Anticipation Proclamation

As a young girl, I remember the start of a new school year being so exciting! The first day of school for me was as New Years was to the grownups I knew. It was a time for vows and resolutions: THIS would be the year to make perfect grades. THIS would be the time for me to make new friends. Yes, THIS would be the defining year of my talents as well as my personality. I would even be a better Christian witness, and EVERYTHING would be more exciting than the year before….

The cherry on top was the blessing of new clothes (or even someone else's handmedowns), cool school supplies and all the other “stuff” that was required for a student to get a good start to the new year. Cha ching! Christmas in August!!!!

On the other side of the beaming and scheming, though, was Anxiety, just waiting to rear her ugly head. What will I wear? Which teachers will I have? Who will I sit next to? WHERE did these pimples come from? Before the first bell had even rung, Anticipation, Aspiration and Anxiety had become inseparable friends of mine.

Nonetheless, now that those days are over, I wouldn’t mind having that feeling of great expectation again. Sometimes I get so distracted in the dailyness of life, even anxious about what's around the corner, that I miss the renewal and hope the Lord is offering me each day. The Bible is filled with promises to anticipate:

Lamentations 3:22-23
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

2 Corinthians 4:16
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Colossians 3:10
“…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

So what does this mean for us? It means that we can be like school kids at the end of summer each and every day, but without the worry. No matter what fruit we are lacking, the Lord will be faithful to provide it as we put our hope in Him. It is a daily (for me, hourly sometimes) process….it is a “giving over” of ourselves with the exchange of renewed eagerness for the great things God can do in and through us as we let Him. We can choose to serve ourselves, our anxieties and our desires; or we can start the day with dependence on our Lord, who will faithfully show up and keep His promises. Let’s decide to proclaim our anticipation in Him alone this very day!

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….
But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15

Kindred Spirit Encouragement

I'm always amazed how the Lord brings about encouragement at the perfect time. Filled with the blues of getting ready for school to start on top of coming down from the mountain of my She Speaks high, the Lord put a beautiful greeting card in my mailbox from a very special sister in the Lord.

Have you met Darlene from Kindred Spirits Greetings? She's a humble lady and probably will be embarrassed that I mentioned her in this public way, but she blessed me so much!

Here's how. She sent me this custom made card just to encourage me in the ministry God has given me. I had no idea how beautiful her cards were, WOW. And because God has gifted her with the ability to write content as well, she wrote me a special message:

"LauraLee...a heart filled with desire for true intimacy with her beloved.
A woman of compassion sharing the love of our Creator~
by reaching around the globe to strangers along the way.
A bridge of love built by one.
Kindred of the Most High, through the blood of our Savior.
One mind, one people, one nation.
Set apart from our once unrighteous state of being.

By touching His throne from the depth of our hearts~
the beauty within each of our individual relationships with Him unfolds.
As our passion to know Him grows we begin to understand
how each trial, each heartache and each loss
lovingly reconstructs our thinking, our desires, our will, into His dna
heirs to HIs throne indeed; through the Blood of our Salvation.
You touched my heart, LauraLee."
(c) Copyright 2009 Kindred Spirits Greetings
by Letha Darlene

I had to share this powerful act of encouragement and sisterly love by a kindred spirit in Christ. May we all remember when the Lord prompts us to bless another with our gifts and talents to do so, like Letha Darlene. And if you want to see the incredible variety of creativity she has with her greeting cards, visit her website, Kindred Spirits Greetings.

She Hides at She Speaks

I walked into the She Speaks conference with an overwhelming sense of peace. I read that many were concerned about their wardrobe and their speeches and book proposals, and though I had my days of anxiousness, by the time I walked in I was completely relaxed. Each person I met enthralled me with their experiences leading up to the conference. God was calling me to be "others-focused," and it was a whole lotta wonderful. Except for the normal bit of nervousness that came Friday night just before 3-minute speech time, the Lord's peace prevailed.

Until Saturday afternoon.

The session after lunch came, and a funk came over me right in the middle. I felt dizzy, sick to my stomach, exhausted, numb. It was as if I had been sitting in the middle of a beach somewhere basking in the sun, and out of nowhere a gynormous wave rolled in and knocked me over, leaving me flat on my back.

So I did what any "others-focused" individual would do. I limped to my room and hid. Behind that closed door, I hoped that my roommate wouldn't come in and see me sobbing on my knees by the bed. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Had I been sandbagging my anxiousness only to have it explode and make a mess now? Was I exhausted from the days of preparation getting ready for the trip? Was it a spiritual attack? What in the world had come over me?

As I moved to the bed and tried to drift off to sleep, my cell phone rang. It was my 11-year-old daughter, and she was in the same shape I was. She missed me. She felt like she was doing everything around the house and others were taking her for granted. She didn't want to tell anyone, especially Dad, because she didn't want to come apart in front of him. I advised her to go into her closet and pray (the only place she has privacy), and to ask the Lord for strength to talk to Dad. I told her, "Sweetie, you'll be amazed how much better you'll feel if you can find the courage to admit to dad how you're feeling." We cried together for a little while longer, and I shared with her how I was feeling too.

While I was ending my conversation with my daughter, my roommate Amy Bayliss walked in. She saw I was a mess, but she didn't pry. I felt led to tell her what I was going through, but I didn't want to bother her with it. After all, she had another publisher's meeting to go to and a whole list of things to be focused on herself. It was a mixture of my care for her and pride that I wanted to continue faking my strength until she left the room again.

Then I remembered my words to AnaLee. You know, about how much better she'd feel if she just admitted she was weak. So I grabbed Amy, and I told her. She immediately prayed as I continued to weep, and I was amazed. A healing wave of peace and relief flooded over me. Not long after Amy left the room, my daughter called again. She said she took my advice and went into the closet to pray and that she was ready to talk to Daddy. I was definitely able to encourage her after what I'd just experienced.

The memory of this mind-boggling moment ministers to me on so many levels. Pride had convinced me that I was to be "on" while at the conference or else I'd be no good to anyone. I let the enemy discourage me and speak lies into my ear. I almost cancelled my publisher's meeting AND my talk on Saturday night. Honestly, the thought went through my mind that maybe I'm just not cut out for any of this stuff. Nobody else was in their room having a meltdown, I thought. LOL, Like I would know...

The power of releasing our pride and our weaknesses to one another can be an amazing thing. Often, we have experiences that are meant for the Lord's ears only, but in this case, He wanted me to admit. I don't know why I felt the need to hide when the unexpected hit me. But I was humbled and encouraged in a way I will never forget. Maybe the next time I won't be so stubborn.

"Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]."
James 5:16, The Amplified Bible

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up."
Ecc. 4:10a

Is God leading you to walk out of your hotel room

and let someone pray for you?

She Pauses to Ponder Praises from "She Speaks"

"Our prayer for you this weekend is that you will be encouraged, equipped and empowered as you prepare for God's unique calling on your life..."

This was the purpose the Proverbs 31 ministry team listed in the front of our GORGEOUS She Speaks conference books, and it was fulfilled.

I'm still in the process of pondering, but I must write...it's time to let some praises ring.

This She was encouraged:

* I was encouraged by corporate worship. To sing and pray along with Cheri Keaggy, as well as 600+ women set my heart on fire, and released my tears to water it.

*I was encouraged by a group of women bloggers (a group too large to mention each by name but will probably end up in the form of a story at some point) who all "knew" each other and invited me to join their lunch parties anyway. (photo below) As I listened to them talk, I was so blessed by their heart to minister to women with their own unique voices in the world of blogging. I also learned that I am not a true blogger; instead, I'm a writer who has a blog. Believe you me, this is true. (But I know who to call with questions, no doubt). And I laughed. And laughed. And spewed that sugary sweet North Carolina tea all over. Heather, especially ;) would get me rolling, then Lisa would calm me down (and get me to the airport on time. Thank you.) :)

*I was encouraged by my roommate, Amy Bayliss. We talked, we laughed, we prayed, we got past the surface. She is more amazing than I ever imagined. And besides, she brought me a beautiful journal, the best-smelling candle ever, and CHOCOLATE. Need I say more?

*I was encouraged by the speakers, Lysa TerKeurst, Jennifer Rothschild (my spiritual hero on earth), and Renee Swope. I will be chewing on their messages for an ENORMOUSLY long time, applying them as God enables me to do so. I'm compelled to say that every single time Lysa prayed, I cried. I've been starting my day with "Good morning, my Jesus," and ending it with "Good night, my Jesus" ever since.

*I was encouraged by Suzanne Eller, who happened to get the seat right next to me on the airplane ride home. For me, that was no accident, only a God-incident. She encouraged me with her powerful story, her wisdom in the Lord and in the writing business, and she confirmed some of my thoughts about ministry as well. I am ordering her book, "The Mom I Want To Be" today, and I can't wait to read it through the grid of the authentic and beautiful person I met on the airplane.

*I was encouraged by Zoe Elmore and the rest of my speaker evaluation group. Hopefully, they were mutually encouraged by me. But Zoe made each one of us feel relaxed, and she pumped us up in the process. I can't wait to read her book when it's completed (wink). She is already an AMAZING speaker, and quite stylin' I have to say.

*I was encouraged by catch phrases like "Grace, Grace, Grace," and "in ministry, there should be no competition." Can you imagine what our world would look like if all of us lived with those beliefs out in front of us?

This She was equipped:

*I was equipped with so much incredible information about speaking and writing through the workshops that I know I will be processing it for many months. Micca Campbell was a HUGE highlight of my weekend, and I can't wait to buy her book and soak in the message that she speaks and lives. I also need more of her sense of humor. It is ADDICTING.

*I was equipped with resources galore. I had access to books, music and advice from professionals to help me become better at my calling. I even learned what colors fit my skin type by the "What Not To Wear" expert, Shari Braendel.

*I was equipped spiritually. This team put more emphasis on giving us what we needed spiritually than they did in any other area. They know the secret to any success in life at all starts with a relationship with Jesus Christ. As someone who is passionate about ministry, this impressed me above anything else.

This She was empowered:

*I was empowered with God-confidence. Each and every time I felt inadequate or unable to do what I was supposed to be doing, the Lord used someone or something at the conference to build me up. And I saw this happening ALL OVER THE PLACE.

*I was empowered with God's Word. Truth was everywhere you looked and listened. All that was needed was a soft, surrendered heart for that Truth to sink in and make a difference. It did for me.

*I was empowered by the Holy Spirit. He worked on me, He moved in me, He strengthened me, He humbled me, He showed up. Especially in the prayer room the team set up for us. I spent some time there allowing the Holy Spirit to still and speak to my tired, anxious and hungry heart.

*I was encouraged and empowered to live out my calling. And yes, it is a calling. It doesn't matter to me if I communicate his name to ten or to ten hundred. It doesn't matter to me if that is through writing, speaking, outreach, giving or encouraging. I will live out my calling in Spirit and in Truth with the Lord's power and strength doing the work in and through me. And if I forget this, it's right here "out loud" on my blog for any of you to remind me at a moment when you see me thinking otherwise.

Many thanks, and much love to the Proverbs 31 staff and ministry team, to all my new friends, and especially to my Jesus. I paused. I pondered. And now I praise You, my Lord, my Savior, my Life. Thank You.

Out to lunch with the blogging ladies. Wowzer, if I only had an ounce of the knowledge they do...and they have the gift of gab too, which of course, I know NOTHING about.


My sweet roomie, Amy. She is a woman inspired, and she inspired me in more ways than ten.


Kidnapped to lunch from the conference (shhhhh). I need a boot camp after that burger & pile of fries I consumed.


My speaker evaluation group. I was in awe at the stories these ladies shared. We all went out on a limb to share a piece of ourselves (albeit just 3 & 5 minute pieces...though we tried our hardest to stretch the time), and I was enriched in the process.


Amy and I kept running into Lisa, and it would've been cool to have her as a 3rd roomie. She took the time to pray over me before I walked into my 2nd publisher's meeting. I can't wait to share with her why that ministered to me so much.

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 4:11