SheLoves Magazine

Why I Can Be Brave This Year

“God calls me out of my cave, out of my tent, to remind me that HE is still certain.”

By Fiona Koefoed-Jespersen | Twitter: @fiona_lynne

My One Word for the year is “BRAVE.” I decided I was lacking some courage, and thought maybe declaring it over myself each morning would help me step outside my comfort zone a little more often.

Just three months ago, I moved to a new city in a new country. I come from England and since I left home at 18, I have lived in Scotland, California and South Africa. The last four years I’ve lived in Brussels–where I met my husband–and at the end of November, we packed up our things and moved a few hours down the road to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Despite having moved around so much, the change was much harder than I had anticipated.

We moved for my husband’s career in a global technology corporation. I’d been working as a lobbyist for a development NGO and although I am still passionate about the issues, I was fed up with the politics and beaurocratic wrangling and happy to be moving on. But my own next steps in work are still unclear.

And so moving has brought a dozen questions crowding to the forefront of my mind:

-Who am I? What is my purpose?

- What am I supposed to be doing with my days?

- Where should I be serving? What about church? Will there be a role for me there? Will I be able to find strong women mentors to stretch and challenge me again?

- Who will be my friends to share my dreams and struggles with? What do I say when people ask, “So, what do you do?”

With the uncertainty and questions have come an element of pride and stubbornness. I miss the role I had in my previous church. I miss being known by everyone. I miss the job I had that allowed me to mingle with CEOs and directors and politicians. Many days I find I have lost the sense of being worth something.

Anchors

At the beginning of the year, I exchanged some emails with an e-friend I got to know through blogging.Through our conversation, I rediscovered two scenes in the Bible that have helped anchor me in the storm of emotions.

1. Get out of your cave

The first picture is of Elijah, standing at the entrance to a cave, high up in the mountains. He’d just had a battle of supernatural proportions against the prophets of Baal, and Elijah’s God, the one true God of Israel, had shown his glory and splendour! This made Elijah rather unpopular, so he’d fled into the mountains, fearful for his life, doubting himself and his mission.

God asked Elijah: What are you doing here?–and Elijah poured out his frustration and despair to him. The Lord told him: Go out of the cave and stand on the mountain in my presence.

Get out of your cave. It may feel like the safest place to be right now, but that is not where I am. I am out here, on the mountain, waiting to speak to you …

2. Come out of your tent

A few hundred years earlier, another doubting man lay in his tent, fearful and wondering. He poured out his heart to God: You have made me so many promises. You told me not to fear, that you are my shield and my great reward, but all I know is that my wife Sarah and I are still childless and I do not understand what’s happening to us.

Then God took him outside his tent and said, Look up! While you lie in your tent you see only your own circumstances, your own abilities and your own strength. But I, your God, am bigger and stronger. Try and count the stars. You can’t! But this is how many your descendants will be. If I can throw the stars into their orbits, I can give you a child. Trust me.

These two pictures continue to speak to me. Two men, doubting the promises made to them, doubting the mission given to them, doubting their ability to fulfil their calling. Lacking courage.

And God spoke to them where they were and said, Come out! See how much bigger, mightier, more faithful and more loving I am than you had imagined.

On Being Brave

It was easier for me to be brave when I had a good job, many local friends, a recognised role at church, a community to be part of. It is harder to be brave when all that seems uncertain.

But this is why I can be brave this year, in this new city and country: Because God calls me out of my cave, out of my tent, to remind me that HE is still certain.

- I can be brave to step out and meet new people, knowing that my closest friend will never leave me nor forsake me.

- I can be brave to go out and ask for work, learn a new language and seek out new opportunities in my career, being confident that he who began a good work in me will bring it to completion.

- I can be brave to explore new ministry opportunities in the church here because I know I am surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses to inspire and encourage me.

- I can be brave about getting to know a new neighbourhood, a new culture, a new way of life, because I know that my God, who is enthroned from of old, does not change.

_________________________

About Fiona: 

I’m an event planner, living in Luxembourg with my Danish husband. I love throwing parties and dinners, gathering people together, seeing the new friendships and plans that emerge. I love seeing people find their role in God’s big story. I like to bake and travel and pick up new traditions.

My word for the year is “brave,” because I don’t want to let fear be the reason I miss out on all God has for me. I blog at fionalynne.com/blog and tweet at @fiona_lynne.

Image credit: Brave butterfly via BraveGirlsClub.com

Mercy: A Daily Practice of Digging for Truth

A daily practice + shedding lies + seeing God’s unconditional Love = Journey to Freedom. 

By Musu Taylor-Lewis | Twitter: @mercycanada

Her voice is strong today, almost matter-of-fact as she explains where her journey started, trying to earn God’s love. A downward spiral that led to self-harm, despair and eventually an attempted suicide.

“I was nine years old when I was molested … It was around this time that I began to lose sight of God’s love for me. I began to feel like I was falling apart from the inside out. I began to believe the lies that there was something inherently wrong with me, something broken that could never be fixed and that no one cared.”

Who could blame her?  When it comes to deep and baffling pain, or even the tentacles of shame, any of us could lose sight of God’s unconditional love. Let alone a nine-year-old girl. We see the reflex to withdraw already in the Garden of Eden when the first pair of humans realized they had made a wrong choice.

“Losing sight of God’s love.” It’s a common theme we find with the young women who come through the doors of Mercy Ministries. Whatever the trigger–abuse, school pressure, a harsh word from a parent or even misunderstanding God’s love–the light of God’s love is dimmed each time a seemingly-logical lie gets repeated, whether in the privacy of the mind or out loud.

Thoughts like:

-“God wasn’t there when I was hurting.”

- “Nobody cares.”

- “If I do more, maybe He would love me.”

- “I’m too bad for God’s reach.”

That is why I’ve fallen in love with one particular daily exercise carried out by the residents at Mercy. I’ve watched how this exercise helps restore the ability to see God’s love. I’ve learned this: Seeing, grasping, knowing and understanding God’s love gives hope and strength to cooperate with what God wants to do in our lives. Seeing God’s love keeps us from being dragged down by hurt and failure, events that are inevitable in our world.

A Simple Ritual

Every day the residents get out their truth statements; statements they create based on their reading of scripture. Each girl reads her own statements in private, to counter the lies that have accumulated, trap her in self-destructive patterns and block her ability to see God’s love.

So, instead of “God wasn’t there when I was hurting” she states:

“God is near the broken-hearted.”

When she’s tempted to believe, “No one cares,” she is reminded:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

When she wants to try and earn God’s love, her heart is stilled by the words:

“It is by grace you have been saved.”

When she thinks, “I’m too bad for God’s reach” that thought is counteracted by:

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

Slowly but surely, over time, these truths bring God’s Love back into view. Eventually it becomes clear that God never left … not ever … not even for one moment. His love has been there all along, in every moment of despair and destruction. I have seen how this simple and powerful truth can transform a life lived with blurred vision from the age of nine.

Now I hear her tell the other side of the story:

“Mercy Ministries was God’s rescue mission. I have never felt so loved. God in His infinite, inexhaustible mercy delivered me from death. I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is good, that He never abandoned me or let go of me once. He pursued me relentlessly, because I am of great value in His eyes, because He loves me, because He wants me. I am beautiful, inside and out, because He made me. I can stop striving for perfection because I already carry the seal of His approval–His Holy Spirit–within me.

_________________________

Dear SheLoves friends,

• What practices–daily or otherwise–have you discovered that help you on your journey to Freedom?
• Is there a lie that keeps repeating itself in your life?
• What are some of your favourite Truth statements?

_________________________

About Musu:

My life is lived out of the calling “to advance Christ-centred work.” I am currently Director of Marketing and Development at Mercy Ministries, working to get the word out about the life-transforming work that takes place here. Prior to my work at Mercy, I directed a Crisis Pregnancy Centre, studied Christianity and Culture at Regent College and co-led women’s programs at my local church. I have four great children and am married to Steven, a gift to me from the Creator.

Unladylike: Author Interview with Pam Hogeweide

“I was gravely warned by some of my female acquaintances that no woman could expect to be regarded as a lady after she had written a book.” –Lydia M. Child, a 19th century women’s rights activist and abolitionist, as quoted in “Unladylike,” by Pam Hogeweide.

By Idelette McVicker | Twitter: @idelette

“I feel a significant and strong connection to my virtual sisters,” wrote Jennifer Luitwieler in her recent post, Six Degrees of Sisterhood.

Can I hear an Amen?!

For me, Pam Hogeweide is one of those virtual sisters. I look forward to the day I may meet Pam in person (at The Justice Conference in Portland at the end of the month, no less!) We were first introduced via email by Kathy Escobar (another virtual sista), but I had been noticing Pam’s writing and tweets around the blogosphere for some time, even before our introduction. I knew she was writing this book, “Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church” and watched the development carefully.

Gender equality is a hot topic, causing much division, and yet, through my own awakening to injustice in its many forms over the last decade, I hoped and prayed this book would shine a bright light into the unnecessary silencing too many women still endure. Personally, I am thankful for my faith community where women’s voices are heard–it’s not even a question–and we can get on with the business of what God uniquely calls us to do on the earth. But I grew up in a silence and a stifling and I know what she’s writing about. Moreso, I hoped her book would bring more language, tools and clarity to the gender justice conversation.

I wasn’t disappointed. Even that first night I slid open my Kindle and began to read Pam’s words, I encountered a wave of freedom in my own heart.

She said:

“In writing this book, I’ve discovered that freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. Women must discover our personhood and our God-given voice and power for ourselves. A good Christian woman must be willing to be unladylike to defy the forces of inequality that have held her back.”

Pam reminded me that I have a responsibility to lean into freedom–not just for myself, but for my sisters. Injustice doesn’t just run away. We have to say, Enough! If I am tired of silencing, I have to take a stand. Plus: If we want to be part of empowering women everywhere, understanding our value–and our equality in the eyes of God–is essential. It’s from this place that we can go on and transform our world.

In “Unladylike,” Pam drew me in with her gracious spirit, comfortable writing style, yet well-researched strength.

Through the lines, I heard a whisper, Another way is possible for our women.

My own reading has been a powerful experience and I really wanted to share it with you, my friends, here on SheLoves. So, I emailed Pam and asked her several questions, hoping you would also catch a glimpse of her heart and her passion and be awakened on your journey. I certainly was.

Conversation with Pam Hogeweide:

Idelette: When did you know—decide, really—that you needed to write this book? What was your tipping point?

Pam: I’d been blogging about six years and began to really wonder if I ought to try writing a book. I looked at the backlog of hundreds of posts I’d written and realized that the topic of women was one of the most written about themes on my blog. It’s also been one of the most controversial. Whenever I have blogged about women in the church and leadership, equality, etc. … my comments spike and the discussion gets quite lively. Passions run high from all points of view, including mine. I realized that this was a subject deep in my bones, something I could write about with wholeheartedness. So when my friend Kathy Escobar urged me to talk with her publisher, I decided to pitch it to him. That’s how Unladylike was born.

Idelette: Why is this your story to tell and who did you write this book for?

Pam: When I first began to reflect on writing about women and the church, the first mental obstacle I had to cross was the fact that I am not a pastor nor an elder. I do not have that story of being banned from following my calling because of my gender. And that’s when it hit me: despite the absence of a leadership call in my life, I have been acutely affected by inequality in the church towards my gender. My womanhood and identity have been profoundly affected and shaped by the messaging of the church that women are to remain in subservient roles. That is my story, and I realized it is the story for many other women, too. Most of us are not called to be pastors or leaders, yet women of faith bump up against what I refer to in the book as “an inner stain glass ceiling,” the personal censorship we put on ourselves out of a sense of lacking power. That’s the story I wanted to tackle and these are the women I wanted to reach, women like me who are ordinary Jesus women scarred from inequality.

Idelette: What do you say to women who experience inequality or have been silenced in church?

Pam: This is a very important question and one that I wrestled with throughout the writing process. Am I going to tell women to leave their faith tribes? In one sense, yes, I do tell women to consider the option of leaving their community of faith if their personhood is being diminished. Otherwise, we are training the next generation of daughters how to remain disempowered in the body of Christ. Yet I am also aware that every woman has her unique story, her unique journey and circumstances. I encourage women to at least empower themselves with knowledge and determine what steps they can take to resist inequality in their lives. I am a strong advocate for resolution rather than acquiescence, which women are such experts at.

Idelette: Did anything surprise you during the process of writing Unladylike?

Pam: I was caught off guard by the awakening of forgotten memories of times I’d experienced the sting of inequality. I’d be writing when something would emerge from hiding. It forced me to pause and allow myself to remember, to relive the discomfort or shame that I’d long forgotten. Some of those memories ended up in the book.

Idelette: Do you have a favorite line or paragraph from the book?

Pam: I have a few favorite passages, but this one was such a delight when it appeared during a writing session. I had fun crafting it:

“I tried hard to follow Jesus with my pleading prayers for him to transform me into a better person, into a good Christian woman. I was chasing a myth and praying for heaven to help me catch her. But I never did. Instead, I caught myself. Being me is the best fitting role I could ever imagine. I am not a good Christian woman. I am a Christ following human being, a unique individual with customized features that are all my own. I have been made in the image of God, my singular life a sliver of the grandness of who God is and what God is like. My femaleness is a part of me, but it is not all of me. I do not have to conform to the image of a good Christian woman; I want to instead, conform to the image of Christ. Jesus was not a good Christian woman either.”  (page 160)

Idelette: What is one thing you’d like readers to remember from Unladylike?

Pam: That we each need to determine our own story and how to resist the polite oppression of women that still flourishes in our faith tribes.

* * *

I have been engaged in the conversation (ok, more of a listener and a learner) around gender justice for quite some time. I have attended two PASCH conferences with its firm roots in biblical equality. I listened to biblical scholar Catherine Kroeger herself explain “headship” and what it actually means. I read my friend Danielle Strickland’s “Liberating Truth: How Jesus Empowers Women.”

Now I would recommend Unladylike to anyone who has ever felt diminished, silenced or less-than inside of their faith tribe, because, for me, in reading it, I had my own personal encounter–a commissioning, if you will–that felt akin to that of Isaiah.

In the commentary on Isaiah 6:7, one writer says this:

” … whatever obstacle there existed to your communicating the message of God to this people, arising from your own consciousness of unworthiness, is taken away.”

In reading “Unladylike” Pam has helped remove some of the obstacles I have felt in my own unworthiness. In an email, I told her this: ”Thank you for making an active stand against the silence, friend, because your resistance has now become part of my freedom.”

I pray it become part of yours too.

You can watch the book trailer of “Unladylike” here:

_________________________________ 

Questions:

• Where do you find yourself in this conversation around gender equality?
• In your own faith tribe, do you feel silenced and held back or empowered and encouraged to be who God created you to be?

_______________________________

About Pam:

Pam Hogeweide is a blogger and writer in Portland, Oregon. She has been published many times in both print and digital publications, including Christianity Today and Geez.

Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church is her first book and is available in print and on Kindle at Amazon.

About Idelette:
I like soggy cereal and I would like to go to every spot on the map of the earth to meet our world’s women.

I dream of a world where no women or girls are for sale. I dream of a world where women and men are partners in doing the work that brings down a new Heaven on earth.

My word for the year is “Roar,” but I have learned it’s not about my voice rising as much as it is about our collective voices rising in unison to bring down walls of injustice.

I have three children and this place–right here, called shelovesmagazine.com–is my fourth baby. I am African, although my skin colour doesn’t tell you that story. I am also a little bit Chinese, because my heart lives there amongst the tall skyscrapers of Taipei and the mountains of Chiufen. Give me sweet chai and I think I’m in heaven. I live in Vancouver, Canada and I pledged my heart to Scott 11 years ago.

I believe in kindness and calling out the song in each other’s hearts. I also believe that Love covers–my gaps, my mistakes and the distances between us. I blog at idelette.com and tweet@idelette.

Photo credit: Katie Tegtmeyer

Healing at the Speed of Love

“Their love seemed to be speeding my healing process.”

By Amelia Englemark | Twitter: @AmyEnglemark

Around Christmas last year, I began to hobble instead of walk. I had been experiencing a lot of pain in my big toe, endured it for a few weeks and finally decided I’d had enough. Off to the doctor’s office I went. Three needles and one gruesome procedure later, I made my way out of the office, minus a portion of my toenail.

[ends groovy details]

While in pain (which I likened to childbirth, thanks to said toe), I found myself being fully taken care of by my husband and extended family members. My physical abilities were pretty limited and my healing was taking longer than I wanted it to.

I began to realize a greater purpose was unfolding.

My family did everything for me: brought me foot baths, tea and goodies. Not only did they take care of me by bringing me things, but also continually checked in to see how I was feeling. Their love seemed to be speeding my healing process. It also felt like Someone was saying to me,

“You just sit there. Don’t move. I’m going to pour love all over you and because it’s hard for you to walk away right now, you’ll just have to receive it.”

I did. Their love and attention turned out to be my best Christmas present.

I thought I was pretty good at receiving love, but if I’m honest, I have been more accustomed to giving love and “doing” things for others than being on the receiving end of the attention.

Whether I had landed myself inside this ordeal or not, my circumstances provided the opportunity for me to open up and receive more love than I thought I needed.

Here’s what I learned: Pain wanted me to shut down. It wanted me to feel like I’d lost a part of myself. It wanted to tell me I was lacking and didn’t have much to offer others. (Not much of value, anyways.) Pain dared me to lose the skip in my step and wave goodbye to my joy. Pain was just waiting for me to get grumpy and bitter.

I realized it’s ok to need help. Wounded people call for Medics. So, when we get wounded in the battle of life, medics (those lovers around us) offer up the salves and bandages, the words and gestures that make it possible to thrive again.

I even found out that when I let others love me (and I mean let them pour love on me), I healed more quickly.

I highly recommend allowing those around you to show you how much they care. The love of my family felt FABULOUS and more importantly it helped me heal.

Ahh, now I’ve got a warm feeling in my toe heart,

~Amy

______________________

I wonder … 

• What lessons have you learned from pain?
• Where do you need to open up and allow others to love on you?
• Is there someone in your life who may need a little extra love and attention right now?

______________________

About Amy:

I am thankful for passion in my career and relationships and want others to enjoy the same. I am a Certified Professional Career and Life Coach and I empower executives and entrepreneurs to find and pursue their career passion. You can get to know me at www.amyenglemark.com.

I love hiking, mountain biking, travelling and any sort of adventure. I like to jump from the highest rock into the deepest water. I like to shout for joy. I blog at AimHighNow and here at SheLoves. I tweet @AmyEnglemark

Seeking the Face of Justice: Lessons from Two Former Child Soldiers

By Stephanie Motz Skinner | Twitter: @stephmotz

When we see how much injustice there is in the world, sometimes we forget that a simple act of reaching out and caring can make all the difference.

I can’t say I fully understand justice. Living in Uganda, however, as I hear firsthand the stories of people who have experienced great injustice–people who are now healing–I’m often reminded of what achieving justice looks like. I also learn that in seeking justice I don’t need to become overwhelmed.

God reminds me there’s nothing silent or static about justice. Wherever I search for the word “justice” in the Bible, I come across action. Justice is life-giving, loud and active. He also provides me with many examples on how to seek justice: speak out, reach out and give.

Seeking Justice

I learn that to seek is the desire or attempt to achieve something. I may have the desire, but if I don’t take the leap from desire to action, I’ll never “achieve” justice. Justice isn’t just the feeling in my heart. It’s the ways in which I will choose to respond to that feeling.

I’m reminded that seeking justice is a choice I continually have to make, because seeking justice, though it’s not impossible, isn’t easy. It can be uncomfortable.

It’s not easy

-Personally, I’m not very good at speaking out. I’m shy.
-Being generous is hard when I feel like I don’t have the finances.
-Reaching out requires meeting people and investing my time.

I have to be honest, sometimes I can get lazy, overwhelmed and scared. I can fail to take the leap from desire to action because it means I have to get out of my comfort zone. Therefore, I have to continue to choose to keep my heart and eyes open so I don’t fail to see injustice and take the opportunities to respond.

Lessons from Filder and Susan

Filder and Susan belong to a generation of children who were abducted by the LRA in northern Uganda and forced to live under the captivity of rebel soldiers. Many of them were forced to witness and commit unimaginable atrocities. They were robbed of their childhood and innocence. Boys were forced to become child soldiers and girls were often given away as trophy wives to rebel commanders.

Like many other abducted children, when Filder and Susan returned from captivity, their community rejected them completely. Now they are part of an initiative run by Watoto that trains and disciples this stolen generation and helps them reintegrate into their communities. They have been given the opportunity to regain control of their lives because somebody acted.

We sat at their new home on Suubi Hill, and when I asked them what was the most important thing I as an individual could do to seek justice, their answers were surprisingly simple. They said that if I care, I will stop and listen to those who are hurting around me. To Susan and Filder, former child soldiers, realizing justice begins with an interaction.

“Just talking with someone who has been through something very painful can help him or her,” Susan said. “Don’t pass and go, find out how they are doing. Talk to them, take your time to sit with them.”

Filder added: “Encourage and be faithful to one another, help them, build them up.”

I know justice is not one-dimensional. Choosing to stop, care and listen might not solve all of the world’s problems. But if it reminds one person of her worth–if one person rises up from her circumstances and starts to believe in herself again–then that simple action might just be the beginning of someone’s experience of real justice. It’s easy to think that our simple, individual acts of goodness, kindness, or love are insignificant when we see how much injustice there is in the world, but it’s exactly those simple, individual acts that, when added together, can begin to make real positive difference.

I notice that difference when I see Filder and Susan. These girls have experienced war, loss and rejection, but when you meet them, you see love, joy and a real sense of appreciation shining through them. They are healing, smiling and dreaming. They want to shine that light and share that face of justice with other women in their community. And that’s the other thing I’ve learnt about this face of justice: it doesn’t stop at that one person. It sets off a ripple.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

What are YOUR thoughts?

• What speaks to you in this post?
• When and where do you see the face of justice?
• How would you like to grow in this area?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

About Stephanie:
Stephanie is a humanitarian and portrait photographer for fakeleft.com where she shares stories of hope and dignity. She blogs at fakeleft.com/blog and tweets at @stephmotz

On the Other Side of Abortion: When Grace Tells Another Story

“I saw words that spoke of my potential, not my mistakes.”

By Daniela Schwartz | Twitter: @dannyschwartz

 ”He forgives your sins—every one.

He heals your diseases—every one.

He redeems you from hell—saves your life!

He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.

He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.” - Psalm 103:3-5 (The Message)

I wish I could come up with a story sad enough to justify my actions. A story that would tug at your heart and somehow make what I did, seem okay. Something that would justify my actions.

That’s not going to happen.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

We can’t rewrite our past; we only have today.

My hope is that in telling this story, it could change someone else’s story. That a woman held in bondage from her past would be set free. Or maybe change the way someone thinks about another person who has made the choices I have made.

I am talking about abortion.

When I was 15 and found myself pregnant, I was scared out of my mind. I was one step away from homeless and I wondered if there was a way I could keep the baby. In my ignorance I thought that because I drank alcohol one night, I had ruined the baby anyhow. So even if I had him, he would be damaged and how would I take care of him? At that time, I couldn’t even put a roof over my own head. I got the money for the abortion and ended the pregnancy at 15 weeks.

I wish my story ended there.

When I was 17, I was having unprotected sex with my boyfriend. At this point in my life, my heart was hard. I knew what the consequences could be, and didn’t care. The people in my world had let me down and I refused to love or be loved. I got pregnant, again. This time I did not hesitate to choose abortion. I did not want to end up a single mother. I definitely did not want to be tied to my current boyfriend for the rest of my life. So I ended the pregnancy at 19 weeks. Refusing to acknowledge the life that was in me.

When I was 20 years old, I found Jesus. I was told I was a new creation, cleaned from all sin, but there were choices I had made in my life that fired a war on my soul. I felt like certain things I had done in my life were too big for God. I was covered in guilt and shame. After two years I backslid from God and walked away for seven years.

Looking back, I still see God was working in my life. The very fact that I can write this today is proof of that.

I married when I was 27 to a wonderful man, and we were expecting our first child by our first anniversary.

Any mom, when you hold your baby for the first time, knows the wonder of the miracle that has taken place. The child that grew in your body. A life full of future.

When Owen was four, I wanted him in Christian school. Why this was so important, I can’t tell you; particularly when I was only attending church at Christmas and Easter. I requested a reference letter from my church and it was completed by an Associate Pastor who has known me since the beginning of my journey. She filled out my application and when she got to the part about my involvement at church, she talked about what she saw in me and what she believed for me. In that moment, I had hope. I really wanted God and needed him in my life.

I saw words that spoke of my potential, not my mistakes.

I got involved in serving and planted myself in the house and about eight months later, I recommitted my heart to Jesus. I learned that I could go through the motions, but until I opened my heart, it was impossible to grow. In my willingness to serve and be obedient to God, however, walking through the doors that were opening, I believe it allowed God to begin a work in me. The actions of trusting God with my life allowed my heart to soften enough to put my hope in Him.

So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today—live a good life. - Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (The Message)

Ryan and I had been trying to have another child since our eldest turned two. After several failed fertility attempts, we were diagnosed with “unexplained infertility.” I began to think of my abortions. The lives I had ended and the one I was trying to begin.

Condemnation and guilt entered into my heart and I was tormented by what I had done.

I began to feel like a con-artist. The life I was living, stolen. “I should be a single struggling mother,” I thought to myself. “I should have never met Ryan, and had my beautiful Owen. I should not have this beautiful life. It was my horrible choices that brought me here and I am a living fraud.”

I believed those words and they robbed my joy.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, (s)he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New King James Version) (gender included)

By the grace of God, I got pregnant at 35, seven years after my first born. I had my first ultrasound at seven weeks and saw that miraculous little heartbeat. At 20 weeks, I saw the miracle of our little baby in a 3D ultrasound.

I felt that tug at my heart, for my unborn children.

Grace.

We had a guest speaker come to our church, and it’s not that I hadn’t heard amazing sermons on grace, but I felt like this message was about me and my abortions and my life that God gave me. God spoke to my heart and truth resonated in me.

The hardest part of Grace, for me, was understanding it. When we truly understand the Grace we live under when Jesus enters our lives, we are not pushed to our knees by guilt and condemnation, but instead we gratefully fall to our knees in worship to the One who paid for it all. Jesus.

I don’t deserve this life I have. None of us deserve our lives. It’s by Gods grace we have a second chance (sometimes a third and a fourth). God saw across the oceans of time and saw me at 15, 17, 27 and 35 and loved me the same. The blood of Jesus covers my sins.

It is not that my heart doesn’t ache when I think of those babies; I sit here in tears thinking of them. It will always hurt, but I don’t live under condemnation. I have a new life by the grace of God. I know some of you may not understand and maybe have the urge to hurl a few stones my way, but I would bear the scorn of a thousand to help one person learn what it took me 15 years to learn.

Here’s more of what I learned: If you are recovering from an abortion, God knows your story and is still smiling on you; your child is in heaven with Him. God still loves you and always will. Your child still loves you. Jesus’ blood covered all of your sins. He covered every, single, sin.

And then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness. -2 Corinthians 7: 10

If you can stand nowhere else today, let’s stand here: God’s grace is enough. Maybe it is not an abortion that keeps you tied up. Maybe it is something else you have made bigger than Jesus. Let’s know this together: nothing is BIGGER than God. In our weakness, God makes us strong. I love that.

God looks at us and loves us, just as we are.

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About Daniela:
Daniela is loving her role as stay-at-home mom. She loves Jesus, her husband and kids and jumps feet first into opportunities to serve in her community. Daniela lives by this statement, “Preach the gospel always, use words when necessary.” She loves to live life big and laughs a lot. She blogs with her twin sister Trinity at Lime in the coconuts.

Beauty Night: Because Dignity is Beautiful

“I’ve given the softest hand massage to a woman whose knuckles had been crushed because she could not repay her drug debts.”

By Heather Vince | Twitter: @HeatherVince

I did my homework before signing up as a volunteer with the Beauty Night Society. As an advocate for women overcoming adversity, I already knew some of the statistics: one in three women have experienced sexual violence. In Vancouver, where I live, the average age of entry into the streets is 12.

The orientation filled in the other details: how to protect and care for the women and ourselves, how to offer assistance and how to deal with the unexpected. With “makeup artistry” checked off under the skills section of my application, it was a different kind of makeover I set out to help with: a life transformation.

My first shift was at a resource centre in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. I’ll admit I was nervous, but as I walked through the doors, it was a stark contrast to the grim scene I was expecting. The room was bright, its walls covered in staggeringly beautiful artwork and chipper, smiling volunteers were setting up their stations for the night. I watched as clients walked in one by one. They were greeted by name and embraced like old friends; then suddenly several arms were linked with mine and I was being pulled this way and that, cajoled for my secrets.

I was ashamed that I had come expecting to be surrounded by despair. Instead, I found a room full of love and laughter!

Since that first shift, I’ve been continuously awed: I’ve witnessed a barter between two entrepreneurs–one a jewelry maker, the other coordinates wholesale bead purchases from her home country, both supporting each other in their endeavours. An older woman brings a friend whose husband is terminally ill in hospital and “has nobody else in the world.” Without someone by her side, encouraging her to leave the house, she would be left to cope on her own.

A family–three generations of women–are regulars to Beauty Night. The mother, sober from drugs and alcohol for the last few years, is making up for all the years she was absent. Her youngest has begun volunteering, learning nailcare along the way. The eldest daughter has a child of her own now, and thanks to the childcare services Beauty Night offers, the four of them can be together to get caught up, confide in one another and mend broken hearts.

We have the usual faces show up week after week. Sometimes night after night. It doesn’t matter if they’ve just had their nails painted the night before, or if they just choose to sit and observe. Sometimes they come simply to be in a warm place and be fed. There is no question, though, why they show up—they are wanted, loved and accepted. Every woman who has been shut out, shut up and shut down is embraced and encouraged to find her voice. Beauty Night strives to return each woman her dignity and lift her up again.

The Power of Touch

One way this is done is by reintroducing touch in a non-threatening manner. The idea that touch should be anything but “safe” might be foreign to many of us. The stories of untold abuse, so many of us can’t begin to fathom. Some of the women who come through our doors are young and scared, with their stories protected and locked away, and some are old and lonely, ready with their memories and for anyone willing to listen.

The women, though they bravely put on a smile, do not always come to us from places gentle, safe and warm. I’ve sat with a girl as she wept, mentally preparing for a night walking the streets to prostitute herself. I’ve given the softest hand massage to a woman whose knuckles had been crushed because she could not repay her drug debts. Some of the women live in isolation, abandoned by their families, rejected by society, because of barriers beyond their control. And all of them struggle to get by financially. A manicure or a simple haircut are services some of us would hardly consider luxuries, but as part of our femininity we enjoy them and use them to feel better about ourselves. When power and dignity are stripped from a person, and with no money to access opportunities to better yourself, a dark, downward spiral takes hold.

Beauty Night exists for the woman who might be feeling broken, to come in and leave feeling new again.

There’s power in the place where women come together as a collective. Though we all have varied backgrounds and life experiences, in sisterhood we are united. I’m continually encouraged to see this in action when a woman who comes through Beauty Night’s doors, quiet and unsure, leaves feeling uplifted, protected and secure in who she is.

Here’s what I see: When a woman feels good about herself, and has a safety net of love and support to fall back on, she is a step closer to feeling confident enough to stand on her own and take back what is hers.

________________________________________

About Heather:

When not giving in to my healthy addiction of all things involved in magazine publishing and makeup artistry, I am an advocate for the Deaf community and a cheerleader to help others turn adversity into strength. I tweet at @HeatherVince.

Images: “Generations of Beauty” and “Beautiful Ladies” by Ken Villeneuve

“Beautiful Hands” by Aaron Chung

TGIF: I Won’t Dance. Don’t Ask Me.

On Beyoncé, Japan’s tsunami debris and my “one word” for 2012.

by Tina Francis | Twitter: @teenbug
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“I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance.”  -Friedrich Nietzsche

For some reason, it didn’t occur to me there would be dancing at a New Year’s Eve party. A small (naive) part of me hoped the night involved: steaming cups of Rooibos tea, reading excerpts of Eve Ensler’s book “I am an Emotional Creature” out loud and lemon pound cake.

I-know-I-know. I’m such a party animal.

I’d successfully escaped the dance floor for the first half of the evening by: perusing the appetizer table, hugging friends extra (creepy) long, pretending to be thirsty, then pretending I had a full bladder and initiating long conversations by asking open-ended questions like,”So, how was 2011?”

The festive yet fairly sober evening was under control until, the evil iPhone shuffled its way over to Beyonce’s song “Single ladies.”

Game over.

Squeals sounded, the couch emptied and female-folk ranging from six to thirty-something crowded the carpeted, cozy, living room dance floor. I found myself in the middle of an impromptu R&B inspired tribal circle of exuberant “single ladies” (and one exuberant dude).

I surveyed the situation and immediately started plotting my exit. “Another washroom break? A fake phone call?” I thought frantically. Suddenly the lone exuberant dude on the dance floor grabbed my hands and ushered me off the couch.

“C’mon!” he said.

“I can’t do it,” I said avoiding eye contact.

“Keep it simple,” he reassured.

“No seriously. I can’t do it!” I said fighting back tears.

“Just bop your head.”

“What is wrong with me?” I whispered. “I suck.”

I’ll have what she’s having …

For as long as I can remember, dancing has been the proverbial scary monster under my bed. I’d rather give an impromptu speech on live television dressed up as a chimp than get jiggy with it. I could never be part of Ellen’s studio audience. Just watching her dance at the beginning of her show, makes me a little short of breath.

Early 2010, my girlfriend Adriel invited me to a wedding in Seattle as her date. In my excitement to see her, I’d completely forgotten about the dancing component of the evening. The moment I stepped into the reception hall, I broke into a cold sweat. So, I did what I always do in uncomfortable social situations. I pulled out my camera security blanket.

I documented Adriel and her fabulous friends that night. They were inspiring and hilarious to watch. I thought about how amazing it must feel to be free.

Last summer, Adriel hired me as her wedding photographer. Looking back at the pictures from her reception, I’m amazed by how liberated her friends and family seemed. They made it look so easy!

Why do my arms and feet feel like lead on the dance floor? I–so badly–want a piece of what they are having.

Soul Debris

My mom has a newspaper clipping about Japan’s tsunami debris on our refrigerator. Twenty million tons of wreckage, including furniture, TVs, refrigerators and other miscellaneous domestic flotsam is making its way to the West coast of Canada and the United States.

Two things occurred to me about the story:
- Tragedy results in debris.
- Debris eventually washes up to shore.

So then, what about tragedies of the heart? Where does the invisible debris from the wreckage of a soul go? The nuclear disaster left tens of thousands dead or missing. Soul-disasters must have a similar effect. Parts must go dead or missing.

A tragedy of the soul occurs on the inside, and yet it manifests in different ways on the outside. If I think back to my childhood, I can remember a time when I was free. A time when I was comfortable in my skin. A time when my limbs were full of expression and life.

And yes, there was a great tragedy. The debris is mostly invisible. It often surfaces when I have to dance. I want to recover the parts of my soul lost at sea.

Silent Soul

Martha Graham, the Picasso of modern dance says, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” If dancing is the hidden language of my soul, then what is my mute soul trying to say? More importantly, given my soul’s total inability to communicate (dance) what is my soul unable to say? Why is my soul afraid to speak-up: bop my head, lift my arms, shuffle my feet? How long is my soul going to stay silent?

Martha says, “Dance is a song of the body. Either of joy or pain.” I want to hear the song of my body. My body has been running away from expressing pain for 23 years now. I want healing. Unfortunately, the only way to heal is to dance until my debris rises to the surface.

My One Word

2011 was an incredible year of growth and healing for me, but I’m starting to realize that I’ve only scratched the surface. There is still so much work to be done.

My “one word” last year was “leap.” And, leap I did. Each leap was like the swing of a big demolition ball that slowly knocked down the skyscraper of my fear.

This year is about delving deeper and pulling out the roots, addressing the foundation of the fear and identifying the invisible fear. I’ve realized that the root of most of my fear is from feeling unworthy, less-than or average.

So my “one word” for this year is [insert drum roll] … ENOUGH.

God is showing me that: I am enough. (Philippians 4:13)

Strong enough.
Smart enough.
Brave enough.
Loved enough.

“To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.” – Hopi Indian Saying

I want to hear my heart speak loud and clear this year. Dancing feels risky. Who knows what dark and putrid ugliness dancing to Beyoncé will bring to the surface, but I’m ready to find out.

I’m going to write a blog post at the end of 2012 titled, “How Tina Got Her Groove Back.”

#iamenough

Let’s do this!

____________

I love this 2008 Gap commercial featuring the adorable Ms. Hepburn. #dancepiration

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So dear friends…

1. What terrifies you?
2. What is your “one word” for the year? (Read more about the One Word conversation here.)

Love you more than Steamed Mussels & Buttermilk Frangipane Cake, (<- Recipe)

xoxo,

Teen

To read more TGIFs from Tina: Click here.

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My name is Tina. Loved ones call me: Teen.

Words are my chocolate. Music, my caramel. Photography, my bread. Girlfriends, my butter.

Confession: Some girls dream about Manolo Blahniks or their next Hermes bag. Not me. I dream of freshly baked bread, perfectly barbecued meat & steaming bowls of Pho. My dream lover *cue Mariah Carey song* is someone who would read out a menu to me in Barry White’s baritone voice.

I celebrate food, ask for help, interrupt conversations, laugh and cry hard, acknowledge the elephant in most rooms, fight for the underdog and believe in the power of storytelling.

My word for the year is “leap.” If something scares me, I do it.

I was born and raised in Dubai and currently live in the beautiful city of Vancouver, known for some of the best sushi in the world.

What’s Your One Word 2012?

“It becomes a filter, a diving board, a prod.”

By Idelette McVicker | Twitter: @idelette

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Last year, we entered into 2011 laying down New Year’s Resolutions and deciding on ONE WORD to live from. I have practiced this for years now and it’s been one of the most powerful ways for me to stay focused, get challenged and expand into the purposes of God. I remember the year I chose “light” (as in “not heavy”). There’s been a “confidence” year. Last year, my word was “roar.”

Here’s why I love the “one word” practice:

•  Having a one word is deeply personal.
• It requires listening to the One who knows us and wants the best for us.
• It’s easy to remember.
• It becomes a filter, a diving board, a prod.
• It’s measurable. (Did I ____ this year?)

Here are some of our contributors reflecting on their One Word 2011:

-Ashley Mandanici: Repair

-Helen Burns: Rise

-Kelley Johnson-Nikondeha: Delve

-Musu Taylor-Lewis: Rest

-Shelagh Hardern: Fulfillment

-Tina Francis: Leap

-Vera Raposo: Open

One Word 365
This year, Alece Ronzino of gritandglory.com has taken the “One Word” idea to a whole new level and rolled out OneWord365.com. A-ma-zing.

We are joining in with Alece’s challenge: “Scrap the long list of resolutions you want to make this year (even though you know you really won’t keep them) and instead, pick just one word.”

One word.

“One word that will serve as a compass for your actions, decisions, and priorities. All year long.”

What’s your one word for this year?

Mine is:

#drumroll

SOAR

What’s yours?

Please write your “one word” in the comments. Also, let’s join @gritandglory’s Twitter conversation with the hashtag #oneword365.

idelette
xoxo

_________________________________

About Idelette:
I like soggy cereal and I would like to go to every spot on the map of the earth to meet our world’s women.

I dream of a world where no women or girls are for sale. I dream of a world where women and men are partners in doing the work that brings down a new Heaven on earth.

My word for the year is “soar.”

I have three children and this place–right here, called shelovesmagazine.com–is my fourth baby. I am African, although my skin colour doesn’t tell you that story. I am also a little bit Chinese, because my heart lives there amongst the tall skyscrapers of Taipei and the mountains of Chiufen. Give me sweet chai and I think I’m in heaven. I live in Vancouver, Canada and I pledged my heart to Scott 11 years ago.

I believe in kindness and calling out the song in each other’s hearts. I also believe that Love covers–my gaps, my mistakes and the distances between us. I blog at idelette.com and tweet@idelette.

2011: A SheLoves Odyssey

“In 2011, we were invited to get up, grow up and take our place in the Story.”

By Idelette McVicker | Twitter: @idelette

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In 2011 (depending on the accuracy of my Math), we published 317 posts. These,  plus the thousands of words, comments, shares, tweets, tears and laughs that accompanied them, framed our SheLoves Story in 2011.

“We have a pulse!”

There was a moment February this year, when Tina wrote these words on my facebook wall: “We have a pulse!” That sentence marked a moment in our SheLoves story. With every post and share after that, our pulse became stronger and more rhythmic. By May, we proclaimed the words to the Manifesto: Let Us Be Women Who Love together at LifeWomen conference and in September, we were up and (literally) running on behalf of others.

This year, we cheered Brandi-Lee on as she spearheaded an idea to gather baby formula for the poor in our city. We bought and sold Christmas cards with Daniela to give to famine relief in Africa and a whole tribe (38 women + Josh) joined with our TGIF Tina Francis, when she decided to run a half-marathon for our sisters in Northern Uganda. Together we ran, prayed, gave and eventually raised over $43,600.

It’s been a B.I.G. year.

In 2011,

-We got angry alongside Trisha Baptie at Hype and Misinformation around Human Trafficking and bought Danielle Hardy’s wall decals to aid children sold into slavery.

- We embraced a lifestyle of Downward Mobility, under the loving guidance of Kathy Escobar.

- We explored new books and waxed nostalgic over favourite old ones, with Destiny Loeve.

- We stopped going to the gym and decided to stop eating hot fudge sundaes and become hot fudge sundaes, instead:

“I wanted my life to be a story that was so riveting, so grand, so epic, you couldn’t put the book down.” –Tina Francis

 In 2011, we were invited to get up, grow up and take our place in the Story.

- We watched dictators topple with Kelley Johnson-Nikondeha as she pondered these modern-day Pharaohs and wrote:

“We are invited to be Moses–standing at the burning bush and accepting a divine summons to advocate for justice in the face of Pharaoh.”–From: ShePonders: Pharaoh, Gaddafi, Dictators and Other Bullies, by Kelley Johnson Nikondeha

- Stephanie Motz Skinner paid attention to the anger in her heart around the issue of Maternal Mortality and wrote: The Thing That Makes Me Angry Now. She quoted Sarah Styles Bessey:

“If something makes you angry–an injustice, in particular–that is as good as an engraved invitation to do something about it.”–Sarah Styles Bessey

So, in 2o11, our tribe did a lot of somethings.

-In 2011, we risked and changed the world.

In 2011, we questioned the status quo:

• TGIF: Why is Beyonce Giving Me Mixed Signals? by Tina Francis
• Four Tomatoes or a Bag of Chips? On judgments, assumptions, ideals of beauty and building my sense of self on a Rock, by Trisha Baptie
• Owning Privilege: On Jesus, privilege and a Porsche, by Trisha Baptie
• World AIDS Day: Change Begins with my Whisper, by Idelette McVicker

_____________________________________

In 2011, we healed a little more:

• Making a Drum: Healing and Wisdom from Metis Hands, by Kisa MacDonald

_____________________________________

In 2011, we learned about amazing women:

- Kamal Dhillon: Even through a Tight, Painful Jaw, Kamal is a Woman who Speaks Peace, by Idelette McVicker

- Clothes on Wheels: Making a Connection in the Community, by Christiana Walter

- MaryAnne Connor: The Woman Behind the Nighshift Story, by Christiana Walter
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-In 2011, we grew in relationship and purpose:

- 1 Corinthians 13: A Parent’s Paraphrase, by Angela Doel

- Down We Go: The Power of the Beatitudes, by Kathy Escobar

- Tales from the Trenches: On Being a “Good Enough” Mother, by Sabrina Connell

- When Friends Become Family, by Stefanie Thomas

- On Unforgiveness and Losing a Friend, by Winnie Lui

- Exposing the Myth of Balance, by Danielle Strickland

- With These Three Stones, by Amelia Englemark

- An Apology to Myself, by Natasha Files

_____________________________________

- In 2011, we shared stories.

- This is Rebecca: Of Love, Marriage and Mercy, by Musu Taylor-Lewis

- TGIF: On Turning 29, by Tina Francis

- On a Midnight Escape and Starting a New Life in Canada, by Njoki Mbui

- What is was like Growing up White under Apartheid: Or Why I Care about a World in Flames, by Idelette McVicker

- The Day I Discovered a Marathon Inside Me, by Ali Valdez

- My Christmas Miracle: On Friendship, Faith and Fertility, by Daniela Schwartz

- Every Woman is a Woman of Worth, by Stacy Wiebe

- A Vet for Very Small Fish: A Little Boy’s Prayer, a Tiny Fish and Fighting the Urge to Bargain with God, by Shekinah Jacob

- Enough Hair for a Ponytail, by Vera Raposo

- The Importance of Moulding my Putty, by Claire De Boer

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-In 2011, we woke up and mobilized.

• TGIF: ‘Cause I Gotta Have Faith-a-Faith-a-Faith …, by Tina Francis
• SheLoves Christmas Card Project for Famine Relief in East Africa, by Daniela Schwartz

• What One Girl and Her Decals Can Do, by Danielle Hardy
• Becoming a Woman Who Does the Necessary Things, by Brandi-Lee Doucette

______________________________________

- In 2011, many of us discovered:

We have a voice.

- In 2011, we were drawn into a higher Sisterhood–learning and becoming women, sisters, friends who call out the best in each other. Women who cheer each other one. Women who propel each other forward.

A Global Tribe

When I visited Serbia in the summer, Tabitha, a new Serbian friend, translated our SheLoves Manifesto into her language. As she read it to us in a small room chockful of about 60 women, tears welled up in her eyes. The air felt so thick with possibility of what we could do and be, as women, when we live out of this vision of Love. In that moment, I knew this idea of a Sisterhood that embodies Love, transcended our geographical borders and human boundaries.

We also know it’s a Love that flows from hearts connected to a loving God.

__________________________________

As this Story unfolds, here are some of the words

that helped frame our vision of Sisterhood this year:

- “Can we messiah one another–propelling each other into the larger salvation story of which we all have a part to play?” -From: ShePonders: Another Anointing, by Kelley Johnson-Nikondeha

- “Let us be Mary and Elizabeth for each other, calling out new, brave worlds in each other. “ - RELATE with Helen: Divinely Connected Women, by Helen Burns

- “This, the dark midnight times, are the hours of the mothers.”–From: The Smallest Things, by Sarah Styles Bessey

-”Let us be women who Love.

Let us be women willing to lay down our sword words, our sharp looks, our ignorant silence and towering stance and fill the earth now with extravagant Love.

Let us be women who Love.

Let us be women who make room.

Let us be women who open our arms and invite others into an honest, spacious, glorious embrace.” –From: SheLoves Manifesto: Let Us Be Women Who Love, by Idelette McVicker

- “I remind myself that nobody is in this battle alone and that the only way to break down these towering walls of injustice is to focus on the brick in front of me.”-From:  Avoid Paralysis, Confront the Brick, by Stephanie Motz Skinner

- “We must let our light shine through the cracks. Step into the light and let people see what a real God woman looks like.” From: The Women We Are, by Christina Crook

“… authentic transformational relationships cannot be built upon power or inequality.” From: Down We Go: Why Prepositions Matter, by Kathy Escobar

- “When it comes to doing our part, every drop helps.” From: Tossing Buckets, by Shelagh Hardern

- “She didn’t need to hear my words, she needed to feel my presence. And in more ways than she would ever know, I needed to feel hers.” Erin in Iraq: Learning the Language of Presence, by Erin Wilson

“I think being the change starts where I am and with those in my life.” From: Being the Change Starts at Home, by Stephanie Motz Skinner

“Sometimes we need to see our story through the eyes of someone else. A Soul-Sista can help you find the common thread running through all your stories and you can do the same for her. We all need someone checking our blind-spots, tracking our journey and keeping us on course. What makes a Soul-sista different from a Sista-friend is that she is speaking your soul’s secret alien dialect.

This is the girl that will stay up late at night to help you draw out the maps, outline your strategy and plot out your plan to take over the world.” -From: TGIF: Sista-Friend vs Soul-Sista, by Tina Francis

-“God gives sustainable strength to the powerless.” –From: ShePonders: Renewable Energy, by Kelley Johnson-Nikondeha

- “I am completely captivated by the beauty of TOGETHER–a magnificent, harmonious symphony with Jesus being the center of it all.” -From: The Beauty of Together, by Helen Burns

So:

anointing each other + being the change right where I am + doing my part  + Jesus + sisters + presence + mothering + piercing the dark hours + equality +Hope + rising + facing my bricks  + leap + rise + nurture + listen + facing our fears + harmony + pray +work + together = Sisterhood.

In 2011, we saw glimpses of a new and different world that is entirely possible.

In 2011, I believe, we became Women Who Love.

______________________

A very big thank you to every one of you who helps to write this Story daily.

And a big thank You to the Creator of the Universe, who breathes Love into my being–and ours–

and imagined this Story even before we began.

________________________________________________

My dear SheLoves sisters and friends, we’d love to hear:

• What posts, comments or quotes stand out for you from this year?
• What were some of your favourite posts?

____________________________________________________

About Idelette:
I like soggy cereal and I would like to go to every spot on the map of the earth to meet our world’s women.

I dream of a world where no women or girls are for sale. I dream of a world where women and men are partners in doing the work that brings down a new Heaven on earth.

My word for the year is “Roar,” but I have learned it’s not about my voice rising as much as it is about our collective voices rising in unison to bring down walls of injustice.

I have three children and this place–right here, called shelovesmagazine.com–is my fourth baby. I am African, although my skin colour doesn’t tell you that story. I am also a little bit Chinese, because my heart lives there amongst the tall skyscrapers of Taipei and the mountains of Chiufen. Give me sweet chai and I think I’m in heaven. I live in Vancouver, Canada and I pledged my heart to Scott 11 years ago.

I believe in kindness and calling out the song in each other’s hearts. I also believe that Love covers–my gaps, my mistakes and the distances between us. I blog at idelette.com and tweet@idelette.