Beth Moore's Blog, page 53

One Year Later

One year ago today I walked into a house-turned-office for my first day at Living Proof Ministries, and my, what a year it’s been! (Fun side-note: Within an hour on the job, I filmed this video. On my very first day of work. I was terrified and can now laugh hysterically at my professional head nodding.) This year has easily been one of the most exciting, fun, challenging and neat years of my life. I’ve grown in ways I would have never imagined, been challenged to increase my faith and believe God, and on top of all that, made a handful of new best friends. What you may not know is that not only did I enter into a new job, after 26 years of attending, serving and working at a church I was raised in, I became a member at a new church as well. So, to say it’s been a new year and a new season is a vast understatement. But I wouldn’t trade this year for anything in the world.

There is no way I could let this day pass without sharing what I’ve learned about this ministry in just one year. Though I’m only going to share three things that stick out to me, what you need to know is that this list is the bare minimum.

L is for the Lavishness of LPM

I may hear the word “village” around here a lot, since we do refer to ourselves as The Village, but more so than that, I hear the word lavishness. I don’t know a word that describes LPM more accurately. Not only does the Lord lavish His love on us, but His lavishness towards us means that we can generously give to others. Living Proof gives more than anyone I know. And I mean that in every sense of the word. They give of their time, their love, their resources, their energy, their wisdom, and especially their prayers. You can’t walk through the doors of LPM and walk out without receiving a blessing, which is their goal. They do it with intentionality and grace. And lest you think for one second they do it to make a name for themselves, think again, it is all to make God’s name great, because He is the one that so lavishly and generously loves and gives to us.

P is for Prayer Warriors

My very first day of work happened to be on a Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. On any other given Tuesday, you would find us scurrying out the door at noon to head to lunch, however, on this particular day, since they had missed their typical Monday prayer time during lunch, they dove into prayer time on Tuesday instead. I think you know where I’m going with this. Instead of eating out on my first day of work, I prayed with my new found co-workers. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared and intimidated out of my ever-loving mind, and sometimes I still am. What in the world had I gotten myself into? I was sitting in the red room with 10 other ladies I barely knew and they were praying their heads off. If I can say one thing about these ladies, it’s that they’ve taught me how to pray. And not just pray, but pray with boldness, belief and for heaven’s sake, a little bit, or a lot of faith. Are my prayers eloquent? Heck no. Do I soak in every word they say and pray? You bet I do. I’ve witnessed miracles because of their mighty prayers. One thing I know to be true, you want these ladies praying for you.

M is for Mothering and Mentoring

September 6th, 2011 I gained 14 mothers and 14 mentors. Please note, I have a wonderful mother who I love dearly that lives 20 minutes from me and we talk often, but this was a no brainer given the territory I stepped into. I am the youngest on staff and each of them could be my mother. I say that in the most endearing, respectful way. The way the care about the little details of my life, the way they scratch my back, they way they send texts because they can’t bare to wait until the next day to hear about a certain this or that, are all things any mother would do. Do I hate it? No. In fact, I consider myself ridiculously spoiled in the spiritual realm. I’ve been known to confess during prayer time just how unique my situation is. What 27-year-old girl gets to be surrounded by this much wisdom? Does it mean we sit and chat over coffee on a daily or weekly basis? Well, not really. Unless you take into consideration our lunch hour, but what I mean by mentoring is I get to watch (and watch I do) the way these godly women handle their husbands, their children, their times alone with the Lord, their reaction to all manner of circumstances and so on and so forth. I get a front row seat to their daily, personal lives, and not one of them has left me disappointed. Are they perfect? Far from it. But they’re real. They’re authentic. I want to be like that.

The Lord has extended His faithfulness to me in more ways than I can count. I will boast in the Lord alone, because He alone did this.

Working alongside these women is one of the greatest privileges of my life. It’s life giving and water to my soul nearly every day. Not one day goes by without receiving encouragement, truth, wisdom and you better believe it, laughter. When I leave, I feel like I’ve been near God. Not to mention, we can talk for hours without gossiping, a miracle for 14 ladies if you ask me. Thank you, Jesus.

I don’t want to fool you into believing that life here is perfect. We’re human, flawed, we are all but a vapor, dust, bereft, and deeply in need of Jesus, without Him, every minute of our work here is in vain. However, it is my greatest desire to honor God and this ministry by celebrating God’s faithfulness to us.

Thank you, LPM, for accepting me from the minute I walked through those front doors. I feel like I’ve been here for ten years. And I hope I’m here for ten more, God-willing.

Thank you, Lord, for planting me here for such a time as this and doing greater than I could ever ask or imagine. You alone are to be praised. You are what LPM is made of.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

The ABC Meme

Good Tuesday afternoon, ladies! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful Labor Day. Just this morning I sent our dear siesta mama a quick text to see if she had any plans today (we hate to double up), because low and behold, we’ve been thinking of y’all all morning and since there were no immediate blog plans, I just knew it was perfect timing to post this fun meme. She just returned this weekend from filming at Life Today, so needless to say, we’re praying up some sweet rest for her.

What is a meme you ask? A meme is simply a “concept that spreads via the Internet.” So, please know that I simply saw this on another blog and decided it was a fun post for you, our dear siestas. Although I don’t know who originally came up with it, I still have to give credit where credit is due.

A. Age: 27

B. Bed size: A queen. My long legs tend to hang off anything smaller.

C. Chore that you hate: Hanging up clothes. Not washing or ironing, but hanging them up. I loathe it. I have been known to have neat piles of folded clothes around my room because I hate doing that so much. Oh, and I also cannot stand cleaning an upright shower. I learned that last week as I almost suffocated from the fumes while trying to accomplish this task.

D. Dogs: Oh, the puppies. I’ve only “owned” those that my roommates have had. Which have been Macy, Cohen and Cupcake. Three of the most different dogs you’ll ever meet. Growing up I only had a turtle that unfortunately ran away. And by “ran away”, I mean we left him in the yard one day while cleaning out his box and a day later (he was my older brother’s turtle, don’t blame me) after Brien remembered to get him, he was nowhere in sight. Poor buddy. His name was Norm. Short for Norman.

E. Essential start to your day: Waking up. That is essential. Seriously, though? I cannot get ready without listening to worship music. Ask my roommates.

F. Favorite color: It’s constantly changing, but is currently green. Or coral. And maybe red. See, I’m very fickle with my colors.

G. Gold or Silver: Both. I used to think Gold looked terrible on my skin tone, but currently gold is the “in thing” so I own a lot of gold costume jewelry which I wear often. However, silver is my go-to choice.

H. Height: My drivers license says 5’11. So I’m going with that.

I. Instruments you play: Since my mom has been a piano teacher my entire life, I play the piano. My skill set, however, is much less than hers. She’s the best of the best. : )

J. Job title: Media Assistant and Youth Specialist. If you’re going to friend the youth, you must know the media. ; )

K. Kids: Zero. Though I’d claim many as my own.

L. Live: Texas! I’m a proud Texan through and through. First family member born and raised here.

M. Mother’s name: Kristy Kay. Love her!

N. Nicknames: The most obvious one is Lindsee Lou. (Lou is not my middle name contrary to popular belief!) Lou. Loupers. Leddy. Lindslepie. (Thank you, Grandma, for that last one.)

O. Overnight hospital stays: Besides my birth, to date, this hasn’t happened. Praise God!

P. Pet peeves: When people drive crazy. It drives me nutty. (No pun intended.)

Q. Quote from a movie: I love me some Madea lines. “Heller? How u durnin?”, “Um, ner.” ,“Halleu-yer.” So funny.

R. Right or left handed: Right hand all the way!

S. Siblings: Two brothers. One older and one younger. I’m smack dab in the middle and the only girl. It’s not the worst gig in the world.

T. Time it takes you to get ready: Um, I’m tempted to lie here. I set my alarm for about two hours before I have to be anywhere. See “W”. I hate to be rushed.

U. Ultimate Vacation: Currently, that would have to be the Seychelles. Oh, to dream.

V. Vegetable you hate: Peas. Gross.

W. What makes you run late: The fact that I am really slow at everything I do makes me late. I enjoy taking my time and hate to be rushed. Those who know me personally can testify! I even eat slow. Therefore, I seem to never give myself enough time. Other than that, probably applying my mascara. Grin.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Do my teeth count? Oh, and I think in the third grade I had my ankle x-rayed because I sprained it in P.E. That was unfortunate since I’m not sure I actually DID anything in P.E.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Listen, I don’t want to fool you into thinking I make all sorts of yummy food. Cooking is simply not one of my gifts. (But that could also be due to my lack of trying to cook yummy food.) My roommates could testify to that. However, I can make a mean Taco Ring. And I also have mastered the art of Nutella Rice Krispie Treats.

Z. Zoo animal: It’s been a while since I’ve taken a trip to the zoo, so this is a little tough. But, I’m gonna have to go with penguins (I mean, have you watched them walk? Or waddle, better yet?), and monkeys. I love me a cute baby monkey.

What about y’all? Choose a letter and share it with us. Y’all have a great day!

LPL Charleston – Recap Video

Oh, girls! You do not want to miss this recap video by our dear Rich from Living Proof Live this weekend. Honestly, they never get old! I personally could use an editing video tutorial in the worst way. Thanks for all your hard work, Rich!

We heard that God did a marvelous work this weekend in Charleston. Praise Him! If you were there, we’d love to hear what He did in you!

Living Proof Live – Charleston SC from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

And might I leave you with this gem? Your fearless leaders. The best part of this picture, besides the air Travis is getting, is the fact that the staff around them is not phased one bit by their jolliness. In other words, this is normal. I love it!

Living Proof Live Simulcast 2012

Hey Siestas! Can you believe we’re already past the middle of August? Where in the world has 2012 gone? Wow.

Before we let August completely fly by, we wanted to bring your attention to our fast approaching simulcast.

If I know anything about women, I know we like a girls day away with each other and this simulcast opportunity is no exception. It is perfect timing to pull away and get in the Word for a time of refreshment and renewal either in the comfort of your own home, or at a local church. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend an invitation to those in your neighborhood!

So, without further ado, take a quick listen to our Siesta Mama. Also, for ALL the details and information you would ever want, click here for the official simulcast website.

2012 LPL Simulcast from LPV on Vimeo.

Lindsee’s 2012 Summer Highlights

Today is the last official day of summer for Houston. Well, the last summer weekday. Come Monday morning, all manner of children with their crisp, new school clothes and fancy haircuts will either hop on a big yellow bus, sit in a carpool line, or brave the daunting humidity and walk to school for their very first day. I know kiddos who get to experience their first day of kindergarten, and other ones who get to experience their first day of their very last year of school as they’re the big, bad seniors.

All of that to say, although the heat is screaming otherwise, according to our calendar, summer is over.

So, I thought it was only appropriate to share my 2012 summer highlights. Please note, however, that I spent the majority of my days in Houston with minimal traveling and fun experiences, so please lower your expectations. What you won’t be seeing is fancy trips to Hawaii or days traveling NYC. But it is what it is.

In no particular order, here are my top 12 highlights of the great summer of 2012.

1. The Nehemiah Bible study. Listen, I am taking my sweet time, meaning, I am STILL working on it, just keeping it real. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t loved it. And I know for a fact you all loved it too, so at least we have that in common. Grin.

2. Don’t think I wouldn’t talk about Girls Bible study. I loved the 10 weeks I got to spend with these sweet girls studying and pouring over So Long, Insecurity. The last night we went out in style with some fun giveaways, a few words of wisdom from our own Beth, and most importantly, dinner from Pappasito’s. Go big or go home has always been my motto. If I had to pick one thing, I’d say these girls were THE highlight of my summer.

I couldn’t say that without sharing this gem. When you get to see changes you’ve been praying for in girls, it brings much joy to your heart. So imagine how thrilled I was when one of my leaders asked if one of her girls could bring her guitar to one of our meetings. Of course I said yes, and she proceeded to tell me that one of her insecurities was playing her guitar in front of people, so she wanted to bring it one night and play it for her small group. Y’all, that’s a big deal. I was thrilled when she got their a little early that night because it was just me and her in the room, so I asked her to play a little bit for me and she not only played, but nailed it. I was so proud! Can you say precious? The Lord was so sweet to her.

3. Beth’s birthday cake. Yes, it was a highlight. It was that good. Don’t judge.

While we’re talking about her cake, here is a picture of Amanda, Beth and Melissa at Beth’s LPM birthday party!

4. My pool. Well, this is actually my apartment pool, but as you can see, it’s pretty empty, so I’ve claimed it as my own. I would be here every day if I could, but alas, my job keeps me pretty busy, so I got out on the weekends as often as I can. This screams relaxation to me!

5. Austin Living Proof Live. What a great weekend with a great Word that I’m still gleaming from. And it also may or may not have been the only place I traveled all summer.

6. Label me materialistic (again, just keeping it real), but you can imagine my sheer joy when H&M, the clothing store, opened up at Willowbrook Mall here in Houston. Score! H&M is a really cute, cheap store that is very similar to Forever  Twenty-One, but dare I say, cheaper. My coworker and I may or may not have visited the day after it opened on our lunch break. I’m telling you, I don’t get out much.

7. Okay, I may have fibbed just a little. One weekend I went away for one night with some girlfriends to a quaint little farmhouse in the country. We enjoyed ourselves so much while we laughed, ate, talked and even did some fun extra-curricular activities. Such as riding on a Gator to tour the land and kayaking. (See below.)

Exhibit A: Athleticism at its finest. Kayaking. Because this was during this summer’s Olympics, I was feeling really inspired. You can catch me kayaking in Rio during the 2016 games.

8. Catching up with my best friends. You know those friends you’ve had since the womb? These are those friends. We’re all in different seasons and live miles away from each other, but when we get together it’s like nothing has ever changed. Highlight? You bet it was. A really sweet one.

9. I took a day off work to go hang out with our students from church in Galveston one day. Since BCF is such a baby church (we’re turning one soon!), this was a really special week for them because it was their very first summer camp. They’ll never forget it! It was a sweet change of scenery for a day and it was exciting to be with them outside of church, even if just for a short time.

Galveston, oh Galveston. We take what we can get here in Texas as far as beaches are concerned.

10. My very best friend had her very first baby. A baby girl. Ellie is my new obsession and rightfully so, she’s a living doll. I was blessed to get to be there on her birthday and I’ll never forget it. This and Bible study tie for my number one highlight. It’s amazing to me how much you can love something when it’s not even yours. That’s how I feel about her.

11. Did we ever tell y’all that a tree right outside of our office got hit by lightning one day? It was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen happen right before my eyes. Not to mention the sound like a bomb going off. Beth and I happened to both witness it and I fear we’re both still scarred from it. However, we’re all convinced the Lord put the tree there so it wouldn’t hit the building.

Since the tree took the hit, we unfortunately, lost it. So as to not cause any more damage, we had it removed yesterday. To say we were all enthralled by the process is an understatement. So much so, that I documented the entire event. So intriguing.

12. Lastly, and certainly not least, Bayou City Nights, our church’s first VBS. To serve together as a church body and watch everyone come together and do the thing was a beautiful gift. There is so much more I could say about this, but I’ll just leave you with this little sneak into a few of our evenings together, a collage if you will. That, right there, is some joy, my friends.

I happen to have the cutest team. Go green or go home was my motto! Skipping, singing, dancing, laughing and making crafts with these little ones was a complete joy.

 

So, now that I’ve rambled on about the great summer of 2012, I’d love for you to share a highlight from your summer. I guarantee you girls have some pretty sweet stories. Spill them!

We really do love y’all so much.

Happy Friday, y’all. And happy back to school!

Charleston LPL – Scholarship Ticket Giveaway

Update: Siestas, I just wanted to inform you that each of our 20 tickets have been spoken for. Be blessed, ladies!

Good Thursday morning, ladies! It has been busy around here, but really, you are thought about nearly every second of every day. I’m hoping to have a fun post up tomorrow!

However, before we do that, I wanted to bring your attention to LPL Charleston today. Thanks to the Siesta Scholarship fund, we have 20 tickets to give to those of you that would love to attend the conference this weekend, but just don’t have the funds to make it happen. So, if this is you, please call our office toll free at 1.888.700.1999 during regular business hours (8:30 – 4:30 CST) and ask for Kimberly Meyer. If you happen to reach us while we’re at lunch, leave a message and Kimberly will get back to you.

And as always, Beth, Travis and the entire LPL team covet your prayers as they head that way this very day. Pray that the Spirit would fall fresh on that city. Thank you so much, girls. You are priceless around here, as are your prayers. We love you!

Been Too Long! Wanna Say Hi on Livestream Today at Noon CST?

Update: Thank you so much to all of those who were able to join us. In case you missed you, you can jump on and watch it now like you would a recorded video. Just click this link. For some reason, it cut about the first 30 seconds off, but after that you’re good to go. We love y’all!

Hey, you sweet things! You better know that I have not forgotten you for a single solitary day but, wooooo-eeeeee, girlfriends, your blog mama has had her hands full! I miss you so much, though! Would any of you like to jump on livestream right at 12:00 noon central standard time today (Wednesday) for 20 or so minutes? It would just be to say hi and to catch up a bit so if you’ve got something important going, don’t sweat it. There’s no big announcement or prepared subject matter. Just a happy hello and I surely do love you and I pray that you’re seeing Jesus revealed in all sorts of ways. That kind of thing and from the heart because you are indeed so dear to me. SO, I’ll see anybody there who has the time and, even if it’s just ten of us, I’ll be thrilled to touch base.

Just click on this link to hop on and join us!

I love you guys!

P.S. Just a friendly reminder that you do not need a password. While we’re preparing to launch, we have it up to work on a few logistics, but we will remove the password about five minutes before we go live at noon.

LPL Knoxville: A Recap

Happy Wednesday, Siestas! It looks like a ‘few’ of you were able to join Beth and the team in K-Town last weekend. Much praise to God for you and all who were able to attend the Living Proof Live in Knoxville!

Rumor has it that Miesta Travis brought a few of his peeps with him to form a choir. 

Here’s Beth having a moment with the choir. No doubt she is sharing from her heart, and quite possibly also telling on Travis. He’s always a good source for material. Grin.

During worship:

From the looks of this recap, it appears you had a rich time in worship and the Word, Knoxville.  We never take for granted that the Lord speaks through His Word and blesses us with His Presence.

Without further delay, enjoy this recap video from our photographer extraordinaire, Rich.  Your Siesta Mama loves you so!

Living Proof Live – Moline IL from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Knoxville LPL – Scholarship Tickets

Good Mornin’, ladies! Thanks to our Siesta Scholarship Fund, we were able to snag and give away 20 tickets to the Knoxville LPL this weekend. We just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that these tickets are for those of you that would love to attend, but financially, just cannot afford it at this time. So, if you fit that bill, we’d love nothing more than to bless you. All you need to do is call our office toll free at 1.888.700.1999 during regular business hours (8:30 – 4:30 CST) and ask for Kimberly Meyer. She will get you hooked up and good to go!

Thank you so much in advance for praying over this weekend. It’s the buzz around here and we can’t wait to hear all about it upon our Siesta Mama’s return! If you wouldn’t mind, please pray the team safely there today as they travel. We love y’all so much and are so grateful for every prayer lifted up on their behalf!

Siesta Summer Bible Study 2012 Wrap Up!

Nehemiah Summer Session 4 from LPV on Vimeo.

Good grief! We’re already closing up! How is that even possible? I am so grateful to God that we’ve had the opportunity to spend the summer together in Bible study and hope with everything in me that the last six weeks have been profitable to you. 1 Timothy 4:8 is popping into my mind:

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (NIV)

Look at it again: it holds PROMISE and not only for the future when we see God face to face. It holds promise right now. Right here in this present life. Just where we could really use some help. We women are stretched and stressed to ripping seams from every conceivable direction. We are constantly faced with multiple choices concerning how we’re going to spend the limited resources of our day and our energies. We so often give way to the thing that screams the loudest…and, if it’s your baby, Lord have mercy, you should! But sometimes God doesn’t speak through the wind, the thunder and storm. He lowers His voice so that we’re forced to get quiet and still if we want to hear.

And, boy, do we ever want to hear. If we’ve learned the value of His life-giving, life-defining, life-refining, life-forgiving, life-surviving, life-thriving voice, boy, do we ever want to hear. I have no doubt that you’ve heard some things from God this summer through our study of Nehemiah so let’s get to it and share a few of them in closing.

As usual, your comments to this post will come AFTER your gathering but here’s the part that will be very different! EACH of you will comment this time individually rather than through a representative from your group. Your comment will be in answer to question #3 below and will be addressed straight to your teacher for Siesta Summer Bible Study, Kelly Minter. (Start it very simply, Dear Kelly…)

In our wrap up today, I’d like you to answer three primary questions. The first will be drawn from Session (or Week) Five, the second from Session (or Week) Six then the last one will be in reflection of the study as a whole. It’s the one you will EACH answer in your comment to this post. After the questions, I’d like you to join me for just a few minutes in the 3rd Chapter of the Book of Ezra. First, the three questions:

1. From Session Five: Review the top half of p.120 and the Derek Kidner quote that Kelly included. If your personal response to the question in the middle of the page is appropriate to share, share it! Get very specific about how some difficult facts in your life right now are reframed in light of “eternity…and of God’s unimaginable greatness.” Read Romans 4:18-25 for the perfect paradigm.

2. From Session Six: Go back to p.150 and reread the personal reflection question in the left-hand margin. Again, if your answer is not too personal to share, what do you long to see God bring full circle in your life? Listen carefully to one another as you share, jot down some reminders, and, at the end of your gathering, agree with one another in prayer for God to bring those things full circle.

3. In reflection of the study as a whole: What is the primary thing you’re taking with you out of this study? Your party favor, so to speak? Your take-home? In other words, what do you know for certain He meant for you to receive? Try to be as succinct as possible. Share it in the context of your gathering but, this time, I want you to answer this question as your concluding comment to this post. It will be the only one you answer in writing this time around.

Our brief devotional time in Ezra 3 will be in the video only. Please forgive any inconvenience. It was just better suited that way. If you’re unable to watch the video today, no problem! The most important part for the wrap up is right here in writing through the three questions. The devotional was just for added reflection.

Oh, mercy, Sisters. Thank you so much for joining in! I’m so crazy about all of you. Words fail to express the joy this community brings me.

And Kelly…

Honestly, Sister, I cannot fathom how I could love you more unless I just flat out moved in next door. You are so loved and appreciated by the Body of Christ. God has gifted you enormously with a unique voice and a beautiful pen with which to express it. We have learned from you, our sister. Thank you for pursuing God so flagrantly that we catch your fever. Don’t stop writing. Don’t stop sharing your works and your quirks. We find you believable, teachable, reachable, and, even on occasion, hysterical. We are the better for having pulled up a chair in your classroom. Thank you, dear teacher.