"Go be brave. Go be just brave enough for today."

This semester, I've been reading chapters from You Belong with my 8th grade girls and HS Wyld Life leaders. The book is written by a collection of Belong Tour speakers and their friends-- so many women I'd heard of before from books or music or blogs. Because it's written by so many people it's a very eclectic sampling of writing styles and topics. 

I just finished reading the book in it's entirety on my own and these nuggets of faith and wisdom were my favorites:

We have one God in common, and he's taught me how to pray for, speak the truth to, and encourage every woman in my life. Prioritizing relationships is a chance to initiate, to be genuinely interested, to be transparent and to learn to listen.

Friendship is such a privilege.

I keep thinking the something is the obstacle, and God keeps whispering that it's my opportunity. 

Seek him because he promises that you will find him, that you can know him, that he has been there, will be there, and is right here in the something. Go be brave. Go be just brave enough for today.

This is what I know, both on water and in my life: The wind is where it's at. When you trust the wind instead of pushing through with an engine, when you wait for life to lead and unfold in its own timing instead of shouting out your answer, when you create space for uncertainty instead of pushing for a plan, the feeling is the same: exciting and calm in the very same moment, one of the best feelings in the world. 
And this is what I know: You can trust the wind. The wind takes us places we've never imagined, and it often knows us better than we know ourselves. It brings us to futures we longed for but couldn't even say out loud. I believe God is that wind in my life, that he's working all the time, and that he's good and loving.
I know how scary it can be to give ourselves over to that beautiful, terrifying wind, how hard it can be to trust the journey, but I also believe that it's worth it--that when you do, you'll feel alive and free and you'll want that feeling over and over for the rest of your life, like a drug, like falling in love.

LESS STUFF (!!!!) As I sorted it all, I asked myself four questions: Is it useful? Is it beautiful? Does it add meaning to your life now? If this item were free at a garage sale, would you take it? When you finally let go of the person you used to be, you get to discover the person you are now and the person you want to become. 

In the tender first age of friendships, those girls were our lives, but in the second age, they are women who help us navigate what has actually become our lives.

Living in community is the only way to live.

Me, too. These may be the two most powerful words in a relationship. Nothing brings a bigger sigh of relief than knowing that someone understands, that we're not crazy, that we're not beyond hope.
Maybe our issues are a little bit different, but we can enter into the sacred space of shared feelings and pain. We're on the same team. You're not alone. We both struggle, and we can struggle together. 

The more we're willing to let go of, the more He multiplies.

I am trying to act quickly on crazy ideas these days. I'm finding they are often the best ones.

Your mess doesn't disqualify you. It's your ticket in.

Words are valuable, and everyone needs to know that they're loved, that someone's proud of them, that someone sees the magic that makes them them. So this is my challenge for you: Use your words. Use them today. For someone you love, someone you're proud of, someone who needs to know they matter. Everyone needs to know they matter.

If we want to experience mind-blowing joy, then we have to be willing to take risks.