My mentor Devi Titus once told me that when God gave her the name to match her vision, only then could she pursue it.  She’s the same elegant woman who wrinkled up her nose at a board meeting once and said in the sweetest tone, “I don’t like the name: Jennifer Strickland Ministries.  It’s just, Blah!”

I never preferred the name myself, but it happened more by accident than intent.  I wrote a book and it had my name on it.  So there you go.  That’s about how much I thought about the name, except I always liked the way the JS looked like JeSus, and knew it was a Movement of His and not mine.  Nevertheless, Jennifer Strickland Ministries sounded like it was about me and it never was — it’s always been about you, your daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend, mom, even son or dad. So I waited for the name. When I wasn’t looking, it appeared.

Speaking in public school assemblies, mostly co-ed, presented a challenge:  how could I find a language that inspired both boys and girls?  Without quoting the Bible, I needed them to know they were More Loved than they knew.  More Valuable.  More Powerful. Searching for a way to speak to both genders, U R More became the language.  It’s formatted like a text, so it’s in the verbage of youth. And they could fill in their own blanks:  U R More than the number on the scale.  More than the ever-changing mirror, More than your popularity, More than the number of likes on your latest selfie, much, much More than your popularity on Instagram.

I wanted the boys to know they are worth More than their score cards or report cards; they deserve respect for who they are beneath the numbers.  I wanted the girls to know their bodies are worth more than convenience store treatment; they are not one-stop shops; they are holy ground like the church on the corner.  They are not disposable; no, More:  sacred, set apart, their sexuality a pearl to be encased for marriage. With U R More, I challenge both boys and girls to live like they are More and not Less, and send messages into the world that match their Value.

We all send messages every day, through our words, texts, posts, shares, likes.  The trail of the messages we send is the legacy we leave.  Our messages are the footprints of our time on earth.

If I have one message to send, it is U R More. To my loved ones:  U R More Important to me than anything else.  U R More Loved than you realize, More Cherished than you can imagine, and More Powerful than you know.  

To those who reach out to our ministry in pain and regret:  U R More than your past, More than Forgiven, More than your worst day. U R Valuable.  Worthy.  Destined for More. The new ministry will no longer be based on who I used to be or what I used to do for a living … but instead, who we are now, who we are becoming, and the footprints we hope to leave in our wake.

U R More is heart-bent on reaching souls for Christ, but we know that’s done One heart at a time.  Our passion is to reconnect people with the heart of God — but we do it with non-God language sometimes.  Like U R Loved.  That’s Truth.  That”s Bible-believing Truth.  But I don’t need to to quote the Bible to love, or to treat someone like they are. I could go on, and I will.  But not today.

Today is for a New Name to match the vision:  U R More.  By the way, you know what else I love about the new name?  It’s not about me.  It’s ALL about You!  And that’s More Beautiful to me.

Onward,