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I watched in awe as my favorite professional football team of 40 years, the New Orleans Saints, defied the wise analysts and negative naysayers of our time, by not only getting into the Superbowl but actually WINNING the Superbowl! I yelled, I screamed “who dat”, I jumped up and down on my couch (much to my teen aged sons’ chagrin), I sang “when the Saints go marching in”, I danced and I cried as I watched a group of individuals, most who were rejected by other teams, do something no one believed they could but exactly what they said they would.

I followed their journey from the beginning. Early in the season, they boldly stated their goal – to go to the Superbowl – a feat no other New Orleans Saints team had ever accomplished. To many people, this group of individuals were not talented enough to achieve it, thought brazen to even think it and completely crazy for having the audacity to say it out loud. Undeterred by the majority, they remained and played confident throughout the season. Each week no matter the score, “winning the Superbowl” was reiterated as their common goal and ultimate destiny. Because of that unity, they did it! They won the Superbowl!

As if scripted, each player interviewed post game attributed their victory to the same powerful force. “We weren’t playing for ourselves; we were playing for something much bigger”. Individually they prepared while collectively they played for New Orleans, a city ravaged and abused by the power of a hurricane named Katrina. The people who call New Orleans their home needed hope in a tangible way. They needed to believe in and be a part of something bigger than themselves … don’t we all?

I have personally and most recently experienced that power of believing in and being a part of something bigger than myself. While transforming and life changing it is extremely difficult to articulate the process. It begins with ordinary days. You don’t realize as you are participating in the mundane duties, responsibilities and routines society and your family expect you to, your heart is being prepared to carry a dream of great magnitude. As you participate in the required details of your life, the dream is simultaneously birthed in your spirit and an veiled to your soul. When your conscience mind tries to unpack and understand the details, you immediately become overwhelmed at the magnitude of it all. No one needs to tell YOU that it is far beyond your natural ability to accomplish – alone. Yet it becomes a part of you. You spend hours planning, preparing and praying. Restless, you try to behave as if you aren’t forever changed. You feel half crazy believing in something you dare not share with another human being! You believe alone. Most days you feel alone; pregnant with the impossible yet bursting with this secret knowledge. You wonder if you will ever have the courage to speak it out loud. Compelled beyond reason, the unspoken finally becomes spoken as you share your dream with one who holds your heart and your secrets sacred. Then the divine occurs. A heavenly chain reaction, a cosmic big bang, a domino effect occurs. It defies explanation and can only be experienced. If is as if all the power of heaven moves behind your dream to announce it’s birth.

You have now transitioned from dreaming to doing! Others, as ordinary as yourself but supernaturally prepared, cross your path claiming to have heard the same whispers of a destiny you thought was yours to carry alone. In masses they come to stand shoulder to shoulder beside you fight for the realization of this dream. That coming together, united with others in a common purpose while being of “one heart and one mind” causes a shift in an unseen world. More than you dared asked or imagined becomes reality. You watch, and more incredible than watching, you participate in making the impossible – possible; the natural – supernatural; the mundane; miraculous!

One week before the Superbowl I was told the 50 acre piece of property our organization, C2BU believed in and raised money for will become ours on March 5th! Because a group of people dared to believe and work toward the impossible children rescued from sex trafficking will now call Courage House their home. It will be the first home of its kind in Northern California; the first Christian home for this vulnerable, invisible population in the entire United States. We did it! God did it – in and through us! We promised Him all the credit and we gave it to Him.

A group of us gathered last Monday night to celebrate the victory. Individually and collectively, we believed we were a part of something bigger than ourselves and now we had tangible evidence! We danced, we sang, we laughed, we hugged, high-fived and ran around the room! I was singing “when the saints go marching in; oh how I want to be in that number … ” not as a football anthem but as a hymn of praise, thankful that God allowed me to participate in his plans!

When God’s people come together as one, speaking the same language, united in purpose then the impossible becomes possible! Lives change, captives are set free and us mere mortals are changed forever. I feel like I won the Superbowl! We did it!

You may have read C2BU founder Jenny Williamson’s blog “Just do something” and are wondering what you could do. In 2009 many people developed their own ideas to help C2BU build homes for children rescued out of sex trafficking. Here are a few of their very creative ideas :

Create a lent calendar dedicated to bringing awareness to the sex trafficking of children. Offer a “sacrifice” and prayer each day leading to Easter.

Run a marathon and have people pledge support by the miles your run.

Make & sell jewelry at a local bible bookstore.

Make donations in your bridesmaids’ names instead of buying gifts.

Go with a team to serve at Courage House in Tanzania, Africa.

Have a garage sale with proceeds going towards Courage House.

Design graphics for C2BU’s trademarked phrases “do you have the courage to be you” “created on purpose for a purpose” “dream big. live large. laugh loud.”

Volunteer your time helping with administrative duties.

Volunteer your time and expertise at numerous professional services all businesses require.

Write government officials – city, state and national – advocating for victim services and stiffer jail time/fines for individuals who sell young children for sex.

College students gathered together to make bracelets and sold them on campus educating other students about sex trafficking.

Form a prayer group to meet weekly praying for C2BU’s efforts to Courage House and the children been tortured by this hideous crime.

Host a benefit concert.

Write a song for children held captive in sex trafficking.

Research sex trafficking of children in your area and educate every one you know.

Organize an sex trafficking awareness night in your home or business; invite C2BU volunteers to come and educate the group of the victims needs.

By faith quit your job and move to Tanzania, Africa to help start Courage House.

Write or call local media and educate them with regard to sex trafficking in your area. Tell them of the lack of homes and services for the victims and C2BU’s desire to build those homes.

Go through C2BU’s volunteer training. Become a Chaplain or CASA (court appointed special advocate) so that you can mentor a high risk child.

All of these were fabulous ideas that originated with someone whose heart has been broken for children rescued out of sex trafficking … by people who want to “just do something”.

Those 3 words were an urgent prayer I prayed 2 1/2 years ago when I first learned children were being sold for sex in this world; in MY world. At first, I didn’t want to believe it.

“The skeptic says, “This can not be.” The hopeful says, “There aren’t that many.” And the activist says, “Where are they and how can I make a difference.” (author unknown to this writer)

I was personally called an “activist” for the very first time in August 2008. The term, along with my name, was blazed across a headline in the Sacramento Bee (our local newspaper). When I first saw the headline, I was perplexed as to why the word activist was used to describe me! (I’m from the south and we don’t typically celebrate “those people”!) The Bee was reporting on the hideous crime of child sex trafficking in our city and the lack of homes for these young victims once they are rescued. I was included in the article because I had been passionately running around town telling anyone who would listen to me that “God’s people” were going to build a home for these vulnerable, invisible children – that they deserved a safe, loving home where they could discover their true identity and destiny. (It’s a wonder the reporter didn’t use the word crazy instead of activist to describe me!)

You may be wondering what type of impetus could cause such a radical transform from skeptic to activist. For me, it was simply a 3 word answer to my 3 word prayer. In seconds after I cried out to God “just do something” he seared my soul with these words, “why don’t you?” A profound silence cloaked my emotions. I truly experienced “time standing still”. And in that stillness, the entire course of my life shifted in seismic proportions. Though at the time, I could not have articulated that fact. Suddenly everything was so clear! I knew what I had to do; what I was called to do. It was simple. Hurting, abandoned, vulnerable children needed a home and I vowed to build them one. The thought became a burning desire and passionate resolve to see these children get what they deserved … a home! From that moment until this one, I have never once doubted this is God’s desire for these children. I knew I couldn’t do what I vowed to, but I totally believe that God could and would. That is how by faith, I began telling everyone I knew and everyone I met “we are going to build homes for children rescued from sex trafficking”. Yes, in the beginning people called me crazy! But I didn’t feel crazy … I felt alive, energized and confident it would happen – I just didn’t know how! When you believe something with all your heart, after awhile you forget to care what people think.

What a futile practice anyway! I wasted so many years of my life doing just that! Now I have this thing to do that is bigger than me, bigger than the trivial pursuits I sent most of my life involved in. I want my life to matter, to make a difference in the life of another. I am filled with a restlessness that makes me almost hyper! Time is moving at warp speed! If feels like the opportunity for me “to do something”; something significant in this world, for these kids is narrowing! I’m gonna be 50 years old this year!

Have you experienced it? That restless passion that often accompanies the age old questions “who am I and what am I suppose to be doing’! I would guess your answer to be yes if you are like the hundreds and hundreds of people I have personally met, spoken to and/or communicated with in 2009. Whether at Courage Conferences, Believe in Me Benefit Concerts or email correspondence, individuals have described to me over and over this same restlessness and sense of urgency I feel daily. Because of those many conversations, I have concluded we are a society, a people, united in our desire and desperate in our longing to point to something tangible, something concrete; dare I say something eternal and declare at the top of our lungs; “I was a part of THAT! I helped make THAT happen! Me, my life, I – made a difference!”

I believe God deposited those longings in each of us! I believe it is our destiny to make a difference in this world! While I am so determined to see children rescued out of sex trafficking and am so committed, along with everyone at C2BU, to build them homes, the overwhelming longing of my heart is to tell these children over and over again that they have value and a God-given purpose. I want to tell them they were created on purpose for a purpose. But that longing isn’t just aimed or limited to this precious population. I desire my husband, my kids, my friends, my neighbors and every single person that crosses my path to have the same revelation and realization. I long for YOU to know “you were created on purpose for a purpose!”

THAT reason was the entire reason Courage to Be You, Inc. (C2BU) was formed; to help people find their purpose! We believe in doing this, the world will be changed, one individual at a time. Our founding belief is that each and every human being is created by God “on purpose for a purpose” and discovering that purpose is the adventure of a lifetime! BUT (isn’t there always a “but”) it takes an enormous amount of courage to be and do all God created you to. Rest assured, courage is not a personality trait that some lucky individuals are born with! Thank God! For my natural tendencies gravitate more toward comfort, safety and security. I was thrilled when I discovered courage simply means action in the face of fear. “Just doing something” IS courage! Without courage – without doing something – there is no change in this world. There is no change in me. The desire to change the world, to impact the life of another is not a safe or cautious endeavor … it is downright scary!

On one particular day when my fears were paralyzing me, keeping me from “doing something”, God whispered these words to my heart. I ponder them daily …

“Fear does not come from me. BUT there are some things you should be afraid of”.

• “Be afraid you’ll fail too small for me.”
• “Be afraid you’ll settle for less than I created you for.”
• “Be afraid you’ll give up and quit too soon.”
• Be afraid no one will ever notice you were here.

These words help put my pitiful fears into perspective and keep me focused on what I believe God wants to do in and through me; in and through us at Courage to Be You! And He did so much last year!

2009 was an incredible year of breakthroughs, fulfilled promises and leaps of faith! Month after month, the ordinary become extraordinary, the mundane – miraculous, the natural – supernatural! It was truly a year of water walking and giant slaying! It was a year when God did “more than we dared to ask or imagine”. And it was a year he asked US to “do something”. I believe God is calling us all to be activists, to do something. Albert Einstein once said, “the world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”.

I’d like to invite you to join us in 2010 and “do something” that will make a difference; that will change the life of a child. We invite you to be a part of something bigger than yourself. This newsletter and our website is filled with opportunities for you to do just that. What Can I Do?

Happy New Year. Jenny

I am so mad but I don’t know who to be mad at! The headline of the “news” we just posted at c2bu.dreamhosters.com infuriates me! As Americans we can be proud of the fact that the FBI and local law enforcement in 36 cities in our country are doing their jobs! They are dedicated to putting “pimps” away and rescuing child victims of sex trafficking! What I am so mad about is that no one is focused on restoring these children after law enforcement rescues them! I have personally read report after report saying the problem of child sex trafficking is increasing here in the United States but there is NO increase of services or homes for the victims! Due to our economy and budget cuts, the few that were in place are being suspended.

I’ve read reports from 20 years ago saying the EXACT SAME THING “the U.S. has a large juvenile prostitution problem” but there is a “severe lack of services and shelter” for these invisible, vulnerable children. I read a report written in December 2006 that states we in California have an enormous problem (first in the nation) and we have a “severe lack of services and shelters” for these victims!

When I’m not reading reports, I am listening to stories – heart stopping, gut wrenching, personal stories from grandmothers, aunts, foster parents, moms and just yesterday – a dad who have nothing in common except for the fact that a child they love, their child, has been trafficked for sex. Each and every one of them tells me, with tears running down their checks the same thing, “THERE ARE NO SERVICES OR HOMES” dedicated to the very specific needs of their beloved, now traumatized daughter, granddaughter or niece.

I am so mad I could scream! How many times do we have to hear it!?!? How many ways does it have to be said! There ARE NO HOMES AND SERVICES specific to the needs of children traumatized and rescued from sex trafficking here in the United States except for 3 – one in New York, one in Atlanta and one in L.A. For the rest of us around this country … there are none! Whose fault is it? Who can I be mad at?

“The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; Isaiah 59:16 (NIV)

I’m merely mad but God is appalled (overcome with horror and shock). I read this report from the Bible and knowing what I do about the injustice these children are suffering, I have to believe God is shocked that no one is intervening on their behalf. I wonder who He is blaming? Me? That thought gives me great pause. How can I blame anyone else when I have spent most of my life on this planet being more concerned about my wants and comforts (notice I didn’t say needs – because most all of them have been met) than I have about children in this world, in my country, repeatedly being sold to another human being so they can abuse and torture their bodies while calling it “sex”. Is God appalled at his beloved children? His church? Those of us He calls “His bride, “His body”? Big sigh.

I’m not mad anymore. But I am determined. I am determined now more that ever to do my part in making sure once these children are rescued they have a safe, loving home to go to where everyone is focused on their restoration, everyone believes in their unique value and that everyone tells them every single day; they were created on purpose for a purpose. I am determined along with every member of Courage to Be You’s volunteer staff to see the first Courage House built and full of children in 2010. The first one; in my own back yard – Northern California and at the same time, one all the way around the world in Tanzania, Africa. Next? One in every city in between the two locations!

Last night C2BU had the privilege of partnering with two amazing organizations, Law Enforcement Chaplaincy and CASA (court appointed special advocates) to begin training volunteers to be advocates for these kids. 115 people showed up. Everyone in the room was there for the very same reason … we want to see these kids get what they deserve; a home and someone to love them. What about you? Instead of being mad, will you join us? We have scheduled another orientation session on Tuesday, January 5th at Adventure Christian Church in Rocklin, CA. At 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Room A101). This orientation is mandatory to attend the 6 Saturday training sessions scheduled to begin on January 16th until February 20th. Please register online under volunteer registration. Details of the training as well as fee explanations are also under volunteer training.

“What do you want”? As a parent, I ask my kids this question all the time. “What do you want to eat, what do you want to wear, what do you want me to do for you, what do you want …” When I ask it, I do so with the implication and confidence that not only do I have the power and resources to fulfill their request but I have the desire because I love them, because I am their mom. While I feel obligated to meet their needs, I delight in giving them their wants and desires. I wonder if the same could be true of God, for he is often referred to in the bible as our heavenly father. Last week I was reading a passage in the bible from 2 Chronicles 1:7 that began to give me my answer.

God said to King Solomon, son of David, “ask me for whatever you want me to give you”.

I was familiar with this story and knew exactly what Solomon asked for “wisdom to rule these people”. At the time, I didn’t believe their ancient encounter had any implications for me. I continued my reading and flipped randomly over to a passage from the book of Matthew. I was struck by the “coincidence” in the wording I wandered upon,

“Jesus said to the blind man “what do you want me to do for you.”

I toyed with these words and felt there was divine insight I was to receive but my phone rang and the moment was gone!   Hours later, in the midst of a very hectic day, I received an email from a friend encouraging me with a verse from Psalm 2. For some reason, I felt compelled to stop my work and read the entire psalm. I grabbed my “message bible”, a favorite translation of mine and read the powerful words. When I was halfway through the text, what I read almost caused me to fall out of my chair!

“Let me tell you what God said next, ‘you are my precious princess daughter (that was a little Jenny paraphrase – it actually says son) – today is your birthday (mine was just days away on Nov. 7th) what do you want? Name it. Nations as a present? Continents as a prize? You can command them all to dance for you, or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.”

God had my attention now. Three times in one day the words, the questions “what do you want” were right before my eyes! I now believed these words were for me – personally for me! I read them again and contemplated the impossible for they now were pregnant with such possibility for me. This ancient question seared my soul with electricity! I felt like I did when I was a child on Christmas Eve anticipating Christmas morning! It was if God, my good, loving heavenly daddy handed me a catalog filled with all my wants and heart’s desires saying “baby girl pick out whatever you want, I have the power and resources to give it to you”!  And in that precious moment, I totally and completely believed him.

Without hesitation, I began to “shop” through the catalog of my needs, wants, and desires. What I discovered was startling. Such that I was utterly amazed and caught off guard. For the very first time in my life I didn’t WANT anything … for me. Nothing!  At once, all my needs paled in comparison to the fact that children were being sold for sex. What could I ask for in light of their pain? Instantly, my overwhelming and urgent desire was to build Courage House, a home for children rescued from sex trafficking here in the U.S., in Tanzania and around the world - to see them restored to be and do all God created them to. I wanted to be the very first person to tell them they were created on purpose for a purpose! In that precious pause, I wanted to rescue and restore those kids more than I wanted anything else in this whole world. I wanted to be a part of stopping the evil and setting the captives free. The sense of urgency was so great that I asked; I boldly answered my heavenly father’s question “what do you want”.  “I want $1,120,000.00 for them, for the invisible, vulnerable children.  This had truly become the desire of my heart”.

As I answered God, I was reminded of another Psalm (37:4)                  “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Oh how I am counting on that, counting on his love for me and for these children!

Most of my life I have yearned to matter, to make a difference – to be a part of something bigger than me!  Yesterday I finally was.

It all began as an ordinary meeting but after just a few minutes you began to sense a shift in the room and knew something extraordinary was about to happen.  20 pastors from the Elk Grove, California area left the walls of their respective churches and denominations to come together as one for the purpose of pledging their support to see child sex trafficking eradicated in the Sacramento area and to help build the first Courage House, a home for children rescued from this hideous evil.  They were of one heart, one mind and one voice.  It was beautiful watch and be apart of.  It was amazing  – some would even say miraculous.

After I finished updating the pastors of our need to raise $770,000.00 in 70 days, I introduced the pastors to a woman whose daughter had been sex trafficked in our area and told them her story.  Two years ago, she gave her then 17 year old daughter, permission to go get a Jamba Juice at their neighborhood shopping center with a family friend.  They live in a safe, suburban area outside Sacramento, California.  I give the same permission to my teenagers.   However, this teenager was different. She never returned home.

A car pulled up at the Jamba Juice and this teenager was manipulated like so many others by a pimp disguising himself as a wanna be boyfriend.  He promised her love; they all do.  After gaining her trust, he brought her to a hotel in another “safe” area of Sacramento, where he repeatedly raped and threatened her.  When he was done, he then trafficked her against her will to the Bay Area and sold her over and over again for 8 days.  8 long days not knowing if your child is dead or alive.  I cannot imagine this mother’s pain.  But this story had a happy ending or so I thought.  The FBI found this teenager. This teenager had a loving home to return to.  But it wasn’t enough.  The damage and suffering from the trauma was great.  There were no resources or services dedicated to the  children who have suffered this kind of trauma … the trauma of being held against your will and sold as a commodity.  I derived some satisfaction in reporting to the pastors at least the perpetrator was put away in federal prison for 12 years … not long enough in my opinion.

When I finished sharing this woman’s story with the pastors many of them were crying silent tears.   I asked my new friend if she had anything to say to these leaders.   She did.  She challenged the group of pastors to remove the blinders they may have been wearing regarding this evil in our area.  She begged them to face it, to see it and not put the blinders back on because it is more comfortable.  She challenged them to be courageous and lead an army to rescue these kids from the evil that is attacking them and robbing them of their innocence.  What a moment – a precious moment when I realized I was in the midst of something bigger than me.  Everyone in the room was crying some of us were sobbing.

I then introduced the pastors to a woman I met only days ago.  She said “I am one of your girls – I was abused at home then trafficked in the manner you described.” I looked in her eyes and I couldn’t see any evidence of what she was telling me.  I simply said “you are so beautiful”.  She said “I know – I am a new creature.  God put me back together.”  She looked at the pastors and told them it was hard being Rahab (a prostitute in Joshua chapter 2 of the bible) but God had saved her.  She too challenged them to build a home for these children, to build Courage House.  It was a holy moment.

The pastors then asked for permission to pray for these two women.  We all surrounded them with our arms and with our love.  I could feel an army rising as bold prayers were being offered on behalf of them and the children still held captive.   Again, I felt a part of something so much bigger than me.

After this precious time together, I took the pastors in a dark room to view the music video “Believe in Me”.  Many, many people told me these pastors would not be courageous enough to play the video in their churches because of the violence depicted in the scenes.  They were wrong.  These pastors are very courageous; even bold and more importantly, spirit led!  At the end of the video no one moved.  We couldn’t.  We all just sat in silence, horrified at what we had seen, horrified that any child would have to endure that kind of evil. The darkness of the room enveloped us as we all wrestled with our own emotions.  I sensed anger rising from the group and felt it rise in my own spirit.  My team and I quietly slipped from the room, allowing the pastors to talk openly among themselves.

As I slipped from that dark room into the warm sunshine outside, my spirit felt bathed in hope and light in spite of the reality I had just seen on the screen! It IS going to happen!  These children are going to be rescued and provided a safe home.  Good does triumph over evil but only when good men and women chose to DO something instead of turning away.  This is what I have been waiting for my entire life … to be apart of something that is bigger than me, to be a part of something God sized!  Aren’t you?

The mission/purpose statement for us at Courage to Be You, Inc. (C2BU) is to “make a difference in this world one individual at a time by equipping, encouraging and empowering them to uncover their identity and discover their destiny”.  However, we realize before any individual can recognize their potential and discover their purpose, their most basic human needs must be met. But on the streets of our cities and in every country around the world, there are a multitude of vulnerable young children that are not having these needs met – far from it. These children are being exploited, abused and sold for sex.

Domestic sex trafficking. Commercial child sexual exploitation. Human trafficking of minors. Sex slave trade. These are society’s new buzz words for an ugly, age-old problem: child prostitution. The sexual exploitation of children is among the most heinous crimes of humanity. Too many in our society believe these children have chosen this life. This is a lie. The average age of victims is 14 years old, but according to law enforcement, victims have been recovered as young as 10 years of age. In the last three years, 120 young girls have been rescued in the Sacramento area by law enforcement and only seven of these children had a safe home to return to.  This is just in one city in the United States!  Of these children, 85 percent were sexually abused at home by individuals they knew and trusted.  This statistic plays out across the U.S.  These children run to the streets believing it is safer than the homes they left behind.

They need to be rescued. They need a safe place to belong and someone to assure them that they not only have value, but also a God given purpose. They need a home, and C2BU intends to provide them one.  We call these homes Courage House because it does take courage to be and do all God created you to … for all of us, not just these kids.  My prayer is that my life, my purpose will used by God to make a difference in the lives of these children.     My dream is that in my life time the sexual exploitation of children will be totally and completely eradicated.

The little girl or the little boy you once were? I bet he or she was full of dreams and knew exactly what they wanted to be when they grew up. I am sure they expected life to turn out exactly as imagined … until, someone or something changed it all. Heart ache, abuse, disappointments, routines, responsibilities, and regrets. All different for each of us, but all designed to rob us of our identity and destiny.

There is nothing sadder and nothing further from God’s plan. “Before I shaped you in the womb I knew you, before you ever saw the light of day I had plans for you”. There is a plan, a divine plan for every life, for your life. Your dreams and the longings of your heart were to serve as a road map for the journey. But some of us had those dreams destroyed while others of us traded them in for practical, safe lives believing we would avoid heartache, pain and disappointment. We were wrong. They came anyway.

Our carefully created comfort zones and silent vows of mediocrity didn’t keep us safe and secure. In fact, our feeble attempts to kill off our dreams and desire only increased our longings for “more”. Inevitably, the longings became questions. “Does my life matter?”Or the true cry of our heart, “Do I matter?” Though we crave answers to these powerful questions, often we resist the search because of our busy lives and its urgent demands. So by default, we choose to continue living as we always have, with no purpose or passion.

It doesn’t have to be that way! ! The questions aren’t random! The questions were designed by God, our creator, so we would seek Him, the author of our questions. When we begin to seek God, the amazing happens. Not only do we find Him, but we find ourselves. We find our purpose. He then patiently fans the flame of our long ignored longing and turns them into an inferno of desire to be and do all we were created to. Courage now propels us to examine those long buried and forgotten childhood dreams. As we look at them through the eyes of the adult we have become, we now see they are the clues to our unique destiny. Slowly, as if putting together pieces of a puzzle, we discover the life changing truth that we were “created just for a purpose” Suddenly, we become pregnant with possibilities and passionate to be who God created us to be.

But How? The Bible explains. “Make a careful explorationof whoyou are, what you are to be doing and just do it.”

That is a Courage Conference! A time and a place intentionally set aside to discover who you are, how you were created, what is your purpose, what makes your heart race, your soul sing and your feet dance! You’ll be challenged and encouraged just to “be” you, the you God created, nothing more but absolutely refusing to be anything less by others on the same journey. We need others not only to give us courage but to help us silence the voices inside our heads telling us that we are too old, too young, too busy, too tired, too ordinary, too sick, or too poor to discover and fulfill our God given destinies.

Contact us at info@c2bu.org to bring a Courage Conference to your area.

Who am I and why am I here? At some point in our lives we all begin to ask these soul questions. I did prior to my 40th birthday. They led me on a journey of seeking God for my answers. To my utter delight not only did I find Him but I found ME – the me He created me to be!

Because of my own journey, I now believe there is a plan and a divine purpose for every life. However, intentional resources are rarely offered to equip, encourage and empower individuals to discover, fulfill and live out their God-given purpose. Courses of this type are not taught in our high schools or colleges. The topic isn’t one that is often given priority from the church’s pulpit or in children’s classrooms. No one is going into prisons, juvenile halls or rehab centers declaring this message of purpose to the hopeless individuals confined there. Though many wonderful organizations exist to feed the poor around the world, not many devote their time and resources to proclaiming the life changing message that “you were created on purpose for a purpose”. This is the message the world needs to hear. This is the message that can transform lives. That is why Courage to Be You, Inc. was started to be that resource! Please send us an email at info@c2bu.org if you would like to be a part of our enews blast list.