Have you seen the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?
As the Pevensie children pass through the wardrobe they encounter a new world, Narnia, may I call it the supernatural realm. And in this supernatural realm they are known, their presence has been expected, long awaited for, and very soon they discover that they are in the midst of a great war in which they are supposedly to play a role.
If the Pevenise children accept the call to leadership the citizens of this realm are willing to follow them into battle, stand by their side, and fight to the death. Each child receives unique gifts to aid them in their journey.
While in this realm, they meet the King, Aslan, they speak with him face to face. They walk with Him; they listen as He speaks to them of who they are and who they are meant to be one day in the castle of
Cair Paravel.
And as they accept the challenge, and step into their destiny a crown is placed on their brow, a throne for them to sit upon and rule, and a new name is bestowed upon each of them. The next scene they appear in, they are all grown up, mature.
You may know the story.
What many people don’t know is that Narnia exists today, the supernatural realm is all around us and if we are to acknowledge it we would find a quite similar adventure to the Pevenise children. We would find that we posses an authority as sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, as children of God. We would find that we are in the midst of a spiritual war and if we are to survive we must fight. But more than that, we must lead the angelic hosts into battle. For it is us who have been given the mind of Christ, it is also us who have been given dominion on this earth, the angels are looking to God’s children to release the battle commands, and like the Centaur in Chronicles they will protect us to the death!
As we embark on the journey into this supernatural realm we will not be alone. The very King himself will guide us, speak to us, and reveal our future to us. And we will also be given gifts to help us along the way. And as we accept this call, a crown will be placed upon our brow, a position of authority and kingship will be given to us, and we will receive a new name. And through this journey we too will find spiritual maturity as did the Pevensies.
When I begin to survey my dreams, my ideas, my visions of what could be I know clearly what I want to accomplish with my life. I want to build wardrobes.
I want to creatively and innovatively build vehicles through which people can experience the manifold presence of God.
I can’t tell you what a smile fills my face! I want to build wardrobes…
I can see television shows, movies, songs, books, curriculum, live events, buildings like the teahouse, and so much more. To the extent that I can dream for Everyday Woman I can also dream for preschoolers and teenagers and so on, and each demographic has several components, wardrobes if you will, through which people can enter. I know them, even now, they are inside of my head; they are written on my heart and only await their time and God’s provision. And to my surprise, when I shared this with my husband, Chip, he said, I resonate with that.
I can see that Everyday Woman is my training ground, a time to hone in my leadership abilities, my managerial style, my voice. A time to understand what each type of wardrobe really takes in terms of people and money and systems.
I can also tell you that in addition to building wardrobes I have something inside of me to share with the world; these truths burn inside of me. They are in essence, a survival guide to Narnia. Or better yet, I could call myself a tour guide through Narnia.
I want to equip people to dwell in the supernatural; to live in these two worlds simultaneously. It is in this realm where they will begin their friendship with Alsan, Christ. And the further they journey with Him there the more intimate their friendship will grow. It is in this world where they will receive a spiritual gift that they will be called upon to use. It is in this world where they must learn to lead the angelic hosts into spiritual battle or face certain defeat on here on earth. It is in this world where God will give them a new name, a purpose, a future.
These truths, this survival guide to Narnia, is the message I teach to my four year old class each Sunday, it is what I share with the young teen age girl who helps me sweep up after Sunday school is over, and the middle age mother who lives next door. I have these truths, discipleship in nature, which I am passionate about and I change my tactics of sharing depending on the spiritual maturity of who I am talking to.
What is so difficult for me in nailing down a demographic for Everyday Woman is that though I know what I want to say, I haven’t yet felt particularly called to a specific age group to say it to, But what’s more, is I have allowed myself to be limited by the word’s God spoke to my mom, who happens to be my boss, are you willing to lead? He didn’t ask me that, he asked my mom, and so I try not to push too hard in any direction, but Mom is at a stage in life where she is tired and much of her energies go to support my dad and their work together at the Inspiration Networks. Meanwhile we need a vision, a clear one. And so I am in this weird place. I don’t want to push my mom out of the way, she started Everyday Woman. If she has a vision, I will serve it. I will let it be my training ground. This is essentially what I have been trying to do. But as we have been learning from advisors, strategy is so important. We need more than a passion to reach women, we need to be specific about the woman we want to reach. And from what little marketing I did have in school, I know it’s true.
The easiest place for me to start is simply where I am now. I find myself 29, but with the ages of my children and position in career more realistically perhaps 35ish? I know I can speak to this woman. I know that what I am facing on a daily basis is common ground for others my age or around it. And I also know that God has given me, what my friend Kyle pointed out this week, a somewhat different perspective on things. Mom, always said of me, Becky lives in her own world…I am ready to share that world with others, or at least to those who are willing to walk through the wardrobe. I am eager to come alongside them and equip them with knowledge they will need to survive in Narnia…spiritual armor, spiritual gifts, intimacy with God, living a life of worship…
I looked up the most popular girl name from 1974-80, (the 27-36 years olds of today) it’s Jennifer. They have Rachael Ray teaching them how to cook, and Martha Stewart teaching them domestic stuff, they have That Ormond lady teaching them finances, they’re subscribed to Real Simple to help organize their life, but who is pointing their spirit to living water? Is it Joyce Meyers, I don’t know? I don’t personally gravitate to her.
The thing about targeting Jennifer, it’s who I think my mom wanted to talk to in the first place. “Tell them how we walked hand in hand together every day,” is what she heard God say.
Ruby, the demographic of INSP, has already walked through life; it’s Jenifer who needs help. And a really cool discovery I think, is that it’s Jennifer who is watching i-life TV. What does this mean for us? I don’t think Everyday Woman needs to go away; however I think we can glean it’s not the brand to take to Jennifer. I don’t want to be labeled as an everyday woman, I want to be different, unique, stand out; and I think this is how most people my age feel. I know that Everyday Woman has the potential to be a strong brand; in fact I think we have discovered that it represents the 55plus woman. This woman if she had a career, she is moving towards retirement, if she had children they’re grown, she’s feeling used up and invisible, but that’s not what the bible says. The Bible says that she is full of wisdom and should pour into the younger generation. Mentorship. A challenge we face is getting the Jennifers to listen to the Rubys.
Ultimately, the decision is not mine. Up until now I have been managing the television side of things as executive producer and Mom has been in the Publisher role of our magazine. Everything has moved so fast it’s been hard to navigate. It is now, only two short years into this new business that we are finding the need to redefine ourselves and our roles. Mom is gradually stepping out of Publisher roles and I am adding to my responsibilities and stepping in. The need to define our audience is imperative. I suggest we market our magazine towards Jennifer, let’s get to know her needs better and let’s inspire her, equip her, and encourage her as she travels through these two realms… let’s show her how to walk hand in hand with Christ every day.
What this means for the televsion side of this ministry I don’t fully know yet. I do know what I want my life to accomplish, I do know what I have to share with the world, and I do know that right now I am in a great place of training. I also know that if I continue to surround myself with wise counsel and continue to ask the hard questions the clarity of my call will contue to solidify inside my heart. And as this happens I will take the nessecary steps to walk it out just as the Pevensies did in Narnia…
