Court is in session

Exciting News!!

2012-01-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

I want you to be the first to know:

A Dream

As I have been in ministry for almost 14 years now, I have always dreamed of writing a book that God would use to reach teenage girls and women. That dream is now becoming a reality!

I'm delighted to share this dream with you.

This chapter began winter 2009 as i met my friend and co-author, Shauna Pilgreen, at a writer's conference in Nashville. As the only two girls on the writer's team, we developed a quick friendship that has resulted in sharing similar dreams and passions to speak truth into the lives of women and young girls.

(me and Shauna)

Shauna's life is nothing short of an adventure with her husband, Ben, and three boys - Elijah, Samuel, and Asher. They live in San Francisco, where they have started Epic Church. Shauna is living her happily ever after connecting with families in the city and writing. www.shaunapilgreen.com

(Holding the final layout)

Ever After

Together, we have used our experience as moms, daughters, writers, speakers, and leaders to imaginatively create a story between a mother and daughter. The Same Page is a flip book with one side telling the story from a teenage daughter’s perspective and the other from a mother’s viewpoint. This book goes beyond a fictional tale and weaves journal questions for the reader. Tate publishing has partnered to help make this tale a reality.

Our Vision

What is not speaking into the hearts and minds of teenage girls and moms today? No wonder it’s so hard to listen to God’s voice and His alone. There are so many voices out there trying to get our attention. Shauna and I want to be another voice of truth speaking in the mind, heart of girls of all ages - yes, through a fanciful tale. It’s good to escape into a tale to discover truths about yourself in addition to hearing ‘current reality’ speak to you in forms of a friend, a pastor, and family.

Living Your Happily Ever After

“I know I am living my happily ever after!” Ysabel thinks to herself. Shauna and I believe our ‘happily ever after’ begins when we accept the King’s gift of salvation. The most beautiful and redemptive stories are the ones when we embrace His truths and live them out in our heart, home, community, gifts, and the world.

Discover Your Part

Here's where I need your help. In the publishing world today, it’s up to the reader and authors to advocate for the book and its message. I need you to join us in inviting moms and daughters, women and girls, around the globe to step into this fanciful tale and discover their part in ‘living their happily ever after!’

here's what you can do:

sTomorrow, Saturday, January 21

our website goes live

www.thesamepagebook.com

facebook post

blog

Help me get the word out about our website and

book set to release in march.

Find us on facebook and post how you will help.

Let me know you'll buy a copy and write a post on your blog.

Send out an email to friends and family about the website and book.

I want to thank you for how you will use your circle of influence to tell others about this book. Shauna and i believe in the message and wait expectantly for how God will use it.

Believe with us.

In the coming weeks, I will let you know when I have the books in hand. Come back and order from the website.

“We will come together when we see each other through the eyes of our King.” - The Same Page

The Pearl House - conversation with Apostle Odai

2012-01-11T20:45:00.001-08:00

Have you ever had one of those conversations where you feel like you are having deja vu? Phyllis and I called Apostle Odai and I was so excited when I heard his voice on the other line. He was traveling but had his cell phone with him. I began telling him what the Lord had placed on my heart and the vision I had for having a home where girls could come and live safely. He began to tell us about the girls on the streets; the girls who need to be rescued. Odai continued to share about the thousands of girls, ages 8 to 22, who sleep on the streets with no place to go. During the day they carry large bowls on their heads in which they haul large amounts of items for people for very little money. Girls living on the streets are also vulnerable to men who only have one thing in mind. Since these girls have no safe place to sleep, men will actually rent homes where they will house girls but only to have their way with them.

What’s crazy is there are really no legalities of rescuing these young ladies. Why? I remember asking Apostle Odai and I think I will always remember what he said, “No one cares.” No one cares. Can you imagine feeling and believing everyday for the rest of your life that no one cares?! I wonder if true separation from God might feel a little like this. But, there is someone who cares. His name is Jesus! He sees them. He loves them. He calls them by name. They are His daughters. And it’s time for us to do something.

“But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them.” Joel 3:7.

I asked Odai, “So, if we had a place for these young ladies to go, we could go get them tomorrow and bring them to safety?” He replied, “yes.”

Apotle Odai went on to tell that this is something that he has been praying for and truly an answer to prayer. He began to describe his vision for it and it was a deja vu moment. The same conversation I just had with Phyllis, I was now having with Odai. That God would ignite a flame in someone’s heart in another country for the girls in Accra, Africa is something the Lord can only do. It truly is the same spririt in all of us!

1 Corinthians 12:13, “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

Conversation with Phyllis

2012-01-11T08:30:00.001-08:00

When I sat down with Phyllis I began to tell her about The Pearl House and the vision God had given me. She was moved by what the Lord was doing. Phyllis told me that Apostle Francis Odai would be here at the end of November.

My husband and our church has worked with Apostle Odai and his ministry, Maranatha Power Ministries, www.mpm-believers.org, for several years now. He is a very Godly man and my husband describes him as the Billy Graham of Ghana!

It was currently the beginning of November and the end of November just seemed too far away to talk with Odai. Phyllis asked if I would like to try and call him now. I quickly said yes and we proceeded to dial his number. As the phone rang several times I prayed that he would pick up. He is very hard to get in touch with sometimes for he will go into the bush ministering to people for weeks at a time. He answered! And the conversation went something like this. . . .

Now what?

2012-01-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

So what do you do with something like this? Where do you start? I am overwhelmed.

I remember my friend Phyllis Morris with Kairos 10 (if you don't know about Kairos 10, you need to check them out www.kairos10.com.) had told me that when she had gone to Accra, she had seen the girls. They were so young, they were on the streets with no where to go, and there was no hope in their eyes. Some of the girls, as young at 8 years old, would sit at the train station waiting for men to come and have their way with them for small amounts of pay.

I went to Phylllis' office the next day. I was to tell her about the vision God had given me. I sat down with her, assuring that I would only take about 20 minutes of her time. Two hours quickly passed and I found myself weeping as I returned to my car. . .

The Pearl House Vision

2012-01-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

I had been seeking the Lord for guidance and direction for my family, my husband, our ministry together, my upcoming book that is being published, and for I.D. Ministries. I remember asking Him to walk with me and hold my hand as I studied His word. I asked Him to give me patience and understanding today and in the days to come. As I prayed and spent time with God, I would often journal.

Here is what I wrote.

"I feel like you are saying that You are about to do something big. Listen. Watch. See. Be aware."

I had no idea what this meant but He gave me Philippians 2:13, " For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."

God clearly gave me a picture of what is to come. Africa. Accra. It is time to rescue His children. A home will be built for them to seek refuge. . .

The Pearl House

2012-01-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

God never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes I don't know if I should get on my knees and weep before Him or to just simply praise Him as I expect His power! My dear friend Alicia Crawley put it this way; just like parents want their kids to be excited Christmas morning with gifts and presents, God is that same way with us. We are His children and He wants to give us good things. He wants us to be excited! Well, the story of The Pearl House is just that; a good thing, a gift, a surprise!

...who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:46

Most of you probably know about the Buy This Shirt Campaign. If you don't, you can find out more at buythisshirt.idministries.com or on our facebook page, Buy This Shirt - ID Ministries. Through this campaign, God has once again given a vision. The Pearl House will be a refuge for young ladies to live in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. Moreover, they will be educated academically, spiritually, and vocationally.

How did this come about? Be sure to read tomorrow to learn more. . .

I will be blogging regularly about The Pearl House and what God is doing to make this gift a reality.

Pot or the Kettle

2011-10-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

As I dropped my daughter off at school today, I quickly went into “I only have a few hours to get 5 days worth of stuff accomplished” mode. As I was driving to my first destination, a monster truck decided that his lane wasn’t interesting enough. So, he decided that my lane looked better to him. With that said, he quickly came on over cutting me off. My first reaction was not Christ like and I had to hold back from laying on my horn. As I was driving behind this truck, praying for my enemies, we came upon a merge lane. The car that was in front of him came to a stop instead of exhilarating into the merging traffic. The monster truck did not restrain himself and his horn began to drown out every other sound currently heard. As I witnessed this, I couldn’t help but think back to how he had just done the same thing to me only moments ago.

How many times we do this in our everyday lives. We look at others, judge them, talk about them, and become angry. When all the while if others do the same to us we become hurt, don’t understand, and wonder how anyone could act in such a way. So, remember the next time you are too quick to judge, lie, treat someone poorly, steal, covet your neighbors things, and/or gossip - how would you like it if someone was doing the same to you? Perspective. Don’t allow someone to ask you the old saying of, “Would you like to be the pot or the kettle?”

How I thank God for His grace because I know that I am not perfect and am guilty of such things. “Lord, help me to be the daughter you created in your image. May I love your children and see them through your eyes. Help me to extend the same grace to others as you freely give to me.”

Don't mess with my kids!

2011-09-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

As I waited for the oil to be changed in my car and tires rotated, I sat across two large African American women visiting. I had ear buds in listening to some Group 1 Crew, but their conversation began to drown out my dance party music. One of the ladies was getting worked up as she was telling a story. All I heard of the conversation was, “you can mess with me, but don’t mess with my kids. I’m telling you, don’t mess with my kids!” Amen sister! Being a mom now, I completely understand that statement. You can mess with me, but if you mess with my daughter, I will destroy you. Okay, I might not destroy you, but honestly my flesh would want to. As parents, we become a Mother (or Father) Bear and are VERY protective of our children. I can’t help but think of how the Lord does the same for us. We are His children and talk about the anger that can come when you mess with one of His kids. God loves us so much. How His heart breaks when we hurt, when we cry, when we face disappointments and trials, when we are discouraged and afraid. He is always with us. He will NEVER leave you or forsake you. He rejoices when we overcome obstacles, have victory, succeed, and when we spend time with Him. He wants to have a relationship with you, His child. He knows us better than we know ourselves, so why wouldn’t we spend time with our Father. He is perfect and we are not, yet He loves us just the way we are because we are His. Thank you Jesus!

Slow Down!!!

2011-02-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

You might see the title, Slow Down, and think I'm talking to all of you crazy teenage drivers out there. Yes, Katie Nixon, I'm talking to you! ;) But, I'm actually talking about me. Not about my driving abilities, although I have been known to put the petal to the metal, but about my life. This week, as many of you have experienced, has been a blizzard of a time. Literally. My husband and I put a yard stick outside our front door, and at one point it was buried with snow! I have been forced to slow down. With the roads being iced over, businesses closed, and sonic happy hour not available, I have been forced to stay home. I have had to slow down, relax, and just breathe! Sometimes I think God has to create a snowpocalypse in order to get my attention. It's as if He says, "Courtney, quit sprinting all day long and realize that I will carry you."

What about you? Are you still running? Do you need to just sit with Him for a while? Maybe you are running from Him. I will let you in on a little secret. You can't outrun our Lord. He continually pursues you, is chasing after you, and wants to be your everything. Slow Down! The light is not green.

Shop Lifting

2011-01-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I ventured to Walmart today with my 19 month old daughter. Going to the grocery story when you have a huge list of items to purchase is never fun. Then, add a 19 month old who is energized like there is caffeine running through her veins - well it just can't be good.

Francesca and I were actually doing fairly well. I had her DVD player with me, her favorite turtle, and her annoying Elmo telephone. I had my "big bag" so I was well equipped and prepared to deal with whatever was thrown my way. As we proceeded up and down each aisle, Francesca had managed to obtain a few items to play with from the shelves. (package of very well sealed colored erasers, animal crackers, etc.). After being in Walmart for almost 2 hours, we proceeded to the check out line. I knew my "Francesca in a good mood and cooperating" window was closing, so I quickly threw everything onto the belt.

After taking everything out of my cart, putting everything back in, and paying for my items, we quickly headed to the car. But, as we were walking out the door, the very loud "draw attention to yourself" beeper started going off. The very nice 90 year old Walmart greeter, "quickly" made his way towards me.

Why was I making the beeper go off? I had this horrify picture of me finding some items that Francesca had taken off of a shelf, stuck them in our cart, or worse in my purse, and I would be convicted for life in jail for shoplifting. As I began to sweat, we began the process of elimination. After a LONG ordeal, it was something on my person that was causing the beeper to sound in the air strike!

Guess what it was? An Elmo DVD that I had stuck in my "big bag" for Francesca to watch for her round two as we turned down aisle 127. I hate Elmo! All to say, the nice man let me go freely to my car with the Elmo DVD in hand. Thank you Mr. Walmart greeter!

How Christ does this same thing for us everyday, "you are free my child, but only because of me."

Beautiful!

2011-01-23T14:31:00.001-08:00

Have you ever seen something and you literally feel a tug at your heart?

I was sitting in church this morning and noticed a teenage boy sitting by himself. I really hate seeing people sit by themselves. Adults - well sometimes sitting by yourself is a real treat. Moms, you know what I'm talking about! :) But, for a teenager to sit by themselves, well that is a different story. As I sat there wondering if anyone was going to ask to sit next to him, the most beautiful thing happened. I watched another teenage guy, who had his friends sitting on either side of him, stand up and walk over to the guy sitting by himself. He then nodded his head and sat next to him.

It was the most beautiful thing to see the effect it made on the student who was sitting by himself. A smile appeared, his shoulders raised a little, and I believe he actually started listening to the sermon with an accepted heart.

I admire the student who got out of his seat. Sometimes it takes US getting out of our comfort zone, taking a stand, and moving toward what God has called us to do. Are you still sitting there? Are you still staying in your comfort zone? Are you ready to take a stand for Christ?

Sometimes the hardest part is taking the first step. But you have to remember that God goes before us, He follows behind us, and He is all around us. We can never escape from His presence. He will give you the strength you need.

Take a step.

2011-01-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

It's still January, so I haven't ruined my new years resolution just yet. :) As you will see, I will be blogging more often. So, thank you for reading, being a fan of I.D. Ministries on facebook, and for following us on Twitter!

For those who have ever heard me speak before, you know about my precious little toy pomeranian Cozmo. He is the one that is on about 5 medications daily, his knee caps go out on him often, he has a collapsing trachea, kidney issues, hypothyrodism, and the list goes on and on. I LOVE Cozmo! I have taken care of him for about 8 years now. (when I say taken care of him, I have REALLY taken care of him) He is my baby. And, yes I know that even though he is a dog, he is a part of our family. (and monthly bills) ;)

This month, Cozmo passed away. I was devastated. In fact, I still am. I have been grieving his death and can't seem to stop crying about it. I have been asking myself, why am I taking this so hard? I think I have cried harder about this than at my Nana's funeral a few months ago. And then it hit me. . . . . . I have been grieving without hope. Will I ever see Cozmo again? I really don't know. And not knowing equals no hope.

Have you ever grieved without hope? If something should happen to you, would others grieve over your death without hope? Have you ever placed your trust in Jesus and given your life over to Him?

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 14 says, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died."

Do you know of someone that doesn't have hope in Christ? Let's begin 2011 with an urgency to reach others for Christ. How much more sorrow is there when a human being dies and there is no hope of ever seeing them again. I heard someone once say, "we will do everything short of sin to reach others for Christ." What are you doing to reach the lost? Have you truly given your life over to the Jesus? Why not? He is waiting. It truly is the greatest decision you will EVER make!

All to bring attention to Him!

Courtney Bullard

2010-01-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

This is my first post, so away we go . . . . .

Francesca is now almost 23 pounds and yes, not even 7 months old. As I watch her get excited when I ask her, "Are you hungry?"; I can't help but laugh. The smile on my face is hard to erase. She is so carefree, loves life, and loves to look at herself in the mirror. I love to squeeze her tight for I love her and every one of those 27 rolls and counting. As I watch her though I can't help but think one day she may not be so carefree, love life, and love herself. When will the enemy try and begin to tell her lies that she has to look and act a certain way, be a certain size, and that she alone is not good enough? My heart breaks as I think about this. This alone continues to ignite the passion I have of telling teenage girls how God describes and defines them. I must ask, when did the enemy start working on you? Have you allowed him to speak into your life? What lies have you believed about

yourself, about others, and about the God who knows you better that you know yourself? As I look over at the monitor and see Francesca peacefully sleeping away, her onesie gapping down the middle, my prayer for her is that she will love God with a passion no one can stop, love others, and love herself.