Child-like Wonder

On Saturday, we went to visit my nephews for the afternoon and evening. Canyon is a few months shy of turning three. I know I’m always saying, “This stage is my favorite,” but y’all, for real—THIS STAGE IS MY FAVORITE!

His vocabulary is exploding. Every time I’m around him, I’m constantly amazed at the number of new words he knows and sentences he can form.

And he’s so fun to play with. Definitely a first-born, he bosses Howell and me around, telling us where to sit and what toy to play with.

As I reach two steps into the kitchen to grab Case’s blanket, I’m immediately told, “Lala, sit down! Come here. Sit here!”

“Yes, Sir.” :)

(Shortly after I grabbed the blanket for Case... LOL!)
Sweet Case is a good sport with his brother's active imagination

My sister bought Canyon a kite last week. He’d seen one somewhere or on some show, and he’d been asking to fly a kite.

Lucky for him, his Uncle Howell is quite skilled at kite flying.

(My sister and I are not, and we decided that’s another thing that falls into the category of “things we didn't do as kids.” Other items in that category include fairs and circuses. LOL!)

So, we all go outside to watch Canyon experience his first kite—and y’all, I could’ve cried.

The joy on his face. Pure joy and wonder.

There’s no other way to describe it.

I thought, Oh to be a child. To be almost-three and experiencing everything like it’s new.

New words. New phrases. New games.

Everything, every day is something new to him.

And I felt like the Lord reminded me of Mark 10:15—and what it means to have child-like faith.

Jesus says to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

This face—this look of joy and wonder and eager desire to experience—this is what Jesus means; this is what receiving the kingdom like a child looks like.

This week, my friends, let’s boldly approach the throne. Let’s wonder at the beauty of our Savior like we’ve never seen Him before. Let’s marvel at the Holy Spirit and eagerly experience all that He has for us.

Let’s stifle nothing. Let’s let go, with reckless abandon, and pursue our Heavenly Dad and His Kingdom. 

English Ivy Meets a Black Thumb

Last fall, I was given a beautiful English Ivy for boss’s day. I know it must’ve been expensive because it’s huge and gorgeous.

I wanted a plant for my office—despite the fact that I’m not a plant person.

And the plant my colleagues chose—I was told—is very, very hard to kill.

Can I repeat? I’m not a plant person.

Around our house, Howell takes care of all things green and colorful and organic and pretty.

But I listened to his instructions and determined that I would take care of this plant at work.

My goal is always to water it on Mondays.

Actually, at first I purposed to water it on Fridays. Fridays got pushed to Mondays (can you see where this is going?), and now I usually look up at some point mid-week and think, “Oh dang! I haven’t watered my plant yet.”

She is quite resilient, though, this plant of mine. And God has used her to speak to my heart on a number of occasions.

In fact, God’s been speaking to me—the non-plant person—through all things green and organic a lot lately. (You might recall my encounters in the flower beds last summer and my faith declaration  because of the cotton harvest last fall.)

We have a solid red oak in our front yard. It’s my absolute favorite tree.

The year we moved in, God gave us a word that we were like that red oak—that our roots were deep, and our branches would be resilient, despite the circumstances, despite the heavy rains, harsh winds, severe freezes. Whatever the conditions, God told me we would be able to stand under the adversary.

Of course, a massive red oak would be resilient. It looks resilient. But when I look at this little Ivy, I think, even you, and each delicate little leaf, are resilient.

She might look weak when I’ve neglected her, and some leaves might yellow or droop a little, but when I give her a drink, she snaps back rather quickly.

My Heavenly Dad is a good Gardener. Can you imagine how big and how green his thumb must be?

He picks from me the dead leaves, to make room for new growth. He never neglects to give me water.

He’s forever my source and strength.

And because of His tender care over my soil, I can face anything.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." 

Friends, do you feel thirsty today? Do you need to let the Master Gardener care for your heart soil?

Do you need Him to breathe life and strength into your roots and limbs and leaves again? 

If my black thumb can care for a super resilient ivy, then only imagine how much more skillfully he can care for the most delicate of us. 

The importance of “YOUR PEOPLE”

Last weekend I spoke at a breakout session for a women’s event at my church about having "A Heart of Faith." The whole thing made me so nervous. I’m a writer—and an introvert. I’m not a speaker!

People always say, Yeah, but you teach. Isn’t that the same thing?

Um, no.

I’m not sure what the difference is, but there is a difference, according to my brain. :) 

I have never been so thankful for MY people. There’s lots of buzz words for this today: Your tribe. Your clan. Your besties. Your inner circle.

Whatever you call them, I have never been so thankful for MINE.

Let’s start with my hubs. He couldn’t be at the actual event, of course, but he listened to me practice 5, 873 times (X 30 minutes each round = lots of love!!)

My best friend drove in from out of town to be there. She also got to hear the practice round at least once.

Tomi and my sister—with a ONE MONTH OLD—drove up to hear me. Y’all. That’s precious. My other nephew had his tonsils and adenoids out just a few days before (not the one month old, obvs), so Dancie and Momma were running on E, to say the least!

I had friends in the audience who just came to support me, and I had countless people text me that they were praying for me. Two of my dear friends, who were speaking at the same time (rats!) stopped by my area to check on ME before THEY had to speak. (Wow. J)

I am one blessed woman.

I can’t imagine my life without the people in it. They encourage me, build me up, love me, see me—even when I’m a mess. They help me and support me. They make me laugh and remind me of the important things in life.

At the end of the weekend, although I’d poured out myself, I felt so poured into as well. And the Lord reminded me of Moses in Exodus 17—when Aaron and Hur had to hold up his arms.

We were made to live in community, in fellowship with one another, and it’s okay to lean on someone when you need some help. (Just be sure you’re someone for others to lean on too! :))

If you don’t have YOUR PEOPLE, then find some! Join a Sunday school class or a life group or bible class at your local church. Ask God to bring people into your life for you to do LIFE with. 

Experiencing God's Peace

I’ve told you that my word this year is peace, and last Sunday at CORE, our pastor preached on peace.

Coincidence? I think not! J

The word peace in the Greek means ‘mended, mendedness, reconciled, brought back together.’

Doesn’t that create a beautiful word-picture when we consider that through Jesus, we have peace with God?

Peace with God restores us to a place of order, a place without chaos.

I felt like the Lord showed me that the word peace for 2017 does not mean that the year will be calm or quiet or without trials.

He gave me the word peace because this is the year Howell and I will learn to walk in peace—regardless of our circumstances.

When Howell tried to erase our marker board, which has read “Let the peace of God rule in your heart” since last spring, God told him to put it back up there.

Apparently, we still have much to learn about letting God’s peace rule in our heart.

I’ve blogged before about this verse—that we’re commanded to let peace rule, which means have utter authority, like a judge that presides over our hearts.

When I don’t feel at peace, when life feels chaotic or out of control, I need only consider who or what is ruling my heart.

Probably, it’s Laura. Probably I’m trying to do it all or make something happen or carry a burden I never should’ve picked up.

Job 22:21 says, “Agree with God and be at peace.”

The Amplified version says, “Now yield and submit yourselves to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace.”

Again, if I’m not feeling peaceful, am I submitted to God? Am I agreeing with Him for whatever situation I’m facing?

Our pastor told us, “Maybe instead of praying for peace, you need to pray for your heart to be submitted to the Lordship of God in your life.”

Wow.

May my heart be at peace—always.

May I allow God’s peace to have utter authority in my heart at all times.

May I position my heart this year to agree with God, to be submitted wholly to His Lordship.

Click to Tweet: Does life feel chaotic or out of control? @Grace2Write shares how you can experience God’s peace in your life. 

My Top Five TBR from 2016

2016 was a good year for books. I only made it through one of my reading wish-list books I posted about at the end of the year, but in the spirit of reflection, I wanted to share with you my top five picks for books you must put on your To Be Read (TBR) list.

5. Her Texas Family.  In this sequel to Falling for Texas, Jill Lynn captures your heart with her characters, some new, some familiar. Jill's message in this text is subtle, and although this might be an expected happy-ending love story, she still moved me with her words.

4. American Wife. Taya Kyle opens her home through each page of this text and invites us into her life. She's raw and vulnerable, and because of that, I have a greater appreciation for her story--and our military families. When I finished the text, I hugged my husband a little tighter and thanked God for him.  Read this with a Kleenex.

3. Almost Like Being in Love. Also a sequel, Beth Vogt's unique series gives us a new destination and perspective for the characters--again, some new, some familiar. She writes characters we care about, and as we encounter their struggles, we also experience their hope and success. If you like a good love story, you'll like this one.

2. Told You Twice. Friends, you know how much I adore Kristen Heitzmann. She's a talented writer who not only writes incredible characters and unpredictable plots, but also weaves messages of hope and God's grace in everything she writes. I've posted on this book already here and here, so I won't gush much more. It's a great sequel to Told You So, and I highly recommend it.

1. Long Way Gone. Charles Martin has done it again. He's the real King of Romance, in my opinion, and in his latest book, he has made the iconic biblical story of the prodigal son uniquely his own. As with When Crickets Cry, you'll love his characters, and the ending will leave you stunned but satisfied.  Read this with a BOX of Kleenex.








What about you, friends? What were your favorite books from 2016?

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

This holiday always reminds me of my grandmother. She was a unique woman, full of elegance and grace, and her holiday table would’ve made Emily Post proud.

Her kitchen portrayed an absolute rotation of chaos and cleanliness—dishes were dirtied and washed and dried and the cycle repeated. She loved to cook and bake

As a young child, I was given easier jobs, like stirring the pot, drying dishes, or licking the bowl of batter.

Bammie and me in PJs :) 

Later, my tasks included making the crescent rolls, and I became the best crescent-roll-maker you can imagine.

At some point, I graduated to dessert duty, where I got to help with making pumpkin and apple pies. One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories involves my cousin, Kelley—the year we made the apple pies completely on our own. The crusted strips on top did not look like Bammie’s, but we were quite proud of our accomplishment.

This year marks the 10^th Thanksgiving without my grandmother, and I always miss her most this time of year.

The holiday might be based on historical events and long-standing tradition, but to me, it’s always been about family—at least as much as it’s about food. ;) 

I’m thankful for my family, for my in-laws, for my husband. Life is precious, and relationships are valuable.

You might be feasting on turkey and green bean casserole, and you’ll be overloaded with potatoes and crescent rolls and carbs, and you’ll likely have a sugar high from all the cakes and pies and holiday goodies.

But take some time to give thanks, to share your gratitude for each other, and to relish each memory. 

My Christmas-Break-Binge-Reading Wish List

The holiday season is upon us, and I’m already dreaming about the sides at our Thanksgiving dinner, the fireplace, all the yummy baked goods at Christmas, decorated trees and lights on the house and time with family. Time with myself. Just. Time.

Sitting down with a book, when I have free time, is still my absolute favorite. It’s hard to read during the semester because so often I’m reading for class preparations or I’m reading papers as I grade them.

And now, we're at the end of the semester, which means student conferences and final papers and final exams.

When the break hits, I end up binge-reading during my time off—this year that’s 12 days to binge. ;) 

So, for this post, I thought I would share my reading wish list, the books I hope to get to over the break:

1. Long Way Gone by Charles Martin. Charles Martin’s book has been out for over a month, and I’m a little shocked at myself that I haven’t already devoured it. He’s one of my favorites.

2. Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham.  What can I say? I love Gilmore Girls. I even loved Lauren's fiction book, Someday, Someday, Maybe. And I can’t wait for the Netflix release or this book release, which are, not coincidentally, a few days apart.

3. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist.  You all know I’ve been dying to read this one since the Belong Tour in September. I enjoyed Shauna’s message and the heart behind it; I think this is a timely lesson for me.

4. The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore.  I can’t wait to read Beth Moore’s first piece of fiction. She has a gift for writing and studying the Word, so I don't doubt this piece carries that same anointing. I’ve already heard good things about it!

5. The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. Ann had me from page one of One Thousand Gifts. I love her writing style as much as I love the depth of her words. I’ve read all her books since then, and I’m thrilled to see she has a new one out. 

What about you, my friends? What are you reading these days? Any recommendations you’d give me for my binge fest?

Planting Seeds of Faith: Reminders This Harvest Season

It’s harvest season around here—a time of year when our farmers work long hours.

At 10:30, in full darkness, after the kids are all asleep, and you’re in your PJs, many of our farmers are still on the combine, their headlights like bright stars in an expansive darkness.

We don’t farm, but we live next to a field, and this year they planted cotton.

For weeks, I’ve been driving by and thinking, I’ve got to capture that field—a blanket across the land with bolls like big, fluffy snowflakes.

I’ve always admired fields of white cotton. I remember as a kid, after the farmers had harvested and taken their modules to the gin, their trucks left behind white sheets along the side of the highway.

As a five- or six-year-old kid, I remember thinking it had snowed.

Only it wasn’t flakes of frozen moisture.

For the last several weeks, I keep looking at white fields.

Every day passing them on my way to and from work.

And thinking of the fruit of one’s labor—the present reality of a promise delivered.

What was once only seed and hope is now birthed and fully grown, ready to be received.

When they planted and watered and waited, they were believing for, hoping for the evidence of things unseen.

Isn’t that what faith is?

Pastor Paul said last week that we exercise our faith by standing in the presence of the future.

A leap of faith is a leap only because one’s feet must leave what is present reality for what is unknown, uncertain, unseen—and one must stand, placing her foot on the other end of the gap, to say, “This is what I believe for my future.”

I shy away from that sometimes, from making bold declarations of faith because aren’t I then held to that expectation? Won’t I be judged for whether it comes to pass?

But to remain so means my feet are stuck, are glued only in reality.

No leaping. No daring. No believing. No planting.

That’s the picture I’ve had lately as I pass these fields.

I’d be like a farmer who didn’t put seed in the ground for fear that nothing would produce.

Yet our farmers live by faith ever year, season to season.

And now, it’s harvest time—the blessing of yesterday’s unknown becomes the present of what was once future.

So, I’m daring today, to plant a seed of faith—a word that’s out there that I’ve been too scared to say in this space.

I am healed.

Despite former diagnoses related to infertility, I believe God has fully healed my body, that my reproductive system is whole and restored.

He doesn’t call me Barren One.

He has opened my womb, and He’ll make me to be the joyful mother of children.

So why would I be scared to say so?

Well…this didn’t just happen. God has healed my body every month for about 18 months, and every month, I witness the evidence of my healing.

If I’m taking this leap of faith only to silence the doubt, then so be it.

Doubt says, why have we not conceived if I’m healed? After 18 months, why is my status unchanged?

I don’t have an answer for that.

But I submit my heart to His Lordship.

I submit my heart to the King.

He knows all things.

He knows what I need and when I need it.

He holds time in His hands.

But for a year and a half, Howell and I have been timidly holding this little seed of faith.

In secret, we water it; we shower it with prayer.

We expose it to the sunlight and comfort of only those closest to us.

But on the whole, it’s been hidden.

And now, I feel like the Lord keeps telling me, it’s harvest season!

It’s time.

I’m planting my stake, the word of my mouth and all that’s in my heart, in the Promised Land.

I’m standing today for my future reality.

I used to read Joseph’s story and think he was crazy for telling his brothers about his dream. Why didn't he just keep his mouth shut?

But I now know it took courage and boldness to share what he did. And to continue to believe.

It says in Psalm 105:19, “Until what He said came to pass, the Word of the Lord tested him [Joseph].”

God’s word over us—that He’ll make me to be a joyful mother of children—continues to test us, month after month when we see no result.

But we believe the words we’ve heard, and the dozens and dozens of prophetic words spoken over us, we receive them.

I pass fields of white cotton.

Promise upon promise of yields planted in faith.

And I declare, our harvest will come.

NaNoWriMo: Writing Exercise for Showing v. Telling

This semester I’m co-teaching Creative Writing, and we just wrapped up my favorite unit—short fiction.

We always do a fun lesson on showing versus telling, a critical skill for any creative writer.

NaNo friends, as you’re chipping away at your daily word count, perhaps these tips will help:

Take whatever scene you’re working on.

1. Show us the senses: What does your character see, hear, smell, taste, and touch?
2. Show us the action: What is your character doing? What’s her motivation, conflict, tension?
3. Shows us the feels: Don’t tell us your character is angry; let us see her face flush and her jaw clench. Don’t tell us she’s tired; let us see her rub her eyes, the words on the screen unfocused, her eyelids heavy and closing against her will.

Source link

One of the fastest ways to know if you’re showing or telling is to check your verbs.

‘To be’ verbs tell us. (e.g.: am, are, is, was, were, be, being, been)

Action verbs show us.

In class, I gave my students the following paragraph and asked them to rewrite a scene, showing instead of telling.

Maybe you’d find the exercise as fun as they did?

Jane is a timid freshman at State University. The youngest of six children, she misses the comfort of her home and her small graduating class of twelve. Her new roommate, Carol, is nice, and although the young man in her freshman math class makes her blush, she is thinking of him more and more.

Carol says she should give him a sign, but Jane isn’t sure how to do that. College is so different from Small Town, America. But maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

Using what you’ve been told about Jane, Carol, and the intriguing classmate, write a more descriptive paragraph, an action scene, or a conversation with dialogue that demonstrates one of the following:

• How Jane feels
• What Jane’s dorm, roommate, or male classmate look like
• What Jane decides to do

You have full license to write in whatever genre you wish. Is this a love story? The start of a mystery? A feel-good inspiration? Is it set in our world? Another world? Are these humans? Etc.

Put whatever twist you like, but be sure your scene is showing and not telling.

Example:

Jane unlocked the door to her dorm room and dropped her backpack next to the built-in, oak-colored desk that only masked the laminate particle board.

The memory of she and her five siblings framed in a pose in a field of white cotton bulbs welcomed her. She stared at the glass until at last she saw her reflection, reminding her of her new home, her new season. 

Click to Tweet: Writers: need a break from your #NaNoWriMo2016 WIP? Try this fun showing v. telling exercise. 

NaNoWriMo - 2016

Can you tell I’ve been writing lately? :)

When I pause and take the time to put pen to paper, He causes the words to flow.

Remember my September take-aways?

Be you. Be still. Be present. Be willing.

My journal’s cover design is simple—a light brown paper cover that looks a bit like recycled card board—and in the center, one word: Write.

It commands, implores, urges, reminds, and encourages me to steward my time with writing.

November 1 begins NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month.

Last year, I started a new novel, and even though I didn’t meet my NaNo goals of 50K words in 30 days, I took the time to be intentional with my writing.

That’s my goal again this year.

I told you this summer about the contest I won. One of the editors who read my submission liked my writing style, but didn’t think the story was a good fit for their typical publications.

I agree completely; I had a different target in mind, and what I submitted doesn’t really fit what this particular publisher does.

But now that I know what they look for, and now that I’ve made that good connection with that editor, I’d like to finish a story idea with them in mind—something on the shorter side that’s inspirational romance but more subtly Christian.

So that’s my plan for November—to finish!

I am continually reminded of what Jen Hatmaker said at the Belong Conference: “Jesus didn’t ask us to be famous; He asked us to be faithful.”

My part means doing just as my journal cover requires me to do—Write!

Every week, I get to teach and be an administrator; every week I’m stewarding those gifts. So I don’t mean to imply that I’m not doing what I love or that I’m not right where He’s called me.

But in the midst of that, in the middle of this fall season, He’s asking me to be faithful to write. To exercise the creativity He’s put inside of me.

My short novel’s working title is Facing the Farmer, and I'm still working on the hook:

Blake Griffen might feel high and mighty in his twenty-foot green combine, and his family might raise corn on half the land in Elton, Texas. But his mischievous acts have gone too far for Emerson Lane. She devises a counter attack to confront her enemy, but is her strategy for a face-off thwarted by her heart’s wayward fancy?

All of this is, of course, a work-in-progress, but please feel free to share your ideas and responses.

Any other NaNoWriMo attempters out there? Care to share your novel ideas? 

Click to Tweet: Calling all #NaNoWriMo buddies. @Grace2Write shares her WIP. Care to share yours? #NaNoWriMo2016 

Is It Time to Change the Water Filter?

This summer I wrote a post about my experience with weeding out the gardens of my heart.

I described how I felt like I had just picked all the weeds and yet—without tending to my flower bed—the new ones had sprung up, catching me unawares.

Recently, God used a different picture to remind me of that same truth—the one that says I have to keep a daily watch on my heart connection.

We have a Brita water filter that connects to our faucet. We’re supposed to change the filter every three months, but usually, we forget.

We don’t notice it at first, that the water is slower to come out, that filling a glass or the coffee pot takes longer than it used to.

It’s a slow process, the inner workings of the filter sneakily getting built up and blocked by the city’s hard water.

And then, eventually, one of us asks, “Is it time to change the filter? Seems like it’s been a while.”

So we do.

Every time, we are amazed at how the water rushes out like a river breaking the dam, and in seconds, our glasses overflow.

We’ve become so used to the slow fill that we are surprised (seriously, every time) by the renewed flow.

When we changed our filter recently, I felt like the Lord reminded me that my spirit is like that.

I need the Holy Spirit to continually fill me, to give me His grace and power and strength.

But if I’m not consciously checking the connection, if I let it go a little longer, and a little more, and a little more, it’s easy to get bogged down by the circumstances and the stress and all the feels, like “I’m overwhelmed” or “I can’t do this.”

If I choose, however, to reconnect, to change the filter and let the Holy Spirit fill me again—refresh and renew—then I find the source of power and grace and strength once more.

Friends, if your source of water feels slow right now, maybe it’s time for a renewed flow. Let the Holy Spirit empower you to do His work this week!

The Belong Tour: Slurpees and Take-Aways

Remember when I said that finding time to write was a battle to overcome? And that it’s a fight I want to win?

Yeah.

And then the very next week, I missed my first-ever Thursday posts out of the last 53 Thursdays. (Now, not once but twice!)

Key *audible sigh*

I’m in that kind of season.

But the Lord is good, and He always meets me where I am.

I am amazed by His grace every day.

At the end of last week, when I had accomplished more “to do” list items than I thought was possible, I told my best friend, “That’s a miracle. Literally, God’s miracle to me.”

I’ve added Shauna Niequist's Present over Perfect to my reading wish list. Doesn’t that sound like a title for me?

It’s currently #2 on the New York Times Best Sellers list for Religion, Spirituality, and Faith.

At the end of September, I had the privilege to hear Shauna speak—along with absolute favorite: Jen Hatmaker. 

My sister and I enjoyed a girls weekend in Dallas where we attended the Belong tour—a women’s conference that in addition to Niequist and Hatmaker, included Nicole Nordeman, Sharon Irving, Patsy Clairemont, and JohnnySwim.

Jen Hatmaker has the gift of making me laugh while also making me think

Nicole Nordeman might be known for her songs, but she's a very talented speaker!

Slurpees makes EVERYTHING awesome! :) 

My take-away?

Be you.

Be still.

Be present.

Be willing.

This fall already feels so busy. But isn’t that always true?

It’s my choice to be intentional, to be present.

TO BE STILL.

When I choose that, I always find Him waiting, ready to refresh and refill.

When I choose that, I’m reminded that He’s surrounded me with great friends and family and a husband who is a rockstar.

That’s my choice to choose in this season--to be still, to slow down, to see, to be present. 

What about you, my friend? Is this a busy season for you? At work? At home? With your kids and schedules?

I encourage you with the same take-away I had:

Be you.

Be still.

Be present.

Be willing.

When the Word Tests You

"Until the word of the Lord came to pass, the word tested [Joseph]." Psalm 105:19

I've been meditating on this verse all week. It's a favorite of mine, and in the past I've always used it to encourage us to have faith in the gap.

You know, the gap of confrontation, that hole between when God gives you a word or a dream or a promise and when He accomplishes it.

In that place, you learn to stand on God's word, to declare His truth and His promises over your circumstances, over your feelings, over your enemy.

I know that gap because I've been in it for five years.

We've heard God that we'll be parents, and we know He's going to give us children.

So we continue to wait and trust His plan., and when I feel discouraged, Psalm 105:19 is my go-to verse.

But this week, I've meditated on it for a different gap. Maybe I'll call it the writer's gap.

I know He's put this dream in my heart. In fact, I believe He's called me to write, which is why I named this blog "Obeying the Call."

I'd spent many years hiding from my calling, and I started this blog--six years ago--as an act of obedience.

Do you know what happens when we step out in faith and do something?

Well, sometimes we get tested.

I have so much that is calling for my attention now that it's a test to even write.

I'm not saying that I'm in disobedience if I don't write. I'm not out of God's will if I'm
not popping out book chapters or blog posts.

That's not God's heart.

The truth is, I feel free when I write. It relaxes my mind and brings joy to my heart and refreshes my soul.

Even if I'm not writing to share the words, the act itself blesses me and draws me closer to God.

It seems natural, then, that I might face opposition before getting to that place of serenity, of chosen time, of consecrated words, pushing pen across paper or clicking keys to a screen.

Wiring in this season might look differently than it did this summer, when I could devote entire days to working on and editing my book.

That's okay. In fact, I have to be okay with that.

But I believe writing--finding time to write, regardless if it's to be shared or to be cherished--is a battle I'll have to fight and overcome.

It's a conscious decision I'll have to make, and it's not about the words, where they'll go or what they'll say. It's about me and my heart and my joy.

What about you, friend?

Do you have a dream God has put in your heart? Do you find yourself in the gap of confrontation?

I pray you'll dwell on His word, His truth for your life.

Keep dreaming. Keep fighting for your dreams. He is faithful.

Living Like Royalty

A few weeks ago, Howell and I had the opportunity to attend the Texas Tech football game—in style. We were given passes to a suite and VIP tickets to a private tailgate and an after-the-game celebration. We had tickets, passes, and lanyards around our neck that literally said VIP.

Everywhere we went, we had access to free food and drinks, and we had incredible seats to the game with a great view of the field.

As I was soaking it all in, I thought, Man, I feel so privileged, so important.

And I immediately felt the Lord nudge my heart—You always are.

That night, we felt like royalty, but the Lord reminded me that I’m always royalty. I’m a daughter of the King. His word says I’m a royal priesthood, chosen and called out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

A friend of mine posted this meme on Facebook recently, and I saved it and have looked at it regularly.

Too often, I forget who I am. I forget whose I am.

I allow circumstances and my own thoughts to beat me down and tell me I’m inadequate, but that’s never who God says I am.

He says I’m enough. He says I’m whole, complete, and lacking nothing.

I’ve been reading The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson for several months—maybe even a year. It doesn’t usually take me that long to read a book, but I’ve been having a hard time soaking in the truth.

I have lived with a pauper mentality where I operate out of a feeling of "lack" and try to protect what’s "mine," including sometimes, my heart.

But a prince (or princess) mentality knows that I’ve been given everything I’ll ever need, that I have a rich inheritance, and that I’ll never lack—physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

Bill Johnson says it this way: 

"I can't afford to think differently about my life than God does." 

I’m always chosen. I’m always important. I’m always the VIP in God’s eyes.

And He desires to bless me. He’s given me every spiritual blessing in Heaven, and He’s given me favor with people and with my circumstances. Those are the privileges I get to enjoy as His kid.

What about you, my friend? Do you see yourself as a prince or princess? As a son or daughter of the Most High? If you struggle, as I so often do, I pray He’ll whisper truth to you. Receive what He says about you—both who you are and whose you are.

Rain That Refreshes, Renews

Sheets of rain are pouring down as I work on this blog post, and I’m thinking about the expression, “When it rains, it pours.” 

I’ve felt that way a little these last few weeks as I’ve recently had a lot of busyness, uncertainty, and ever-growing ‘to do’ lists. 

  

But rain can also be refreshing: the ground soaks in the moisture while thirsty crops catch drops of water on glistening, bright green leaves.   

 For me, the rhythm outside my window calms me, and I’m renewed, revived. 

Peace. 

Be still. 

Peace.

I’m in your midst. 

I hear His words in the beat of the drops on my windowsill. 

And after the rain stops, after the stormy clouds and unpredictable precipitation recede, He washes me clean again; he restores my soul. 

Sometimes I wonder why I ever stress at all. When it’s all said and done, He’s always taken care of me. He’s never let me fall. 

I breathe in fresh, clean air. Don’t you love the smell of rain? 

I breathe in more of His Spirit, His grace, His strength. 

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

His grace is sufficient for me.

Friends, if you’ve been near me these last four weeks, I’ve been a hot mess. But today, it’s as if the Lord hit the reset button with all this rain, and I get to resurface with a renewed purpose and joy. 

If you need to be renewed, I pray the Lord would rain sweet drops of grace and mercy over your soul today.