Lelia Chealey

A few weeks ago I was a session speaker at Jumping Tandem: The Retreat. This sign was hanging on the side of the path that I walked to get from the conference hall to the lodge I stayed in.

Signicant Experiences

Important happenings.

This world is full of distractions that can take us down a path God never intended for us to travel. At 42, I think back on the life experiences I’ve had and the ones that make it into the highlight reel that plays through my mind always has one common bond and that is God. And those are my significant experiences.

I have many experiences, but it’s the ones that are God-focused that are most important. It’s the ones that have Kingdom purpose behind them are the significant ones. The experiences that effect others because they’re so moved by His role in the experience.

When we trust God with our past, present and future He will walk us on a path we never knew existed and alongside that path, we’ll see a sign that lets us know that He’s just given us a significant experience.

Blessings,

Necklace by Krafty Kash

This past weekend I was a session speaker at a women’s retreat called Jumping Tandem. A retreat with the intent to fan the flames of dreams within women. Dreams so crazy, so huge that for many it was the first time they let their dreams out of the safe haven of their heart.   

The retreat itself was a dream of God’s that He planted in the heart of my friend Deidra Riggs. Someone that would be afraid, but faithful. Someone He could trust to let Him have His way right here in Nebraska with women from all over the map. 

The speakers and sponsors gathered together in a room  pre-conference and we stood in a circle, held hands and prayed out loud together. We placed our requests into the lap of a Savior who is the giver, planner, director and success-maker of dreams. 

Then they showed up. Brave, courageous women all eager to embark on an unknown journey with 99 other dreamers. Some of them showed their first signs of courage when they hit the complete registration button. 

Holley Gerth encouraged us to write our God-Sized dreams down on paper. Then tell the person sitting beside us. Right then you could hear the walls of fear crumble as women spoke their God-Sized Dreams. We were both the giver and receiver of encouragement. Nobody was told they were silly or that their dream was unattainable. Not because we were trying to not hurt feelings, but because the owner of the dream is God. 

The next night Jennifer Lee told us how important our obedience is and that God loves us. That we are meant to live out the dreams He has for us. In permanent marker, on a rock we wrote the one thing keeping us from living out our God-Sized dreams. Then we put them in a basket and she took them home to her farm with her with the plan to pray over each woman’s fear and toss them into a lake to be swallowed up by God’s grace never seen again by the dreamer.

Writing down my dream-blocker and letting go of it is the moment my heart made an upright shift to God.

I returned to my seat after placing the rock in the basket and tears slid their way down my face. Things happened within my heart I just need to keep between me and my Savior, but I went to bed that night and cried and prayed myself to sleep. (Click on Jennifer’s name above to read her beautiful blog post on the rocks)

The next morning Lisa-Jo Baker spoke to us on fear. She encouraged us to let God live out these crazy dreams through us. She left us equipped and ready to dream big.

After a beautiful communion, we parted ways.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment of a conference and return home the same person, but the changes that went on in this place were real. Women left different and I’m one of them. It would exhaust much effort to return to the woman who arrived at Jumping Tandem and honestly, I don’t want to.

“I understand God-sized dreams because I’ve lived them. And once you have a taste, there’s no going back to life as you knew it before.”                                                                        ~Holley Gerth from “You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream”

As I was trying to walk through my thoughts today of all that happened this weekend, I saw a picture on Facebook that my friend Kendra posted that summed up my experience at Jumping Tandem. 

This picture captures Kendra finishing her first half marathon as her daughter watched and joined her.  This gave me the visual that no matter what crazy sounding, impossible looking God-sized dream our Creator wants to run through us, He wants us to cross the finish line right behind Him. Just like Kendra’s little girl, God wants us to follow our Dream-Giver and always keep our eyes on Him all the way across the finish line to victory.

Do you have a crazy God-sized dream that you’re brave enough to share in the comments?

Blessings,

To visit Deidra, Holley, Jennifer and Lisa-Jo, click on their names to go to their blogs. They’re all amazing God-sized dreamers! 

And if you want a DREAM necklace of your own, visit my friend Kashoan from Krafty Kash at her online store by clicking here. You’ll love all her jewelry.

Hey friends! Today, I’m guest posting on my dear friend Renee Swope’s blog. You can read “Confessions of an Empty Heart” by clicking here. If you are not familiar with Renee and her ministry, go to her blog to get to know her. Renee is a speaker and author and is part of the amazing ministry team at Proverbs 31 Ministries, the author of “A Confident Heart” (which I highly recommend) and someone who has spoken truth into my life through both her written and spoken words that changed me deeply. 

Read this if you haven’t before as I’m re-running a post originally posted in February because it is so important to “get”. Then hop over to Renee’s blog. In the meantime, I’m about to get on the road to Kansas City to help Renee at a conference she is speaking at…prayers appreciated for her air travel, my 3-hour drive and what God will do in hearts this weekend. 

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Everyone has a story. Some stories are shared while others are kept secret for years and sometimes taken to the story holder’s grave. 

When I asked God to forgive me for my affair and my abortion I thought it was over. I knew I’d always live with the regret of my choices, but I never thought that it was something I’d be sharing. Publicly. With strangers. It was supposed to be our secret, but He had different plans. Better ones. 

I love the story of the woman in the Gospels who had the issue of blood. If you’re not familiar with her story, click here to read it. It’s so cool. To summarize the story, she had a health issue that all doctors were unable to fix in 12 long years. Then. One day, Jesus came to her town and she pursued Him. She made her way through a crushing crowd and in faith touched not Him, but the edge of His cloak. Crazy faith. Crazy enough to heal her on the spot. Then she turned to go home a healed woman. 

As much as I love the healing part of that story, what is so cool is that the real healing came not in her body, but in her heart when her Savior refused to let her walk away unnoticed. 

Luke 8:45-47 “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched Me; I know that power has gone out from Me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed.  

She told why. Why He was the one she put all of her faith in. Why she pushed through the crowd of adversity and didn’t give up. Why she knew that this time would be different, this time she would be healed. Why she had hope. All because her Savior noticed her. Let her know you are not just another face in the crowd of life. You are mine…now tell your story. She walked away from Him thinking it would be her secret. He had different plans. Better ones. 

We all have a story and not all of our stories have regret or tragedy weaved through them. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, the day you accepted His grace and allowed Him to be your Savior, is a miraculous rescue story in itself! My pastor said this a few weeks ago:

“Every time someone gives their life to Christ, it’s a miracle.” ~Rick Lorimer. 

So whatever our story is, whether we tell it to one person sitting in a coffee shop or we are in front of many, we all have a story that God wants to be told. He wants you to share of His greatness, because we never know who it will help, but He does. 

Awhile ago, I posted a link on Facebook to my story of abortion that my friend Missy ran on her blog and this is a private message I received after a friend of mine in Missouri posted it on her Facebook page:

Hi, Lelia. 
You don’t know me, but I just wanted you to know that your post (on abortion), which showed up on my friends’ news feed on Facebook on Thursday, is what kept going through the mind of my daughter, who just found out she was pregnant, and because of a previous difficult pregnancy felt she sort of had no choice, but to have an abortion. But once again, God has used you to save another baby. PRAISE HIM!

I’m humbled and in tears as I write this. His power is SO awesomely obvious. For your post to show up when it did…..His timing is perfect. Twice, she sat in front of the abortion clinic (including this morning), and both times knew that she couldn’t go through with it. I just found this out a couple of hours ago. I want to thank you for your story, and am so sorry you went through your painful ordeal. His glory is exposed in our weaknesses and our imperfections.

Today, my eyes are more opened to HIS grace and His love than they have been in a long time. This will be a risky pregnancy, but I know (and so does my daughter) that He has it all in control. May God continue to bless you and use you for His glory. I just had to let you know how grateful I am to God and to you for sharing your story on Facebook – it has saved a life today in Houston, TX. 

I share this with you not because I saved anyone, but that God did all the saving in this story. See, my friend who posted my story on her blog had originally planned on running it last April. Instead, God had her run it on January 31, 2013 just so a young lady in Houston, Texas could read it and change her mind on aborting her baby. Only God knew she was planning a trip to the abortion clinic and only God could save her baby’s life. What a God. 

We all have a story. Trust Him with yours. Trust Him when you share and with who. Someone needs to hear your “why”. 

I am quick to tears as I realize that I get to tell my why…                                                         all because my Savior refused to let me go unnoticed. 

Thank You Jesus. 

Blessings,

Need a speaker for your next women’s event? Click here for more info. 

Juliana, in the white sweater (3) & big sis Amiyah, 4

Yesterday, before church the grandblessings and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Juliana was watching Amiyah do something and suddenly asked her,              ”What the hell?”

I about spit my cappuccino out as I tried to explain to her sweet little self that what she has heard before, she can’t repeat. She just smiled that cute smile and asked, “What the hell, Gwamma?” I simply excused myself from the table. 

On the way to church, our breakfast conversation got me to thinking how sometimes we just say things and really have no idea what it means. We just repeat what we’ve heard and don’t have any life experience to back it up. We quote authors, preachers, even the lyrics to songs. Facebook and Twitter are immersed with great quotes.

When we share our story of how great God is, we must share what we’ve lived through. We must share our knowing. (Click here to tweet this)

Often I can be heard saying “I almost lost everything for nothing” when I share of my affair. That’s not a quote I found on the internet. Unfortunately, I say that based on the understanding of the regretful choice I made to go outside my marriage. By God’s undeserved grace and mercy, my family and marriage are still intact, so now I strongly encourage other women to not make the same selfish choices I did.  

Now back to Juliana…she did not hear that out of her Grandma’s mouth, I’m just much to holy to say something like that. And here’s where you say…What the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks?

Blessings,

All little girls pluck the petals from a flower as they repeat the words he loves me, he loves me not. 

A playground activity with no meaning until it embeds itself into our hearts as we walk into womanhood.

Everyone longs to be loved. And loved unconditionally.

But somewhere in our journey, we stop believing we’re worthy of being loved with no conditions.

We begin to believe the lies the world whispers to us that because we did certain things we are out of the running to be loved.

In just 22 days, a dream God put into my heart 3 years ago is coming true. The very first Refresh my Heart women’s conference will be happening in Nebraska City. God showed off and sold the conference out and as I was looking over the list of names yesterday, I realized that I know many surface things about these women. I know what their email is, I know where they live, I know their phone number and even what name they want to go by on their name tag. But what God only knows is why they are drawn to come to the Refresh my Heart conference.

This is a message I received from the woman who was our last sign up for the conference:

I’m looking forward to some healing and teaching. I kept putting it off (signing up).  I just am struggling with God loving me. I am a wreck and I just can’t grasp Him loving me. I’m kind of nervous, yet I really sense I need to be there. I really don’t know what I am doing…I’m just doing!!

The flower petal game is something real within many women of all ages. But there is nothing about Jesus that says He will ever stop loving us. No matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been, we are loved.

We do things in our life and we believe that we went to far for His love, even though the love of Jesus is the most sacrificial love we will ever have. He loves me.

A love so deep for us that He left the comforts of the throne room to live a life on earth He knew would be short yet powerful. He loves me.

He knew the way of death His Father chose for Him would be more than any human should endure and that the path to the cross would be a bloody trail of a battle fought and won on your behalf. He loves me. 

You were worth the cost of His life so He could be with you for eternity. No matter what you’ve done. He loves me.  

Verse after verse throughout the Psalms the psalmist testifies that His love endures forever. Psalm 118 starts and finishes with that truth. 

Whatever draws you to want to refresh your heart in the Lord, whether at a conference or at home, try to trust Him with all the things you’ve done that causes you to feel unloved and unworthy. He is a specialist when it comes to brokenness and He really does make beauty from ashes. When we trust Him over how we feel and believe that He is bigger than anything we’ve done, we will begin to see the words He loves me on every petal.

Blessings,

If you would like to join us at the Refresh my Heart conference, we are sold out of the overnight packages, but we do have a limited amount of Day Passes available. On the website HERE you can also put your name on the wait list in case there are cancellations at the Lied Lodge. If you know really want to go, the best thing to do is purchase a Day Pass to make sure you have spot and then put your name on the wait list. And pray God gets you a room at the Lodge.