More to Be is about more than just one woman’s mission to see real change transpire in others through the power of God at work in their lives. Rather, what you’ll find behind the scenes at More to Be is a collection of gals, from all seasons in life, offering their voices as they serve on the Advisory Board and/or Contributor Team. It is truly a collaborate effort.
Elisa
Founder of More to Be
Elisa, who prefers to go by Lisa, is a saved by grace gal passionate about equipping and encouraging today’s women to impact the next generation with relevant, Biblical truth. After more than 15 years of mentoring teen girls and involvement with women’s ministry online and off, Lisa has learned that women of all ages are desperate for honesty, transparency, and authenticity.
She counts it a privilege to be the one at the Gate called Beautiful, offering Jesus, the healer and transformer of lives. While her first calling is as a wife and mother, she is able to balance family and ministry because her husband and children are dedicated to the ministry of More to Be, participating in the planning, direction, and overall purpose of each pursuit. Lisa is incredibly grateful to use her passions and gifts as she encourages women and teens through speaking as well as writing for the Internet Cafe Devotions, The Better Mom, MODsquad, and FaithLife Women, as well as through life coaching. She is also a part of the planning committee for Raising Generations Today, a conference for moms that will take place in upstate New York, March 20-21, 2014. Visit Lisa at elisapulliam.com.
Andrea
M2B Advisory Board
Andrea considers herself a blessed stay-at-home mom of three, for it allows her the time to support her husbands ministry in his role as a pastor of a local mission that feeds the needy. She also contributes directly to the mission through serving as the kids program director. Andrea’s enthusiasm for Scripture is contagious, as is her passion to spread His Good News and love. She would be the first to admit that she loves working with children and studying and teaching God’s Word, but she is equally as passionate about sharing her testimony with teenage girls and challenging them to be all that God intended. Teen girls adore Andrea because she is approachable, loving, and down to earth. Her transparency is invaluable. Andrea can also can be found in many different churches and at women’s gatherings, playing the guitar and leading worship.
Stacie
M2B Advisory Board & ETC Co-Leader
Stacie was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas area and lived there for 40 years, other than the four she spent studying at the University of Oklahoma. She met her husband, David, during her senior year of college and married him two years later. Stacie and David have been blessed with three children, Jackson (16), Marlee (15) and Sam (11). In 2009, in a gigantic step of faith, Stacie and her family moved to New York, where she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing tennis, decorating/designing, and doing anything creative!
Stacie is passionate about helping people get real with God, themselves and others. She longs to see people come to know the goodness of God, as she has through trusting Him. She has learned firsthand that life is a journey, but that as you obey God, you can truly live the abundant life that He offers, for He is ALWAYS good! Her favorite verses include Colossians 3:12-14, Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5, and John 1:11.
Linda
M2B Advisory Board & Immersed Director
Linda has lived on Long Island her whole life and remembers the struggles and pressures of her teenage years all to well. Although she always loved God, she didn’t understand what it meant to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Since the time she surrendered her life to Christ in 1995, it has been her desire to reach the next generation with the Love of Jesus in a relevant way…by sharing her heart and life story. Through the years the Lord has given her, she has had the honor and privilege of mentoring some amazing young women, who in turn have changed her life and enriched it deeply. Linda is a self-employed hair designer and art teacher, both of which she counts as blessings. Linda is married to her husband, Anthony, for 26 years, and they have three grown children that she adores and cherishes.
Linnea
Blog Editor
Linnea is experiencing the fullness of studying English Literature and French full time at a Christian university. She is originally from a small town in the Pocono Mountains, where her love of being outside and her desire to be active began. Linnea thoroughly enjoys having her nose in a book, and her favorites include, Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller and Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis. She also enjoys, when the opportunity presents itself, a good time of swing dancing and playing the piano. Growing up as a comparatively quiet and well-behaved child amongst three very troubled siblings, Linnea has always felt pressure to be the “tough girl” who takes care of herself. Over the last few years, God has been hammering home the need to open up and be vulnerable, not with everyone, but with close friends and mentors. She describes it as, “…a process, but I’m slowly learning that it’s okay to have problems.” Linnea’s theme verse of sorts is 2 Corinthians 12:9, which says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Amanda
Contributing Writer
Amanda is a native of North Carolina and has lived there all of her life. She is on fire for the Lord; recently answering His call to write and minister to teens and twenty-something’s. Amanda is an Acteens (a mission group for teen girls) leader and VBS teacher for her local church and is passionate about helping teens and young adults discover just how much God truly loves them. She is relatable to teens-sharing her own stories of awkwardness and growth during her teenage years.
Amanda loves to make people laugh, including her husband, who never seems to get tired of hearing her jokes (well, almost!). Among all the things in life she loves, some that top the list are: worshiping Jesus, singing, reading a good book, tote bags, sweet tea, making a difference in someone’s life, cookouts with family, long lunches with friends, vacations, diving into God’s word, and helping the next generation become courageous and bold in working to expand the Kingdom of God. One of her favorite scriptures is 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Visit Amanda at Into the Beautiful Life.
Rachelle
Contributing Writer
Homeschool grad and proud of it. College girl studying Communications. Wordcrafter who loves to watch the sunlight sparkling through the trees outside her bedroom window (the window which forms her writing nook). Voracious dreamer. She Speaks 2011 grad and Word Weaver.
Rachelle Rea is a junior this year, studying Communications at a small Christian university after recently having graduated from a large community college with her Associate’s. But don’t let that fancy-talk fool you. Rachelle has never met a notebook she didn’t like and couldn’t quickly fill with the stories that stem from her wild imagination. A retired gymnast, she now coaches at her local YMCA. You can find her with her nose in a good book or pecking away at a keyboard, immersed in story land. Visit Rachelle at Rachellerea.com.
Brenda
Contributing Writer
Brenda considers herself a “recovering single” after years as a single woman chasing her dreams instead of God’s dreams for her. Now she lives with her two miracles: her husband who God physically saved from Cardiomyopathy after a dramatic heart transplant and her baby girl who was recently born from those three hearts. Brenda encourages women to live a life surrendered to Jesus in every season on her blog, Triple Braided, and she recently published her first eBook, Fall for Him: 25 Challenges from a Recovering Single. Visit Brenda at Triple Braided and Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Tessa
Contributing Writer
Tessa Emily Hall is an 18-year-old coffeeholic and author of Purple Moon, her first YA Christian fiction novel to be published fall 2012. She is also an editor over the Faith department for Temperance magazine. Tessa also owns a blog, Christ is Write, where she posts devotions, writing tips, etc. Visit Tessa at www.christiswrite.blogspot.com.
Allie
Contributing Writer & GET Connected Leader
Allie is a recent graduate of Liberty University, located in her hometown of Lynchburg, VA, with a degree in Psychology. While attending Liberty, she served in several women’s ministries, leading both a women’s Bible study and a retreat for teenage girls. Allie developed a passion for women’s ministry during her years at LU, as she realized that this world could never satisfy her need for love and acceptance. She realized she must seek God alone to meet her needs, and now she wants to help other women do the same.
Shortly after graduating from Liberty, Allie was blessed to marry her college sweetheart, Lou, in the church she grew up in. Knowing that God was calling them both to ministry in New York, they left their positions at a children’s home in Virginia to answer God’s call. They are now living in Lou’s hometown. Allie is thrilled for the opportunity to contribute to the work God is doing through More to Be.
Jennifer C.
M2B Advisory Board, Contributing Writer & GET Connected Leader
Jennifer is a voice finder and wife of a heart-warrior, in N. California, mothers three children and leads My Girls, a group where women gather to remember the truth of their identity, in God’s eyes. A former high school teacher with a heart for helping teenagers discover and claim their identity and voice, she delights engaging in community with other moms who seek God’s truth and desire their children to live in the confidence of who {and Whose} they are. You can find Jennifer writing at You Are My Girls and connecting on Facebook at You are My Girls Community and Twitter. Visit Jennifer at You are My Girls Community.
Sarah
M2B Advisory Board & Director of Mentoring Leaders
Sarah lives in Ohio with her husband, Steve, and their two children, Hannah and Owen. Although she’s dreamed of becoming a writer since age 8, her dream wasn’t realized until she began Making Much of Him 365 – a blog about intentionally making much of Jesus every day of the year, weaving Him throughout daily life. Sarah’s writing centers on God’s love and faithfulness -‐ Psalm 36:5, “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”
Sarah grew up West Virginia and earned a Journalism degree from West Virginia University and a Master’s degree in Teaching English from Marshall University. Before writing full-time, she worked in public relations and taught high school English. Sarah loves spending time with her family and friends, serving others, reading, learning, and teaching. She has a heart for marriage and mentoring wives as well as teens. Visit with Sarah at her blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Jennifer D.
Contributing Writer & GET Connected Leader
As a recovering perfectionist, Jennifer is passionate about sharing the grace of Jesus with women, moms, teens and tweens. Through her various trials and mistakes, Jennifer has learned God’s amazing love and mercy remains consistent. (She also has learned motherhood sometimes requires a steam cleaner and Legos do not mix with bare feet.)
Jennifer has an M.S. in Communication Disorders, which served her well in her professional career as a speech-language pathologist and as a mother to a child with autism. She lives in Texas with her two daughters and husband Brandon of 12 years. As a cancer survivor, carpet-cleaning veteran, and originator of the “Messy House Ministry,” Jennifer is blessed daily to share joy, peace and humor with others.
Even though she is 39 (for the first time), Jennifer remembers the difficulty of her teen years, often reflecting that surviving cancer was easier than high school. She hopes to help others navigate the murky waters of adolescence with more grace than she did. Visit Jennifer at Twitter @JenniferDyer, JenniferDyer.net, JenniferDyerBooks.com, and on Facebook. You can also connect with her on MomLifeToday.
Cara
M2B Advisory Board & Contributing Writer
Cara has been working in the field of psychology for over 15 years. Professionally she has worked on research teams to assess and analyze behavior and development, presented at a conference, and written on topics of interest that are pending for possible publication. She did her graduate studies in counseling psychology which allowed her to apply the research and theories learned into a practice to help others. She has spent the past few years working as a Behavior Specialist, a counselor at Eastern University, and opening a private practice.
Cara is married and has three children that she adores. She lives at a boarding school in New York, which has given her the opportunity to serve as a dorm mom to teenage girls. She spends her free time cooking Italian food, playing music, and working on projects. Cara became a Christian as a teenager and has since then taken steps of faith to grow into the woman God has designed her to be for His purpose and glory.
Leah
Contributing Writer
Leah is a teen passionate about living for Jesus and learning to navigate through the ups and downs of high school life without regret. You can find her playing basketball, sailing, getting into a spa night with friends, listening to Christian music, reading a good book, and enjoying all things sports related. As the oldest daughter of More to Be’s founder, Elisa, she is a critical asset to the team, offering her encouragement, support, and feedback on everything from content to design to long term vision.
Danielle
GET Connected Leader
Danielle was born and raised on Long Island. During her college years, she headed down south to Lynchburg, Virginia, where she earned a B.S. in Psychology from Liberty University. Upon completing her degree, she then met and soon married the love of her life, D.J. on July 30, 2011. She is now blessed to have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom to her 4-month-old son. When she is not changing diapers or getting spit up on, she loves to spend time with her family, read, cook (a work in progress), coffee, and making Pinterest crafts!
Danielle and her husband have a deep desire to serve together in a youth group setting in which they can lavish the love of Christ and help guide the teens towards living respectable and God-fearing lives. Her life verse is Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Mandy
Contributing Writer & GET Connected Leader
Mandy is a lover of deep relationships, theological discussions, and peanut butter. She feels called to ministry, seeking to share with women of the freedom she walks in because of her relationship with Jesus. She and her husband live in the beautiful suburbs of Washington, D.C. She writes at www.mandyscarr.com. You can connect with Mandy further on Facebook and Twitter (@mandyscarr). Visit Mandy at mandyscarr.com.
Daniele
M2B Advisory Board & GET Connected Leader
Daniele Evans, owner and editor of Domestic Serenity, is simply a woman on a journey towards intentional living. She’s wife to her best friend, a bi-vocational pastor, and homeschooling Mom of five incredible kiddos. With a background in Biblical Studies and a heart to encourage, she inspires women through writing and speaking. Daniele authored the ebook Honoring the Rhythm of Rest, gently supporting busy women to adopt an alternative to rat-race living. She reviews educational products for The Curriculum Choice and is a contributing writer to The Better Mom and Home Educating Family magazine. She’s been featured twice in 2012 on The Socialable Homeschooler’s radio show and has guest posted on several websites. In her local area of central PA, Daniele has shared at women’s retreats, Bible studies for over 10 years and leads a monthly writing & speaking mentoring group for women. She and her family attempt to live out their days with grace, and to laugh lots! Whatever she’s doing, Daniele believes it’s all more enjoyable with a cup of hot tea in hand. Visit Daniele at her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
Sarah
Contributing Writer & GET Connected Leader
Sarah Koci Scheilz is an inspiration-driven writer, communicator and catalyst. She’s saved-by-amazing-Grace work in progress and is learning what it means to be a child of God. Sarah has worked as a journalist, PR girl, nonprofiteer and more. Today, she owns a communication and freelance writing company, Inspiration-Driven Communication. Give her a cup of coffee and a cardigan and she’s a happy girl. A lifelong Midwesterner, Sarah currently lives with her dashing husband, “Mr. S.,” in Kansas City, Missouri. Visit Sarah at her business site, blog, Twitter and Facebook.
Rachael Lee
Contributing Writer
Rachael Lee is a young author who moved to Hollywood at age 17 to pursue her career in the entertainment industry. In the midst of following her dreams and being an actress on numerous hit television shows, Rachael realized that God was putting some bigger dreams on her heart. She has a mission to bring light to Hollywood-a place that is creating the messages that young women use to define themselves.
Rachael Lee’s first book, “God’s Girl“, was written as a devotional and guide for young women, and is intended to help the girls of this generation learn to define themselves not as the world says they are, but as God says they are. Whether Rachael is modeling, acting, songwriting, or writing her next book, her passion is to help young women grow closer to God and feel secure in who they are as they travel on their own unique journeys. Visit Rachael Lee at her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Vanessa
Social Media Assistant & M2B Mentoring Network Assistant
Vanessa finds herself mentoring daily in her full house of 5 young daughters! She was raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan but moved to northern Florida many years ago. Her lifelong study of dance has brought her back to the dance studio where she instructs ballet, tap and jazz to girls of all ages! Her passion for children and dance shines through in her classroom, where she is able to be a role model daily and make a positive impact on her students.
Vanessa is also the founder/servant leader for Love In Action Adoption/Orphan Ministry in Jacksonville, Fl. Through this organization she and her team are able to help orphans all over the world as well as serve and minister to local foster children and families looking to adopt. It brings her much joy to be able to do God’s work through this ministry. Also Vanessa is the Pinterest Blogger for An Orphans Wish, a wonderful organization that houses, takes care of and provides medical attention to orphans in China while they are waiting to be adopted. She is able to spread awareness and information regarding the orphan crisis through Pinterest.
Vanessa and her husband enjoy spending time together as a family, cooking, reading, traveling and playing games. Family is a first priority for Vanessa and Eric, they take much pride in caring for and spending time with their 5 daughters. They love going to Disney World and the beach often!
Kate
Contributing Writer
Kate is a wife and homeschool mom of 8 children. She has been mentoring women for over three decades with a passion for older women teaching younger women. She is passionate about her marriage to, Kevin, who she calls the love of her life and greatest encouragement and support. She also counts herself extremely blessed to have homeschooled all of their children from kindergarten on up, four of whom have graduated from high school already. And in addition to her family, Kate makes time for discipleship while continuing to grow in her own walk with God. Most of all, Kate is passionate about God. He is her strength, rock, delight and joy. Visit Kate at her blog, Teaching What Is Good and on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Barbie
Contributing Writer
Barbie lives in Northern California and has been married to her best friend for nearly 25 years. They have four children (ages 22, 19, 13 and 10). She works full time supporting the Senior Leader of the church which she and her husband helped plant over 17 years ago. Prior to that time, Barbie worked for over 15 years as a corporate legal secretary.
Having not been raised in a Christian home, and not coming to a knowledge of God’s love for her until after her adolescent years, she has an intense desire to see the younger generation embrace the reality of a real God who loves them unconditionally. Her goal in life is to know God and make His Name known, to love Him and share His love with others. “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 3:19 NLT)
Visit Barbie at My Freshly Brewed Life, where she shares openly and honestly about her life and faith, as well as her newest adventure, home schooling! You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
Kathy & Melinda
Contributing Writers
Kathy and Melinda met on a Little League baseball field. The coach — Melinda’s kids’ pediatrician — also happened to be Kathy’s husband. They discovered their shared passion for writing, as well as a common desire to serve, mentor and encourage other mothers.
They blog together at Mothering From Scratch. Melinda is a twice-monthly host at Moms Together, a Facebook community of more than 16,000 moms. She’s also written for Focus on Your Family Focus on Your Child newsletters, Clubhouse, CBN.com and Charles Stanley’s In Touch magazine. Both are active in church and online ministry, leading Bible studies and mentoring groups.
Kathy (the redhead) mothers four kids ranging in age from late teens to early elementary years and is wife to Ben, a pediatrician. Melinda (the brunette) is mother to an adorable middle-school-aged son and a beautiful and entertaining teenage daughter. Her husband, Mike, a high school teacher, is pretty entertaining as well. Visit Kathy and Melinda at Mothering From Scratch and on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
We’d love for you to get to know our Mentor Leaders, too, who co-lead the M2B Mentoring Courses.
The More to Be Team is blessed with many women serving behind-the-scenes. They are each deeply committed to praying for and directing the mission of the ministry. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lisa at more@moretobe.com.