On Finishing Holy in the Moment and a Gift

Pssst…Don’t miss the free graphics to print at the end of the post.

Finish.

Submit.

Celebrate!

I am one seriously grateful gal to have finished my book Holy in the Moment!

On time! Yippe-Skippie!

The week before the Nov. 1 book deadline, I had the privilege of speaking at our San Diego Planting Roots conference.

I wasn’t quite sure I could finish before leaving for San Diego–but God was right on time. 10 pm the night before I left, the book was ready to submit.

Coming back home, I thought of all the things I needed to do. Jump back in the saddle and keep moving. That was my plan.

 

Sometimes it’s best not to make a plan.

Today I sit at my desk for the first time to write. Feeling like my brain stripped a few gears to finish my manuscript on deadline, I’ve been catching up on life.

Real life.

Nitty gritty things like cleaning the bathroom, grocery shopping, and removing inches of dust from every surface of my house. Every single one.

Things like getting back into a semi-normal sleep pattern and spending time with people and seeing beyond the two feet between me and the computer screen.

Cleaning up my office was a multi-day project.

It’s been glorious.

And a little weird.

I’ve broken every rule of blogging and social media as all activity on the computer has come to a standstill. I know bloggers aren’t supposed to do that major no no.

The blogging/social media world is a little like show biz in the pressure that “the show must go on” in order to keep growing your traffic. That was not my plan.

So much for the rules and plans.

Here’s the sanity wisdom I’m learning: Let God lead.

When you need to rest after a season of intense writing, take a break and trust God with the results. Because here’s the truth: the world will not notice if I am not blogging or posting on FB. But the real people in my world and the longevity of spiritual and creative work will suffer if I allow myself to burn out.

This doesn’t come easily. I wake in the morning with a list of “I should’s,” and the pressure starts muttering before my first sip of coffee. In this space of rest, I’m choosing to allow God to lead. Squelching the ough-to’s and should’s, I’m letting God refresh my soul.

This looks different than it’s looked in the past. On the outside, it seems much less spiritual. I open my Bible and my eyes skitter across the page, refusing to focus. I open my journal and my fingers do not want to curve around the pen. I open my blog and stare at the screen, mind completely blank.

And it’s okay.

At first, I started to freak out, thinking I was doing something wrong. And then I sensed God wanted me to rest, connecting with Him in different ways from my normal.

Writing a Christian book draws deeply from my personal study, prayer, and daily devotions. That’s the way Christian writing should be–if it doesn’t, it likely isn’t the outflow of what God is teaching. Authenticity in Christian writing is key, otherwise it’s easy to loose the heart of it.

So why am I writing about this?

First off–we all face seasons of intense work (physical, emotional, relational, professional…).

This lesson applies to our need to replenish and refresh. Recognize when you need to rest and let God show you how to rest in the season you are in. After the turkey is eaten and the kitchen is clean, I hope you will have an opportunity to put your feet up and enjoy your people this Thanksgiving!

Second reason I’m writing about this: I’m trying to understand this part of the writing/ministry process.

Friend, I’m also so very grateful for you–friends near and far who have taken time to read my work or listen to my speaking over the years. For every word of encouragement, blog post or newsletter read, event attended, or prayer offered, I’m thankful for every single friend alongside.

It is my hope and prayer that you routinely (when I’m writing…) find inspiration and encouragement to keep faith fresh every time you click into my online family room.

 

 

 

My grateful gift for you. Simply click on each image to download and print.

Add your print to a frame and wa-la you’ve got a creative gift for a friend. Or for yourself–a little visual reminder the choose gratitude goes a long way!