Ordinary On Purpose...THE BOOK!!!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a voice whispering in my ear.

‘What are you thinking???’

‘You can’t do that.’

‘Maybe that’s for her or her or her…but YOU??? No way.’

‘You’re just not good enough.’

And for the longest time I hated that voice.

Despised her, really.

I wanted to push her down and tell her to shut her big fat mouth.

She made me miss out on SO MUCH…relationships, social situations, new opportunities.

And I always thought it was because she hated me. She was my HATE voice.

But something changed these past few years, and I began listening to my hate voice a little differently.

I realized she’s been hurt. And really…she’s afraid.

Turns out, she’s not my hate voice after all. She’s my FEAR voice.

So these days instead of yelling or shouting obscenities or hating her, I’m trying very, very hard to LOVE her.

I am gentle and quiet and patient.

Day after day I reach over and grab her hand then whisper softly, ‘No honey. It’s okay. I promise. This thing?? It’s for us.’

Every single day I do my best to LOVE her.

And I’ve realized one of the easiest ways to love my fear voice is through writing.

Writing is the BEST way I’ve found to love me!!

So, now I write.

Every day.

I write the stories that make me feel the most afraid. I write some of my very hardest truths. And somehow when I write them and share them with the world, I don’t feel so afraid anymore. Suddenly my fear voice isn’t hollering quite so loud.

Want to know the most amazing part???

I’m realizing other people have fear voices, too. Sometimes people tell me my stories help quiet their own voices just a little. And I’m realizing maybe together we don’t have to be so afraid!!

So guess what???

I wrote a book.

Months ago, I sent my manuscript out into the world. And found an amazing literary agent. Now I’m thrilled to announce I recently signed a contract with Bethany House who is going to publish my book!!!!

If I’m being perfectly honest, it makes my fear voice go a little crazy…

‘You???’

‘Yeah right!!’

‘Who do you think you are?’

But, you guys, I don’t want to be afraid!!!

I want to show my fear voice we CAN do hard things. I want to keep grabbing her by the hand and whispering with tenderness, ‘It’s okay, sweetheart. It won’t hurt to try, even if we fail.’ I want to keep showing up to life. I want to put myself out there. I want to TRY.

And I want YOU to try, too! At whatever God is nudging you towards.

Because when we keep showing up and put it all out there and try, one day a whole new familiar voice might utter the softest little whispers…

‘Maybe…you CAN.’

‘I believe in you.’

‘And I LOVE you.’

Really, wouldn’t that be the best win of all???

Thank you for being here and reading my stories and sharing stories of your own. I am grateful for every single one of your Me Toos. I truly ADORE our community at Ordinary on Purpose.

And I simply cannot wait to share my book with you!!!

Ordinary on Purpose in REAL book form…coming Spring 2022!!