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The Cambridge Dictionary defines a ripple as“a sound or feeling that spreads through a person or group of people, gradually increasing and then becoming smaller.” Merriam-Webster classifies it as “having or producing a ripple effect: spread.” So, what is a ripple effect, and how does one begin?
We can all think back on an individual (boss, friend, colleague, teacher, grandparent) who did something that may have seemed inconsequential at the time, but it may have changed the trajectory of your career, influenced your selection of a mate, or impacted your faith journey (stories of ripples that have impacted the lives of our creative team are included in the side bar).
The mission of Sisterhood Magazine is to impact the lives of women with grace, authenticity, and purpose. We want to focus on women and the changes we can make in our own lives and in our communities that can have a positive impact on the world—creating a ripple effect in the lives of others.
In the first definition above, a ripple gradually increases and then becomes smaller. That is because there is nothing in water to amplify the ripple. But we as women are not like water! We can celebrate, champion, and support one another to help spread the effects of our ripples. If we do nothing, the action, however positive, will not catch fire and permeate throughout our community. We need to work together to notice the positive differences others are making, and then help expand the impact.
Our ripples we send out into the world, become our spiritual legacy that we create for the next generation. With the frenetic pace of life today, it is easy to feel that we are isolated in a vacuum; our actions only affect those in our immediate circle. We don’t often see or realize the impact our interactions (a gesture of kindness, a compliment, a word of encouragement) are having, let alone the compilation of all of those actions combined. We may not know how or why we are being called or used in a particular situation, but as the saying goes, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. We just need to be open to let God use us to make the ripples happen.
Here are just a few examples of individuals in our circles who have listened to the nudge from God and stepped out of their comfort zone, creating positive ripples in the world:
Ripple Kim Leonard
Kim Leonard was sitting at her computer in 2013 when she felt the Lord nudge her to ask two friends to start a bible study. The two friends did not know the Lord, own their own Bibles or attend church. She initially resisted taking that step of faith, fearing what they would think of her. Kim shares, “What if they said no? What if they were offended? As the “what ifs” would run through my mind… I decided to send them the text to see what they would say. They both said “yes”. My YES to God… taking the step of asking them to do a bible study was just the beginning. After my two friends said YES, I then prayed and asked God who else to invite. I listened to His voice and reached out to 8 other ladies. We started with 10 ladies, most of them did not know the Lord. I would open up my door each Tuesday. I didn’t feel capable to lead and yet began to realize… God equips the called. Over the years, we not only grew in our knowledge of the Lord we also grew in numbers.”
Today, that small bible study of ten women in the Indianapolis area has grown into Behold and Become. An organization of faith-filled women that has grown to include bible study groups, retreats, and multi-generational fellowship all from that title little nudge. Here is a link to the most recent retreat, Come as You Are.
Kim explains, “Each year someone new would join our group, all by word of mouth. After the bible study was about 7 years old, God stirred in my heart to put on a fall retreat for our ladies. I had attended a few retreats, but the idea of leading one was intimidating. I wrestled with God, and eventually said YES. God used our annual retreats to teach me (many) things. The retreats allowed other ladies to step in and use their gifts. My eyes grew wide, seeing the importance of having ladies step up into different roles in our group”
“It was at this time that the Lord gave me the word, “organize”. I knew that He wanted us to organize, yet it would take a few years to understand fully what that meant and looked like. People would always say, “Kim Leonard’s bible study”. For whatever reason, that always bugged me as I didn’t feel like it was MY bible study. God used that uneasiness to stir within me the need to name our group. I sat with the Lord for two years, asking and journaling what He would want to call it. Eventually what came to me was, Behold and Become. What you behold greatly impacts what you become. (2 Cor 3:18) I vividly remember sitting on a plane, journaling and asking the Lord about Behold and Become. As I sat there, what came to me was the B and B. I placed the B’s back to back, and the picture of a butterfly was shown. The butterfly representing the transformation that takes place when you Behold Jesus, you become more like Him :)”
“I always marveled at how much our ladies loved our annual retreats. It was always well attended and everyone always said how important they were. God would use their excitement and feedback to open my eyes to something more. It was in 2019 that the idea of hosting a retreat for ladies from the public, specifically women who didn’t know the Lord. Now, I knew that was a God thought, because when I would think about that, I was intimidated and thought that would be crazy. A whole list of fears would present themselves. The fear of what would people think? Do we know enough? I don’t have a degree in theology, who am I to lead such a thing?
What if no one is interested or shows up? Do we have enough (resources and money)? The fears would hound me and yet there was a great fear that trumped them all. The Fear of the Lord, the healthy reverent fear knowing that God was calling us to do this.”
“My YES, then allowed for us to start planning. (Proverbs 1:7) As the Lord was giving the word organize, I knew I needed a small group of women to work closely with me. That is when we created our “steer group". These 5 ladies stepped up to the Lord's calling. One of them handles finance, another handles administration, website design, problem-solving, prayer, and support.
This group of women has played an integral part to where we are today, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I have without them.”
“During Covid, I had ample time with the Lord. He drew me in close and started to give me the structure. God whispered the following: • Our events are called “Come As You Are”. We want every woman to “come just as they are”. No matter what their life looks like, if they know God, or if they attend church. • Structure is COME, GROW, GO. • Come: We want all of our ladies to feel like they can Come As You Are. Our annual Come As You Are (CAYA) event is FREE. We raise funds to make that possible. We don’t want our attendees to feel the constraints of paying for the day. It is a free gift. We do give an opportunity for those who feel led to “pay it forward” for future attendees. • GROW: Our weekly bible studies. Over the last few years, we have expanded. We now have 2-day groups, 2 evenings, day time Zoom group, evening zoom group, a twenty-something group, college groups, and high school groups. • GO: Share the gospel… which leads us back to the Come As You Are event. (Matthew 28:19)”
Ripple - Sydney & She Hinckley
Several years ago, Sydney and Shea Hinckley, twin sisters in high school in the Dallas area were looking for cute uplifting merchandise with a positive message. Unable to find what they were looking for, the young ladies created their own company called UPwords. All of their merchandise features encouraging affirmations targeted toward teens. Sydney says, “My favorite affirmation is ‘I am loved’ because it was the one thing, I needed to hear most from myself when I was stressed or in a pickle.” Their products are a constant reminder to teens of their self-worth with messages like, “I am enough”, “love yourself” and “The world is a better place with you in it”.
Ripple Nancy Kurnick
“Growing up in the 1980s/90s I spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house helping them with yard work and probably driving them a little crazy. My grandpa was the kindest person. So gentle and giving. He'd wheel my brother and me all over the yard in the dirty wheel barrel, but he didn't care how dirty we got because we were having a blast. My grandpa was also a bird lover. He had two canaries he'd sing to in the mornings, and they sang all the time in return.
On Sunday nights, while my grandma was working at Sears, he'd make tape recordings of himself praying and singing "The Rose" by Bette Midler. He didn't have much of a singing voice, but he found peace doing this while he was missing my grandma. In 1987, when I was only 7 years old, he passed away unexpectedly from an aneurysm in the middle of the night. The weird thing about that night too, was that both his birds died. He was so close to God, praying all the time and repeating scriptures. I loved him.
A few years ago, my mom and I were digging through some things in her closet and stumbled across his last tape. My mom said, ‘Should we listen to it?’ I said, ‘Oh, I don't know if I can!’ We rewound the tape, hit play, and you could hear his birds singing in the background, the crackling of an old tape playing, and then my sweet grandpa's voice came on to the tape saying ‘Our Father... (birds singing)’ my mom and I both burst into tears. I haven't heard his voice in almost 40 years, but that tape recording took me right back into their kitchen, the wonderful smell of their home, the sight of him sitting at the dining room table praying, singing, smiling at me, and the birds singing. His devotion to the Lord inspired me to cultivate a closer relationship to God. I miss him dearly, but I know he's up there guiding me along this crazy life of mine.”
Ripple Cathy Mogler
From my earliest memories, all my grandmothers embodied unwavering faith. They were prayer warriors, devoted volunteers, and avid readers of the Bible. My great-grandmother, Grandma Glasco was always immersed in her Bible or engaged in some form of study. Her daughter, my Grandma Hallie, was perpetually tuned into the Christian Broadcast Network, and a mighty prayer warrior. She always moved me with her tearful prayers at family gatherings, expressing her fervent desire for her family to embrace Christ and accept him as their Savior. As I matured, I found myself drawn to the hope and peace they embodied, realizing that their influence has shaped my own journey profoundly. Without their examples, I may not be sharing this story today. I'm grateful for the legacy of faith upheld by these remarkable women, including my resilient mother, whose strength and perseverance continue to inspire me daily. These three women imprinted the love of God on my heart soul and mind, and I thank God every day for their faithfulness.
Ripple Janelle Romano
I was raised Catholic and had strong spiritual role models, but I was not really exposed to reading the bible on my own or bible studies. When I moved to Texas from Virginia with my husband and our young family, I was invited to attend a “Boxes” After the Boxes are Unpacked class at a non-denominational church in The Woodlands. The “Boxes” class is a Christian-based bible study/support group for women who have recently moved. The groups are offered at churches across the country. The class was such a blessing to me. Not only did it help me deal with all of the emotions related to the move, but it connected me with women of all different seasons of life that were going through the same thing. I made incredible friendships through the group, and it was the positive ripple I needed to encourage me to take my daughters on mother/daughter retreats and join other bible study groups that have greatly impacted my faith journey.
Are you being called to step out in faith and start a ripple like one of these? Maybe it is not creating something new, but supporting another woman on her journey. How is the Lord nudging you? We are all the result of the environment in which we live - let’s choose kindness, support, and celebrate individuals making the world a better place. We are sharing stories and shining a light on individuals – often unsung heroes in our community – in the hope we can inspire more ripples of compassion in our world. We would love to hear stories of ripples that have happened in your life to inspire and empower you to make a positive change. Please email us @thesisterhoodmag.com or join the conversation and tag us on social media #rippleeffect #thesisterhoodmag.
Janelle Romano is a busy wife and working mom of three children living in The Woodlands, Texas. She is a work in progress and is continually striving to let her light shine for Jesus, channeling her creative energies to grow The Sisterhood.
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