I slide the bowl of chocolate across the table and I top off mugs and we laugh long and hard and for a few minutes life lifts. We are a circle of sisters, mamas, daughters, searching for a way to do life together and wondering if we’re doing it right.
We are always wondering and reaching for the grace to know if we’re doing it right.
Changing the world is for the brave and building community is for the fearless. I should know, I learned it in the middle of nowhere Africa from a very unexpected source.
Olive used to slide her bowl of acheke across the desk at me. I’d grab the spoon and take a few bites and even manage to down a bit of the pepper sauce which always surprised my Liberian sister. Her laugh was infectious and the way she would stride into a room more confident than most of the women I’ve known in my entire life was a bright spot on hard days up to my knees in the needs of Africa.
I’ll never forget the day she caught me complaining.
I was letting careless words slip in a place where I’d become all too comfortable with the sights and sounds. The stench of poverty was like an open sore right outside my office window and me the women holding her breath and closing her eyes to it all. She called me on it.
She looked deep into my eyes and reminded me that I was blessed beyond measure and had a responsibility to use it to the fullest. She spoke fearlessly and she was right. I needed her to remind me that we always have something to share with joy; our breakfast, our abundance, our little that God can make into much.
I’ve tried to figure out for years how to live the words she spoke over me that day. Years have passed with my feet now back firm on Carolina red clay, but her words still ring.
What if this is the year for me to live brave and fearless? What if her words weren’t so much calling me out as they were calling me forth to be as confident and giving as she? What if her words aren’t so much for me as they are for all of us?
A little bit of brave can go a long way.
This past fall the (in)courage community watched stunned as God made our little into much more than we imagined to fund a series of projects for Mercy House Kenya. I was blessed to be a small part of this as I blogged and tweeted my heart out for a work that I believe is truly changing the world for a few women.
I loved the way so many of us linked arms to use our platforms, big and small, to create a God-sized wave of mercy. Sisters, many of us herding toddlers and battling mile high laundry piles, used our sphere of influence and with God’s amazing faithfulness we changed the world for a few of our sisters a world away.
So it got me thinking…
How can I do more from my corner of the world?
How can I use my own real life community to create even a small amount of change in our very own neighborhoods and let it stretch all the way around the world?
There is this tension between taking care of our own families and stepping out into the messy of our neighbors down the street and those hurting around the world. We feel like we don’t have enough; enough time, enough resources, enough energy, enough space, enough talent, enough clout, enough {insert your excuse here}. And truthfully a lot of us don’t have enough. We’re threadbare and stretched thin on Tuesday nights when the husband is late, the kids are squalling and the fridge is empty.
Here’s the truth and it cuts hard. There will always be an excuse and something to complain about.
Well…ENOUGH.
Let’s stop talking about how we don’t have enough and use what we do have; our time, resources, energy, space, talent, clout, you name it! The funny thing about thinking you don’t have enough is that when you use what you have you suddenly realize that it is enough. God always gives us just enough. Enough to keep us clinging, sometimes desperately, to Him.
No one is just a mom or just anything. The same hands that change the world by changing diapers can change the world in far reaching ways. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
I’ve got an idea and I want to challenge you to dream big about this idea with me from right where you are. It’s an idea to take our just enough and make it give dividends in our hearts and lives.
We all love a girl’s night, right? A rare break with women who just get where you’re at and don’t care if the carpet is clean or if you made it out of your yoga pants that day.
I’m calling it Girl’s Night In&Out. Once a month for a full year, 12 months of mercy, I’m flinging the doors of my less than perfect home {read as a red tin roofed trailer} open and inviting women in to laugh, cry, eat chocolate and change the world.
Yes, change the world.
We’re spending a night in, but we’re going to live out mercy in a big way.
Each month we’ll take on a project and organize it all while we let our hair down and fill our hearts up at the table of community.
This isn’t about throwing a cute party once a month. I plan to fill my candy jar and make a pot of coffee. If you have time to do it up then MORE power to ya, but that really isn’t the point. Reality is that we live in a broken world and if I can invite you into my broken for a couple of hours then maybe we can do a little bit to mend the tear together.
You in?
Here are a few ideas to fill your very own 12 Months of Mercy with. Head on over to my blog to see my official schedule for the year.
A Few Ideas
Shoe cutting party for Sole Hope
Maternity clothes collection for our local crisis pregnancy center
Birthday party for Mercy House Kenya
Bra collection for Free the Girls
Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
Movie Night (admission is a bag of non-perishable food and personal items collection for local Social Services/Food Bank)
Collection and organizing care packages to deliver to elderly neighbors
Prayer and education on Voice of the Martyrs
World Renew Baby Shower
Trafficking awareness group for The Exodus Road
Host a tree for Ornaments4Orphans
Maybe we can bring what we have to the table, expecting nothing, and end up with more than we ever dreamed? At the end of this year I hope we know Jesus better, know the women in our circles of life more closely and live more open handed with all that God has given.
If you’re in add your link below and head on over to my little corner of the web for more details on how to host a Girl’s Night In&Out. I”ll be hosting a link-up each month over at my place to share photos and stories from your own Girl’s Night In&Out!
Leave a Comment
Meredith Hutton says
I love this idea!!! I’m inspired to have a women’s night in as well.
Karen says
YES! THIS! We did a Sole Hope night as a family on Christmas Eve. It was a great way to sit around and talk AND accomplish something for others!
Thanks for this challenge!
anna {girlwithblog.com} says
Jessica, I love your heart like whoa. And this idea is brilliant. Hopping in with you!
Jessica Hoover says
And I adore you right back!
Chris Butterworth says
This is wonderful!
Sarah Goad says
This is such a GREAT idea! I wish it was close to me so I could do it. I’d say I’d coordinate one myself, but we just moved and I know no one and the harder I try to meet people and bring them in, the more lonely and hurt I find myself.
I really feel like God is placing on my heart single mother’s this valentine’s day and I’ve talked to my husband about it – we are going to surprise “love” on those mothers in our community by sending them flowers and reminding them they are loved.
Jessica Hoover says
Sarah, I have been where you are. In fact I’m still there! We moved less than a year ago and I still feel so new to the community because we travel a lot as a family for what we do.
I want to encourage you to be brave in community building. You can do this even with one or two other women. It doesn’t have to be big. I used to think when I moved to a new community that they should be the ones to welcome me. I’ve changed my mind a bit about that. Even if it is hard. Even if you fall on your face a few dozen times I think it is worth it.
Be who God made you to be…and guess what? He made us all for community.
I love your idea to love on the single mamas! Go! Do it! Praying for you as you courageously build community in your new place. Know that you are not alone in this.
Darcy Wiley says
Sarah, I love this idea. My sister is a single mom all the way across the country from me and life is hard for her on so many levels. I know God will use you to lighten someone’s heart through your kind attention.
Andrea says
You’ve inspired me to really think outside myself today and think about how I can make this happen where I live. Love this!
Sarah Skinner says
I love this idea. It might take a little bit more than a little bit of brave…perhaps a whole lot of courage to jump out of my quiet comfort zone. But, I think this is worth it. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Hoover says
I’m jumping with you! This is not within my comfort zone and even posting here gave me all kinds of anxiety and nervousness. But God calls us out to love and mend the tear right? Not easy work on any level. Excited to be brave alongside you!
Sarah Skinner says
I’m excited to say I sent out some invites and scheduled my first girls night in for January 31st. And three lovely ladies have replied to say they are in! Thanks so much for the awesome idea!
Jessica Hoover says
Sarah! That is AMAZING! Let me know if I can help in any way! You’re ahead of me! I’ve got to get mine scheduled for next month!
Cheri says
This is an awesome idea! I hope I will actually do it! I can’t find your schedule of events on your blog. I clicked on the highlighted words, but this is the message I keep getting: Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist. 🙁
Jessica Hoover says
Sorry Cheri, that link is broken. I actually should have taken that sentence out. I decided to not give a set schedule for it. That allows you to fill each month with an idea that is pertinent to your community. Also, our birthdays are all different so that means if we do a Mercy House party it will all be on a different month- May for me! Here is the link to the post on my blog. You can access more info there!
http://www.handmedowngrace.com/2014/01/an-invitation-to-12-months-of-mercy.html
Shelli Littleton says
Beautiful, Jessica. This is what you brought to my mind:
When we allow ourselves to be stretched too thin, Jesus’ etching on our hearts can be revealed.
Blessed by you,
Shelli
Lindsay@littlehousebigworld says
Great encouragement! Thanks Jessica for the ideas. I’m excited to make this a priority and a challenge for the year.
Jessica Hoover says
Friend, you are so very welcome!
Sarah says
WOW!! Such encouraging stories and ideas! Thank you am inspired to run with this….
Jessica Hoover says
Run! Run! Run! Glad to inspire!
Vicki says
Maybe a year or so ago God put something like this on my heart. We were coming to the end of a ladies group at church and we were talking about what we could do next. Something exactly like this was on my heart. I pondered it and sadly let it die out and forgot about it.
Over the last few weeks God has been whispering to me to get more involved, to do more. I had a few little ideas, and then I read your post and remember what God had put on my heart last year.
I’ve already emailed my church admin for permission to make and invitation announcement on Sunday morning and am preparing a flyer to hand out! I have a ton of ideas swirling around my head and I am so excited!!
Thank you so much for the encouragement! I can’t wait to share how it goes!!
Vicki
Beth WIlliams says
Great ideas Jessica.
Yes. God made us for community and He gave us the “Great Commission”. He wants us all to go and make disciples–help others see Christ!
Last Christmas our church’s women’s group sponsored a lady in a nursing home. They also wanted to help most of that nursing home’s residents. We were asked to buy gifts–pens, pencils, paper, puzzle books, etc. It was fun to go out and get stuff for others and know that you are making lives better.
Also my hubby and I sponsored two Salvation Army children-boy and girl. That was a fun shopping trip.
Enjoy doing such nice/Christian things for people.
Blessing to everyone and May God work miracles on your Girls Night In. 🙂
Erika Wilde says
I just wanted to let you know that I read this back in January, and have been thinking about it since then. I loved your ideas. I am hosting a Noonday party in April, and ordered my supplies for a Sole Hope party for May. Thanks for the great idea, and encouragement!
Jessica Hoover says
Erika, that is so amazing! I hope your gatherings are amazing times of encouragement and that they spark something special in your community! Press on sister!
Tara says
Thank you for your encouragement. I been thinking about doing this a year ago and then I was in a car wreck then I found out I had cancer. I had surgery in September. The good news is that they got it all. I have been home recovering. We have started a new church. I am going to have a ladies day out and start doing this once a month