Ever fail your kid?
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized the truth. I said to her, “You are the woman I love most on this planet, how can I not help you?”
I’d spent 30 minutes trying to put into words exactly what our ministry DOES. Women all over the country have been launching Daughters of Sarah classes, and they all say the same thing – it’s like nothing else they’ve ever seen.
For two years I’ve been trying to come up with a single concise sentence that clearly communicates what we do, and that morning, while I waited on my young teen daughter to emerge from her piano lesson, I thought I had it.
What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was the realization of what I needed to do with it.
Long story short, I missed something. How could it be that I run an organization that forever changes a woman’s relationship with God and others – and I literally couldn’t believe I had never thought until that moment to do the obvious – run my daughter through the method.
What most people don’t know is that years ago, I was terrified to lead anything for God. I led in business, I taught public speaking and communication courses, I coached executives, all these things… but do any of them for Him? Wanted to, but that made me nervous. I knew enough to know I’d be held to a higher standard than others:
James 3:1
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
But He was calling me.
And I had said, “Yes. Send me, I’ll go.”
(have you done that? isn’t it terrifyingly wonderfully scary good??)
So the first thing He had me do was lead a Bible study in my neighborhood. One of Beth Moore’s. I don’t remember the name, but it was an early one – she had big 80’s hair. 🙂 I made 20 fliers, handed them out in my neighborhood, then proceeded to try to talk people out of coming.
One neighbor was home and said, “Yes, I’ll come. Put me down.” I replied, “Well, you can pray about it and let me know.” She said, “Nina, I said I’m coming. I have wanted to do this study.”
I said, “Okay, well you can change your mind if you like,” and she said, “Are you trying to talk me out of it?”
Oh. Wait. “Sorry, no, I’ll look forward to seeing you.”
All the while wondering, “What am I doing?”
That first Sunday night, we ran the video in my basement for 24 women, half of whom I didn’t know, 3 of which were friends of mine whom I’d begged to come because I thought no one would be there. 2 women were sages, women who I admired wisdom-style in their Biblical knowledge and relationship with Him.
There was a moment when the video was over when everyone looked at me.
I realized I needed to do something. I was, after all, in charge of the group, right?
So I asked the questions in the back of the book. We talked. We cried. We prayed.
It was awesome.
And so it began.
He used that study to give me the confidence in Him, to quit my part-time training job and work for Him in ministry. And our training courses use an intense discipleship method – one you’ve never seen before that encourages and builds us up as women in our relationships with God and others – and this method leaves us forever changed.
And I’ve never done it with my daughter.
How could I know this and not? As I cried when sharing this with the women who lead with me, one of them wisely reminded me that God had His timing, and if He’d wanted me to know this earlier, I would have. This knowledge is for such a time as this.
So I told my daughter I’m going to write her a devotional. It’s a 40 -day dare experience that any woman, whether married or not can go through. It’s the foundation of a course I’m writing for women (married or not), called, “Beloved.”
And I’m inviting you on the journey.
Will you come?
I plan to do 1-3 of these a week, here on my blog. We’ll start Monday. I hope you’ll join me – and I hope you’ll bring friends.
You’ll get this via inbox if you’re signed up for the tips on the side. Also, we’ve changed the tip delivery, too. They’ll come every 4 days, but not over the weekend, and you’ll get my blog as it is written on Tuesdays.
Also, there’s just a few days left to sign up for the early bird rate for Boot Camp – this year we’re at a retreat center and the investment covers the entire stay including food and board.
They can also accommodate food allergies, just let us know on the enrollment form you’ll get via email. Space is limited – we haven’t really talked much about it because I’ve had the flu, but in the two weeks it’s been up, we’re already half full. So grab your spot while there still are some – if you feel led to deliver Daughters of Sarah or The RESPECT DARE. Yes, you can lead the classes without attending Boot Camp, but your classes will be ten times better if you come! 🙂
And I’d love to see you.
Love to you,
Oh, and if you got this as an email forward from a friend who cares about you and your family, know we’d love YOU to join us on this journey. The road is long and hard, and often paved with tears, but worth traveling – and you’re not alone.
You can get marriage TIPS! articles, a free copy of my eBook, 101 Ways to Respect Your Husband, and other marriage info here. I’ll be taking down the 101 Ways eBook in the next week or so and putting up a new eBook, so grab it while you can. 
We promise not to share your email with anyone, ever. You’ll get just one or two TIPS! articles a week, plus a blog post or two here and there.
I am so excited!!! I have a lot of single friends that I would just love to have experience ‘daughters’ so this… This is just amazing!!!! So thankful for you, Nina!!!!
Nina,
Thank you again for your honesty, your story made me smile, 🙂 I realize I have done the same thing asking God for Opportunities but talk myself or others out of thinking I am worthy of those opportunities, that I am praying for. Ugh So thankful for his patience and things he puts in my life to open my eyes. Also Love the idea of young ladies devotional!
Hugs
Deanna – 🙂 Any good you see is Him. I’m just trying to stay out of the way. 🙂 And yes. SO thankful for His patience.
Love to you!
Nina:
I agree that this is a good idea. I help to mentor a 11 year old girl, and I feel lost lately as where to even start. So, I’m in – as I need to be more fervent myself. This is coming at the “right” time.
Plus, I am not the “young one”, and it is so nice “to fit”.
Mariajj
Mariajj – So glad. 🙂 Dad always knows. 🙂
Love to you!
Great idea! I teach high schoolers and would love to share these insights with my students. They really struggle in their relationships from being doormats to domineering, as I can do at times.
MaryLou –
Glad you (and they) will be joining us! 🙂 I think it’s for all ages, too. 🙂
Love to you!
A 40 -day devotional dare? . . .Excellent! . . .How would a women of any age not benefit! . . . And sure, you will be held to a higher standard than others RE: James 3:1 but when James says that ‘we’ shall receive stricter judgment, he is not simply saying that teachers will be judged more strictly than non-teachers; he is saying that Christians will be held to account for the way we respond to the standard of behavior revealed in the gospels (Matt 5:21-22)—which involves our speech and our attitudes. So, this also applies to every Christian. We will all be called to account for every little word that we speak (Matt 5:21-22). Teachers have greater opportunity to speak, and greater power to influence others for good or evil when they do speak, and so it is a huge responsibility that must be considered with great care. However, this doesn’t let ‘non-teachers’ off the hook. God says women shall give an account for every word they have spoken. I’m accountable to God for everything I speak and everything I have. Every moment of my time, every word I speak. —Pray for me, I’m constantly opining. . . . And it’s bigger even than that. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, God will say to us, “I left you a book of blank checks signed in the blood of Jesus and you didn’t even use half of them!” All of us need to do better! . . . And I like how you are crying all the time, to me it means your heart is sensitive! Good for you! Any mom who doesn’t cry for the lost shouldn’t expect her children to come and weep for their sins either.
Rebecca –
I couldn’t agree more! UGH. So glad you are here, baby! 🙂
Love to you!
Nina,
This is your best idea yet, which is saying alot!!! Hurraahh!
My problem is two-fold, my OWN relationship with God, and helping my 11-year old to develop this relationship.
Precisely the problem you say, how to understand that we are beloved. If our dads didn’t love us, if they hated our moms, then even if we have ultimately managed over the years to be convinced that God loves us as the Beloved, its really hard to change to actually live that way. I once had a vision while praying that Jesus wanted me to wear flowers in my hair, but I can’t bring myself to do it. If we don’t have anyone who is going to contradict the “I come last” “I’m not worth fighting for,” “I don’t need to be saved, I can be the one to go down as long as everyone else doesnt” then even if we’re fighting like heck for our daughters, we’ve got less than good chances. Weve got to do the fighting for ourselves because nobody else will. And our daughters need to see our attitude to be able to model it.
Veronica –
I haven’t had an original thought in years – least none that were any good! 🙂 Anything useful is always from Him. 🙂 Pray I stay out of His way. 🙂 I think you should go buy some flowers, stick them in your hair and see what happens. What’s the worst thing that could? 🙂 Dare ya… 🙂 Check back and let us know how it went. 🙂 He wants to speak to you there.
Love to you!
This is going to sound crazy, Katie, but I think the experience is for all “women” not just the young ones. I hope it works for the youngest – we might have to have two versions of it. 🙂 But we will start where He has me starting, and just keep moving forward. 🙂
So thankful you have children the same age as mine and we will benefit from this new journey. My youngest girls are 10, 12 and 13 and we will be joining you. And I completely agree that this revelation was for such a time as this.
Katy!
SO glad you’ll be on the journey with us. 🙂 You may want to filter some of the content for your littlest of people – we will be talking about sex stuff at some point, I imagine. 🙂
Love to you!