Special Guest Lisa Bain, Founder of Lisa Bain Ministries

Welcome to A New Life podcast with Pamela Jean, where it's all about empowering women to empower more women. Get ready, friends, to create a new life. And here is your host, Pamela Jean.

Hello, my friends, and welcome to this week's episode of A New Life podcast. Thank you so much for being with me today. I have a very, very special, special guest, someone who I have admired for a very long time. Recently, I was allowed to be on her podcast on her Treasure Talks, which was so fun and such a great honor. I'm interviewing today Lisa Bain. She is one of the busiest people I know on the planet. If you haven't met Lisa yet, you will just have no idea how she accomplishes everything she does, because she's always moving and always doing something, and she's doing something amazing all the time. So, as I said, my guest is Lisa Bain. Lisa, I'm so grateful to have you on the podcast today. If you will please tell the audience a little bit about yourself.

Well, first of all, it's an honor to be here with you, my friend. Thanks for having me. Well, goodness, I. A little bit about myself. I was actually born in Nashville, and I came to Tulsa when I was about not even a year old, and my father was at the opening day of Oral Roberts University. I pretty much grew up at ORU, and he was there for, gosh, 55, 56 years. I have a blended family. My husband and I have been married over 20 years, and we have four kids and four grandkids. Well, one on the way. We've got three grandkids and one on the way. And so I'm loving being a grandma.

Oh, is it not the best? No one can tell you how great it is because you don't believe it till you get one.

No, it's just been so delightful, and I've. I've loved it and. But I've pretty much been in Tulsa my whole life. So I consider myself a Tulsa girl and love the community here and met my husband here, and it's just been. It's just been an adventure. So that's it in a nutshell.

Okay, so good. So I'm assuming you went to oru, then that's where you went to college. Of course.

I graduated with a social work degree and I went to Jinx High School. Well, actually Jinx Junior High. And then I went to Eastwood High School at the. It doesn't exist anymore, but it was Eastwood Nights for Christ, know what I'm saying? Yeah. So. Yep.

So after graduation, you have your social work degree. Fill in a gap for me. How did that social work degree coming out of college turn into Lisa Bain Ministries? Tell me how, how did that all connect and, and bridge that gap for me?

Well, I graduated and finished my internship and I always wondered how I would use social work. I was going to go into counseling and started for a little bit, but kind of detoured in a marriage that really did not end the way that I wanted. I had two amazing kids from it. But it was really through that whole journey that I share about. It was a very unhealthy marriage. And I found myself in the floorboard of a car on the way to Tulsa, Oklahoma to begin a new life as a single mom. And I had two little babies, a newborn and a one year old. But it was in the floorboard of that car that the Lord just spoke to my spirit. When I was crying out, lord, help, what do I do? And he just said, what do you want? And I was like, what do I want? And I remember seeing some post it notes in my purse and I got those post it notes and I thought, what do I want? And I started writing things on the Post it notes and the floorboard of that car. I don't want to feel this way. I want a husband that loves you someday to just help raise my kids. I want to be used. I want to find my purpose. I want to be healthy. Because I had been really sick. And I even put on one of the Post it notes, I want fun dogs, mini dogs. I really did. So I tell people, be careful what you write on post it notes because God give you that.

So he takes those Post it notes very seriously.

Right. And I realized later what I was doing. I was writing out my purpose. Those were my soul cries to the Lord. And he wanted to take the paint brushes. He had given me a blank canvas in the floorboard of that car on the way to Tulsa. And he wanted me to hand him the brushes and let him paint the picture. And I love those Post it notes to this day. Cause I look and I see that every one of them came to pass through the journey of then and where I am now. And I also found that my social work degree came in so handy in what I do every single day. And I'm so thankful that, that I did get that social work degree. And so that's. That kind of took me. There were three broken places that the Lord used to really birth a beautiful place and bring me to the place where we are today. And it was literally the place that brought me here was Sitting at the foot of my mom's bed. She was my best friend. And a doctor had just told her she had just come out of surgery. And a doctor came in and told me, your mom is filled with cancer. She probably has five months, if that. Well, my world absolutely crumbled. But literally on that same day, I received a call because I was going through many, many tests. And the doctor said, we know what's wrong. We found out what's wrong. And he said, you've got the same gene as your mom does, and with it comes some really debilitating autoimmune diseases. And his exact words were, throw away your running shoes and call it a day. You may not be walking in six months.

Oh, my gosh.

So I remember telling my mom I got the job to sit at her bed and talk to her about this. And I said, you know, this is what's going on, and it's not good news. And I remember she closed her eyes and there was like a 30 second pause. When she opened her eyes, she started to sing turn your eyes upon Jesus. And when she finished, she looked at me and said, lisa, this is just a hoot. She said, you know what? We are going to choose Joy. We're going to serve in the darkest place of our life. And I want to begin a nonprofit that helps those with life altering illness, special needs, and crisis situations. And I was like, what? And she said, trust me. In that 30 second pause, God was giving her a game plan. And what she was also doing, Pam, was. She was giving me a purpose. And she knew that the purpose would help me defy the odds and give me a reason to wake up every day and keep walking. And that was 15 years ago. Wow. And so that was really the broken place I often talk about. I love Kintsugi pottery, Japanese artwork. I have it all over my house. And it's the pottery that the Japanese artist will take and purposefully break. And they fill the cracks with gold, silver, or platinum. And the broken piece is more valuable than the one that's not. And the artist emphasizes the cracks is the beauty. And I'm thankful for these broken places because I'm stronger there. And we're a container for God's glory. And mom lived five years, not five months, and she got to see the nonprofit come into fruition. And I'm still walking. Yes, I deal with autoimmune issues, but you know what? You have a purpose. You get up, you take one foot in front of the other, and God takes it from there. He. He truly Truly does. So those were two of the broken places that kind of began the journey to where I am right now.

So I'm going to pause you right there, Lysa, because I just had a little flashback in my brain. I was trying to think of when I first heard you and met you. And the first time I heard you, you were a speaker at the Tulsa Men's Fellowship Group.

Oh, wow. Yes, I remember that.

It was a combined group from Tulsa Women's Fellowship was invited to join the men's group for. And you were the keynote speaker. That is when I first met you. And at that time, you were talking about, I think, the nonprofit that your mom wanted you to start, Join the Cause. Am I remembering that correctly?

You are remembering it. You are. Okay. Correctly.

Okay. Well, it just. It just dawned on me. I'm like, okay, wait a minute. After I'm hearing your story of how you started your first nonprofit, well, I'll let you take it from there. How did you go from Joy in the Cause to Lisa Bain Ministries?

Well, mom, the day that she told me she wanted to start this nonprofit, the thing that followed her. Her words right after that were, it will be the Lord's handprints will be all over it. And he. He is the foundation of this ministry. And she said it must always stay that way. And she really gave her heart's desires of what she wanted in the foundation of the nonprofit Joy in the Cause. And the therapy animals became intertwined, which I'll touch on in a minute, how those stuffed animals happened. But about in 2020, the Board of directors met with me, and they really wanted to move Joy in the Cause into being more of a business and to really not emphasize the faith in it and to cut out some of the projects. And so I was faced with the decision, this is not what we started. This is not what the vision was for it in the beginning. And so that was when we made the decision to continue that journey through Lisa Bain Ministries.

And.

And we have care packages and boxes and bags and animal therapy that touch veterans, homelessness, kids in crisis, and those battling illness. We would never compromise the faith. We would not compromise the projects that it began with. And so that's kind of what moved it into Lisa Bain Ministries. And, yes, Join the Cause still exists. And we're just taking. We're just continuing on the mission of what we started through Lisa Bain Ministries. And a lot of people ask me, how did the stuffed animals come into this? Because we had, at the time, we had Mavis Pearl, the bulldog that Wore the tutu.

I still have her.

And she was one of a kind, and she really opened up a lot of the doors. But I was training her as a therapy dog. And when we had started Join the Cause, I was asked to bring Mavis to a little girl who. Who was actively dying. And the family wanted her to be holding Mavis when she went to heaven. That was a little boy's wishes. And so I was like, okay. And I. I wanted to bring something. So I had a stuffed bulldog, and I dressed it up like a tutu. She was a little ballerina. That's where the tutu came from. And I dressed Mavis Pearl up like a ballerina. And off we went. And I'll never forget, the elevator door opened and Mavis literally took me to the little girl.

She knew. She knew where she was going.

She kn. These dogs are just. They know. And so when we went in, you could tell she was in her last moments. And they. They were really wanting one last response from the little girl. And so I went and took our prayer quilt that I brought and the stuffed Mavis. I put it, gave it to the parents, and I put Mavis up on the bed with the little girl underneath her arms. And the family came over and put the stuffed Mavis under her other arm and put the prayer quilt over her. And the little girl opened her eyes and she smiled real big. She snuggled up Mavis and Mavis just knew. And she said, mama, Daddy, I'm okay. It's all good. And she smiled and blew him a kiss and ran to the arms of Jesus.

Oh, my gosh.

I still can't tell the story without Christ. And Mavis Pearl was there and just soaking it all in. And the parents came up to me afterwards and they said, lisa, these stuffed animals are part of your ministry. They just are. And the little girl was buried with her stuffed Mavis.

Oh, my gosh.

Wrapped in her prayer quilt. And so they were stuffed Mavis pearls. And now they're stuffed Mabel Joy. We have. We do not have Mavis Pearl went to heaven a few years ago. And we have Mabel, Moose, and Maddie. Three Bernice Mountain dogs that. That took her. Took her place. They had big paws to fill. But sweet Mabel actually trained by Mavis Pearl. And our therapy dogs are really what kind of set us apart in that we incorporate therapy animals and we partner with therapy animal organizations. Because if I literally had a show with just the miracles that happen when an animal is involved, it would be a 10 hour show with what we see when we bring the Care boxes and bags with the dogs and with the animals. It's just. It's amazing. So we have. I have loved that part of the journey, but that's kind of how it morphed into Lisa Bain Ministries, how those stuffed dogs, I kind of call them the calling card. They're the calling card of Lisa Bain Ministries. And a lot of people have said, well, why do we still. Mavis. Still see Mavis dogs everywhere? Well, before the board let me know their wishes for joy in the cause, we had donated the trademark of Mavis Pearl to the organization. And so when this had been done and I was told that. That to no longer. I could not represent the community as founder. I couldn't use Mavis because we had donated the trademark. But, you know, Mavis knew. She. It was about a week after that happened that she came up to me, and we were going to have to put our golden down golden retriever. And I got off the phone to call the vet. She was coming over, and Mavis walked over to me and sat down at my feet and looked at me like, I know my mission is done. And she had a massive seizure, and they both went down together.

Oh, my gosh.

And, oh, my gosh. But, you know, Pam, I don't think I could have done it any other way because they were holding each other and. And they were the best of friends. But Mavis knew I was not going to be able to use her. And she had trained Mabel Joy, and it's like she knew, you know what? My mission is fulfilled. And that's. That's kind of where the idea of the book that I just wrote, Mabel and the Big Paws, When Mavis Pearl Crosses over the rainbow bridge. That book really gave me closure for Mavis Pearl and kind of introduced Mabel into the whole picture.

Oh, my gosh. That is an incredible story. I knew some of those details, but I didn't know all of those details. And that. What a great story. And, you know, animals are so incredible because they know when their job is done, they can look at you and just say, you know, my job here is done. I've taken care of you. I'm finished. And they know, and it's just amazing to me. So tell me, just if someone wants to get in touch with your book that you just released, how can they find that book? Where's it at?

Well, we actually have. When I had walked through the transition of the nonprofits and into Lisa Bain Ministries, the Lord just spoke to my.

My heart.

I was in the fetal position in the kitchen. And he said, hey, Lisa, get up.

Get up.

Stop it. Divine intervention. I've got books for you to write. I've got ministry. Just get up and move forward. And. And the three books were written. One that really talks about walking through broken places. It's better out here. And then Feel the Rain, which is kind of like a daily devotion. I kind of compare it to kind of like Chicken Soup for the Soul. It's like a devotion a day. And then my children's book, Mabel and the Big Paws, they can all be found on Amazon. They can also be found on my website, LisaBain.com and there's a little tab that says books. You can get them there as well.

Perfect. Perfect. So tell me, Lisa, what is the most challenging lesson that you have learned from. From your work?

You know, when. When you ask that. My mind goes back to a moment where I was with my mom and dad. We had received our 501C3 in the mail, and it was for the first nonprofit. And my mom was bouncing off the walls. She was so excited. My dad was in the corner wiping tears, and I got frustrated with my dad. I was like, dad, what is wrong with you? And he goes, lisa, he goes, you're stepping into a journey that I'm gonna have to watch you walk through. And you're gonna see the best of people, but you're also gonna see the worst of people. And I've got to watch you learn love and forgiveness on a whole new level to a place that you won't get stuck, but you can move forward. And my mom's bouncing off, saying, oh, but, Bill, she's gonna learn how to love deeper and forgive stronger and be a better person. And my dad's over there saying, yeah, and I'm going to have to watch her cry and walk through it to get.

Yeah, I know.

Like a dad. And so. But you know what, Pam? They were. They were both right. And you do. In the nonprofit world, you see the best, and you see the worst. But I kind of was talking to you before and said, you know, I hate what I went through, but I love what I became because of it. And the Lord has really. The number one lesson that comes to my mind is forgiveness and love, unconditional love. There's a lot of broken people, hurt people, hurt people. There's a lot that you run into in the nonprofit world that's not fun. People that are very unpleasant, and there's betrayal, and there's broken trust, and the Lord has. There's grief, and the Lord has really Shown me that the importance of forgiveness and loving and his extreme. I love the quote. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. And someone said, well, how can you love someone that has wronged you so deeply? You know what? You forgive them in your own strength. And you say, jesus, it's in your hands, and he takes it from there. And he does such a good job every time. And, you know, someone said to me, well, do you still. Do you harbor anger and unforgiveness? And I can ask, honestly tell you, no, I don't. I pray for those people that have hurt me. Do I intermingle with them or have relationship? No. You can love them from afar, but it's unforgiveness that keeps you stuck. And God doesn't want you stuck. It keeps you from walking out your purpose.

Well, and I think what. What you experienced really leans into when the Bible says, love thy neighbors and love thy enemies, pray for your enemies. That's hard to do. And it's such a lesson of humility and forgiveness and such a deepness of empathy and understanding. And like what you said just a couple moments ago, hurt people, hurt other people. And to. For you to be able to lean into the fact of loving your enemies and praying for your enemies is such a huge place of growth. I just can't even imagine that experience.

You had, you know, and I've had some people say, well, I don't want to. I don't know how to pray for this person that has just destroyed my family or my home or my marriage. And I'm like, you know what? God knows the perfect prayer. And there's been times where I've said, jesus, I don't know how to pray for this. Please intercede, Lord Jesus, on my behalf that prayer. I'm stuck. And he. He knows our hearts. And, you know, grief, when you have been hurt, grief is tricky. I went through grief counseling, and PTSD is real, you know, but there's also healing on the other side. And someone said, well, does it go away? And I'm like, it doesn't go away. It looks different and it feels different, and it lands different. And that's kind of what happens through the grieving process. And I'm. I'm thankful that I've been able to walk through it and be on this end of it, because so many people have come to me that are walking through the exact same thing, even in nonprofits. And I can say, well, I can tell you what worked for me and how we navigated this. But no matter what. You know, Jesus knows brokenness. He chose to be broken when he was crying out, you know, take this cup from me, Lord. He. He could have just chosen not to be broken. Just, bam, I'm. I'm not going to be. But he chose it, and he knows what it's like. Like. And there was nobody that faced ridicule more than Jesus. And so he understands. And he. He always meets me right there and walks me through it. Not around the mountain. He walks me straight through it. Yeah.

And it's like, you can choose to stay hurt, angry, or stay a victim of. Of a situation, or you can choose to look at. Okay, what lesson did I need to learn? And I'm not going to be a victim of this. I'm going to learn from this, and this is going to become my superpower. And that's a choice. Your response to something is your responsibility.

Absolutely. The last thing my mom said to me was, lisa, joy is a choice. It's not always the easiest choice, but it's always the right choice. She's so right. And, you know, we. I don't want to choose to be a victim. I want to choose that joy every day. And she's right. Some days it's like, ugh, really? But it's always right. And, you know, joy and happiness are completely different. I've had my world shattered and been in the fetal position, but there's a joy deep in my soul that knows I'm okay. Yeah, I'm gonna get this out and cry, but I'm okay.

Absolutely. I agree with that. So if someone listening is interested in starting a nonprofit, what advice would you give them?

You know, if I was going back, I would have told myself, I don't think people understand the huge importance of choosing a correct board that carries your passion, your vision, your heart. Getting a board of directors is so important, and hooking up with people that really do have experience in that. And also those bylaws that. What happened to me with the first nonprofit would not have happened had my bylaws been in a different place. Place. And, boy, I've learned a lot about. A lot of people don't realize how important a boredom bylaws are, but also, what's your foundation? And you want to get people in your tribe that are united with your foundation. And if it's on, you know, the Lord, if it's on, you know, whatever it is that walk out the heart of what. What that is, I. I can't stress that enough. You. You definitely. And, oh, the board of directors that I have now. Oh, they just carry it and we pray over it and they feel it. And I just, like I told them at our last board meeting, I'd go through this all again to get the team that I have. That's just so precious. And I've learned, you know, you truly learn. Who do you get on your board? You know?

Well, I think it's important to maybe acknowledge, I think people start a nonprofit because they want to help, they want to give, they want to serve. It's a philanthropy. But when you take a step back, it's like the, the foundation and the fundamentals and the structure is where we get confused. Just like someone starting a small business, they start a small business out of passion for something, but the business part of it is tricky. So the structure part of the nonprofit is tricky. And people don't know that going in. So thank you for sharing that about the board. That's so valuable.

Well, and then you want to be able to have it structured, right? And like, we have an amazing bookkeeper, amazing accountant, attorney. You have, you want to be able to have that structured. And you know, I learned so, so much at the very beginning. But yes, you're right. Many people come in. I just want to help somebody. But you have to have your bylaws, you have to have that whole structure to be able to get your 1023, to be able to get your certification, your, your non profit status. So it, it definitely was a learning experience. And anyone who has started a non profit will tell you the same thing. Boy, there was a lot more to that.

I had no idea.

No idea. But I, I, it's been, it's been wonderful. It's been a growing experience and I have, I've loved it. The people that we've met and the opportunities and the people we've helped, it's just been a joy.

Oh, that's, that's so phenomenal. Well, 2023, I had the most wonderful opportunity and experience of supporting Lisa Bain ministry and Grady Nichols Christmas project.

Oh, my gosh.

I did. And I tell you what, Lisa, my friend, that was such a phenomenal night. If anyone locally knows Grady Nichols, to know him is to love him. He's so, so talented and incredible musician and jazz artist. He's just incredible. The two of you linking arms for this Christmas project. Oh, my gosh. Will you please share about this? Because I know it's coming up again. Do you have dates? Do you have give, give us the skinny on all of that.

Well, this is our main fundraiser. And I'm so honored that they chose us to be the permanent benefiting charity of this event every year. And I love it because I. I love Christmas and it really helps us with our care boxes over the holidays and our care bags and when the need is so great. But I remember when Grady started this and there was another charity that was the benefiting charity. And I love Grady. Just. I love him to pieces. And Kelly, I've known Kelly since I was in junior high. And of course, who doesn't love Andy Chrisman from. For him, that was my band. I loved him. And so I remember I made vision boards. And on every vision board, I put. I want our ministry someday to be involved in it. I put the logo, the great logo on every vision board. And so I was like, well, Lord, I'm just going to keep believing. I don't know. And then honestly and truly, last year, I thought, I wonder if I should keep this on. And I got a call from Grady and he said, you know, Lisa, we really, really want to link arms with Lisa Bain Ministries and would love for you all to be the benefiting charity. And it was the seventh year and he had such visions for what it would be like. And we were just so blessed when Doug Turner with Tee Stream said, I will donate the production. I'll bring my rigs in with everything. And we want this to just be a phenomenal concert. When Kenny Loggins was involved. Marcus and Travis Meyer. Yay, Travis.

I know. And Leanne Taylor. Oh, my gosh. I mean, it was so phenomenal.

And. And I. I loved it because the sponsors were just people who have been so supportive. And this event, we really get to highlight all of those sponsors in a huge way. You saw how huge that screen was. Yeah. And being able to highlight the sponsors. And this year we're excited because we're going to have like an hors d' oeuvre at the meet and greet type of a meeting where we really recognize and acknowledge and thank the sponsors. And so it'll be more of a little event before the show. But we're already planning. It's December 10th this year, and we've already got some really neat things in the works, and we've already got the sponsor levels out. And you can go to our website@lisabing.com and. And be able to look at the. The sponsor sheets. But it's just the thing I love about this concert is that it is really covered in prayer. And Kelly and Andy and Grady are the real deal. I had the joy of working on this production with them, going behind the scenes and being with them, and they are the real deal. They are truly some of the most talented human beings I've ever met. And the choir that we had, oh.

My gosh.

With Alaska and I mean, just, it was really good. So I'm excited this year and I hope the community, we always use the theme joining Tulsans Together. And our. Our goal and our hope is to be able to bring Tulson's together to celebrate Christmas, you know, and of all races, all denominations, and just coming together to just sing some of the best Christmas music. And last year there was some secular music that we kind of turned it into a Christmas spirit. And, yeah, this year we've got. We've got some really cool things planned. So I'm excited. I'm so glad you. You liked it, Pam.

Oh, my gosh, Lisa. It was such an honor to be a part of it and to experience this. And. And I love, I love Christmas. It's my favorite as well. I mean, I love Easter and Christmas. Those two are neck and neck for me, but I love Christmas and there's nothing more exciting and a beautiful way to welcome in the holiday season, Christmas season by going and joining with all of the people there, listening to the music and being a part of that. It was just spectacular. And you and your volunteer team, the sponsors, the musicians, the artists, everyone did so, such an incredible job. I can't wait for this year. I know. I mean, you hit it out of the park last year, but that was like a trial run, so. I know this year is kind of always. Yes, exactly. The first one, you're like drinking through, you know, from a fire hose, and now you're like, okay, I've got my footing. I know what we're doing differently this year. It. Last year was spectacular. I know this year is going to supersede what happened last year.

Yeah, we're excited. Leanne Taylor's going to be there again. And. And actually, you'll probably see more of the therapy dogs.

Oh, good, good. Awesome.

Yeah, we've got some surprises planned, so.

I, I'm excited if, if anybody listening would like to be a. A sponsor or just buy tickets. LisaBainMinistry.com Is that correct?

LisaBain.com and there's a tab where you can go where it says events and you can also contact me. My contact information is on my website. We would love to have you as a sponsor and have you involved. And the tickets will go on sale. We think they're going to go on sale. A little earlier this year because people were like, can they go on sale early? Because we really sold out and it was balcony. We've got a different setup this year to where we'll have more tickets available.

Well, you'll have to, because it was packed last year. It was packed. You're going to have to open more seats.

They all get another little surprise. I'm so excited about this surprise everyone gets. They'll like it.

I. I love it. Oh, my gosh, Lisa. So I have just a few rapid fire questions for you.

Okay.

What do you want to be remembered for?

That I lived out love and I didn't have to preach to know Jesus. And no love. I didn't. I preached without saying a word.

Just by example.

Yep, by example. That I didn't say a word, but just lived it.

I love it. When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a helper and a housewife. That's what I always said. I want to be a helper and a housewife. And at one point, I wanted to be a veterinarian. It kind of interchanged between a helper, a housewife and a veterinarian.

And look at you with all your dogs and your grandbabies and all the things. So there you go.

I'm helping a veterinarian. You are. I love it.

When is the first time that you can remember encountering the Holy Spirit?

I was on a music ministries trip. I sang on a praise and worship team. We traveled around the United States at oru and it was my first year doing this and we were singing and I had such a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit and was never the same after that. It was. It was a game changer for me. It was in a group called Vessel and it just. It was. It was a powerful weekend. So it was in college.

I love that. I hope. My hope for everyone would be that they get to encounter, yes, the Holy Spirit and know. And know that this is the Holy Spirit that you've just encountered.

And it's about relationship. And I'm thankful that my mom and dad raised me to it. That it wasn't about religion, it was about relationship. It was about relationship with Jesus. And when I'm in the fetal position, it's not religion that pulls me up, it's my relationship with Jesus. Absolutely pulls me up. So that's where the Holy Spirit is. Just. It's powerful. Powerful.

Oh, I love that. So final thoughts. What advice would you give women that are standing in the way of getting started, living out their life's purpose.

Sometimes we get in our way because we hold on to things in our life that we don't want to let go of. And what I mean is, my mom used to always say, lisa, have you given God all your gifts? And, you know, some things aren't wrapped in pretty packages. And I, I carried a lot before I started a nonprofit. One of them was not liking Lisa. Well, how was I going to, like, have a nonprofit and love people if I didn't love myself? I had a horrific fear of speaking in public, and I had a fear of death. Those three things I had to release to the Lord and let him take them because he saw them as gifts that he needed to be able to accomplish my purpose. And I many times would write down things I was passionate about. What are you passionate about? But it's those things that you really release in getting ourselves out of the way. Because not only did I have to get over death, I'm. I'm with so many families in the dying process. And what. And I. That just stuck out so much into me to the point that when my mom passed away, she was always saying, you know, give him the gifts. Give him. Give him the gifts there. The most beautiful things come wrapped in not very pretty boxes. And sometimes the way that we view ourselves and our doubts, they don't come in pretty boxes. And when she passed away, we were cleaning out her house, and there was a box that was going over the dumpster. It was just really gross and dilapidated. And I saw a little piece of silk hanging out. I went over and I opened it up, and it was this treasure that was called a Bilo baby. Everything on it was handmade, and it was 125 years old. And it was the first replica of a newborn baby. And it was so signed by the creator. Grace Story Putnam. My mom left a note that said, I hope I'm glad you opened this box. It wasn't wrapped in a very pretty box. It's to be passed down to the youngest daughter to the youngest daughter, and I'm to pass it down. It was in the family forever. It was not wrapped in a pretty box. And mom knew that I was going to have to walk in daily giving the Lord those things that were, I didn't see, see as pretty. God had other plans, and I got out of my way and let him take those. So I can truly say that I'm able to walk out my purpose because I gave him the things that I didn't think were Very pretty.

And ultimately, it sounds like you learn to love yourself exactly the way God loves you.

Exactly the way. And getting rid of the negative tapes in your head. And I talk about this in the book. It's part of stepping out of that broken place you've got us. You've got to replace the negative tapes with the way that. The word of the way that God sees you. You know, and I have them all over my house, things that I might think to myself. And you flip it and it's a verse, it's a scripture. I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. And someone said, what was the worst thing you struggled with growing up? It wasn't drugs, alcohol, promiscuity. It was hating myself.

Right.

And I'm telling you, that can really keep you stuck.

And I think that plagues most women. That's not even a. I mean, that's not like a 1 and, you know, 100. It's. Most women have that distaste for themselves. And it is so sad with social.

Media comparison is the thief of joy. And you've got to know that you are the only you. And. And God has unique talents that are just yours, you know, and they're waiting.

For you to pick them up and run.

Yep. Absolutely. And that can get in the way of your purpose. The devil will use that to keep you stuck. And it's just, It's. It's freeing when you can truly grab ahold of who you are in the Lord.

Oh, I love that. Okay, I'm just going to wrap it up here. Lisa, first of all, I want to thank you so much for your time. I know your time is so valuable. You have so many people to serve. I'm so grateful you said spent some time with me today and our audience. Thank you so much. I want the everyone listening. Go to LisaBain.com, order her books. Check out the Christmas Project, the charity with Grady Nichols and his. His band and his team. Look at the sponsorship levels. Become a sponsor. You will not regret locking arms with Lisa Bain Ministries. I promise you that. Amazon.com also has Lisa's books. Um, and you. You just can't go wrong by following Lisa and the her ministry and her nonprofit. Lisa, my friend, thank you so much for being here.

Honor. Thank you so much.

Oh, my friends, thank you for listening to a new life podcast today. Make. Make it a great day, my friends. You are awake. You're breathing. That means God is not done with you. There's something very special he wants you to do today because you are here and you are listening to this. Make it a great day and we'll talk soon.

Bye Bye.

Thank you for joining us today on a New Life podcast. We will see you next time.