beautifully broken

speed polish

I  just used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish to give myself a quick manicure. It has a thick brush that can slick the entire nail in one fail swoop, and it dries in a ridculously quick amount of time. About 30 seconds and wha-la!

I'm taking this with me to Pretty & Polished this Saturday, and I encourage you to bring your own "speed polish" if you are going.

Quick-drying nail polish is a sure way to beat any impatience coming from sweet, little old ladies. :)

pretty & polished day 2009

Last year, a group of more than 170 women stormed nursing homes in the D.C. area with their nail painting supplies. Their mission: To give elderly women manicures and to remind them of God's love.

It was an incredible experience, and I am happy to write that Pretty & Polished Day is back! This Valentine's Day, women in the D.C. area (through Frontline, a young adult's ministry at McLean Bible Church) will be back in area nursing homes. If you live in the D.C. area, you can get involved right now!

Just follow this link, and sign up for a home in your area!

Pretty & Polished is a volunteer group that goes into area nursing homes, gives the residents simple manicures (no cutting, just filing and polishing) and shares the love of Christ through the simple act of touch. It is amazing what a little polish and some encouragement can do to completely change the affect--and even the life--of an elderly woman who feels forgotten and unattractive.

This kind of opportunity is what beautifully broken is all about. I hope you'll participate if you live near D.C. And if you, don't, then why not start your own Pretty & Polished group? Follow this link to learn more about how you can start your own group!

Also, a big thanks to Nick Donner, who designed the official Pretty & Polished logo and shot our promo video. He is a talented graphic designer and photographer, and he has great rates! If you have any design/photo needs, contact him here. Nick has ventured into engagement photography, so if you got a ring sometime recently, consider him! You won't be disappointed! Check out his incredible engagement photos here, here and here!

"pre-ground" column up at ungrind

Hello folks, I've got a "pre-ground," or reprinted, column up at ungrind. You may remember reading the column, previously titled "Naomis and Nail Polish," on Radiantmag.com.

For those readers who haven't read the column, it's about how God used nail painting to teach me more about His desire for nurturing relationships between young and elderly women. About three years ago, I began a volunteer group called Pretty & Polished. It started out as a group of my friends visiting a nursing home about once and month and giving manicures to the residents (and some fellas did come!)

pretty & polished promo

All,

Just wanted to direct you to a new blog about service on the McLean Bible Church website. Today, the blog is promoting Pretty & Polished! Check it out here!

If you're local, you can also pick up a copy of McLean's new prayer devotional called "Just as the Father sent me, I send you" in the church lobby. It also features Pretty & Polished and gives you lots of other profiles of ministries you can get involved in!

Also, McLean blogged about Pretty & Polished  a few months ago. You can read that post here. You can see a video, produced by my friend Nick Donner, by clicking here.

If you are ready to get involved in Pretty & Polished, contact me by leaving a comment on this post. While I'm in Liberia, Pretty & Polished will continue. I'll be blogging about P&P's new leaders soon! I'm excited about the heart God has given these ladies to lead P&P and to help the elderly of our area know they are Christ's treasured creation!

By the way, just about every time I tell an elderly woman, "I want you to know, you are God's treasure," she tears up. I think that speaks powerfully. Many elderly women do not FEEL treasured, beautiful or even loved--even if that's not reality. It's amazing what a few simple words can do. Try it out!

Also, I'd love to know if there are others out there who are interested in starting Pretty & Polished chapters of their own at local churches. If so, leave me a comment! I can send you a resource packet on how to get started. And who knows ... maybe I'll start Pretty & Polished--Liberia. :)

an entry point for serving

Recently I heard an online sermon from Frontline, the young adults ministry at McLean Bible Church, the touched on a sometimes neglected truth -- how the little we give can make a big difference in the kingdom of God.

When we simply make ourselves available to the needs around us, we have an opportunity to engage God's broken people and to let Him use us to potentially change their lives forever. That principle has the potential to become true for every ministry.

I've seen this truth at Pretty & Polished, a volunteer group that visits nursing home residents and gives them simple manicures as way to model Christ's love. In February, more than 170 Frontline women and their friends participated in "Pretty & Polished Day." We stormed 13 nursing homes in the Washington, D.C., area with our nail painting supplies. It was a blessing to everyone involved.

And in March, Pretty & Polished continued in four nursing homes! We find that the simple act of painting an elderly woman's nails, giving her a hand massage and talking with her has the power to change that woman's view of the world and of herself. Many women feel lonely, abandoned and forgotten. Pretty & Polished reminds these women that Jesus Christ has never forgotten them and that they truly are beautiful and treasured.

But one of the best parts about getting involved in Pretty & Polished -- and in any ministry for which God has burdened your heart -- is how many different kinds of opportunities it gives you to respond to the raw, real needs of broken people.

april pretty & polished

Pretty & Polished is back! This Saturday, April 19 we will be painting nails at TWO locations! Sign up by following this link.

Bring your nail polishes and other nail-painting supplies! We'll be doing nails from 9 a.m. to noon, unless otherwise noted by your leader.

New to Pretty & Polished? Get the scoop here and watch a video about P&P here.

Thanks for all you are doing to model Christ to our elderly girlfriends!

march pretty & polished

Calling all ladies!!!

Pretty & Polished returns this Saturday, March 22! We're going to be having a special Easter event!

If you haven't heard about P&P, read about it here! If you are ready to sign-up, follow this link!

Bring your nail polishes! No experience is required! We give simple manicures (no cutting, only filing!)

reflections on pretty & polished day

Pretty & Polished Day was this past Saturday, and it was an amazing day!  About 170 people visited 13 nursing homes in the Washington, D.C., area to give simple manicures to elderly residents. Our goal was to share the love of Christ and to remind these women of their worth and beauty in God's eyes. 

I want to share one of my experiences. My team went to The Washington Home in the city and got an opportunity to spend some time with a lot of really wonderful ladies, including some residents in an Alzheimer's unit. This was difficult in many ways because many of the residents couldn't communicate with us. It was really hard, but I hope those few hours changed their hearts. Since Saturday, I'm sure those sweet ladies have looked down at their painted nails and perhaps wondered how they got that way. But it's not important that they remember who painted their nails. I pray that God used these simple manicures to leave something deep and lasting in their hearts -- the love of Jesus and the certainity that they truly are His treasure. There are some things that can surpass a lost memory -- and that is God's unconditional, neverending love.

naomis and nail polish

I've got a new column up at Radiantmag.com called "Naomis and Nail Polish." (Yes, an Old Testament gal and a modern-day beauty aide do have something in common!) Read it here.

pretty & polished day video

You've got to watch the new Pretty & Polished video! This amazing video was put together by the talented and creative Nick Donner. I'm so thankful for this film! It really communicates what Pretty & Polished is all about.

See it here!

Sign up to participate in Pretty & Polished Day here!