You did what?!

Have you ever been scared to follow what God is telling you to do? To go outside your comfort zone, make sacrifices, and be truly obedient to Him? It can be scary!

I taught special education history classes in a public high school for eight years. Last June I hung up my teacher hat to do what God was calling me to do. Since then, I’ve had several experiences where I have seen someone that I haven’t seen in a while and they ask me how the school year is going. I kindly explain that I’m not teaching anymore.

Then I get the questions…

How come? So what are you doing now?

At first I wasn’t sure how to respond….

“Ummm….God called me to write a book, so I quit my job and did it.”

Oh, what is your book about? 

At first I worried that people would think I’m crazy when I told them that I’m working part-time so that I could write a book about my horrible past and how I got over it.
Once I realized that, I got over my insecurity and now I look forward to seeing old friends and telling them about this incredible journey that God has taken me on. And guess what? Everyone has been kind and encouraging!

So next time God tells you to jump, don’t worry about not having the time, money, or courage. Your response should be, “How high?”

It’s so shiny!

Could it be? The UPS truck at 6:30 pm?

It’s here! My author copy arrived and this is the first time I held my book. So many emotions…..

The greatest part was the anticipation on my family’s face as I opened the package. They have seen me write, re-write, and pray over this book. My husband has seen the pain and fear. God has seen me through all of it.

Out of the Darkroom, Into the Light: A Story of Faith and Forgiveness After Child Abuse will be available to the public very soon!

The story behind my blog

When I first started blogging, I chose the title “Grace” and Ephesians2v8 because I believe strongly that it was God’s grace that allowed me to survive a childhood of physical and emotional abuse from my parents. I pursued Him my entire life and once I understood what it meant to have faith, developed a relationship with Christ, and believed, He gave me the strength to forgive them. Not long after that, He gave me another gift; the power to share my story with others. I have written a book and hope to have it published by the end of this year.

This scripture means a lot to me and know that I can’t take credit for what I have accomplished. It is a gift from God!

A sign from God?

A year ago I met a wonderful Christian counselor at a women’s retreat. I was in need of a therapist and called her when I got home. Shortly after that, I began meeting with her weekly and I told her all my “stuff.”

As we were speaking one afternoon, she said that I had a story that could help others and then she asked me if I could ever see myself sharing it. I began laughing nervously, but couldn’t ignore the growing excitement inside of me. As I left and went to my car I found myself considering this crazy idea. I kept it to myself for a week and then received an e-mail invitation for Christian writers and speaker to attend a conference called She Speaks in Charlotte, NC. It confirmed that this was something God was calling me to do. I was too nervous to tell my husband in person, so I e-mailed him. Being a logical, no-nonsense, lawyer, I was waiting (hoping?) for him to ask me how much it would cost or tell me that it was a silly idea. But instead he wrote back, “Go for it,” confirming that this was not something I could ignore.

I flew to the conference feeling very nervous and unprepared. I had a skeleton of a proposal and brand new business cards and felt overwhelmed to be in the company of incredible women like Lysa TerKeurst, Renee Swope, and Christine Caine. However, I was relieved to find that I was in the company of a lot of women just like me and had an incredible weekend. As we broke into small groups at the conference I was uncomfortable telling strangers what my idea for a book was. However, I found that the more I told people about my idea, the more positive reinforcement I received. As I left the conference, I was sure that God had given me this purpose. I headed home with a mission to write a book!

In the last year, I have been writing and struggling to know if this is really what God wants me to do. I’ve prayed and asked him for confirmation. Today a friend sent me the promotional video for this years She Speaks conference. I’m in it!! I remember waiting in line to meet Lysa TerKeurst and have her sign my book. I can’t help but wonder, why out of all the people who were there, did they choose me for the video?

Is this the sign I’ve been waiting for?

Check it out!

She Speaks 2015

 

 

A glimmer of hope

Nothing gets me sidelined like a rejection letter (or 2 or 3).

“Thank you for your submission but your project isn’t right for us at this time.”

I feel myself shut down. Unworthy. What was I thinking? Maybe I got God’s message wrong.

And then a glimmer of hope among the harsh words.

“You are a strong writer.”

“Your story needs to be told.”

“Don’t give up.”

So I swallow my pride and press on…..

Need advice

Hello fellow bloggers,

If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know that I feel called to share my personal story to help others who may feel hopeless, broken, or unworthy. I’m going through the writing process and have been exploring the publishing options. I’d love to hear from others who have had a book published. Did you self publish? If so, why? Did you get an agent? If so, how? Recommendations for an editor?

Any tips for a first time author are welcome!

Thank you!