Heart to Heart with Jordan Lee Dooley

           
Jordan Lee Dooley is the founder of Soulscripts Ministries, a thriving sisterhood community of young women. Jordan provides amazing resources for young women showing woman how to study the Bible effectively and speaks at the nations top universities. She is known for her dynamic passion and love for God, as well as encouraging girls everywhere to build community in the body of Christ.  God is truly using her to reach thousands of women online and around the world. . She currently resides in Arizona with her husband Matt. We got the opportunity to interview Jordan on SoulScripts and her passion for Jesus, check it out! 
 
1. What would you tell your high school self?
Relax and be positive. I put so much pressure on myself when I was in high school (grades, looks, etc.) that I had a hard time really being who God made me to be and developing genuine friendships. My obsession with my image and reputation carried into college and that chain of performance and perfectionism planted a little bit of a bitter and uptight spirit in me, which I believe may be why I struggled with girl friendships.
 
2. What advice would you give to a girl who is struggling with her identity in a society that compels people to place it in all of the wrong things?
We tend to look for life in the wrong places. We look for life in the things that promise us life (aka, security, joy, popularity, purpose, etc.) but the problem with that is that it leaves us pursuing more and more of the world that can never deliver on its promises. Placing your identity in God does not mean you have to become uptight, religious, or figured out. It means that you understand that life is found in Jesus and all things outside of Him are dead...they may promise a lot but they won't deliver. Consider if what you're placing so much of your hope in -- that boy, those parties, the next trendy outfit -- is really life-giving. Does it leave you feeling worse, exhausted, or like you constantly have to keep up? Then it's dead, it's essentially meaningless on an eternal scale. Don't waste too much energy on it. 
 
3. How did you come to surrender your life to Jesus?
I grew up in the church and accepted Jesus into my heart as a young girl but like I mentioned before, I was very much a (self-imposed) perfectionist growing up. No one imposed that upon me, it was just something I fell into. That being said, I looked at faith in Jesus as a performance or an accomplishment to reach rather than a relationship. I imposed legalism on myself and it really came from a selfish place. Then, I kind of lived a double life my first year or so of college. I wanted to play by the rules and keep up the good girl image but I found that I kept falling short, constantly caving into some of the pressure college brings. My perfectionism was cracking. After my grandma and best friend died, going through a breakup, and walking the line of an eating disorder, I finally came to the end of myself and realized how much I just didn't cut it. That's when I really began to crave God's love and grace on a more personal level. I began trying to read the Bible each day but I didn't really know where to start. Then, I went to a campus ministry meeting and in the most imperfect, cracked, broken, and loneliest form I had ever been, I heard the gospel. Although I had heard it a million times growing up at home and in church, it was as if my ears were actually open to it for the first time. And the healing began and not long after that, I rededicated my life to Christ and finally opened my heart to what it actually meant to walk in that freedom...not check off a list of do's and don'ts. 
 
4. What is SoulScripts?
SoulScripts is the blog I write for girls and women seeking real, raw, honest, Godly advice and encouragement. I try to keep it real and relevant and really meet my girls where they are because that's really the only true way to reach people. I don't sugar coat it and I try to cut the cheese (okay, no pun intended there). In other words, I think sometimes there's this notion that Christianity is irrelevant and cheesy and that's the very stereotype my writing seeks to intersect. I make it my mission to sound as real and honest on paper as I would in person because there's enough cheesiness and fake-ness (is that even a word?) on the internet and it's just not something I, or any of my peers, can handle. If I wouldn't like to read it, I won't write it. If I think it sounds cheesy or fake, I won't publish it. 
The message behind SoulScripts is "your brokenness is welcome here" because I believe so strongly in the power of meeting people where they are, in the middle of their brokenness. I mean, shouldn't that be the message of the church? I think we want it to be but so many still feel so judged around Christians. That's a barrier I'm working to bust through with SoulScripts by putting the invitation out there so clearly. It's for the uptight church girl and the crazy party girl and everyone in between. We all need each other and we all need Jesus.
 
5. What is The Sisterhood?
The Sisterhood is an online community packed full of resources and groups to get involved in. It has resources, tips, monthly devotionals, bible study tutorials, and more to help young women grow in their faith, work, friendships and relationships. It was designed to give young women a space to turn during transitional periods of life or when they are having a hard time finding community that supports them in their faith. Girls have been able to connect with other likeminded gals in their state and even on their campuses as a result of the network and it's been amazing to see both virtual and real life small groups and bible studies pop up around the country. Simply put, it's a community packed full of resources I provide for my readers each month, regardless of how 'Christian' they may feel or be. It's a Sisterhood founded on Truth, not letters, social class, politics, or anything else.

6. What does it mean to have true community in one’s life? 
It means not having to hide the broken pieces of yourself. I think sometimes we mix up company and community and assume they're the same thing. But you wouldn't let company see your dirty laundry. You'd shove it in the back closet and wipe the counters. But community? True community sees the dirt in your life. True community isn't just coffee dates and cute instagram photos. True community is a place where you can be unashamedly fully known--but also fully loved.
 
7. How can a person find life giving community?
Become it for someone else. I think we all just expect that life giving community will pop up -- and hey, sometimes it can. But I've found the best way to truly step into and live in Godly community is to first be willing to step into the world of someone else and love all their yuck. That community is generally reciprocated overtime but even if it's not, it's a start. If you're having trouble finding lifegiving community, consider what you may be holding back in your social circles. Are you really asking the questions and caring about the pain in a friend's life? Are you praying for your friendships? Are you confessing the sin and brokenness in your life or are you too afraid of what someone may think? Sometimes we have to be bold enough to create that community -- the people are often already there but there may be some barriers to bust down. Maybe it starts with you.
 
8. In regards to your post, “Why Has God Given Me Too Much to Handle (Again)?!”, what would you say to someone who feels like God is allowing a person to go through too much? How can one trust God in situations like that?
Remember that God doesn't hesitate to give us more than we can handle because that's the very best opportunity we have to rely on God. Times like these reveal our deep need for God...not His neglecting of us. We live in a world that tells us to pick up our bootstraps and figure it out. We are almost programmed to rely on ourselves in everything we do. While it's important to work hard and cut the whining, we have to shift our perspective when circumstances are out of our control so that we can learn to see those times an opportunity to rely on God more than ourselves. 
 
9. What advice would you give to someone who wants to spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible but does not know where to begin? 
Keep it simple and don't overthink it. You don't have to be a Bible reading machine when you first start so first, take the pressure off of yourself. Simply talk to God, include requests, praise, and thanks. When reading the Bible, find a plan online or at the bookstore to help guide you. SheReadsTruth has many great topical devotionals and studies that go through books of the Bible. Resources that help offer some guidance are always helpful!
 
10. What should a person do when they have not found their niche, so they do not quite know where God is leading them for their future?
I think we get so caught up on the specifics of a niche that we miss the big picture. Your purpose is simply to grow in Christlikeness and build God's church, right where you are. I've found that so many young girls are so hung up on finding God's perfect plan for their life that they don't do anything. It's almost like we want God to reveal this clear roadmap to fulfillment and we forget that we already know where God is leading us. He's been clear in His Word: build My church (Matthew 28:16-20). It doesn't matter if we do that as a writer, a dental hygienist, a teacher or something else. Those things are specifics. You will find the most fulfillment when you step into that calling right where you are and let the specifics (such as the specific career path, location, etc.) reveal themselves as you live in and out of that ultimate purpose. Otherwise, you're going to feel like you're constantly waiting around for a perfect answer but girl, there's work to do!