Meet Here on Mondays and Help Me Write a Book

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I have this crazy idea to write another ebook. In fact, I’ve been working on it for about a year. I’ve bounced my ideas off a few people through my newsletter, leaked a bit of it on my Facebook Page and Tweeted about it. The feedback has been amazing. But something is missing.

You.

You who show up and read blog posts.

You who share my love for coffee and What I Wore Wednesday.

I miss writing to you and interacting with you about what is on my heart.

And now I have another crazy idea.

What are you doing every Monday for the next 10 weeks? 

Here is my plan:

  1. You stop by here on Monday for coffee and reading.
  2. I’ll give you a sample of each chapter. (Not the entire thing, just a smidgen of it.)
  3. We’ll process whatever it stirs up.
  4. I’ll keep writing and try to stay ahead of our  coffee dates.
  5. Together, we’ll get this book written.
  6. When it is complete you can help me celebrate!

What do you think?  Want to help me write a book?

xo,

Stacey

 

P.S. The working title of the book is “How To Be Okay with Where You Are” and here is the synopsis:

“We all felt the agony of defeat when we watched Jordyn Wieber’s dream of an Olympic gold medal in the gymnastic all around slip through her chalked fingertips during the London 2012 games.  Her dream died in a matter of minutes and by fractions of a point. Visibly shaken she took a moment to gather herself.  Later she spoke graciously of the tough competition and how proud she was of her American teammates during her post meet interview. Eventually we saw what this champion was made of when she led her USA team to Olympic gold in the team finals. I think we all cried right along with her mom. The thrill of victory is even sweeter when the agony of defeat is still so vivid in our minds.

I love this story because it is just like real life. Dreams that slip away hurt like crazy. The pain is real. Sometimes we have to pull ourselves together and cheer others on as they go for the gold we were hoping to capture. Life doesn’t always go the way we want, and we have to decide in these defining moments if we are going to crumble or not.

I know this feeling all too well.”

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Becoming God’s Writer Mom with Tricia Goyer {A God Sized Dreamer}

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Myself, Tricia, & Brooke

I “met” Tricia Goyer online last fall when she agreed to write the forward of “Hope for the Weary Mom”.  I met her in real life a few weeks later at a blogging conference called, Allume.  She was teaching a break out session called “Becoming God’s Writer Mom”. I sat on the front row, and may have appeared to be stalker(ish) or in the least a little over excited. She was everything kind and gracious.

You are called! God said “I have a passion for you. I have a plan for you.  I have called you.” – Tricia Goyer,

Tricia is the author of over 30 books and 500 articles. She has won numerous awards for her words. She opened her talk with this:

The world sees a quiet office filled with the books I’ve written. But God saw an unlikely scribe raising little blessings.

Tricia spoke for about an hour on the topic of how being a writer impacts my kids, and how being a mom impacts my writing. When she was finished I wanted to stand on the table and start a “Writer Mom Cheer.”  I did not, but I wanted to. Tricia, helped paint a vision for me that has stuck solid in the days since, especially on days when struggle with words and time to get it all done.

She inspired me to involve my girls in my writing and ask them to pray for me. For example, the other day I shared a decision I needed to make about a writing opportunity with my girl tribe while we drove home from Target. My girls listened, gave me their opinions, and I have to say—they were precious thoughts. They felt valued as I shared my heart with them. In the end I took their advice.

If you know any of Tricia’s story, then you know God is most certainly in the business of calling and using moms as writers. But, sometimes when I’m tempted to doubt my own calling I need reminders and others to share their story. Tricia does this every chance she gets. She doesn’t hide the fact that she was a single teenage mother who still had a dream. One that God placed in her heart and she was willing to work hard for. I love that about her. 

God sized dreamers can simply tell their stories and inspire me to want to pursue mine. But, when a God sized dreamer cares enough to remember those walking a few steps behind her and offer a hand up, then my God sized dream has a chance to soar, as well. Tricia has done this for me on more than one occasion.  She took a chance and wrote a forward for tiny little e-book called “Hope.”  She has also emailed me and offered to help out in any way she could with my writing journey. She genuinely wants to see other women become God’s Writer Moms. See, don’t you love her now, too?

Thank you Tricia for being a God sized dreamer.

Thank you for inspiring mine.

Q: Do you know a God sized dreamer who has inspired you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

{Linking up here today}

 

 

 

 

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The Hardest Part of Writing

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“We do nothing. God does everything. All glory must return to Him. God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful.”  - Mother Teresa

My heart longs to be faithful to the words God puts in my heart. I want to come here weekly and write things that encourage you and point to Him. But here is the thing, lately writing has not been easy. But who said the God call on your life is ever easy?

The hardest part about writing is writing. – Nora Ephron

This is what I remember from the Oscars last night. A quote by the now passed on Nora Ephron. She understood this writing thing. How every word seems to get stuck and at times it feels all like “blah, blah, blah.”  They all sound the same. I don’t want to be talking and filling this mysterious internet space with more chatter. Who needs more noise?

Writing as a mother is an adventure. I have this constant battle with my words and it seems like they want to come out at the most inconvenient times. I find ideas flowing when I can’t possibly get to a place to write them down and I forget them two hours later when I do have a moment to write. This could also be my forties playing a cruel trick on me. Who is to say?

“Blah, blah, blah,”  now I am chattering.

So I pray…

God use me in spite of me. Let me hear Your Words over all. Make this writer girl your girl first. Overflow my heart with what you want me to say. May I be found faithful.

xo,

Stacey

Q: I’d love to hear from you soul sister. Do you find your God call easy or do you find it the hardest part? 

 

 

 

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5 Minute Friday

The 5 minute Friday prompt is Stay…

I’m standing in her kitchen and my husband is in the van waiting for me.  My dear friend says, “It is harder to stay. You have it so much better.”

I can’t think of how this can be true. I’m about to drive 20 hours in a over packed van with a 3 year old and another baby girl on the way. I’m about to enter a place where I know not one person. I am stepping into the great unknown. Stay is harder? Being the one left behind is harder? I’m thinking it is looking so much easier than being brave.

Fast forward 10 years. I’ve lived the adventure. I’ve put down roots. I’ve added 2 more girls besides the 2 we came with in the van that day. I’ve learned the hard of stay. Stay when. . .

  • others have moved on.
  • it would have been easier to let go.
  • life got complicated and beginning a new adventure would have been easier.

But stay has produced roots I never knew would be so difficult to grow. Stay has made me cling to the One who said go in the first place. Stay has made me like the one who says, “Never will I leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

I look around and see that stay is hard. And maybe, just maybe the real act of brave.

Five Minute Friday

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Five Minute Friday : Quiet

The lovely girls over at 5 Minute Friday are reminding me why I love to write. I’m joining them today. How does it work? Lisa-Jo comes up with a one word writing prompt, and you (or I) write for 5 minutes straight without editing. I always mean to join them, but forget. Today I remembered.

Quiet

The word makes me smile. Quiet you say? Quiet in a house full of girls? No. We don’t do quiet in our house. We do many versions of loud and louder. It is usually the first thing people mention about us having girls. Four of them.  ”I’ll bet you have a lot of words.”  Yes, and yes.

That is usually okay with me. I’m a word girl. They get it from me. Their dad, he is a thinker. They get that from him.

But there are days, like today when I long for a minute or two.

It is why I get up when the house is still dark.

It is why I go firs to the coffee pot and then to my red chair.

I sit while it is still quiet and I listen to the sound of nothingness.

It feeds my soul.

I meet with the one who says “Be still Stacey, and know that I am God.”

And I do.

This start to my day, this quiet meeting place is what jump starts my day.

I fill up.

I look up.

I listen up.

I feed on His words that must be the foundation for all the “un”quiet moments my life is made of.

I have heard that the enemy delights in disquieting us.

I’m doing my best to make sure that he is not successful.

Even in a house full of girls.

Five Minute Friday

Happy Friday dear friends.
May you find quiet wherever you can this weekend.
xoxo,
Stacey

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{This} Writer’s Prayer

Lord,

First make me a listener. Give me ears to hear what you are speaking. Shut out the noise all around and let it be your voice that rises above every other.

I ask for eyes to see the world brand new every day.  Let the miraculous lovely rise up out of the crazy busy and may it be like a snapshot of life frozen before me. May I see IT. May I see You, daily.

Help me, Jesus, to never stop learning what you are teaching. Let me alway sit in the classroom of grace and write every lesson on my heart.

And when I do write, give me the gift of hesitation with consideration. Remind me Lord, to insert a holy pause before I publish, anything – be it a blog post, a letter, a tweet, or status update. Whisper in my ear, “Does this bring Me glory?”

Inspire my heart.

Move my hands.

Be glorified, always in my words.

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