Like all you lovely folks, I’ve got a dream

If you have any sort of knowledge of Disney, you might recognize that line from Tangled (one of my favorites).

In my years of publishing words, train tracks have been made in the form of two Bible verses:

1 Peter 2:9-10, which says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Christianity is a faith that revels in the sharing, writing, expressing, and creating of words.

Everything we see and experience is a result of our creative God’s words. He gifted us His written Word, that we would pitch our tent in it, it being “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15–17)

I am a longtime journaler. Writing helps me process my experiences, about God, about marriage, about life. It helps lay bricks of foundational truth, and is a sweet climate for the adventurous nature of communicating with God. It helps me uncover lies I’m believing, or small joys to be thankful for. As I write, the Holy Spirit irons out thoughts and feelings, always prompting me to apply the Bible’s counsel.

In the early years, my blog was a mixture of documenting memories, sharing inspirational quotes, talking about God and books, and other random creative things. Only a handful of people knew it even existed. This year is my 8th year maintaining a personal blog, but like most hobbies it has evolved as I have grown.

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Have you ever had a dream and found yourself [maybe somewhat timidly] asking God to multiply it, to make it meaningful and useful for His kingdom? Me too.

Earlier this year, I took stock of my life – where I spent time, how I spent energy and money, habits that helped and ones that didn’t. Writing on this blog rose to the top as an enjoyable, “why I don’t make more time for this?” practice, bringing with it a new dream:

To use my writing to serve others, not just myself.

Following by… What? SERVE others? With my writing? I write sporadically, mostly with a hope that someone might benefit from the lesson I’m learning. I don’t have any actual skills as a writer. What? 

Soon after, I remember excitedly talking to God… “I dream of my writing being useful to You! I dream of connecting people to Truth that can lift them up. I am small, but I want this practice to inspire sweeter love for You and a joy for life! Show me how to serve people with my writing.”

I wanted to become a better writer to say with Paul, “what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

Upon encouragement from my husband and a few friends, I decided to be brave. Practically speaking, I sought coaching from two professional writers I highly esteem, and it has been RICH. I’m reading books on writing and absorbing helpful resources, and having all kinds of fun. Spiritually speaking, my relationship with God is top priority, so I’m making changes to cultivate intimacy, a listening ear cocked to the Holy Spirit, and space to simply enjoy Him. I even created a rule of life to thoughtfully structure my life around loving Him with my entire being and loving others as I love myself.

It’s a new adventure, fueled by joy in God, a passion for writing well, and a desire to talk about fun, interesting, inspirational topics with you. 

Heart to heart, as He refreshes me, I hope my words spark something fresh in you.

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Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. Psalm 145:3-7

*Also, the photo is of another dream of mine, Zion National Park, and we just bought tickets to visit!