My Life: ALL SHOOK UP! ~ By @ShelleyHendrix

We chose this theme, "All Shook Up" in 2013 to be our 2014 conference focus. At the time, I believed I had my material chosen as to what I would share and how I would offer encouragement to women about the times their lives became "all shook up."

My husband and I had given up the "American Dream" of home ownership in pursuit of God's will: greater margin, better financial stewardship, and a future worth looking forward to; but it was so hard to do! Approaching my 40th Birthday while selling or giving away almost everything I owned and moving into an apartment felt like such a HUGE (and embarrassing) step backwards.

During that same season, I heard the hard news that my book sales just weren't what any of us had anticipated they would be. Although my latest book has been featured in well-read magazines, received very positive feedback from readers and reviewers alike, the truth is that it just didn't sell well enough to move forward with my publishing house on another book title.

So, not only was my personal world all shook up, so, too, was my career.

By the way, I can't count how many times I've been advised by "marketing" and "PR" gurus to only appear "together," "strong," "successful," etc. I've been told, "Women want to see someone they can try to be like, so you have to at least appear to be 'that' kind of woman or they won't want to follow you."

Sorry to disappoint anyone, but that just isn't the case. (And those who "appear" to fit that bill, don't. No one does.)

With all of this as my reality, I felt like I was in a snow globe with pieces of my life scattered all over the place. I felt alone inside of that place and wanted so badly to be able to sit still and regain my balance- imagining that 2014 might include some opportunities for that. When it seemed like that was about to happen, the snow globe got "all shook up" all over again.

My husband resigned in April of this year from his position of 15 years (and the only job he has had since we met one another and married). While we know that this was absolutely God's timing and had the full support of those who know and love us best (including the staff of the organization he co-founded), we had NO idea what God had for us around the bend.

• Would we remain in the field we have been in for so long?
• Did God want us to move forward in full-time ministry?
• Had God ended that season of our lives to take us into something completely different?

Without going into all the details (and taking up your whole day), I want to share just a few things that have helped Stephen and me remain steady while waiting for the scattered pieces to fall into place. (Truth be told, we're still in the season of waiting and watching.)

1. We are rich with friendships and are grateful to have had some meaningful times of conversation and prayer with older, wiser, more mature men and women who have helped us both navigate the unknown steps of this current season. 
2. We have been honest with God, ourselves, and safe friends about the struggles to trust God and take steps forward when walking by faith and not by sight. Allowing ourselves the freedom of sharing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, has given others the freedom to know how to pray for us and how to encourage us in the midst of this challenging season.
3. We have guarded ourselves from "unsafe" people by choosing to not overshare with those who don't have the skill set to be of any help anyway. Remember: just because someone is "saved," it doesn't mean that they are "safe." Scripture teaches us to be "cautious in friendship" (see Proverbs 12:26) for very good reason!

Notice that all three of these involve relationships. This should be no surprise: we were made from and for relationship after all. If you're in a season of being all shook up, my encouragement and challenge to you is to NOT muster up the strength or put on your big girl pants and deal with it; my encouragement and challenge to you is to identify the mature, safe, wise people in your life and bring them into your circle. Life is too short to make all the mistakes ourselves. Learn from others and experience the protection of their prayers while enjoying the safety and compassion of their friendship.

Seasons don't last forever. What you gain in an All Shook Up season will be treasured by you and by others who will benefit from your wisdom, compassion, grace and experience when their lives get All Shook Up!

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Join me and Church 4 Chicks along with best-selling author and life coach, Valorie Burton; Rise and Stein Morning Show Hosts, David and Leanna Stein; Stephen Hendrix (my better half by far!); and more at this year's AWAKEN 1-Day Conference. Tickets are available at www.church4chicks.ticketbud.com through OCTOBER 31 only!! Don't delay! Bring a friend!

"Counting Joy & Unwrapping Love in the Hardest Seasons" by Jennifer O. White

Psalm 136:1-3 (MSG)

Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.

We face the end of a year.  As we finish 2013, we will have enjoyed 365 fresh new days of being completely loved by the same God that sustains the universe.

Have I received His love as He poured it into my life minute after minute? Have you?

I believe the hardships of 2013 helped me to experience His love more than ever.  In desperation for strength and wisdom to endure the emotional roller coaster and pressures of my father’s terminal illness, I was asking God for help as much as I was breathing.

Counting it all Joy

There have been days when rage and anger trumped any hope of joy.  Those were the days that my pride was duking it out with my desire to imitate Jesus.  Early in 2013, God answered my prayer for help with this statement:  “Ask me to slay your pride.”  I said "yes" and asked Him for His help in dying to myself.

One of the ways He addressed my pride was showing me how much I compared myself to others.  Then He pointed out that Jesus offered grace to law violators and wild love to people He knew to be enemies.

With loving kindness and extensive mercy, He has been reducing me to love – His definition of love.  I count every moment of this year filled with trial upon trial to be a life-saving gift from God to me.

Are you struggling to know you are loved?  Do you sense that your version of love is lacking?  

Let these words, recently penned by my brother, carve away the delusions about love and embrace God’s Truth - His perfect love.

The mind cannot help you love.
Analytical thinking is the enemy of love.
Pride is an enemy of love.
Ambition is an enemy of love.
Loving the things of the world is an enemy of love.
Fear is an enemy of love.
Hiding and lies are enemies of love.
Knowledge without love is an enemy of love.
Greed and cowardice are enemies of love.
Jealousy and covetousness are enemies of love.
Ungratefulness and carelessness are enemies of love.
Self is an enemy of love.

Love without truth is foolishness, and Truth without love is cruel and hopeless.  Love is neither foolish nor cruel.

Truth and Love are inseparable.  Neither one is capable of truly existing without the other.

Love cannot be acquired.
Love cannot be achieved.
Love cannot be bought.
Love cannot be coerced.
Love cannot be faked.
Love cannot be changed.
Love cannot evolve.
Love cannot be rushed.

Love is simply love, and it lives in the light of day.  It lights like a dove upon a heart that has given up on there being anything else redeeming or true or worthwhile in itself or in the entire universe that can be attained for oneself.

Love is the pearl of great price, which can only become visible when everything else in your hands falls to the ground to decay, and a human being realizes that any selfish pursuit will end in dismay and isolation.  When a man lays himself down to die once and for all to himself so that he may see the redeeming beauty in other people and God's nature, only then can love come to live with you and in you, when it is prized and sought out above all else.

Oh, to be as the earth:  The lowest of all, content to be overlooked by most and despised by some, yet supporting life and growth to all that choose to find refuge in it, a quiet and faithful servant of all, even the weeds.

That, my friend, is love.  That is God, and He is the pearl of greatest price.

May love be found in me...and in you.

Jennifer O. White l Prayerfully Speaking

Author, Speaker & Encourager 
Prayerfully Speaking @jenniferowhite

Jennifer White pursues God in prayer with the Bible as her guide.  She leads others to do the same at Prayerfully Speaking.  Wife to David is her highest calling.  She recently completed her first book "Prayers for new Brides: Putting on the Armor After the Wedding Dress". #LIVEWONDERSTRUCK with her that God is and does "more than we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). #GodAnswers

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