Shine Women's Conference | Austin TX

"Movements are made of normal people moving."

History, legacy, movements. These are all words we associate with world changers and politicians, pastors or world leaders. Rarely do we name them of ourselves.

But let me tell you. In these photos, are men and women who embody every one of those words.

There is a seasoned generation that have gone before, built up the walls and vehicles by which we move today. And then there are the babies. The newbies, if you will, who are jumping in, head first, to a whirlpool of inspiration, aspiration, ambition and mission.

One generation looking back, reaching out and lifting up the other. That's the Church. That's community. That's legacy.

It's crazy to think that one season could have prepared me for this one. Oh geez, that's a whole other post.

I am so honored to be a small part of what happens once a year (and all the Wednesdays in between) in Austin, Texas. Shine conference has been a catalyst for so many women in this city. I can't wait to see what next year holds.

Jesus give us fresh vision, a fresh wind of ideas and creativity. Give us Your words and Your message, once again. 

23 Pieces of Advice for College Freshman

You've made it. The time you've been anticipating for the last four years has finally arrived, and while your Mom has been holding back her sobbing for the last couple days, you are out of your mind excited and nervous.

You pack your bags and secure your graduation gift Starbucks cards securely in your new totally hipster wallet. You and Mom make seven more Target runs and go over all the check lists you found on Pinterest, making sure you don't forget a single necessity. And by necessity, you know I mean those wedges you saw on sale. Duh.

Everything is new. Clean. Fresh.

Your un-inked college ruled notebooks giggle things like, opportunity, freedom, imagination.

What do these next four years hold exactly? Who will you be at the end of this tunnel?

You will be different. 

I don't know the details of your experiences ahead, but here is my big-sisterly advice to you:

1. You will meet people who will change your life forever; some will make it better and some will make it worse.
2. Be nice to everyone but choose your friends wisely.
3. Professors are professional pushers. Don't be offended when you get your first F. Do better.
4. Some study nights are just too intense for coffee. Insert Red Bull.
5. Talk to your roommate. You'll be together for 9 months.
6. Also on roommates, remember they might have been raised differently than you. "Doing laundry" might mean Febreze-ing. #dontjudge
7. Everyone puts on a good show the first few weeks. The cute boy you saw in orientation might be really bad news.
8. Also on boys, don't rush into it and it's okay to say no.
9. Group dates are the easiest way to get to know a guy. No pressure.
10. Take your vitamins.
11. Call your mom. She's worried about you.
12. Get involved as soon as possible. Clubs, groups, sports, committees.
13. Study your professors. Listen for hints on what they like and always be on time to class. It will go well with you.
14. Sit in the front.
15. "Freshman 15" and "Ring by Spring" are real things. #dontfreakout
16. Don't be afraid of $8/hr. Minimum wage has gotten many of us through college.
17. US History might not feel very practical, but the A or B at the end of the semester is.
18. Grades aren't everything, but they are something.
19. It's okay to change your major. More than once. Or twice.
20. In three years, Senioritis will return. With a vengeance. #highschoolflashback
21. Make memories.
22. Every decision you make will affect your future. Think ahead and think beyond the school walls.
23. You can be anyone you want. Don't settle and dream bigger.

Get ready to think differently, feel differently, talk differently, dream differently. This is the beginning of a wonderful adventure.

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Original photo via
This post was originally written by me for last year's Freshman. Congrats, you're sophomores now! Be nice to the Freshman.

The One Where She Learns Not to Run in the Mountains | #seejulesrun

#seejulesrun is a campaign to raise money and awareness for the restoration work of My Refuge House with human trafficking victims. I started my running plan at 6,500 ft altitude in 30 degree weather. Not the brightest idea I've ever had. But now it's all downhill from here huh? #runningjoke 

I'll be blogging my running journey until March 15 both for your amusement and inspiration to participate. 

YOU A RUNNER? Join our "Becoming Girls" team here:http://bit.ly/1elZxBq
NOT A RUNNER? Give a couple bucks here: http://bit.ly/1i8Klqt

More information at becominggirlsconference.org or follow the hashtag #seejulesrun on Twitter and Instagram.

#seejulesrun = A Regret I'll Never Take Back

Jules doesn't run. Unless there's a clown chasing her. With a knife. But even then, it's questionable. 

I'm the girl that reposts humorous e-cards on Pinterest that say things like, "I just ran my first marathon this morning! Just kidding, I'm on my third cupcake." And, "I exercised once. But I found I  was allergic to it. My skin flushed and my heart raced. I got sweaty and short of breath. Very dangerous." 

That's me. I'm that girl. 

So why, oh why, would that girl, commit her out of shape, 7 months postpartum, booty to running a 5K (which is 3.1 miles by the way), in less than 2 months? 

Good question. I'll show you.

These girls.

And these girls. 

You see, the amount of passion I have against running and sweating and messing up my teased ponytail, is easily surpassed by the love and hope I have for the next generation of world changers. 

I left my home town shortly after high school graduation, and began to discover the world wasn't quite as black and white as I had once thought it was. The grey areas started to expand and my dogmatic, Christian girl world views were challenged at their core. 

There was so much hatred in the world I had never really seen and so much brokenness I hadn't yet experienced. Is this okay? I remember asking myself on a very specific May evening. Is this just how people do things these days? But instead of fighting through that vein of challenge, I succumbed to the desire to be accepted. Besides, it was fun. For now. 

Peer pressure. Value shift. Identity crisis. Whatever you want to call it, I was in it and it wasn't very pretty. 

However, the crazy part about that short season in my life, is that while all those things are virtually unavoidable for most of the population, there are tools my parents, somehow, had the foresight to equip me with. 

Critical thinking. Decision making. Wisdom seeking. And love. Lots and lots of love. 

I think every girl should have access to those same tools. Which is why, Becoming Girls Conference exists and why we partner with other young women who hold that same perspective with equal, if not greater, zeal, like My Refuge House. 

I believe this upcoming generation will restore our world even better than the one before it. I believe there is freedom raining in like a flood. I believe there is passion leaking out into their bones. I believe there is power running through their souls, revving up for an awakening and I want to do whatever I can to cheer them on.

Even if that means running and regretting it every step of the way. I wouldn't take it back in a million years. 

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I'll be blogging my running journey until March 15 both for your amusement and inspiration to participate. My conference girls and I have a goal to raise $3,000 before the race. In one weekend, we knocked out $2,100 of that! #theyknowwhatsup 

Wanna help? Give here.

Wanna watch? Follow #seejulesrun on Instagram. ;)

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*Becoming Girls Conference photo by the lovely Jenna Peterson Photography. Hire her. 

Beckoning Challenge Brings Triumph

The teens of today are searching, frantically, feverishly, for substance. They want something great. They want their value to supersede their existence. (Tweet that!) 

When I set out to start Becoming Girls Conferences, I had no idea how deep the well I was dipping into. I knew it was full, ready to be drawn from, but that's about it. I didn't know how it was going to happen. I didn't know who was going to help me. 

I was both terrified and electrified. Have you ever felt that? Like you know you're supposed to do something but actually doing it feels like you're falling, head first, into a rushing river of emotion and doubt and fear and possibility. 

That's what I'm experiencing right this very minute. I do every year, the last three weeks leading up to our conference. 

But if there's one thing I've learned in the last year, with church planting and mothering and worship leading, it is that if God calls, He will equip. (Tweet that!)

Let me say that again, a little more confidently:

If God calls you (me), He will equip you (me). 

He promised. Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Mary, Joseph, Samuel, Saul

So I will smile at whatever comes these next couple weeks, beckoning the great challenge. For I know, with great challenge comes great strength. And with great strength comes even greater triumph.

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So what is it that you've been called to? What both terrifies and electrifies you?

We Need Love

This weekend I am headed up the California mountain range with a Venti Caramel Macchiato and some of my favorite women in the whole world. Last year we began a tradition of "retreating for some dreaming" before our annual girls conference. It was such a spring board for the most successful year we've had yet, that we decided to do it again, with more intentionality and purpose.

This year we asked ourselves, When a group of girls and women, set out to change their corner of the world, what do we need to be equipped with above all?

Love.

Why? You might ask.

Because love is patient and love is kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 

Because love bears all things, believes all things, hopes and endures all things.

We all have a gripping desire to feel loved, valued, and seen. Sure, there is time for discipline and consequences of actions taken, but at the end of the day, we all need to love one another and be loved by one another for this world to shift in the slightest.

Because above all, that's what our world needs and because it never ends.

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Will you pray for my staff this weekend? As we seek and study in preparation for this year's conference? (For those of you who've responded on FB already, thank you, thank you, thank you!)

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Do you know a High school or Middle school girl that is searching for a place to ask questions and experience God? Try out Becoming Girls Conference and see if it's a good fit.

Miley Cyrus' Message to Teen Girls: Sex = Growing Up

Dear Sisters,

I'm sorry. Tonight, at this year's VMA Awards, every young girl in the world was sent a message we've been trying to dissipate for years.

A message sent by many other mediums and vices. 
A message with potential to damage and inevitably demean. 
A message with an illusion of strength, but a reality of sorrow. 
A message glamorized by makeup and costumes.
A message fantasized by girls just like you.

That message?

Sex means "growing up." Use your sexuality to get noticed and get what you want. Sex is power. 

No no one can blame Miley Cyrus for wanting to become more than the Disney Channel girl. We all need to grow up at some point. But what the world witnessed tonight was a juvenile and sorry attempt to do so.

We didn't see a little girl growing up. We saw a wildly inappropriate exhibit of sexuality distorted and warped.

Please hear me when I say, this: It is not truth, it is not good, and there is nothing glamorous about it.

Maturity doesn't come in the cheap sale of something so valuable.  Value doesn't rise when something is thrown flippantly to all. (Tweet that.)

Don't hear me wrong, the fact that you and I, as girls, are sexual beings is nothing to be apologizing for. Don't be ashamed of it, but don't throw it to the dogs either.

You were made to awaken your sexuality in freedom, with no inhibitions and no audience. You were meant to explore your sexuality in freedom, with one man who's committed to love and cherish and adore you; no matter what. There is a time for that and it will come. I promise.

You are worth more. Miley is worth more. And when her audience has gawked enough, they will abandon her while her actions follow her into wherever the future leads. And while they're not unredeemable, they are pivotal.

Don't be fooled, sweet girls, by the glamour of what you saw. Be wiser. (Tweet, tweet.)~

Leadership Creates the Culture | Teen Girl Series

At Becoming Girls Conference, our leadership is the heartbeat of the conference. They create the culture that ignites the new generation of young women, because they were once a generation's young woman. 

They speak and lead from the passion of experience, good and bad; and I believe experience, covered with grace and the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the most effective and life changing form of leadership. 


So what kind of culture, atmosphere, momentum and growth are we trying to create in our sphere of the world?

A SWEET one.

Safety - This is the primary goal with Becoming Girls Conferences. We are one piece of a very large  puzzle in these girls lives. We are not their solution. We are the starting point for some and pushing point for others. We want them to bring their baggage, their relationships, their mess ups and the darkest secrets. If they can’t leave them with us, a community based on grace, where will they leave them? 

Witty - I’m a church girl, born and raised in the church and though I love it with everything in me, I think, as a whole, we can do better. There is a big culture of “scarcity” in the American Churches today. "We can’t afford that or that’s too controversial." There is a major tendency to be extreme on issues that damage and neutral on the ones that will actually do damage. I believe the Church is filled with talented, smart, and creative men and women who can do better. We want Becoming Girls Conferences to be as close to the creative, controversial, culturally pin-pointed edge as possible, without falling over it. 

Expectancy - We want girls to come with questions to be answered, fears to be broken through, chains to be released and to leave our conferences feeling cared for, respected, freed, loved and empowered. Our leadership does that by boldness in prayer. We recognize that without the movement, power and favor of God, Becoming Girls Conferences are 2 days of pretty chaos. Therefore, my team prays for four specific things from God for our weekends: 1) Purpose, that our plans would align with God's 2) Passion, that we would be filled with a divine love for the next generation 3) Providence, for both spiritual and physical needs and 4) Protection, from the enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. We expect great things at Becoming because we know we serve a great God who loves His girls. 

Emotion - We want girls to see their emotions as a gift from God. The woman emotion bank is vastly different from a man’s. Women are awakened in their emotional responses and I think our culture has tampered with its sacredness. At Becoming Girls Conferences, we want older women teaching the younger women how to begin to channel and freely see their emotions as a unique trait instead of a inhibiting feature. 

Truth - Teaching, singing, speaking, writing, photographing (etc) truths of God’s word, in a relevant and reverent way. In American society, we are failing to communicate to our youth the relevance that Scripture plays in their lives and the reverence we have for it. Our speakers will always be agreed upon by the team, unanimously, along with the year's theme and direction. We will always portray truth by the light of the Bible and the power of the Holy Spirit. We want them to know Love. 

Everyone contributes to some sort of culture shift around them, what are you contributing?

How Looking Back Moved Me Forward | Teen Girls Series

Teenage girls are amazing to me. I didn't think so while I was one, of course. Between the acne, frizzy hair, puberty and braces phase, it felt like 7 years of constant and quick changes that I couldn't keep up with. 

And the hormones, holy cow the hormones! Crying was a regular thing and my poor dad suffered way too many silent treatments. But he was a champ of a father. I'm lucky for that. 

I know you and I could sit in my living room for hours, sipping adult lattes and telling story after story of those monumentally traumatizing shaping years. 

Between the ages of 11 and 18, the whole world was at our finger tips. We could be anything and everything we wanted to. We could pick a job right out of the sky, a college off a list, a dream from a bucket of glitter and we had enough time and energy to make it come true. 

I look back at photos, the printed ones in a big bulky album on my coffee table, of a Mexico high school trip my youth group took, and I see my pod of friends. We're all smiling, as if life hadn't touched us yet; though for some it had, and in not so graceful of ways. 

One picture in particular, we're all in a van, huddled in at the sound of our youth pastor's wife squealing,"Ok girls, picture time!" Cheese! 

The girl seated at the front of the photo, a friend I still see and love dearly, her eyes broke me today. Looking back on the decade of love, loss and battles she's fought makes me want to hold her precious Sophomore face and whisper, You don't have to fight. God sees you. He loves you, for YOU.

I wish I could have prevented the years of heartache that would befall upon her; some by bad choices and others by victimization. None of which are okay. 

My heart is broken for the girls of my youth. Myself included. But that only spurs me to move faster and more powerfully for the girls of my present and my future. I don't want to look back and cry over their photos as well, apologizing to them for not trying harder. For not telling them how much they are loved. How much they are valued and wanted. How beautiful they are and how they will someday change their world; for better or worse. 

Because I've seen too many beautiful birds stand on the edge of fear or be shot down by killers around them. And I've had enough.

No more. 

I will show generation after generation of teen girls how to fly as high as they were designed to go. 

For the rest of my life, I will show them how to be brave. 

On Teen Girls

Teen Girls: We can't live with them and we can't live without them. Some of them are easier than others and others are more fragile than some. But remove the drama, the black eye liner, the lipgloss and flat irons, the peer pressure and the boyfriends, and you have little girls who are just trying to figure this life out. 

What they don't know, that you and I now do, is that you never really figure life out. It's the world's dirty little secret. 

This week (Monday-Friday) is leading up to a conference my staff and I have worked the last 9 months, through blood, sweat and tears, to put on. Every year we create time and space for teen girls to come and bring their lives, baggage, questions, and dreams into one room and share it all with us. (To learn more about it, go here.) 

The series, Teen Girls, will hit various personal and professional aspects of that journey. 

It will be explorative of the average American teen girl and what goes on in her brain, as well as motivating, to both you and me, about what we can do to move forward a new generation of women to shape, heal, and change our world. 

Enjoy -

The Red Underwear

I couldn't help but share the story of Kay's life, her story, and the impact her life made on this sweet woman. 

For me, it's another reason to look a little deeper into what's going on around us. Kay did. She didn't just see her teenage daughters friend; she looked a little deeper and saw a hurting girl who needed a home. 

She needed bravery, and Kay did the best she could to give it freely and with overwhelming love. So thank you Lori, for writing this beautiful piece and letting me share this with my readers.

Read the written version here. 
PS. This post was written with Lori's permission. 

//Sunday Worship// Youth Band

Today was a very inspirational day for our church. It has been our prayer for over a two years that God would send a revival and grow up our younger generation to do great and mighty things in our valley. More specifically, to lead worship. Today, that prayer couldn't have been more clearly answered.

Our worship team was made up of guys and girls from our youth groups, ages 12 to 19. I cried like a proud mother hen. Ty and I get the privilege of working with these guys (and girls) every week, 52 weeks a year, leading them, teaching them, learning with them, befriending them, and watching God grow a fire in their souls for worship.

They're not just talented musicians (although they are really talented!). They are worship leaders.

I am overwhelmed.

Here's some behind the scene pics. Good job team!