Why I'm Disappearing [And Stillness DOES Get Easier!]

I was afraid it was flaky.  I was afraid of what people would think.  I was afraid I wasn't strong enough if I admited my need.

For what?

Solitude.  Quiet, still, unplugged solitude.

Over the last month or so, I've found in myself a need to pull back.  To disengage from the blogosphere, and even from Facebook, in order to spend more focused time alone with the Lord.  I was a little afraid to give in to it.

But I've realized - I need to give myself permission to unplug.  And not just once, but regularly.  I need to establish this as the rhythm of my life.

Guys, I feel Him drawing me deeper.  Asking me to allow Him to expand my heart, to "grow me" into places I didn't even know existed.  I sense Him challenging me to be braver, to take risks in the way I write - books, blog posts, songs - and in the way I engage in conversations with those He puts before me.  

I don't even know how to articulate everything I feel, but God is stirring my heart. Things are shifting inside me.

I'm excited.  I'm scared.  I'm anticipation-filled.  I'm in awe of Him.  In love with how He draws me to come away with Him, then challenges me to trust, risk big, and step out onto limbs.

I'm saying yes.  Not without trembling. But a yes is a yes in His heart, and courage isn't the absence of fear, but taking purposeful steps of obedience in the face of fear.

I know I'm being rather vague, and I think I'm okay with that for now.  I really don't have clear words yet to describe all He's doing in my heart.  I might not even be close to having words for it at this point.

But I wanted to share it with you as best as I can right now.  

I also wanted to let y'all know that I'm going to disappear for a couple of weeks, starting tomorrow evening.  

**With the exception of one quick post sometime around Mothers' Day. I'll be guest posting at the blog of a new friend then so I'll post here to point y'all in that direction.**

Otherwise, no blogging, and no Facebook.  I'll be unplugging from those things in order to do some other writing and some heart-work with the Lord.

I will still be available via email (momentsandinvitations@gmail.com).

Thanks for grace in this season, friends.  And for your prayers.  They mean so much to me.  (Side note: I will also be getting away this weekend to work on my book - your prayers for this time away are SO appreciated!)

By the way, Stillness Manifesto is getting some fun feedback.  I've so enjoyed reading your comments.  I've also received a few questions and some "I tried it for the first time and this is HARD!" type feedback.

YES.  It is hard at first.  Stillness is SO countercultural and counterintuitive and counter-our-FLESH.  Our flesh naturally bucks stillness because we are so much more comfortable with business - both internal and external.

2 quick things about that:

1. Stillness really does get easier the longer you practice it.  I personally spent time in stillness before Him daily for a month before I realized - Oh my goodness, my heart NEEDS this time so much.  I began to find LIFE in it.  I was surprised by how MUCH God was resourcing my heart as I just dialed down and stilled my heart before Him.

2. Pressing through the hard times is so worth it, friends!  Remember: when it feels like nothing could possibly be happening because you're so distracted, you can trust that He is honoring your heart-intent to tune in to His presence.  God is at work in our depths as we still our hearts before Him, whether we're aware of His activity inside us, or not.

I am so looking forward to spending extra time before Him in these next couple of weeks as I unplug.  While I'm unplugged, know that you all will be on my heart and in my prayers.

Blessings to you, my friends!  You are so loved.  Thanks for tracking with me through all of my processing today.

Oh Boy. Am I Ever Jumping. [Five Minute Friday]

WELL!

This has never happened.  I'm up at midnight and Five Minute Friday over at Lisa Jo's place is up and running.

I was on my way to bed... but... what's 5 less minutes of sleep, right?

Here I go.  

The word?  JUMP.

Oh. boy. 

Am I ever jumping.  How insanely appropriate, this word.

Out of all the false humility and fear of man that have held me back.  Out of the fear... well, just fear in general.  Taking some huge leaps forward these days.

I wrote an eBook.  Never, EVER thought I'd do that.  For some reason, the thought of writing one of those was always even more intimidating than writing a regular ol' read-it-on-paper book.  Guess that would be due mostly to my technologically-challenged-ness.

Anyway.  Said eBook will be releasing THIS Saturday night.  And I've overcome my animosity toward technology in this process enough to say this: I AM SO EXCITED TO SHARE THIS.

The title?  Stillness Manifesto:  A Call to NON-Action (Complete with NON-Instructions.)  

Yup.  Jumping.  Still a little afraid.

But going for it.  Pursuing what I feel is a huge piece of my calling.  Trusting the Lord with the details.

Off a stinkin' cliff.

Thankful He's waiting at the bottom!

STOP. :)

No editing, no over-thinking.  Just write your guts.  

Check it out - happens weekly over here at Lisa-Jo's.

My Greatest Fear. For Real. [And Why I'm Refusing To Let It Paralyze Me]

Welp, I've decided.

I'm gonna let you in on my greatest fear.

Ready?

Eesh, this feels a more than a little vulnerable.

Okay.

<Deep breath>

My biggest fear is my own hidden heart-motives.  

Whew.

Inhale.  Exhale.

Okay.  Continuing:

When I get quiet, when I still myself before the Lord, and all of the peripheral noise and brain-clutter fade away, this is what rises to the surface, what comes up out of the depths of my heart.

I'm terrified of what's inside of me.  The pride I'm aware of.  The pride I'm NOT aware of.  The need for people's approval.  The fear of people's opinions.

I struggle so much with the fear that the things I do will be motivated by my broken places instead of being motivated out of security in the complete, total acceptance and freedom in Christ that are mine because of the blood of Jesus.  

Greater Than My Heart

Truth is, I vacillate between the two oh, so frequently.  I swing back and forth between fear and faith.  Craving approval, and being settled in knowing His approval.  And I waver between one hundred per cent confidence that I'm moving out of pure motives, and this terror that somewhere deep inside, I'm not.

Actually, let me just put it out there right now:  My motives AREN'T pure.  Not completely.  I am so. incredibly. human.

Prideful.  Fearful.  Frail.  Sinful.

BUT, even though all those things are true about my heart, even deeper and more real is the blood of Jesus, His righteousness purchased for me.  His purity that covers over all of my pride, fear, frailty, and sin.

My confidence must not be established upon my own ability to keep my heart and motives pure.  To try to do so on my own is self-righteousness.

I must lean into Jesus as my righteousness. Not on my own heart-purity.  

After all, the heart is deceitful above all things, and who can know it?

There is no. way. that I can search out every dark corner, every hidden motive, every broken place in my own heart.  It's not humanly possible.  When I try, I spiral.  

I am capable of cycling in introspection until it utterly poisons my heart, and a heart could die cycling like that.

Can I get an "amen?!"

Introspection without God's perspective is exhausting, draining, and not what we're called to do.

And praise GOD we're not.

This was why the Psalmist prayed "Search me O God, and know my heart."   And this was why John reassured the New Testament church that when our hearts condemn us, "God is greater than our hearts."

We cannot. CANNOT. search and know our own hearts outside of Him.

I sat with the Lord the other day and those same old heart-motive fears?  They started creeping up again.  Seems like no matter how many times I think I have their coffin door nailed shut, they keep mysteriously resurrecting.

Sigh.  

The fears want to paralyze me.  To squelch my forward momentum.  To keep me from becoming all I'm called to be.  From doing what I'm called to do.

But thank God, His greater-than-my-heart-ness won out quickly this time.

I found myself wrapped tightly in His knowing of my heart.  Inside and out.  Every room, every part of me.

Safe.

All my hidden, impure motives?  He sees every one.  Knows them intimately.  

And He's there.  Right. there.  He dwells and works in those deep, hidden places.  Refining, purifying, molding, shaping.  It's tender, gentle.  All of it.  And so. perfectly. trustworthy.

He knows you intimately too, friend.  Every secret intention.  Every hidden corner of your heart.  He sees you through-and-through.

And guess what?  He likes you.  Knows every part of you, and still tenderly pursues you.  Is still committed to His process inside you.  Still desires intimate friendship with you.  Still wants to move through you to reveal His heart to the world around you.

Impure motives and all.  Still-in-process-ness and all.

So who am I, anyway, to say, "God, You can't use me yet. I'm not ready"?  

And who are you?  

We are on a growth journey, each one of us.  And we will continue to be.  He will continue to refine, to correct, to bring to our attention the impure places in our hearts, in His timing.  And if our hearts are after Him, we will be tender and responsive to His precise conviction, to His tender purifying processes.

And the places in our hearts that are yet hidden?  Guess what: It's not our job to worry about them.

I don't know about you, but that knowledge makes me breathe a sigh of relief.  Like, almost daily.

It's HIS job, and He does this whole purifying-revealing-convicting-cleansing-me-on-the-inside thing so much better than I ever could on my own.

So.   I think I'll take some confident steps forward now.  

Steps into letting Him be fully Himself inside of me.  Into letting Him speak and move and extend His heart to others through me, despite whatever is going on in my depths that I'm not fully aware of.  

Because He sees it all.

Because He intimately knows my heart, and He is greater than my heart.  Because He has made me righteous, and I'm His work-in-progress.

He's more than got me covered.

So I can be confident.  Refuse to let fear paralyze me.  And move forward.  Become all I was made to be.

How 'bout you, friend?

Ready?  

Go.

WHY I DO WHAT I DO: My World View [And...A Blog Party? Count Me In!]

Howdy friends, new and old!  So happy to have you here today.  Genuinely.  For real. :)

So I wanted to share something with you...  It's a little raw and still needs some tweaking... but... 

... I'm taking this writing course online.  In it, we were encouraged to define and clarify our worldview, the premise, truth, or perspective based upon which we write.  It took me several days of processing. This is what I came up with.

All of my writing flows from this:

World View and Core Message

of
Moments and Invitations

God is continually pursuing our hearts.  All of us.  All the time.  In everything.

He is veiled, waiting beneath our life circumstances and daily moments... in these places where, much of the time, we least expect to find Him.

He hides, not to keep Himself from us, but in order to engage our hearts in the mystery and anticipation of learning to discover His nearness and pursuit.

The passion of His heart is to make Himself known to us in the midst of ALL of life:  The mundane, the beautiful, and the gut-wrenchingly painful.

His loving attentiveness to us, to even the smallest details of our hearts, desires, lives... is constant.

Incredible truth: His attending to us is not dependent upon our attentiveness to Him.  He adores and attends to us whether or not we acknowledge Him.  (Check out Psalm 139 if you haven't lately.  Read it through the lens of noticing how He tenderly attends to our every detail.)

When we begin to "attend to His attention to us," to learn to discern and respond to His nearness, His invitations to us within our every moment and circumstance - we discover what it means to walk intimately with Him on a day-in, day-out, moment-by-moment level.  

We learn to know Him daily, experientially.  To see His passionate, loving pursuit of our hearts in everything.  There is NEVER a moment in which He is not seeking more of our trust, more of our heart.  There is NO circumstance in which He is not present, desiring to make Himself known.

And knowing Him like this?  It brings....

• Joy in the midst of pressure.
• Peace in the midst of pain.
• Righteous responses to those events in life that just make you want to yell and pull your hair out.

Knowing Him like this changes the way we experience our lives.  It transforms the entire. way. we. live.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. -2 Peter 1:3

(And let me just say... I'm SO not claiming to have "arrived." This is a journey, a process we'll be in till Heaven.  I'm in the midst of it.  I'm learning to submit my life to these truths.  Learning and failing and getting back up and trying again.  But I know in my CORE what we're invited into, by grace.  By the power of the Gospel.  And it is this level of intimacy, this level of walking WITH Jesus, that transforms every facet of our lives, down to the practical, nitty-gritty stuff.  Everything changes as we walk with Him like this.  Everything.)

~~~~~~~

Yesterday I was hanging out for a few minutes over at Robin Dance's place, where I entered her current 50th Birthday Bash giveaway... and, where I discovered 5MinutesforMom.com.

As a total newbie to their sight... could I just point you in their direction and say - "Check out this Ultimate Blog Party they're hosting"?  The scope of it is just... awe-inspiringly huge.

I'm linking this post up to their "Christian/faith-based blogs" list.  Hop over and visit if ya have a minute- so many Jesus-loving ladies with encouraging insights to share.

To join in the parTAY... we were asked to write a post that shared who we are and what we're about.  And it hit me: I'd already written (and been planning to share with y'all) this piece that does exactly that!

Hence... what you read above.  It's my passion- to learn to walk intimately, experientially, moment-by-moment with Jesus like that... and to see others learn to know Him this way as well.  To see lives and hearts transformed by a new-found confidence in the heart of the Father toward them, filled with joy and peace, even in pain- or pressure-filled situations, because we're discovering and responding to Him in the midst of it all.

It's why I'm here, doing what I do, inviting y'all on this journey with me.  And here I am, inviting once again.  Having recently come out of hiding... learning... that if I'm really passionate to see lives changed by this message, I cannot keep it quietly hidden away here.

Soooo....

If you'd like to subscribe to my blog via email, you are invited to do so by entering your email address in the box at the top of the right sidebar.  It's free, of course... and by doing so you'll stay up-to-date with Moments and Invitations.

(You're also invited to subscribe to my soon-coming e-newsletter, where I will be sharing a little more intimately with a smaller group of friends...including updates on my book-writing process.  Click the link at the top of the LEFT sidebar if you'd like to be a part of that smaller group.)

Thank you friends, for being here today, for your partnership and support, and for allowing the Lord to move  and work tenderly inside of you in this space.

I hope you can hear my heart, how deeply I mean it when I say.... thank you.

As always, your sharing of your thoughts, hearts, and journeys in the form of comments is and invited and encouraged.

Be blessed today with heightened awareness of His nearness and pursuit of your heart...  Ask Him for it...  to make you aware, to help you tune in.  He will not disappoint.

PS. Reading via email or reader and want to click over to the blog?  Here ya go!

Giveaway Winner, and a Blessing for Your Weekend

Alllllllllllrightyyyyy.... Drum roll please....

Comments were counted and numbered in the order in which they were received... Annnnnd....

The random number.........

The winning comment........

Congratulations to Chrysti on winning the $20 Amazon.com gift card AND the Emily Freeman book of her choice!  Chrysti my cuz, I hope you enjoy them both!  So excited for you to discover Emily's writing.  

To ALL of you... THANK YOU again for your support in helping me "come out of hiding."  Really - your encouragement means so much.

Thank you.  Thank you.  



So...

Here's some honesty for you all:

I don't know where to go from here.

In terms of expanding my circle of influence for the purpose of getting this book published... honestly, I feel a little stuck.  I am so thankful for all of you who've joined this community in these last several days as I've come out of hiding.  Y'all have added to my supply of courage.  That's no small gift.

But... definitely feeling a little uncertain of what direction to take in terms of expanding my reach.

That said... I'm okay with it.  Trusting the Father to lead me... and resting in Him.

Your suggestions of ideas are always welcome... and as always, requests of specific topics you'd like to see me address are welcome as well!  Here's an example of a request made by my friend Lisa.  This is exactly the type of feedback I was hoping for:

(Pardon the formatting issues above please!)

Okay... The high is 70 degrees in Kansas City today and the park is calling to my son and me... Better get a move on!

This weekend... may you be reminded of the delight of your Father over you around every turn.  May you see His smile over you in the spring flowers and receive every good gift as evidence of His extravagant love... and may it be personal, intimate, hitting your heart in such a way that you're surprised and undone by His heart toward you... like never before.

Amazon/Emily Freeman Book GIVEAWAY ENDS Tomorrow [Thursday] Evening!!

Image Credit? Emily's Blog!

Dear friends!

Don't forget to enter the Amazon.com gift card and Emily Freeman book (of your choice) giveaway!

Go to this post, read through the giveaway rules and entry possibilities (you can enter up to 5 times!!), and then ENTER!

IMPORTANT REMINDER:  You do need to actually comment ON THE BLOG POST ITSELF, as opposed to on the M & I Facebook page, to enter.  And make sure to read the rules so you can capitalize on all your entry opportunities! :)

Remember that if we end up at 250 "likes" on the Facebook page and 120 email subscribers to the blog (you can subscribe by entering your email address in the box at the top right of this page... then leave a comment on the giveaway post to let me know you did so!).... we'll add a second prize (also an Amazon gift card and an Emily Freeman book) to the pot!  Exciting!? :)

Brief note to those of you who are new to this whole realm of commenting on blogs:  Several of you have "come out of hiding" along with me in the last couple of days and shared encouraging words and shown support as you've ventured out to comment for the first time.  I just wanted to say... THANK YOU for stepping outa your comfort zone to partner with  me here in this way.  Really, my heart is blessed... more than I can say.

By entering this giveaway, you are supporting my writing, including my book-in-progress, which you can read a bit more about here, if you like.

OKAY!  SO... just over 24 hours to go (by the time this post hits your inbox tonight).  Giveaway ends at 10 pm Central tomorrow (Thursday).

READY?

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!  Don't miss your chance!

:)

Be blessed today to discern and respond to God's pursuit of your heart in the midst of whatever circumstance in which you find yourself today.... And may you find yourself drawn into His embrace and immersed in the revelation of His delight over you as you do.

(PS - we'll be back to your regularly scheduled NON-program around here post giveaway.  Promise!)

Yay! Hooray! A GIVEAWAY!! [Amazon.com gift card and the Emily Freeman book of your choice!]

Oh my goodness! We did it!  

120 likes on the Moments and Invitations Facebook Page within the first 24 hours!  Actually, within the first 22!  Just over 2 hours to spare!

If you're new-ish to this community of readers and have missed what all this hoopla is about, here's a post that'll shed some light on what's happening around here.  <--Reading that will help this wildness make much more sense. :)

Before we get on to the giveaway... again, truly, can I just say thank you all so much!?  THANK YOU!! :)  Thank you for your support and partnership.  Thank you for your words of encouragement, for your "likes" and for taking the time to share Moments and Invitations with your friends.

Seriously.  I'm so blessed.  And overwhelmed.

Annnnnnnd now....  for the promised giveaway!

***ADDENDUM***

So I had a revelation this morning... that many of you may not (yet) know who Emily Freeman is... (though I'm sure you will in the future...) and therefore have decided to add some motivation to the pot:  

In addition to the Emily Freeman book, the prize (or the 2 prizes - should numbers make it up high enough) will include a $20 Amazon gift card.

K?  K! 

Onward. :)

I am so excited to share Emily Freeman's writing with you all.  The giveaway winner will select 1 of Emily's 3 books... which I will then order and ship your way!  Hooray!

Here is a link to her website, complete with book descriptions.  

Grace For the Good Girl is probably her best known... and then Graceful is a similar message but geared toward teen girls - - how NEEDED.  A Million Little Ways is her book that will be coming out in November of this year but is currently available for pre-order.  (I am ordering it.  Fo' sho'.)  And, of course, it's an option for you, should you win! :)

GIVEAWAY RULES (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

You can enter up to 4 times if you'd like...And if you've already done one or two of these things (i.e. if you've already "liked" the M & I page on Facebook, or you're already a subscriber via email), be sure to let me know in the form of a comment.  

Please make sure to leave a SEPARATE comment ON THIS BLOG POST for EACH TIME you enter... AND... please leave me your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win! ;)

ENTRY OPTIONS:

1. Follow Moments and Invitations by email.  Simply input your email address in the box in the top right sidebar on this blog... Then go to your email inbox, find the Feedburner Confirmation email, and click the link to confirm.  Done. You'll receive each post in your inbox so ya never hafta miss one.  (And then leave a comment to let me know you've done so.)

2. Like the Moments and Invitations Facebook Page.  (And leave a comment to let me know you've done so... Again, if you've already done this, just leave comment to that effect.)

3. Share this giveaway on Facebook (meaning, share the direct link to this blog post) and invite your friends to check it out. (And as always... leave a comment to let me know you've done it.)

4. Leave a comment (again, here on the blog as opposed to on the FB page) telling me either:

• what you enjoy about Moments and Invitations, if you've been a reader for some time, OR...
• what topics you'd like to see more of (whether you've been around for a while, or you're brand new to this community of readers) on M & I.

5. New Option:  Subscribe to receive my email newsletter.  You can do this by clicking the link at the top of the left sidebar.  (Super excited about this, by the way.  I'll officially "announce" it in a soon-coming post... but this is your chance to get in on it early!)

That's it!  Entry comments will be numbered in the order in which they're received, and Random.org will be used to generate the comment number of the winner.  Winner will be announced here on this blog... and contacted by email, of course.  Giveaway ends Thursday, Apr. 4, 10 pm, central time.  3 days.

**At the moment this post is going live, we are at 123 likes on the FB page, and 50 subscribers via email.  If we hit 250 likes AND 120 email subscribers... I will add a second book/second winner to the giveaway!**

Readyyyy..... Set..... GO!

Thank you all for participating, for helping spreading the word about my blog, for supporting my writing...  Thank you for your partnership... and for encouraging me as I overcome my fear of coming out of hiding.  It means so much.

Blessings to y'all!

Why I'm Coming Out of Hiding [Sharing My Process With Y'all]

image credit

Well...  Happy April Fools' Day!  Any funny April Fools' jokes that you've played (or are planning, or have been victims of!) that you wanna share?  Share away!  Make me laugh! :)

So... in a NON-April Fool's spirit...

I've been thinking.

Shocking, I know. :)

In light of my recent ventures, I've been pondering the concepts of platform and circle of influence and the like.

Stuff that I'd generally rather not deal with.... hence, this blog has less than 100 official "followers."  And hence, I am not on Twitter.  And I was not, for a good while, on Facebook.

I have a dilemma though.  I'm writing a book. (<-- Click that for more info if you'd like.)

This message is burning inside me and I think I might explode if I don't keep writing it.  And I have zero desire to self-publish.  Which leaves me with traditional publishing as my obvious route to published-hood.  And when you go this route, agents and publishers and marketing teams? They want numbers. Fans.  Followers.  Circle of influence.   They want you to be able to contribute significantly to the marketing of a book if they decide to publish you. 

And my "numbers" are almost laughable. :)

I've been totally okay with that till now.... okay with writing for whoever was around and wanted to listen. I've enjoyed it.

I've also been just plain ol' resistant to the idea of working much to "promote" my blog, my core message, etc.  I've not wanted to go there.  Honestly, I've been afraid of my own heart and afraid of the opinions of people.  I'm sure I will write more about that soon, because it's something I'm processing a ton as of late.

But in the last month or so, I've had a handful of conversations with people who've been incredibly helpful to my heart in this arena.  They've said things like:

• "But Dana, when you promote your blog, your message, you are pointing people to Jesus."
• "You can have the most life-changing message in the world, but if no one knows it's there, no one will benefit from it."

And God bless the beautiful Emily Freeman for her ideas on building a bench versus building a platform.  

(PS - I highly recommend her blog.  Click her name above.  Follow her.  Buy her books if you can. You will love her heart.)

To somewhat loosely quote Emily's thoughts as she shared them with me recently, "A platform is a stage with the spotlight on you.  A bench is a place where people can come together to discuss things.  It provides a space for community to develop.  And I may be the person starting the discussion, but I in no way want to come off like I have it all figured out.  I'm on this journey with everyone else."

Light bulbs.  They were flashing all over the place in my head.  This is a concept I can get on board with.  This isn't arrogant or spotlight-on-me-ish.  I like that.

And I'm coming to the realization, albeit gradually, that my resistance to "marketing" my message has had more than a little to do with false humility.  If I am passionate about this message of discerning and responding to the invitations of Jesus in the midst of life... if I genuinely believe it will change others' lives as profoundly as it is changing mine... then why would I keep it quiet?

To quote my blog post in which I announced I'm writing a book...

Side note: True humility = ACCURATELY viewing yourself, your gifts and abilities. Agreeing with God's perspective on yourself and what He's put inside you.  False humility = not viewing yourself accurately, diminishing what God's put inside of you, magnifying our own weaknesses over God's ability to use you, to be glorified through you.  False humility is actually pride in disguise, because it's refusing to line up with God's perspective on us.

So...  Yes, publishers and agents want numbers. And yes, this realization was the impetus that started me pondering all these things.  But... all of this pondering (and praying and discussing) has led me to places where I honestly did not expect to end up.

I'm coming out of hiding.

And now... I'll just say it.  I have created a Facebook page for my blog.  I think, up till now, I may have been THE ONLY blogger in the universe without a page.  

Here's why (the quick version, anyway):

At least a few times per week lately, I've found myself wanting to shoot out an encouragement, a scripture, or a little blip of funny-ness or cool-ness, specifically to this community of readers.  A little blast of insight will hit me, or maybe a question for all of you who find encouragement here, and I'll think, "I wish I could shoot that out to my readers... but it's definitely not long enough to constitute a blog post."

Oh well... too bad I don't have a Facebook page for the blog.

No longer! :)  And even though I've walked into it reluctantly, I am now, admittedly, excited.  Excited to be able to share brief thoughts with all of you precious peeps a handful of times per week. And mostly, excited for the community that will be cultivated there, and for the way that it will enhance the community around here.

Annnnnd... to be straight-up honest with y'all, "liking" my Facebook page (and/or following my blog via email or a reader) will help me.  It will demonstrate to publishers that there are people out there who resonate with my heart, with my writing, and who might... just maybe... purchase my book whenever it finally comes out. :)

All of that said... my friends... could I ask you a quick favor?

If you're a regular reader here, or simply someone who finds encouragement here on occasion, would you go to my new Facebook page..... click that "like" button, share a comment if you feel so inclined, and then.... <<gulp>>.... would you invite a few friends?  If you have friends who love Jesus, and if you feel they would find encouragement here, would you share Moments and Invitations with them?  I would be so excited... :-D... 

If you DO feel inclined to share a comment (either here on this post or on the Facebook page)... would you consider answering this question:

How can I serve you, individually and as a community of readers?

Are there specific topics that you'd like to see me address here?

Are there questions you'd like me to try to answer?

(I can't promise I'll have answers, but I can sure give it a shot. :) )

Okay, so that was 3 questions.  I got going and couldn't stop myself.  See?  Told ya I had questions for y'all!

Last thing--- I promise.  THANK YOU for being here.  For reading and receiving.  For sharing your hearts when you do so.  For your trust.  It blesses and humbles me.

Y'all are dearly loved by your Father, and deeply appreciated by me. 

~~~

HEY GUYS!  Just an update to this post - stay tuned for details on Moments and Invitations' first official... giveaway... which we will host here on the blog IF WE REACH 120 "likes" by 10:55 this evening (Monday 4/1).  This is NOT an April Fools' joke! :)

The prize?  The Emily Freeman book of your choice.  (Click the link to check out her books - she is awesome.) 

Linking up today with The Better Mom... 

Out of the Closet [Gulp!]: Letting You in on My Secret Project

Well... [Deeeeep breath, Dana...]  

Here I go:

I'm writing a book.

There.  I said it.   

Whew.

It's been in the works for a few months now.  And I've found it to be an incredibly intimidating, vulnerable thing to say: "I'm writing a book."

Intimidating because - WOW - the scope of a project like this is just incredibly massive!  Figuring out what exactly you're trying to say and what bits of info should be grouped with what OTHER bits of info and what order all the pieces should go in... breaking it all up into chapters with subheadings and good GRIEF it's a lot of work!!  And THEN you've actually gotta WRITE it!

And... vulnerable because by saying "I'm writing a book,"  you're actually (usually, if you're a believer) saying "The Lord's put something inside of me that I believe would be beneficial to a large number of people and I feel confident in my ability to put it all together and articulate truths and engage people's hearts...and I feel like the Holy Spirit will use my story and my writing to touch and change people's hearts."  And what a CRAZY thing to say!  It takes such CONFIDENCE and TRUE humility and I SO still struggle with the false version!

[Side note: True humility = ACCURATELY viewing yourself, your gifts and abilities. Agreeing with God's perspective on yourself.  False humility = not viewing yourself accurately, diminishing what God's put inside of you, magnifying your own weaknesses over God's ability to use you, to be glorified through you.]

And then there's the whole fear of man factor, the "What will so-and-so think if I tell them I feel called to do this?" factor... combined with the voice of the enemy whispering, "Who do you think you are?  You can't pull this off... and what good are your words anyway, to anyone?"

Man.  Sometimes all of it put together feels insurmountable.

I had NEVER DREAMED I'd write a book.  I had never had the desire to do so.  In fact, I'd specifically had the desire NOT to do so.  Haha. :)  Funny how God switches things like that around in our hearts.

Sometime this past fall I started to feel these... nudges... these tugs on my heart... and all these puzzle pieces of different truths that the Lord has burned in my heart through my various life experiences, they all started falling together in my heart, the different trickles of revelation and freedom all merging together as one river that actually made sense, all together... and I was stunned.  And I don't know if people will think I'm crazy for saying I really feel like God has called me to do this in this season... but I really do.  I think He has.

And in early December, I started writing.

I'm so thankful for Stan's support in this.  Some days I think he's more excited about it than I am.  I'm thankful too for the handful of close friends who have encouraged and supported me in this in varying ways.

But I've continued to really limit those who I've let in on this thing... mostly out of fear, I think.  I kept thinking, "Well, I'll wait till I get an agent and a publisher and THEN I'll tell people on a bigger scale."  And recently, I've felt the Lord asking me, "Where's the risk in that?  Where's the letting-people-in-on-your-process-with-ME?"

So, here I am... letting you in.  Telling you that really, there are days when I doubt my ability to do this.  But then I remember, "Oh yeah, I CAN'T do this.  It's His strength in my weak places... He's the one who fills in my gaps.  Right."  And I keep moving forward, keep putting one foot in front of the other, leaning into Him.

I have my book proposal 95% finished, down to the chapter-by-chapter summary with paragraph descriptions of the content of each chapter.  (That's the part I was most intimidated by.) I've written 6 chapters, 5 of which still need significant editing and adjusting.  I'm mostly stopping on the writing of chapters for now, getting my proposal up to par and working on the couple of "sample chapters" that will be attached to it when I submit it to agents for consideration.  That's pretty much the status of the project.

And...to be honest yet again...even though I have moments of doubting that I can pull it off... I'm also super excited about it. :)  And I'd love your prayer partnership as I am in this season of writing and editing and about to step into querying agents... and, in my heart, really being tested and having to surrender at new levels to the Lord on the things I'm writing about.  Wow... and that is a whole 'nother blog post right there.  Maybe one of these days. :)

Blessings and love to all of you, my friends....  Forgive the bit of extra silence around here in this season.  Now you know the reason why! :)

image credit: supremacyandsurvival.blogspot.com