“She Speaks”

Rewind back, 2018 and I was moving along on my journey as a single parent. Life was busy. Quick mornings, daycare drop offs, long work days, and short evenings left me filled and drained most days. To help me get through my days, I received a daily devotion from Proverbs 31 ministries. An advertisement for a “She Speaks” conference from this ministry began filling my inbox. It was to support Christian women in developing their speaking and writing skills. It sounded great, but time, money, children….. It was to be held in North Carolina and I had never left my children and did I belong at a conference like that anyway?

Time passed and each time I found a new email in my inbox advertising the conference, God’s whispers got louder. He kept reminding me of the “journaling” I had been doing of His work in my life and it was time to make something of it. One day, I map-quested it to see if I could drive it, too far and too long of a trip! Then I pulled up flights, too expensive! Wrong girl Father.

But, His nudges didn’t stop. Finally, I did the unthinkable for me, I asked a friend if she would be available to watch my children. She said no. I was so sure this was right, I continued until I found two different couples, Andrew & Laura and Blake & Danielle (Thank you amazing friends!!), dear friends that agreed to watch my precious little ones if I took this trip. At that time, I felt I was the glue holding my family together and leaving in the midst of the season of divorce and change felt terrifying. But God…..

I had little money at the time, and as much went out as was coming in, but I followed my nudges and booked the conference, then the flight, and then the hotel. As I sat on the phone late one night with the hotel, I cried and asked the woman if she had ever made a leap of faith, and God led me to just the right phone attendant that night, for she answered, “He may lead you to the edge of a cliff, but He will never let you fall off.” I booked my room and the plan was in motion.

That conference was a significant step in my journey of writing this book, why? Because God chose me to do it! He set a pathway in front of me and now I had work to do. In the days and weeks leading to the conference I started laying out chapters and writing feverishly at night. My title formed over the conference and I met people that would later help me develop my journaling into a book. I also faced a fear, of leaving my children and stepping in faith for God. I needed my priorities straight and God must always come first before we can love others in our life well.

I share this back story because if I had never taken risk with my family, my time, my money, and my faith, I would have never created this work to share with you. Cory Asbury has a fantastic song where He states, “you say my life is worthy of your nail scars, so I’ll sing like it was.”

(Nothing More Than You: https://youtu.be/e_rC01OZ1x0 )

Here’s to living a life worthy of our God and His son’s nail scars! He took a chance on me and I want to do Him proud!

He took a chance on YOU too, what is He nudging you to do right now?

With the fullness of love, Julie

P.S. This pic is from July 2018, not sure I have ever shared it and it took me all morning to find it. This was me learning to find my voice!!