I wake up some mornings and lie in disbelief as I realize another week has passed. I take account of the week and wonder if I have lived fully and loved well. It’s easy to remain in a place of feeling stuck without outward signs to prove otherwise. Life this past month and year has looked like sitting, being still and waiting for God.
God does not believe we waste our time but instead continues His work in the deepest parts of our heart. Life this past month as well as the last year is a testimony to all of God’s work in me.
On October 19, a piece of my journey is now a gift for others. I wrote a 31 day devotional that chronicles my path toward brave faith. I learned that before this book could enter the world, I needed to live out some of my words more completely. Until I fully understood what brave looked like in my own life, my words or more specifically God’s work in me, would fall flat.
Life this past month kept me away from my own writing home and social media. I still popped in here and there and words flowed, but editing consumed me as my learning curve developed in the area of self-publishing. Time in front of a computer screen without feedback from all of you produced some anxiety and loneliness. You are my people and you all make me brave.
Today I am humbled and honored that God trusted me to walk bravely with Him. The lessons continue to unfold daily as God teaches and prepares me for taking future steps by His side. I am excited to tell you that sitting with God so He can work from the inside out is a gift. What looks like nothing is happening is when God works best. He takes each broken piece and makes us whole one piece at a time. Sitting in the tension with God was my life this past month. Producing His fruit was His beautiful gift to me and to you.
[Tweet “Today on the blog…what I’ve really been up to and an announcement! #bravefaith”]
Announcing Brave Faith A 31 Day Devotional Journey! How will you know if this book is for you? If you say yes to any of the following, you are ready to explore brave faith.
Does hearing the word “brave” send your stomach into a tizzy or cause your palms to sweat profusely?
Are you a person who believes others are brave, but would never use that word to describe yourself?
Are you are ready to step out of your comfort zone and say “yes” to God’s call?
Walking this journey for 31 days will help you learn, explore and embrace God’s truth by drawing closer to Him.
To all of my people and those of you who stopped by here for the first time today, you make me brave! Your encouragement, love and willingness to walk with me is the gift of who you are every time you stop by.
My prayer for you is that this book leads you to courageous “yeses” when you step out of the boat and walk toward Jesus. Your story is God’s story. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and YOU are braver than you know!
Here is God’s fruit-His gift-and now your gift. I pray this book blesses you!
Walking bravely with God!
Congratulations, Mary!!
Thank you Tammy!
Mary, congratulations on the book! I just ordered a copy and can’t wait to read it. Blessings as you continue your passage through grace!
Thank you Donna. I pray the book blesses you and leads you toward brave faith right where you need it.
Wow….so cute!
I’m so happy for you ???
Hoping everything goes well. ..
God bless you Mary
Mary, I’m so thrilled for you! Congratulations on your book! I look forward to reading it soon, and giving a couple as gifts. What a brave and beautiful soul you are. Much love to you!
Love this and you friend! So excited for you!
Love you too! The whole journey is a beautiful God story and I needed this time to let God prepare me to see it to fruition. I am blessed!
How very exciting, Mary – good for you!
Thank you! I cherish how you have walked this journey with me this past year. Your friendship and encouragement helps make me brave. Sending love and hugs your way.
Well done, Mary! It brings me such joy to see the fruit of your labors! I’m so thrilled that you didn’t just let these lessons fall flat, but followed through to this beautiful finished product! So exciting!
This means so much coming from you. I feel you are a few steps ahead of me in this world of writing and I look to you to lead the way for me. Thank you for affirming the work and how I allowed God to push me to finish strong. Sending hugs and love!
Congratulations, Mary! I was just reading parts of your book at Amazon and have added it to my wish list. I love this post, too. This especially encourages me – “What looks like nothing is happening is when God works best. He takes each broken piece and makes us whole one piece at a time.” Blessings and hugs to you!
Thank you Trudy! The whole process seems surreal and I am blessed that I was able to complete it in a relatively short amount of time. I treasure encouragement and the way you cheer me on. I pray you are blessed by the book if you are able to get a copy. Love you friend!
Dear Mary,
I am so excited for you! And proud of your diligence to wait on the Lord in the quiet and stillness as He worked in you for His glory.
You have lived out brave faith this past year in all that the Lord has brought you through. Looking forward to reading it.
Blessings,
Janis
What a treat to have you stop by Janis! I feel like you have been on this journey with me for this past year. You certainly knew about some of my challenges. I count myself as blessed that you are here encouraging me and affirming for me my own path of brave faith. Thank you for your friendship and I would love to hear your thoughts after you read it.
Mary,
Yay for you and more glory to God!! I know this book will be pointing directly to Him!! I applaud you for pushing through all you’ve been going through and sometimes our best writing comes about when struggling or dealing with pain. You HAVE been brave my friend and I look forward to reading your journey in this devotion!! So excited…do you see my happy dance 🙂
Blessings and Congrats’!!
Bev xoxo
I can see you doing your happy dance and I am dancing with you. What a beautiful journey this has been and a blessing that is beyond words. Thank you for waking by my side and being such a beautiful friend who encourages me so well. You make me brave and I am so grateful.
Well done, Mary. I’m sure this was a brave step to take not to mention a lot of hard work, but it sounds very exciting. I’d definitely like to read your book.
Writing this book is certainly part of my brave journey. I am blessed that I have had so many of you walking with me on this journey-even if you didn’t know it. Thank you for stopping by to cheer me on. The process and result is a beautiful gift. I pray you are blessed if you have a chance to read it.
I’m so excited for you, Mary! Congrats on this book. It looks amazing and I’m certain will help countless others who struggle to be brave in a world filled with troubles and tests every single day. I can relate to the challenge of getting a book ready as I am working on editing my proposal that will be given to a potential agent this week. My bout with shingles has significantly slowed my progress but with or without that trouble, editing and getting a book ready for self-publishing is such a huge feat. I always say that writing a blog post is like hanging curtains or a picture in your house, but writing a book is like building the house! I pray that your “house” blesses” many, my friend!
Thank you for the beautiful analogy of the curtains, pictures and house. I love that we work each week to make our house pretty with our blog posts. However, we need the foundation as well as the whole house and this is the part that is lasting. Thank you for your prayers. I pray that others are blessed too but knowing that I completed a project that honors God is enough.
I am praying for you Beth as you work to heal and finish your book proposal. How exciting! Keep me posted!
Pleased for you and this beautiful work of #bravefaith.
You are one of those friends I treasure and count as a gift. You walk with me on this journey and you encourage me along the way. You make me brave friend! Love you!
Some of our mutual friends have shared your accomplishment on Facebook, and I’m in awe of your journey through that maze of self publishing. Good for you! You’re living out your writing aim in real life!
Well, thank you for noticing a few posts that were shared before my big reveal! 🙂 I’m in awe that God walked me through each step and provided exactly what I needed when I needed it. Thank you for walking with me on this journey and blessing me with encouragement. I’m living out brave faith because God is calling me to it.
Congratulations Mary! And your post hits my heart! As I focused this year on writing (and having God work on me inside) rather than on ministry that had me hosting retreats and studies (lots of social activity) the previous years, I have come to a point where it is hard to stay motivated due to, I think, a loneliness that I know God can transform to abundance, reminding me I am complete in Him. Thanks for these hopeful words. Your devotional looks beautiful!
Thank you, Lynn! You share a connection that speaks to me. I feel like I have spent so much time being still and waiting. This left me frustrated at times but I kept holding onto the belief that God had big plans and I didn’t understand why I had to wait to see what the plans were. God showed me that He knows best and I learned how brave it is to be still with God and wait for His timing to unfold.
I am praying for you Lynn and hope that God continues to speak to you during your own time being still with God. Blessings!
Lovely post, Mary, and congratulations on the book!
Courage is an interesting thing. I know that there are people who have considered me brave, occasionally to the point of idiocy, but I never saw it that way.
To me, it was always about doing the job. I might be scared, but shirking duty was worse than injury or death.
And perhaps I felt I could not afford a ‘brave’ self-image, as it might blind me to what fear might compel. Clarity was the only real virtue.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/10/your-dying-spouse-226-land-of-look.html
Thank you for always giving me a different way to look at things. There are a couple of things you said that gave me pause. One is that others considered you brave. I believe others see things in us we don’t always see. Second, you said you might be scared but needed to do your job. I think there is always some fear present but that doesn’t mean we don’t still walk out bravely.
You bless me every time you stop by and your willingness to share a piece of who you are is such a gift. Glad to see you and thankful for your time.