The Wholehearted Woman: Who She Is and Why She Matters

By Beth Doohan and Jenni Walker

No matter what season of life you are in, God is calling you to a place of deep and wholehearted relationship with Him. Do you desire to live your Christian faith confidently with your mind and heart transformed through the living and active Word of God? Are you a wholehearted woman who wants to find more depth and godly purpose in your current season of life? The mission for The Wholehearted Woman is helping women be fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ and courageously on-mission for Himone heart at a time.

The Wholehearted Woman: Who She Is and Why She Matters addresses topics such as choosing intentional surrender, knowing and living the truth of the Bible, facing uncertainty, dealing with a wounded heart, cultivating courage, and living for Gods purposes in every season of life. Each chapter contains powerful biblical truths, relevant and practical examples from real-life wholehearted women, and honest reflection questions at the end of each chapter for personal devotion time or small group discussion.

Do you want to know who the wholehearted woman is and find out why she matters? Are you ready for what God is going to do with your whole heart? Grab your Bible, a journal, and a cup of coffee, and lets embark on this journey together!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973623458

Beth Doohan

Beth Doohan and Jenni Walker are sisters who share a common heart to help women grow deeper in their relationships with Christ as they surrender their lives fully to His lordship and the truth of Gods Word. They have been involved in various areas of womens ministry over the years and felt the Lord leading them to expand their reach through Wholehearted Woman Ministries and https://wholeheartedwoman.live. They both love writing, cinnamon dolce lattes, musicals, reading, the lakes of Minnesota, quality time with family and friends, and their amazing husbands.

Book preview

Recommendations for

The Wholehearted Woman

What strikes me about this book is not pretty pictures, feel-good metaphors, or a paltry presentation of faith. Instead, it’s a clear picture of my need for Jesus, the beauty of walking closely with Him, and an urgent call-to-action to live wholeheartedly for God. You can be confident that engaging this content will encourage you to dive into and cherish Scripture as you draw closer to the only One who can satisfy your soul.

Sadie Coltrane

Wife, Student Ministries Leader, and Mentor to Female Small Group Leaders

"I just love the message of this book – it’s rich, spiritually solid, and very REAL. If you’re searching for a biblical and engaging devotional book, for a woman’s group or for one-on-one mentoring, I highly recommend The Wholehearted Woman: Who She is and Why She Matters."

Ann Dunagan

Mom of 7, International Mission Leader, and Author of The Mission-Minded Family

Jenni and Beth’s passion for intimacy with Jesus and heart for reaching out to others shines in this beautiful work that can be used for personal or group study. No matter the stage of life you are in, God will use this book to draw you closer to His heart and to fall more deeply in love with Him.

Krystal Fernandes

Pastor’s Wife and Mama of 2 Toddlers

"Beth and Jenni will help you begin a beautiful journey through scripture, meaningful reflection, and application as you step into full devotion to Christ. You will be compelled to live fully surrendered as they share from the heart. The Wholehearted Woman will call you higher, give room for authentic discipleship alongside other women, and open your eyes to the truth and transforming power of God’s Word as you step into your God-ordained destiny."

Jen Forsthoff

Author of Chosen for Charlie, Pastor’s Wife, Mother of 3, and Worship Leader

This book exemplifies something beautiful, the kind of beauty that really matters in life: knowing Jesus, seeing Him move and work, and helping others grow and know Him for themselves.

Jeni Newsome

Worship Leader, Mission-Minded Youth Volunteer, and Business Owner

"The Wholehearted Woman is a compelling invitation to answer the call to grow in God in greater ways. This book gives the opportunity to re-examine attitudes in our everyday lives and then find joy doing it God’s way. Jenni and Beth’s transparency and personal examples make the Scriptural truths presented in this book come alive in authentic and heart-transforming ways."

Annie Winn

Pastor’s Wife, Mother of 3, and Grandma of 8

The Wholehearted Woman

Who She Is and Why She Matters

By: Beth Doohan and Jenni Walker

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Copyright © 2018 Wholehearted Woman Ministries

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

All of our photos were taken personally or are from www.pexels.com.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2344-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2346-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2345-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018903336

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/25/2018

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,

1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

This book is dedicated to women

everywhere who share in this heart’s cry:

Now I resolve with all my heart, With all my powers, to serve the Lord: Nor from His precepts e’er depart, Whose service is a rich reward.

O be His service all my joy; Around let my example shine, Till others love the best employ, And join in labors so divine.

Be this the purpose of my soul, My solemn, my determined choice, To yield to His supreme control, And in His kind commands rejoice.

O may I never faint nor tire, Nor wandering leave His sacred ways; Great God, accept my soul’s desire, And give me strength to live Thy praise.

Contents

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Foreword

A Wholehearted Welcome

Section I - The Whole Heart

1. Who Is The Wholehearted Woman?

2. Corrie Ten Boom: A Heart Inclined Toward God’s Word

3. Ruth Bell Graham: Growing in the Knowledge of God

4. Elisabeth Elliot: Joy in Doing the Will of God

Section II - Intentional Surrender

5. What is God’s Purpose for Women?

6. Follow Me

7. Who’s to Say?

8. Walking with God – in Scheduled and Unscheduled Ways

9. Dynamic Marriage, Dynamic Roles

10. Throughout the Years

11. I Just Want to Be Happy!

12. Faithful in the Waiting

Section III - On Mission

13. It is Yet Real…

14. Living Daily With An Eternal Perspective, Part 1: Different Roles, One Mission!

15. Living Daily With an Eternal Perspective, Part Two: Compelled by the Great Commission!

16. Family: A Living Display of God’s Glory and Grace

17. Joy by Design: The Rhythm of Family Life

18. Joy Stealers

19. Living Life on Purpose

20. More Than We Might Ask or Think

Section IV - Laid Bare

21. Facing Uncertainty

22. Through Every Season: Experiencing God Through Brokenness

23. Renewed Heart: Trusting God After Brokenness

24. Do I Belong?

25. Shepherd of Our Decisions

26. I’m Not Perfect…Who Is?

Section V - Something Greater

27. God’s Character, Our Worth

28. Cultivating Discernment: Living in the Will of God

29. An Encouraged Heart

30. Looking

31. All Her Heart, All the Way

With Love

Notes

About the Authors

Connect with The Wholehearted Woman

Foreword

As I sat down to read this book, I was thrilled by the genuine faith and spiritual depth of this sister-duo. Beth and Jenni shine brightly as authors from the Millennial generation, with a deep love for God and a desire to help all women to live wholeheartedly for Him.

The Wholehearted Woman is perfect for a devotional book, with short chapters, real-life stories, and practical discussion questions. The examples flow back-and-forth between the daily lives of today’s young women and timeless testimonies from famous heroes of faith, such as Elisabeth Elliot, Betty Scott Stam, Corrie Ten Boom, and Ruth Bell Graham.

I just love the message of this book — it’s rich, spiritually solid, and very REAL. Obviously, Beth and Jenni are writing from genuine relationships with the Lord. Their words are well-written, and the focus flows with scriptural truth and a passion to encourage women to live courageously on-mission with a focus on loving God and His Word, and a desire to be fruitful for eternity.

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from The Wholehearted Woman:

No matter what our current seasons of life are, we can be bright, vibrant, alive women of God if we will live this Christian life with single-mindedness, intentionality, and joy.

Following Jesus in the big things begins by following Him in the little things.

You may also feel that you are not in a place to truly make a large impact for His kingdom purposes. May I just encourage you that no matter where you are at, God will cause your light to shine brightly? When you give your whole heart to Him, He will help to fan the flame in your heart and use you to bear fruit.

"God desires all that we have and all that we are. He does not desire perfection, or striving to present ourselves in a certain light, but He calls us to live sold-out, wholehearted, real lives for Him!"

When we surrender our hearts and lives completely to the Lord, inclining our hearts toward His Word and growing in knowledge of Him, He will do a work that is ongoing during our time here on earth: He will search our hearts for us, He will lead and guide us in His ways, and He will produce a holy joy in doing His will.

Oh my, yes! My prayer is for this book and the upcoming ministry outreaches of The Wholehearted Woman to produce a holy joy in doing His will — with much fruit that remains for eternity.

Ann Dunagan – MissionMindedFamilies.org

Mom of 7, International Mission Leader, and author of The Mission-Minded Family

A Wholehearted Welcome

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Dear Wholehearted Woman,

In the fall of 2015, nearly a dozen ladies of different ages, seasons of life, and backgrounds filled a cozy, cream-carpeted living room each week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The smell of coffee and the sound of enthusiastic chatter permeated that homey condo on a weekly basis for the next year and a half as those women met to study God’s design for biblical womanhood and to fellowship with one another using Elisabeth Elliot’s book, Let Me Be a Woman, as a guide. The short chapters were originally letters by Elliot to her daughter, Valerie, and contained deep, meaningful insights about godly womanhood. The book had been given to Beth and Jenni, sisters and the hosts of the women’s group, by their mom during their maturing years, and it deeply impacted them both. The Bible study was the perfect opportunity to spread that impact.

As you might have guessed, yes, we are Beth and Jenni, two sisters who share a common heart to help women surrender their lives fully to the lordship of Christ and the truth of His Word. We embarked on this journey of women’s ministry together when we began hosting the weekly study of biblical womanhood and how to live on mission for the Lord in all seasons of life. In our time together with our Bible study ladies, we grew in intimacy with Christ, in understanding of God’s holy calling and design for women, and in close friendship with other amazing wholehearted women of God. As the book study came to a close, we desired to continue expanding our reach with God’s truth about His holy calling for women through the work of Jesus Christ no matter what season of life they might be in. Shortly thereafter, The Wholehearted Woman was born.

Since that time, we have still enjoyed friendships with those Bible study ladies, while also ministering to a broader audience through writing for The Wholehearted Woman website at https://wholeheartedwoman.live. Our prayer is that God would continue to use us to encourage and build up His daughters, that they might come to a greater knowledge and love of our Lord, and to serve Him with wholehearted devotion as they delight to do His will.

Although we wish we could join with each one of you weekly to grow together in godly womanhood and fellowship, we believe that The Wholehearted Woman: Who She Is and Why She Matters can be a tool for you both for personal growth in your own walk with the Lord and also for you to study together with other women in your own cozy living rooms, coffee shops, and small group settings. God is gracious, full of compassion, and desires for each of us to grow in intimacy with Him. He also equips us to do His calling and to boldly live on mission for Him as women after His heart no matter what seasons of life we are in! So grab your Bible, a journal, and a cup of coffee, and let’s get started. We welcome you and believe with all of our hearts that He who began a good work in each of us will help us to walk it out faithfully and wholeheartedly to His glory!

Wholeheartedly,

Beth & Jenni

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

I.

The Whole Heart

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With my whole heart I have sought You. Psalm 119:10a

Chapter 1

Who Is The Wholehearted Woman?

I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.

–Psalm 40:8

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

–Ephesians 3:18–19 (NLT)

The pleasant sound of women socializing with one another filled the condo living room. You know the sound. It is heard every time a group of women gets together. Someone puts on a pot of coffee, and before long the room is permeated with women connecting with each other through rapid-fire dialogue, hugs, laughter, and even tears. Such was the case nearly every Thursday night in Beth’s home from 2015-2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the two of us co-hosted a women’s Bible study. Women we knew from college, from church, or had met in a passing conversation at the gym, gathered on a weekly basis to grow in their walks with the Lord and in fellowship with one another.

That cheery living room was always bursting with conversation, and strewn about the carpeted floor wherever there was room were Bibles, journals, pens, and copies of Elisabeth Elliot’s Let Me Be a Woman from which we read weekly. Once everyone had a beverage in hand and a plate of tasty treats balancing on one knee, we would all quiet ourselves and pray for God’s blessing on our time together. Over the course of time, God would use these women to work in each other’s lives, to bless others in their community through local outreaches, and to respond to Him with surrendered hearts as He drew us all a little closer toward His plans and purposes for our lives.

Fast-forward a year and a half later, and the book study was coming to a close. Each chapter had been thoroughly discussed, corresponding biblical precepts studied, and meaningful memories made. The two of us were still hosting monthly meet-ups with the Bible study ladies – short devotions, the occasional outreach, or just coffee and fellowship. This left our Thursday evenings open again, and the question lingering unspoken in both of our hearts was, What next? Should we start another book study about biblical womanhood? Or was there something else God wanted us to do? That question would soon be answered for both of us…

A Hot Summer Day

It was a hot Tulsa day near the end of the summer of 2016. Beth and I (Jenni) had just met together with one of our friends from the Bible study to catch up and to hear about her recent trip to Africa. A few hours later, we said goodbye to her and began the short walk under the shaded trees of the apartment complex walkway to the parking lot. It was there that we were about to have what I believe was a God-ordained conversation.

Upon reaching our cars, we stood chatting awhile about the upcoming week with keys in hand, enjoying the afternoon summer sun and doing a traditional Minnesota goodbye. If you have grown up anywhere in one of the northern states of the Midwest like us, you will know what I am talking about. This sort of goodbye involves taking a few steps toward the door while still in the house, stopping and chatting more, exchanging heartfelt goodbye hugs and sentiments, then taking a few more steps toward the door. Once arriving at the door, a hasty exit is not to be made. Lots of lingering, more chatting, and another round of hugs is likely to ensue, and the exiting party members finally walk down the sidewalk to their cars, waving and calling out thank-yous and goodbyes as they go. Of course, the homeowners may make the walk with them, extending the goodbye a bit longer. Or perhaps the people making their departure are leaving in separate cars. This requires stopping and chatting some more before making the final round of goodbye hugs and, finally, driving home. (This may sound extensive, exhaustive or even exaggerative, but it is really an enjoyable, if somewhat humorous, part of our upper-Midwest culture that we brought with us to Oklahoma!)

This summer afternoon, Beth and I were in the stand by your cars and chat some more stage of our traditional Minnesota goodbye when our discussion shifted toward a topic that both of us feel very strongly about: women knowing who they are in Christ and living lives fully surrendered to Him. As we shared what was on our hearts, from specific verses to the anthem of a popular song at the time, Beth asked, What if we started a women’s ministry? Hmm, a women’s ministry. We could set up a website, I said thoughtfully. That sounded like a lot of work and commitment, but we had already been doing women’s ministry, so why not start a website? It would be a great way to expand our reach to other women with the things God had taught us throughout the years about biblical womanhood.

But we did not want what we wrote about on the website to just to be about us and our own experiences. We had perused many me-blogs, where the author is the central focus with her life on display for the readers. Instead, we wanted a website that would minister to the hearts and minds of readers with biblical truth and stir them to passionately pursue God and surrender to His will in their lives. As we continued our conversation in the sweltering heat, a vision of women with their identities rooted in the truth of the Bible was forming in our minds and hearts. What would it look like in a woman’s life if her whole heart was surrendered to the lordship of Christ and the authority of His Word? Greater intimacy with the Lord, confidence and boldness in her Christian living, a sense of calling in her current season of life, growing sensitivity and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, and an unwavering commitment to reach others with the Gospel were just a few of the things that we knew would result from a woman with that kind of surrendered heart. This prospect of serving a community of women with biblical truth and wisdom resonated in our hearts as a calling from God. And, thus, was the beginning of The Wholehearted Woman.

Matters of the Whole Heart

Just who is this wholehearted woman, and why does she matter? She is a woman with a transformed mind and heart who lives what the Bible says confidently and courageously, knowing who she is in Christ, as she makes a difference in the lives of those around her for the kingdom of God. This begins with what is described in our mission statement: Helping women be fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ and courageously ‘on-mission’ for Him – one heart at a time. God cares about your heart. But He does not just want part of it; He wants all of it! The Bible emphasizes again and again the theme of seeking the Lord with the whole heart:

I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart. (Psalm 40:8)

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart. (Psalm 119:2)

Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end. (Psalm 119:111–12)

To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:1b–4)

These Scripture passages emphasize three things about those who seek the Lord with their whole hearts: First, that they incline their hearts toward the Word of God (i.e. His testimonies). They hunger for God’s Word and prioritize spending time in the Bible. Scripture provides the final authority in their lives for how to walk in obedience to God, and they are determined to live righteously and spread biblical truth.

Secondly, they grow in their knowledge of God. This comes by spending time in intimacy with the Lord through reading the Bible, prayer, journaling, time in worship, church community and other spiritual resources (podcasts, books, etc.). These individuals invite God to be the center of their decisions and listen to His Holy Spirit.

Finally, they delight to do His will. As wholehearted followers of Jesus, they understand that their lives are about more than themselves, and that they are called by God to serve others and minister the Gospel. Because of this life mission, these individuals are driven to be other-centered and serve in their local communities, churches and more to display the love of Christ Jesus and share the truth of God’s Word.

As Christians, it is important to learn from the godly examples of other