I wrote my first blog post here in October, 2011. This was a safe space to capture and share the words that God was giving me in the season of preparing for our firstborn to leave the nest and head to college. I had a sweet nugget of an idea for a book about that season of parenting.

About a year prior to that, Donnie, our Lead Pastor led the church staff through an exercise based on Hebrews Chapter 11. (The “By Faith” chapter). We folded a paper in half. On the left side of the crease, we wrote things that we had already done by faith. On the right, we listed things that we might do in the future by faith. “Risk failure by writing a book” was one of the things I listed.

That was not the first time I felt the pull or call to write a book – but it was the first time it became a spiritual issue.

This week, 11 years after starting the blog and 12 years after the “By Faith Challenge,” I have published a book!
(Here’s a link if you’re interested in checking it out.)

It has been a journey. In some ways, I’ve crossed a finish line, but you know how life works. Finish lines have a way of being the next starting line. Regardless, it’s a milestone worth celebrating because I have done what God called me to do. Even though it took me a really long time. I was waiting for the “right kind of inspiration,” That’s the way I typically craft blog posts – allowing inspiration to well up to the point of overflow. I type notes into my phone or capture them on a sticky note and let the ideas mingle around in my brain and heart for a while until I am overwhelmed with the need to write.

Months and years have gone by without a “book’s worth” of that kind of inspiration. I wasn’t sure how I would do it, but I still knew that I was supposed to. I heard someone say (about someone else), “If they haven’t done it by now, they likely aren’t going to.” Even though the words weren’t aimed at me, they stung and I questioned my ability to follow through.

I have previously shared about a class I participated in last year. The goal of the course was to discern my unique identity in Christ. My instructor, Jan, had asked some prophetic believers to pray for each of us students and pass along any words or images God shared with them as they prayed. One, in particular, blew me away.

“Write away, I’ve got you.”

That was a message my heart heard loud and clear. God speaking through a person I’ve not yet met, who didn’t know anything about me or my story, or the calling put on my heart. If ever there was a “Wow” moment for me, that was it! It doesn’t get more “right kind of inspiration” than that!

So I started writing. I scheduled time every evening and showed up, praying that God would direct it. The result? A book to encourage married people. This is very different from the book I had in mind, but isn’t that the whole point of obedience? We have to follow God’s leading.

Along the way, I’ve experienced spiritual warfare, self-doubt, self-imposed pressure to do it “right,” and many unknowns. I love doing a thing a second time so I can refine the process and learn from my mistakes. I’m a reformer and an improver, after all. But God didn’t say “write a best-seller,” he didn’t say “get an offer from a publishing house.” He simply said, “Risk failure by writing a book by faith.”

With the discipline of writing each day, I found that the writing flowed pretty easily. For me, all of the rest of it was overwhelming – formatting and graphics and so many things I didn’t know how to do. God put amazing helpers and advisors in my path – always at the perfect moment. I am so grateful that Rob enjoys exploring and learning technical details and was willing to spend considerable amounts of time helping me. More importantly, his support and gentle reminders that this was a matter of obedience got me through the really hard parts.

Now that I’ve reached this milestone, I have full confidence that God will bring me a new “by faith” vision or opportunity. My goal is to be a little quicker in my follow-through next time.

“Write away. I’ve got you.” (Even if you don’t write away right away.)

Thanks, God!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 
This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe
was formed at God’s command, so that what is
seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3