What Does Tomorrow Look Like?

It's been a while since fresh content has been posted here on our site. We've taken this past year to really evaluate where God is calling us as individuals and as a ministry. For me personally {Mandy}, it's been a year of tremendous growth, stretching, and revelation.

I felt the Lord put a few themes on my heart early on last year. One was "They don't need your words, they need My words." I took that to heart and initiated the Bible in a Year Reading Plan on our site. We led our readers in sifting through 66 books of the Bible in chronological order. Our own words were cut down significantly as the blog largely remained silent in 2016. 

My family made a cross-country move that led us into unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar faces. We went through significant change as we selected a new church home, stopped homeschooling, enrolled our kids in public school, and got to know new neighbors. 

My husband and I took on new responsibilities in our personal and professional lives. He dug into his position at the non-profit that brought us to Dallas, and I began working part-time as a substitite teacher in our school district. There was almost no area of our lives that went untouched by change. We began navigating new waters as our oldest entered into the tween years and began middle school. 

Also in 2016, I felt the Lord lay some other thoughts on my heart. They were: "Your life will be your ministry", "You won't look like everyone else" {in the way I minister}, and the phrase "Home Church."

As the year comes to a close and I'm looking around the corner to 2017, I can see how those phrases have begun to play out already. 

I began Deliberate Women in 2012 when I felt the Lord challenge me to live my faith out loud. I was very careful how I acted in front of certain people. In front of other Christians, I was sold-out. In front of my non-believing friends, I was embarrassed to be "too churchy." I was living a dual life and the Lord made it abundantly clear that living like that brings Him no pleasure or glory. In an effort to be bold and transparent, I joined with four other women and we began sharing our hearts about how the Lord was leading us on the blog. 

As the years went by, and as we gained and lost faces on the team, each of us grew in our relationship with the Lord and many moved into different areas of focus. Some chose to focus solely on their families and in-person ministries. Others felt the Lord calling them away from this ministry altogether. It's been a season of growth and change.

2016 has opened my eyes to living out my ministry in my everyday in addition to online. God showed me that it was much easier for me to write about serving than it was for me to walk it out. This year He has provided opportunity after opportunity to live a lifestyle of service and faith. It's been nothing short of terrifying, humbling, and amazing. 

So, in 2017, DW has plans to bring you resources to do the same. Not only will we continue to lead our readers through studying His Word, but we will also be providing practical ways to live a life of bold faith and service right where you are. As well, we're issuing challenges to all of you for added accountability, encouragement, and to build community here. 

This is the year where we start LIVING out our name: Deliberate Women. 

We are women who strive to live a life of faith in God with purpose and diligence. 

We are intentional, measured, and thoughtful. 

Will you join us?

Change is usually hard. 

Stepping outside of our comfort zone is tough, especially if we've worked so hard to make our comfort zone cushy and safe. 

But God never called us to live in safety or comfort. He called us to GO and share the story of His life, death, resurrection, grace, and forgiveness with everyone. 

Join us in doing that in 2017!

Details to follow...

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