would walk alongside them in an on-going capacity. In fall 2014, the Lord allowed me to start a club named CHOSEN and invite each of our campers to participate. At that first club we had seven teens come, and now we have over 25 teens participating on a monthly basis. We are seeing the Lord move and work in incredible ways and I am more convinced than ever that THIS is what He has for me. My heartbeat is for the “least of these” - for teens who desperately need to be seen and cared for and reminded they have value, significance, and abundant worth - and I have no doubt the Lord gave me the capacity to show them they are abundantly loved. I would have NEVER imagined it would lead me all the way to Africa to love the least of these - but I cannot wait to see what is next in the story He is writing with this passion for His kids and missions intertwined - He has something FAR better than I can see in store! 

If you would like to join me on this adventure, please let me know! I would LOVE to send you emails prior to my departure and while we are away! Your prayers are truly the greatest gift you could EVER gift. If you do want to be a financial partner, you may take advantage of our online giving option using your credit card. The website is https://linux.fefcful.org/projects/give. You’ll then want to select RWANDA 2017 and my name (Shelly Swope) within the drop down menu. 

all it took was a thank you note...

I got a thank you note in the mail from my friend Lindsey yesterday and it made me cry. The sentiment was simple but jam packed with hope and belief - two things I think I consistently lose track of in the midst of the hallow, desert season. The sentence stopped me in my tracks and made the tears pour instantly. It read, “Adeline and Beckham have no idea how lucky they are to call you Auntie Shell and get to play with your future children.” FUTURE CHILDREN?! The night before I had cried underlining 1 Samuel 1:19b “…and the Lord remembered her.” I wasn’t even thinking about children (though I do realize that is a the central element of Hannah’s story) I was just thinking about a husband - we’re still at step 1 people - maybe even before step 1 - a great boyfriend, a good date. I used to think watching my friends get married was hard, that was before I watched them all become mamas. (Literally all of them - we don't have to talk about my friends having babies in 2017, it's an amazing blessing with a side of brutal). The bittersweet only intensifies with each changing season - the insurmountable joy and simultaneous tinge of sorrow. But Lindsey, she doesn’t see that. She’s the eagerly anticipating mama just looking forward to the arrival of her twins. She doesn’t look at me and see any hint of bittersweet - she just believes with excitement for all that may come, for all my tomorrows may hold. Perhaps it’s because the last few years for her have been filled with God answering prayers with more yes and dreams fulfilled, but she has great hope for my future children - she has no doubt they’re coming. I’ve lost that. In the midst of longing and desire, lonely and empty, the season of waiting that has been so much longer than anyone ever anticipated, I’ve lost that light and airy. I believe He is good and know He doesn’t withhold His best from His children - but I also know in His loving kindness, His best is not always aligned with our human desire. Though I long for a husband and children - that may not ultimately be what the Lord has in store, and in His mercy, He will say no, and guide me along another path even if I do not understand. And thus, I come back to Hannah: “In her deep anguish, Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly…she poured out her soul to the Lord…praying out of great anguish and grief.” And then 1:19b AND THE LORD REMEMBERED HER. Perhaps my tears as I underlined that verse and read that sweet thank you note were the very depiction of hope in the desert - perhaps rather than light and airy, they’ve just taken on a new form in the midst of the bittersweet - perhaps hope is not lost, but looks different as it is being restored by a good, loving, and faithful Father who is near even when life doesn’t look anything like we expected. Perhaps believing in faith looks a lot more like the Hannah of 1:1-19, in which case, I'm right on track...

an extra place at the table...

Easter is undoubtedly the most incredible celebration of the year. It’s the day we celebrate that Christ ROSE, defeating sin, triumphing over death, giving us the gift of eternal life and HOPE for life abundant even while here on earth. There is absolutely nothing more valuable. We have relationship with the Creator and our faithful Father because He chose to sacrifice everything for us. FOR ME. It is the most gloriously rich inheritance. It is the most beautiful and profound and humbling day - one on which my soul awakes anew and rejoices with all the saints in heaven and on earth, and I reflect on the magnitude of my sin NAILED TO THE CROSS and I bear it no more - Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord Oh my soul! 

In the last few years, I have also found that Easter can be a particularly challenging day for me. Newsflash, I am 32 and single - have you heard that before? (I know, I’m a broken record, I get tired of feeling it as much as you get tired of hearing about it!). Going to church can be a pain-point in and of itself regardless of any holiday essence…and then you add the component of families all dressed up in their Easter-wear and the tears inside me just threaten to waterfall. I didn’t know. I didn’t know that Instagram and Facebook and the never ending stream of happiness via “perfect” little families would one day break my heart while simultaneously filling it with an overwhelming amount of joy. Yesterday was the “first Easter” for several of my favorite little bunnies…they are the CUTEST little bunnies ever and I LOVED seeing their pictures and sharing in the joy of my dearest friends who are new mamas! Still every ounce of me LONGS to be a wife and mama myself. 

About a week ago I had to have a tough conversation with myself. I knew I had CHOSEN on Saturday so it wasn’t realistic to spend Easter Sunday with my parents in San Diego. I would spend Good Friday with them at the beach and then head back to Orange County early Saturday morning to celebrate Easter with my favorite teens on Saturday afternoon. Sunday I would go to EvFree and spend the morning with Jesus at my home church with my church family. Then I HAD A CHOICE. I could CHOOSE to feel lonely and sad and like I didn’t have a place to “belong” OR I could tell someone that I didn’t have anywhere to spend my Easter afternoon -and ask for an invitation. I knew deep down that I would be welcomed and wanted several places - I just had to let them know I didn’t have a “family” to share the holiday with this year. I think that’s one of the most painful parts of this season. I feel uninvited because the invitation doesn’t often come on it’s own - but I AM WANTED - I just have to let people know I have a need. We don’t like to share our needs or express our emptiness and hurts. We like to be the one DOING the inviting and fixing and advice giving. Most of us don’t really like to be the one on the other side of the coin. In this season, there is a lot more vulnerable and exposed and honest than I care to admit. 

I prayed a lot, cried a bit, and then took a deep breath and sent an email to Connie Hutchinson - a wonderful cheerleader and encourager in my life. She was gracious and kind and actually said it made her cry that I would WANT to spend Easter with her clan. In the long run, it wasn’t the best year for her - and I was grateful she was honest with me. I took another deep breath and tried again - the Lord is gracious to give us strength - and sent a text to my friend Carrie asking if I could crash her Easter. The response was instantaneous “I would LOVE that”. I spent the day yesterday watching Izzy and Rory hunt for eggs - they were hilarious and Carrie said they were so excited I was coming! We ate a delicious meal and played 31 - a game I often played with my family growing up. As I left, Carrie’s dad said, “You are NEVER CRASHING at our home, Shelly, you are family.” 

It is very easy to sit in the hard places, the challenging and desperately broken places and feel as though they are wrecking us and leaving us empty, depleted, and scarred beyond recognition. There is an element of truth therein - they do change us - however, I would argue they mold and shape us and that though the darkness we actually BECOME. This is a white space in my life…a moment in time I can’t explain or escape…and yet I have no doubt that I am learning more than I can thank Him for. I’m awake and listening, Lord, and someday I pray I will get to be the one setting extra places at the table for someone who needs to be invited and I hope I’ll have eyes to see her and she won’t ever have to ask! 

there is ALWAYS a WHY!

SO…last night I was reading my Bible and I came across this verse that JUST STRUCK ME. I had to stop and take note - and now I have to write it down so I don’t forget.

>> DETOUR - I will never forget listening to Pastor Sam preach at Gateway Church and saying that when we read the Bible, we should read until we are struck by something and then we should PAUSE and sit with the Lord in THAT. Don’t read to read, to mark it off your list, to get it done. But read until the Lord gives you something - He is faithful to do so because His word is ALIVE and ACTIVE and purposely transformative IN OUR LIVES. I’ve read the Bible differently ever since.

I’m reading the Bible chronologically so I’m currently in Judges I read 1 and 2 and then got to 3…here’s how it opens…
These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses. 

DO YOU SEE THAT? Do you see verse 2 where there are parenthesis? Oh my gosh. Dumbfounded. (He did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience). I guarantee you those Israelites did not KNOW that is the WHY of the testing they were experiencing. They just experienced the testing. OH HOW I WONDER what God puts in those parenthesis in my life! I love that for one quick instant we see there is a WHY. So often in our lives we KNOW by faith that there is a purpose and intention to God’s movement in our lives and yet in verse 2 of Judges 3, He CHOOSES to show us the evidence that we can absolutely believe wholeheartedly that there is ALWAYS A WHY. Oh man how incredible would it be to see everything He writes between the parenthesis in our individual stories through each passing season, to know His heart in the testing - in the desert - and what He is trying to teach us if we are willing to turn our hearts and focus our eyes on Him. He is building our faith reminding us to trust the One who is in control - the Covenant God who is the GREAT I AM.

I tell you, I’m an Old Testament girl through and through - don’t miss the beauty of the wretched Israelites and the unceasing hope in their mess and the way they are fanatically pursued and loved by a GOOD FATHER.

through the fog

Yesterday, my sweet friend Abigail sent me a message - she said “you follow in the fog - the fog of heartache, of loss, of dreams that haven’t been met, of depression. It’s easy to follow when you’re in agreement with God, but obedience is what God calls of His disciples. You follow the Lord when you can’t see through the fog to how it all makes sense. That is true obedience.”

It has undoubtedly been a season of FOG. Where the bittersweet feels more bitter than sweet and the rejoicing with OTHERS is more profound than rejoicing for self. Mom and I were having a conversation recently where we discussed the Israelites and how they walked by FAITH without certainty of what they were walking toward. So often I think that is our call in life - to keep taking steps forward - tiny perhaps seemingly insignificant steps of FAITH - that are PROFOUND in the long run. We don’t see the LIGHT in that, but others do. We don’t see Jesus shining in us or through us, but He is still somehow on display in our willingness to keep walking toward Him, kneeling before Him, and surrendering to Him faithfully. So much of life is ordinary and we won’t see the BIG PICTURE unfolding before us with grandeur so we must trust the Author who perfectly crafts each detail. 

If the entirety of the Bible can be summed up in three words - God With Us - and one of the names of God is Emmanuel - and our deepest need and desire in this life is His presence, ultimately we know the prayer of our heart must be MORE JESUS, ALL THE TIME. That is the only thing that will ever satisfy and fulfill. So in the midst of the fog, the bittersweet, and the tears, I continue to pray He would be my biggest dream and I would take small steps toward Him in faithful obedience. I surrender all.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2

so...i dated again...

It happened. I dated a crazy person. I went from “I can’t believe it’s happening to me” in the fun and exciting Kelly Clarkson sense to OH MY GOSH THIS IS HAPPENING AND I GOTTA GET OUT in the flashiest of flashes (if you get the flashiest of flashes reference, you get extra points!!). 

Continuing in our hurricane name method of dating story telling, here we go… 

I said hello to Edna after reviewing his profile on eHarmony. In his opinion, I didn’t review it thoroughly enough - I should have read and re-read his profile to remind me of important information - he took the time to do that on several occasions apparently. He told me that as he was “calling it”. I should have called it the night before when I decided I just had to get off the phone, I didn’t care if it was officially over yet or not, though I was fully aware that was coming, I just had to GET OFF THE PHONE - retrospect is 20/20 friends. 

Truth be told, it was really fun at the beginning - REALLY FUN! Edna said some amazing things to me, things that no one has ever said to me before. He complimented how I look (he said I look like Lauren Graham, ummmmmm yes please!) but also WHO I am and that mattered a LOT. It was a gift. I got butterflies - and I’ve only really had them once or twice before. I actually saved a few of the text messages he sent because the words were significant and meaningful and true. Even if things didn’t work out, the fact that he saw me as a woman of faith and character holds great weight, and I am grateful. 

Edna and I only talked for a matter of days, which is why I say “crazy person” because it ended with him rebuking me, which I must say is a bit intense. I said hello on February 27, we sent many (I heard a rumor it was thousands) texts, talked on the phone for a lot of hours, and went on one date. There were some good reasons for hesitation and based on the wisdom of close and trusted friends, I decided to approach him to have a conversation about my concern. When I did so, he was immediately defensive and relatively unwilling to hear me. He talked at me rather than to me and had some unfriendly things to say like “well, this could be my shortest relationship including high school” and in the long run, it probably was. 

The Lord has been faithful and gracious and kind to me in the dating process thus far. I asked that He would give me wisdom and guidance - that He would make clear when to close doors and that He would protect me. He has done so without fail. I hung up on the phone on that final conversation after saying “I wish you the best in your future endeavors, have a good night” and was literally shaking. It was a terrible experience. But I am laughing now and I’ve learned a lot - about red flags and things I probably should have seen earlier, or said earlier, or will be ready for next time. I have GREAT friends who are supportive and encouraging and have hope for me and trust God is going to provide a husband and a family even when I can’t see it anymore. I do not know what is in store, but I do know that God is my greatest dream and I am continuing to learn and become. 

Cheers to 2017 and 2 guys thus far…who would have thought?!

nice girls and WORLD CHANGERS...

It is March 13 and I have added another book to my COMPLETED list for 2017! WAY TO GO SHELL! When I moved into my new home in late February, sweet Andrea (my new roommate) had left a darling little book in my windowsill - she’s a gem! It was short and sweet, but packed with good reminders to be GROUNDED in TRUTH and to be a STRONG AND CONFIDENT WOMAN of God. 

Here are a few of my FAVORITE quotes from "nice girls don't change the world" by Lynne Hybels (she just happens to be shauna niequist's mama!) 

whereas a nice girl tends to live according to the will of others, a good woman has only one goal : to discern and live out the will of God. a good woman knows that her ultimate calling in life is to be part of God’s plan for redeeming all things in this sin-touched world.

I hope you realize how much your family, your friends, your church, your community and this world need YOU. Don’t allow who you truly are to be lost, buried, or devalued. What is in you matters. What is most truly you matters. You have learned lessons, experienced pain, known joys, and gained a perspective nobody else has. You have an answer to the world’s needs that is YOURS ALONE. 

…the opposite of a nice girl is not just a good woman, but a downright dangerous woman. a woman who shows up with everything she is and joins the battle against whatever opposes the redeeming work of God in our lives and in the world. a dangerous woman delves deeply into the truth of who she is, grounds herself daily in the healing and empowering love of God, and radically engages with the needs of the world.

Isn’t that SO seriously inspiring. I tend toward being a NICE girl, but I’m working on letting my voice being enough (thanks Amanda) and remembering that the Lord has given me everything I need to be a World Changer…

waiting...

This morning as I drove to the office, I saw a cutie little blonde with a short bob walking to school with her mom. I should say I saw her bounding and bouncing in front of her mom who was trying desperately to keep up with the energy of her adorable child. She reminded me so much of Anna’s Adelynn. That was all it took. The tears welled up. It was this surge of hope - hope that Anna and Addie Rae will have that moment someday. A momentary prayer that somehow, I will have that moment alongside my girl - whoever she may be, whatever she might look like. And simultaneous a pang of loss that Anna and I may never have that moment together. 

I would be lying if I said this season isn’t full of loss. It is. I watch Anna being a mama and I ache that we don’t get to share this. I don’t share it with Anna or Emily or Amanda - my three very dearest friends. I don’t share it with Shannon or Carrie or Jenny and the list goes on and on. My heart breaks. I choose His story and I lay all of this down knowing His way is better. I do not doubt He is good. And yet the prayers and the tears still flow. “In the morning, O Lord, hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” (Psalm 5:3) Oh Lord may I wait well…and may I honor you even in that…

shell can read...

I am trying with fervor to read one book a month at a minimum. So far, so good.

In January I successfully finished “The Broken Way: a daring path into the abundant life” by Ann Voskamp. It was a valuable read that reminded me to live poured out and given away - to choose to draw near to others and share the hard. Through the most vulnerable and heart-wrenching spaces in our lives, God can shine mightily for His glory. It says that same thing for another 200+ pages - in different words and in different ways. It is beautifully written and it pulled at my heart strings many times. You now have the basic underlying current. If you need that message - read it! 

February brought “She Reads Truth: holding tight to permanent in a world that’s passing away” by Rachel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams. I do not have enough good things to say. OH MY GOODNESS this book is a MUST BUY. It is packed full of Scripture. There are countless reminders of Truth and why we choose to fill our minds and hearts with the knowledge of WHO we are in Christ so we can stand firm in times of trouble, so we are shaken but do not crumble. 

“She reads Truth to find Jesus. And He is there, on every page, greater than her trumps and shame, vaster than her needs and her pain. Those are real to be certain. But they are the partial, the passing away. Jesus-and Jesus alone-is the Perfect and the Permanent. The Truth does not magically erase her suffering or cure her disappointment. It does not negate her struggle or invalidate her sorrow. It does something even better - it leads her into relationship with the One who made her and makes her new, the One who is greater than all of these. The Truth brings her face-to-face with the God who has never shopped loving His children, who has never failed to dow hat He says He will do. The Truth is love in black-and-white - a love that does not change, even when her Bible is closed.” 

If that doesn’t inspire you to a: read the book or b: pick up your Bible and start faithfully filling your heart with Truth, I am not sure what will! I am so grateful to have spent the time saturating in the words shared by these incredible women of faith. Their stories will make you cry and the Scriptures they share will remind you that we can press on toward the goal, running with endurance the race marked out for us. They speak with boldness and confidence and yet are real and honest and vulnerably give their stories away. 10 chapters of raw, life changing, courage, CALLING out for women to get on their knees and choose Jesus by starting with Scripture and a heart and mind that can recall His promises in the moment you just might need Him the most. What an anthem. 

Next up...nice girls don't change the world.