Lisa Whittle - Behind Those Eyes: Whats Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women

Praise for BEHIND THOSE EYES

Lisa Whittle is a fresh voice on the scene, speaking words of encouragement to her generation. She is warm, witty, real, and reliable. She writes with effervescent joy and studied insight. You will be blessed by Behind Those Eyes. Lisa lets you in behind her eyes... what you see will refresh and challenge you.

JAN SILVIOUS, Speaker and Author, Big Girls Dont Whine
and Smart Girls Think Twice

Behind Those Eyes is like an invitation to a fancy masquerade party. Lisa, as the hostess, invites each guest to consider the mask (Ms. Perfection, Ms. Happiness, and others) she has chosen to hide her insecurities and heartaches. Then Lisa gives each guest the best party favor: encouragement to consider removing her mask to allow the beauty of Jesus to radiate through the real woman behind the fancy mask. Lisas message was a fresh reminder to me to resist the temptation to pick up my mask of Ms. Perfection.

JACKIE KENDALL, National Speaker and Best-Selling Author; President, Power to Grow Ministries

Lisa Whittle shines a brilliant light into the games we play with ourselveswhich become, then, the places where we doubt God and our own lovableness. She writes honestly, and she writes well. This book is a personal invitation to experience that Love, which of all loves, is the best.

PAULA RINEHART, Author, Strong Women, Soft Hearts
and Better Than My Dreams

In an entertaining and articulate style, Lisa Whittle opens the way for a look inside ourselves to see the good, the bad, and the ugly roles we play as women. Behind Those Eyes exposes refreshing solutions and ways to find the hidden root of the roles we play to hide ourselves. Dont miss this opportunity to rise up and be your true self in Christ Jesus!

MARCIA RAMSLAND, The Organizing Pro,
International Speaker and Author, Simplify Your Life,
Simplify Your Time, and Simplify Your Space

Yes! Finally a book that doesnt try to teach me how to be the perfect Christian woman! Instead, its a book that teaches me to embrace the reality that Im truly an imperfect woman who serves a perfect God, and He thinks Im pretty amazing just the way I am, warts and all! Thanks, Lisa. Every woman who struggles with the great charade needs to read this (and I think that includes us all!).

LESLIE NEASE, Womens Speaker and Writer, New Life 91.9
Radio Host, Survivor: China contestant, Imperfect Wife and Mother

Its not the shoes, not even the outfit... its whats going on inside a woman that creates the facade of how she presents herself to others. In Behind Those Eyes Lisa Whittle gets to the heart of the matter, helping us acknowledge the fears and insecurities we feel. Her insight and encouragement to live honestly and transparently are refreshing gifts to us all.

TAMMY MALTBY, Cohost, Aspiring Women, and Author,
Confessions of a Good Christian Girl

In Behind Those Eyes Lisa Whittle offers an open invitation to truth-filled relationships. Taking a page from her own struggles for authenticity, Whittle writes with a fresh perspective on the impersonating roles we all fall into and why it is so hard for women just to be real. A message of courage and hope is found in this book, helpful to any woman trying to find out how to embrace her created self!

MARY KASSIAN, Author, Speaker, and Distinguished Professor
of Womens Studies, Southern Seminary

2007 Lisa Whittle

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Unless otherwise marked, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Page Design by Casey Hooper

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Whittle, Lisa.
Behind those eyes : what's really going on inside the souls of women / Lisa Whittle.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-7852-2813-4 (pbk.)
1. Christian womenReligious life. 2. Christian womenConduct of life. I. Title.
BV4527.W498 2007
248.8'43dc22

2007046474

Printed in the United States of America

08 09 10 11 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

To Colleen...

My best friend for life and one of the most real people I know.
We were meant to journey together.
Definitely.

CONTENTS

I marvel at how God put people in my path in order to allow this book to be born. It truly wouldnt have been possible without these key people in my life...

My support team of family and friends. The Reimers and the Whittles (two amazing families!), the Minors and the McGees (your friendship blesses Scotty and me more than you know), and our wonderful, thriving network of friends at Hickory Grove Northmay we continue to do life together for many years to come.

My divinely connected new friend, Debbie Wickwire. I love how God led me to you, and I thank you for your open and discerning spirit, which allowed Him to guide you to believe in this project... and me.

My friends at Thomas Nelson Publishers. Thank you, Joey Paul, for seeing strength in this book and for your endorsement of it! And thanks to Jennifer Stair and Rhonda Hogan for your wise counsel and input. You women rock!

The women who inspired the stories in this book. I am becoming increasingly aware of how many gifted and wonderful women are out there who share my desire to get real. Thank you for your willingness to become vulnerable enough to share your stories in this book.

My three precious children: Graham, Micah, and Shae. You guys blow me away with your pure love for God. My greatest desire is that you feel the depth of His love toward you. Only He could love you more than Dad and me.

My husband and very cool life partner, Scotty. I praise God daily that He made you strong enough to handle this independent soul, and you do it with such mad love for me. (And lots of necessary humor!)

My heavenly Father, who never stops amazing me. Thank You for fixing everything in me that was ever broken. Please accept this book as my yes to You. You are my life.

THE GREAT