The Letter

Hey, beautiful girls!
This post is actually one I wrote last fall, but it ties in to Christmas Eve and hopefully will be an encouragement to you as we all prepare for Christmas TOMORROW!!! Ahhhhh!!!!
May this Christmas remind you of what an amazing God we serve, that He loves you deeply and beautifully.
Merry Christmas!!!
Lisa

Mr. Right Series Blog

I have to pinch myself that I’ve been married to my Mr. Right for 15 years now.

Even so, I remember what is was like to not have someone in my life, wondering if it would happen for me. I remember being on a continual roller coaster, enjoying the highs of It’s awesome trusting God for my love story!!! only to plummet into the depths of Why in the world is it taking so long? Is the right guy even out there???   It was easy to start comparing my experience with other women’s, to get discouraged (whether I was observing those who were still waiting like me or those who had already met their husbands). My poor mother! How many times did she say something encouraging to me only to have me roll my eyes and answer, Yeah, but you’re already married!

One day I realized something I…

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Grateful for You

Hey, beautiful girls!

Thinking of you this morning as we prepare for a day of family, friends, and some of our favorite foods.

Hope the words in the pic above encourage you to reflect past simply having a day off school or work. : )

May we all feel an overwhelming sense of reassurance and gratitude that God is ultimately in control, and He is taking care of us in both small and big ways.

I want you to know I’m very grateful for YOU being a part of my life via this blog!

Sending you much love this turkey Thursday…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa

(Thanks to Pinterest for this pic!)

Victim or Empowered One?

Ever wonder if you can really do it? (Only you know what “it” is for you: succeed at school, make new friends, change your choices to get to a better place, stay strong in areas you may be weak, find out who you were created to be, pursue a big dream you have in your heart…)

Sometimes we look at our situations and feel like they are too big to overcome.  But feelings often lie.

The truth is that God can empower you to not only face what comes in life, but enjoy victory over it.

Hope the amazing girl in this video encourages you that:

1) It’s important to be honest, intentional, and persistent regarding the challenges we face.

2) Attitude is everything, and we can choose to see challenges as opportunities.

3) It’s all in how you view yourself: victim or empowered overcomer.

4) Positive support in your life is crucial. Be real with positive mentors who love you, and then let them cheer you on!

5) With God’s help, hard work, and consistency, you really can do anything!

“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].” Philippians 4:13 (Amplified; underlined emphasis added by me ; )

“Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” Philippians 4:13 (The Message)

Love you, beautiful girls!

Lisa

Beautiful Dream Chics

Well, I’m back from the Dream Chic Conference about a week, and I am still TIRED! But it’s the type of tired where you can still smile and let out a contented sigh, knowing it was totally worth it (said from beneath the pile of laundry I have yet to finish!)

Joking aside, I hope you can find a way to join us next September. No matter what your age, you’ll LOVE it—and its $39 price! (It can be a great girls’ getaway weekend..Did I mention Chicago is only thirty minutes from Dream Chic’s Indiana location? Hint hint ; )

Anyway, like every year that I go, I had the chance to get to know some great women, including some beautiful “Dream Chics” shown in the pic above.

One young woman (who rededicated her life to Christ at the conference) wrote this powerful message on Facebook afterwards:

This was an experience I’ll never forget. Ever. The women’s conference where young people gathered all for the same thing, to glorify God for who He is. To realize how big a plan that God has for your life. After this experience, I feel as though God has a big calling on my life, that I don’t even realize yet. I have a very very strong desire to reach out to people. Very strong. I want to help people, I want them to know, You can have more to life. God is more, God is there for you. I may struggle, and I may have trials, but God is there. God is with me. I’m grabbing onto God, and I’m not letting go…

Wow! So much in those few lines…

Glorifying God for who He really is…
Realizing He has a specific plan & calling for you (whether or not you understand it all yet)…
Knowing that no matter what comes our way, God is there for us….
Grabbing onto Him so tight, we won’t let go…
(And, I might add, knowing He will never lose His grip on us!)

Hope these lines encourage you as much as they did me!

You’re in my thoughts & prayers this week…

Much love,
Lisa

photo credit for top group photo

Awesome News—The Workbook is Here!

Awesome news! Our series workbook is finally here!!!

Great for personal devos, book clubs with friends, or any kind of small group, the Mr. Right Series Workbook takes you through our three novels, one by one, chapter by chapter. We take a closer look at Julia’s story, discussing the many scenarios and dynamics, seeing what God’s Word has to say about what Julia and her friends face and experience. (Things which all of us can relate to, in one way or another. ; ) You have the chance to dig deeper into Julia’s story and then consider how things are going in your own life.

Springboarding off the characters’ lives, the workbook covers basic things like, How do I develop a genuine relationship with God?, What can I do to stay safe, online and off? What does it mean to be a true friend?  It also explores questions like, What does purity really look like? How can I get past mistakes? What dreams are closest to my heart? How can I stay on track to see my dreams come true?

We’re so excited to hear what you think of this amazing tool we wrote for you!

Please write and tell us what you learned about your story by looking at Julia’s…

Always remember that God has amazing life adventures for you! Hope our workbook inspires and encourages you more than ever!

Much love,

Lisa

Barbara’s Story (might surprise you!)

Hey, everyone! Hope your week is going well…

Recently, I shared my story of meeting Mr. Right. (Worth the Wait) Could any of you relate to the things I was feeling on my journey?

As promised, here is my mom’s story.   Hers might REALLY surprise you! Let’s just say it involves some eloping, soul searching, and finding love like no other…

Hope our stories remind you that others have gone through the very things you face, that you are not alone…

If you have a moment, comment on this post and share what parts of our stories you liked best!

Praying for you this week!

Much love,

Lisa

Worth the Wait (a.k.a. my story)

Hey, everyone!

Hope you had a fabulous spring break! My family and I did (even though much of it was spent spring cleaning!)

This week I’m sharing  my story of meeting Mr. Right. (It’s been awhile, and I thought those of you new to the blog might enjoy reading it.)

Next week, I’ll post my mom’s story as well.  (Hers might really surprise you! ; )

May reading about our journeys to love encourage you with your own love story (whether you see it yet or not.)

Have a great week, and happy reading!

Much love,

Lisa

What Girls are Saying — Ericka

We think you’ll love Julia’s story as much as Ericka did!

Click here to check it out… (And then let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you @info@MrRightSeries.com : )

Have  a great week!

Girls are Girls!

Last weekend I met a woman who raved about her favorite book (seriously, she couldn’t have given a more glowing review), so today I went online to check it out. I found a program that lets you listen to books for free, so I took a few minutes to listen to the first chapter. Like our novels with Julia, the main character is completely honest about what’s going on in her heart. (One of my favorite things about Julia, actually!)

In this novel, the sixteen-year-old main character writes in her journal about scrambling to get ready on time in the morning (her sister probably misplacing her things as usual), her impatience with her mom (who seems to scold a lot), and her impatience with herself (since she’s so well-meaning, yet still fights a bad attitude and makes so many mistakes!) She’s honest about jealously guarding her best friend, being afraid to share her with other girls in class lest she lose that close friendship. She’s extremely candid about her relationship with God being important to her, yet a struggle at times, and she wonders if she’s really loving God the way she deep down wants to…

I found this pretty fascinating, not just because it had a lot of similarities to the Mr. Right Series, but because this book was written in 1869!!!

Sometimes we look back at that time as so much simpler, with less complicated problems. (Hard work? Yes! But there were no mean Facebook comments or embarrassing moments captured on camera.) Yet reading this, I’m reminded that girls are girls, no matter when we were born! We are incredibly complex and often find ourselves wrestling with the inner “stuff,” trying to figure out who we are, who God has created us to be, wondering if we really measure up.

But the truth is you do measure up! Why? Because once you accept Jesus, God sees you through the lens of His perfect Son!

Your Heavenly Father has known you from the very beginning and has created you so beautiful, so valuable, purposely designed with special gifts and talents. He has a plan for your life that will truly amaze you if you’ll trust and let Him lead you into it.

Do we all have our moments of questions, fears, or self-doubt? Absolutely! But that’s why we run to the One who is higher than we are, who really does have everything all figured out!

Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me. The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever…Psalm 138:7-8a

Hope this encourages you today, beautiful girls!

You are so incredibly loved!

Lisa

photo credit

All paired up???

When we’re waiting for Mr. Right to come into our life, it can feel like everyone else around us is already “paired” up. Julia certainly felt that way after her break up with Jay. In fact, in novel 2, she and her sister-in-law, Jenny, have a conversation about it. Julia shares her frustrations, and Jenny has some great advice to help her.

At one point Julia says, “I’m really self-conscious because I don’t have a boyfriend. Even though I understand all the reasons why I’m waiting for the right guy, others don’t. When I get back to school in the fall, people might think something’s wrong with me because I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Ever felt that way? See how Jenny responds below:

“Let them, Julia. It’s a waste of time worrying about the opinions of others, especially when those people don’t even care about you. Look around and you’ll see lots of girls who aren’t dating anyone. Remember, you can always find somebody to go out with—especially if you are willing to give him whatever he wants.”  Yet is that the relationship Julia really wants? (Check out their whole conversation in chapter 3 of novel 2, Meeting Mr. Right.)

I want to encourage you today that it’s not about having a boyfriend because someone else does. It’s about being where you should be in God’s plan for your life.

I remember coming home from college majorly disappointed I hadn’t met my husband yet. If I couldn’t meet him at college with thousands of guys, how would I meet him teaching high school near my much smaller hometown?

It wasn’t until after I was engaged to Eric a few years later that I realized the “why” I hadn’t met my man in college.  It was because he wasn’t there!

God knew the right time for Eric and me to meet, and it all worked out in His plan for both of our lives. (I even got to travel and have some cool experiences before committing to be a wife and mom.)

Now I’m thankful I didn’t come away from college with that boyfriend I wanted so much. Eric was definitely worth the wait!

So know that God knows the right time and place for you to meet your Mr. Right. (We all have our own life stories, with unique details, so the timing and place is different for all of us.)

You can be confident that as you trust your Heavenly Father, your special love story will unfold in a beautiful way!

Much love,

Lisa

photo credit