Us.

Us.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Reminded today, that this world is not my home.

Does anyone else just pause long enough in our chaotic culture to look around at what's happening in our country, around the world, EVEN what is happening within the church, in the lives of our friends, families and the ones we love and just get ticked off at the Enemy?!!! 

 Mercy. I do! 

 Y'all... the Enemy (aka: Satan, the devil, the serpent, the great deceiver) knows his time is growing short and his is ramping up his game now, more than ever before, with no other mission and objective than to "steal, kill & destroy" (John 10:10) our lives and I for one am over it! 

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I know the end result of this battle – the One who is Faithful and True and who wears the “Victor’s crown”! (John 16:33) 

 I hear talk about revival & have personally been asking God for revival in our land that we would see a movement of God in my lifetime, but goodness gracious it has to start in ME... in US as believers!!  We must move to a place where we see things through the lens of an eternal perspective... "not what is seen but what is unseen" (2 Cor. 4:18)! That this “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12) 

We must self-examine our own lives, motives, leadership, how we see people, how we treat people, how we love people and most importantly what we are doing with the life-saving, hope-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ! This self-examination has to start within… not pointing blame or casting stones at other people or other believers, gag!

 If we call ourselves "Christians" that means "little Christ" --- and I for one know I have a long way to go but goodness, I pray that I at least look more like him today than I did yesterday!! God for bid, that my heart and soul wouldn’t been so deceived and blinded to think that I am living Righteous, and doing all "the right things", and yet have Jesus look at me and say "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45) -- "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." (Matthew 15:8/Isaiah 29:13) Or to be apart of a majority of Christians today that could hear the words “depart from Me, I never KNEW you!” (Matthew 7:23) 

 Tragedy! That is not me, I want nothing to do with that kind of life, nor that kind of “religion” or lukewarm faith (Rev. 3:16). 

 I want my life to count for the Gospel, to have Faith, BIG faith in my God, who is all powerful, all knowing, unconditionally loving, my Living water, my Daily Bread, my Hope, my Rock, my Savior and my Friend! A Faith that is LIVED OUT and is GENUINE, AUTHENTIC, PASSIONATE, REAL, TRUE, and ZEALOUS for my Jesus and His Word. 

As I look around and hear daily of things in the media happening in our world and where Christian leaders are even tied to the daily “media drama” on social media or the news, or I hear of friends who serve the church in full time ministry that are struggling, the devastation and natural disasters that seem to be happening daily all around the world, the election that has every one up in arms and in a tizzy about the future, the marriages that are failing, homes being ripped apart, children that are prodigals - running from God, the hatred and racism that has plagued our country, the death and grief experienced first hand to many that I love and are close to that will never make sense this side of Heaven, the corruption, greed, pride & manipulation masked by “righteousness” and I HAVE to pause and remind myself that this is NOT MY HOME. 

My soul longs for a heavenly place. To be with my Jesus. Where there will be no more pain, no more hate, no more weeping, no sickness, no death, no more presidential elections or race riots, no more divorce, or abortions, no more heartache or grief. (Revelation 21) 

Yet, in the mean time, God still has me here. To be a Light. To make a difference. To spread the Good News that changes lives, restores marriages, heals the deepest wounds, offers forgiveness and reconciliation, gives hope when life feels hopeless, lifts the darkness of fear and anxiety, and one that sees the captives SET FREE! (Luke 4:18) And may we run our race of this life well, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Even as sit here writing this, a Jehovah’s Witness couple came to my door inviting me to their church and had a moment, to love them, not to argue or condemn them for their beliefs but to take hold of the moment not to hide in the other room and await them to walk away from my front door, but to answer the door with a smile, love and the hope I have and tell them about my Jesus. Now I pray that a seed of Truth was planted in that conversation and that they saw and heard something different about me and the way I live my life because of who my Faith is in. He is “the Way, the Truth, & the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6) 

You see this Enemy, this very real enemy that we have that we are warned about in scripture by Jesus himself in John 10:10 – “The thief comes to steal, kill & destroy --- BUT…. I have come that YOU may have LIFE and have it ABUNDANTLY!!!” He hates us. Deceives us. Tricks us. Lies to us. And ultimately wants to destroy us. 

But my Jesus… gave His very life so that we can be set free, forgiven of our sins and through surrender to Him can spend eternity in a real place called heaven with Him. (Romans 3:22-23, 6:6-7, 6:23, Romans 8:1-2, Romans 10:9-13) 

This isn’t a fairytale or a story from a story book… No, far from it.

THIS is freedom! 
This is the Gospel. 

This love COMPELS me… and should COMPEL all of us who have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ to live and look DIFFERENTLY than those without it. 

 “Oh God, begin in me. Kindle a fire in my heart and my soul for people. That I would love and see people the way you do. And oh, how I long for the day when we’re all Home with You!”



Revelation 21 
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."

Why "Even More"?


Even More 40-Day Experience for Girls from LifeWay Students on Vimeo.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

A little glimpse into "Salvaging My Identity"---




Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Ever thankful for you...


This morning as I've been needing to be uber productive at home getting ready for our family trip to Disney World over Fall Break, laundry to fold, emails to return and errands that need to be ran; I just keep thinking of the blessings that the Lord has given me in the gift of godly women that He has placed in my life who I have been blessed to call mentors, friends, & "spiritual mama's" over the years & have loved my family & I so well.

My Mom (aka: Gigi)
Now, don't hear that last part wrong, because my mother is one of the most GODLY and beautiful women (both inside & out) that I've ever known. She is one I would consider as one of my best friends! However, having been in full time ministry all of my married life with Brian, we've lived in 4 states in 11 years of marriage and haven't lived anywhere near home (NW Arkansas)  since Parker was born in 2006. There are some days when not having family close is extremely lonely & difficult, but the Lord has been SO gracious to me by placing some AMAZING women in my life over the years and that is what is filling my heart with joy & gratitude this morning!

I asked several of these women to take a look at the rough manuscript for "Salvaging My Identity" early on in the editing process, #1 because I so value their opinion and wanted to hear their thoughts and #2 knew that they'd be faithful in lifting this project up in prayer over the days and months to come.

So, today... that's all. Just extremely grateful and thankful for honor and privilege I've had over the years to get to know some "heros of the faith" in my book, true Proverbs 31 women, and loving mentors and friends! Sometimes we don't verbalize that often how grateful we are for the people in our life that mean so much to us.

That's my challenge for myself today and for you as well... thank the Lord today for precious relationships in your life and let those people know what they mean to you as well!

Here are some who I am grateful have invested in my life and my family over the years as well as what these women have to say about the book "Salvaging My Identity"-- it is an honor to have these endorsements from these women!


------------------------
So incredibly grateful for these women and their hearts for the Lord! 




"Salvaging My Identity is a must-have for all girls!  I know Rachel and Jennifer personally and I have been in Bible studies with them both.  I appreciate that they are not telling other people to do something they are not doing.  They strive to grow each day to be all that God wants them to be and I am so excited about the new resource they have created.  This study challenges girls to find their identity in Christ and HIs Word and this message is so needed in a world that tells girls to find their identity in their appearance, a boyfriend or their facebook status.   Both Rachel and Jen have a heart for girls and for God's Word and it shines through in Salvaging My Identity.  It truly is a refreshing, challenging and fun resource and I know it will be a HUGE blessing to all that read it!”
-Jennifer Landrith
Author, wife of David Landrith- Sr Pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church





"Relevant, life changing, and foundational, this journey will give young women direction and result in exponential spiritually growth.  Every young woman needs this book!"
~Jeana Floyd
Author & Wife of Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Senior Pastor of Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas




"Love Love LOVE “Salvaging My Identity”!  As mom of four, three of which are girls, I love that I have a resource that is filled with Truth to help guide my girls.  This really is a how to guide that is filled with grace but encourages growth to be all that God has planned for His girls!!  I love that Jennifer and Rachel take the reader by the hand as the Lord brings conviction and then they are so sweet to guide us to resolution--can't ask for more than that!  What you end up with is a beautiful treasure!!   “Salvaging My Identity” is practical biblical advice that EVERY girl needs!”  


~Denise Lopez
Founder and President, everydayministry.net



"In a world where girls face real problems that older women never even had to worry about, this book is the perfect bridge inside the mind of today's adolescent young women. Whether your popular, or the quiet shy girl in class that typically goes unnoticed, this insightful book can help both be better, feel better and live better" 
~Julie Woodruff
Women’s Minister at Long Hollow Baptist Church






“Salvaging My Identity is a beautiful tool to help girls deconstruct the lies the world has written on them and to discover the girl that God created them to be! Jennifer and Rachel have a heart that beats to see girls walk in the freedom that Christ gives. Through their personal ministries, they have touched the lives of countless girls, and through this book, their fervor and wisdom will etch truth into the lives of girls they will never meet! This book is a must-read for every girl fighting the battle not to lose themselves in the world and will help them reclaim their true identity as daughters of the King.”

~Gretchen Saffles
Personal Stylist  & Owner of Life Lived Beautifully 




“Ephesians 6:16 tells us, "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one".  We live in a world where the flaming arrows of Satan seem to be firing with increasing intensity. Many of these arrows are aimed directly at young ladies and we must be proactive in giving our girls the tools to fight!  Placing this study into the hands of young ladies will give them a hands-on way to take up the shield of faith and to see themselves as Christ sees them!  My husband and I have served hands on in Student Ministry for 13 years, and I am thrilled to finally have a study like this for our youth and our very own daughter!”
~Leah Barnard
Wife to Spencer Barnard, Student Pastor at TheChurch.at




Monday, September 30, 2013

PRE-BUY "Salvaging My Identity" available TODAY!!!!

PRE-BUY LINK IS NOW AVAILABLE.... 


Today is a HUGE day for us in the life of the book release of "Salvaging My Identity"... 

You can now officially PRE-BUY the book at Lifeway.com... although the set release date is not until October 15th. But go get your copy today...

(Click the link below to go to the site)


Only $12.99!!


Again...

I can not speak enough about why Rachel & I wrote this book as resource for girls and young women... We wrote this book NOT for book sales or by any means to build a name for ourselves (if you knew the struggle this was for me with the Lord prompting me to do this for some time but ignoring it because of my own insecurities & inadequacies, you'd understand this to be especially true)... but we wrote this because we wanted to help provide a resource based on the truth of God's Word to help equip girls in this journey of life!

You see, the reality is that we live in a culture where girls & young women are bombarded daily by the things of this world that conflict with the Word of God. We believe wholeheartedly that this book will be a tool to help girls combat these lies with the TRUTH from the Word of God!

All of the issues that girls face today, bullying, apathy, self-esteem issues, self-harm, sex, substance abuse, gossip, envy, jealousy, comparison....the list goes on & on, they are all heart issues that can only be healed and corrected ONE WAY... by allowing Jesus Christ to transform them from the inside---OUT! 

When girls know who they are in Jesus and allow him to "transform them by the renewing of their minds"... their lives will begin to look differently. When we allow God to strip away the junk in our lives and from our hearts so that HE can redeem, rescue, restore, reclaim, re-purpose us... our true identity found in HIM can begin the journey & be SALVAGED from lies from enemy & from this world. 

We went with the future tense verb "SALVAGING" for this book because as women, we all know this is a lifelong process! None of us will ever ARRIVE or have this thing called life all figured out perfectly... that's the point of HEAVEN! Praise the Lord... however, we wanted to created a resource to give girls action steps (Do It Yourself *DIY*) segments for each day to get hands on in their walk with the Lord, in what He is calling them to address and deal with, and to begin their journey of opening their hearts and lives to what HE HAS FOR THEM!! 

We would be so grateful if you would help us spread the word about this book in the spheres of influence that you may have... daughters, nieces, granddaughters, co-workers daughters, small group girls, accountability groups, neighbors, mentor relationship, friends, etc etc... spread the word on social media for us. 

Instagram & Twitter- search & follow: @salvagingbook


Friday, September 27, 2013

The Countdown is ON!

**18 days until the release of 
"SALVAGING MY IDENTITY" **

As I've written before, this whole journey to "Salvaging My Identity" has truly been a total God thing. Rachel & I are so honored to have these endorsements for the book from some phenomenal people who we admire & have much respect for....Here's what they had to say about "Salvaging My Identity":



"As a woman who's life's work has been pouring into high school and college students, being a mom of two young adult women and aunt to eight girls ranging from 5-15, I see DAILY how crucial the message of Salvaging My Identity is. This next generation of girls desperately needs to understand and walk in their true identity that is in Christ and Christ alone!! In a world that is constantly bombarding girls with lies and impossible expectations, this book is a must read guide as well as an authentic reminder that we are all, no matter our age, searching to know our true identity. Rachel and Jennifer bring a fresh and realistic perspective to this hot topic that is applicable to girls and young women of today."
~Kristi Malzahn
Wife of Gus Malzahn, Auburn University Head Football Coach




"Allow me to recommend this instinct classic, "Salvaging My Identity" by Jennifer Mills and Rachel Lovingood! Like a cool drink of water on a hot summer day, this book is a refreshing approach for young ladies growing into adulthood.  I am not only a speaker to teens, but also a father to a teenage girl.  I am indebted to you for giving people like me a tool so effective for young ladies. Every young lady would be challenged, inspired and encouraged by reading this book."
~Scott Dawson
www.ScottDawson.org

“The need for approval and acceptance began in the garden with Eve and has continued to hunt down the feminine soul ever since.  Rachel and Jennifer's many years of experience with student ministry has given them the insight to put together an interactive work of Scripture discovery that empowers girls to cross the bridge of adolescence with a clear view of success.  Focused on emotional and spiritual health at its pulse point, the study offers a strong voice against a crushing culture and enables girls to become the godly women that the Lord created them to be.   This is a valuable resource for every girls' ministry.  Well done, ladies!”  
~Diane Strack
Author, Co-founder, Student Leadership University




"As the American family continues to struggle and break down, the children absorb much of the pain and confusion from living in a culture that values success and appearance over character and integrity.  Girls in particular need guidance and wisdom in finding out who they really are beyond their boyfriends or social cliques.  "Salvaging My Identity" is filled with practical, common sense truth that every American girl needs to make it in this culture.  Grounded in Biblical truth, it's a powerful resource for young women who struggle with their identity, their insecurities, and the fears that come along with being young and unsure of the future."
~Clayton King
President, Crossroads Ministries
Teaching Pastor, NewSpring Church
Campus Pastor, Liberty University




"With the opening definition of the word “salvaged” my heart knew Salvaging My Identity is a rescue for this generation of young women. It is biblically rich and culturally astute, while challenging girls to “re-think” critical topics such as image obsession, failure, shame and host of others. This is a bold work and desperately needed. Women of all ages, read this book and engage a younger woman—you may help salvage her identity."
~Kathy Ferguson Litton
Ntn'l. Consultant for Ministry to Pastor’s Wives at NAMB




“The hyper sexualized bandit of commercialism has robbed young girls of their identity today. The crime scene is heartbreaking. Stripped of their self worth, honor and purpose girls are left cluelessly stuck in a deadly game of Identity Charades.  "Salvaging My Identity" is a game changer! Jennifer Mills & Rachel Lovingood have broken through the madness and the guessing is over! Each sentence and every chapter brings high definition clarity rescuing girls from a life of painful pantomimes to one of stability, value and power.”
~Tony Nolan
Author/Evangelist



"Excellent.  Engaging. Spoken into the heart of this generation in honest, strong biblical truth. Salvaging My Identity will challenge & encourage young ladies to incorporate God's truth in daily living as they salvage their identity in Christ Jesus. Written for a small group or individually...  A much needed book for young women!"
~Esther Burroughs
Author, Speaker, Bible Teacher





“Many women don't come from a family foundation of faith, or over time, they've been convinced they have no use, no gifts, no callingSalvaging My Identity is an opportunity for this generation of girls and women to address the lies and allow the Savior to pick up the pieces. The insight, Biblical truth and overall clarity of Salvaging will play a role in re-building a broken generation.”
~Tim Miller
Teaching Pastor, Sevier Heights Baptist Church


"In a world where girls face real problems, this book is the perfect bridge inside the mind of today's adolescent young women. Whether your popular, or the quiet shy girl in class that typically goes unnoticed, this insightful book can help both be better, feel better and live better" 
 ~Criscilla Anderson
Choreographer & Dancer, wife to Coffey Anderson







“Jennifer Mills and Rachel Lovingood have written a book that is real and relevant for anyone seeking to equip girls with a biblical understanding of womanhood and identity. The wisdom gained from their combined thirty plus years of girls ministry experience is evident with the turning of every page. 'Salvaging My Idenity' combines a practical eight week study guide approach with the sacred purpose of helping girls encounter and experience the Scriptures!” 
Brent Crowe 
Author, Speaker and VP of Student Leadership University 







There are even more special people who mean so much to us that I'll post what they have to say about the book in the near future! 



We are so grateful for their love, support and endorsement of "Salvaging My Identity". Praying that God will so chose to use this book as a voice of HIS TRUTH, to bring FREEDOM that HE ALONE can offer, & that girls that go through this 40 day journey will know more of who HE wants them to be & how HE wants them to live their lives at the end of it. 


Brian and I are so excited to see just how the Lord is going to use both "Salvaging My Identity" in the lives of girls & young women and "Checkpoints: A tactical guide to manhood" in the lives of young men! So humbled by the fact that the Lord would chose to use us in this capacity to spread the truth of His word to this generation. Such an honor and privilege to serve Him.