Showing posts with label The Book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Book. Show all posts
I shared a few weeks ago on social media that I signed the final signature of my contract with Tate Publishing for my upcoming book, December Caravan, which will be released on August 23, 2016. This book is my most personal yet...a collection of personal short stories (from 2008 to 2013), words of encouragement, and sweet inspiration on the concept of hope and an ever-present God despite circumstances.
It is hard to believe that it has been almost three years since I first started on this journey with this book. When I first received the contract in 2013 I was honestly stunned as it had been a dream of mine to be writing books for years, but I had always felt the Lord cautioning me to wait on His timing. Every time I would think about submitting book proposals I would hear the Lord's quite voice saying, "wait". After I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and Cancer, I never imagined that this would be the timing. But as always, the Lord's timing is always perfect, and the way that He has opened up doors to write, have my books published, and have this as a ministry during this season leaves me speechless. His ways are always amazing.
Returning to this book and having it released this year, brings a soft smile to my face. This book specifically focuses on a 5 year period of time that was incredibly difficult, intensely personal, and a sweet time of falling more in love Jesus. I also see now that those 5 years so beautifully and lovingly prepared me for this season that I have been walking since the book ended. Throughout it all I see the Lord beautiful hand of grace carrying me each and everyday.
It is a funny thing to share your heart with the world through a book... and to be honest I probably would have removed some parts because they are so deeply personal. But I am learning in new ways how being vulnerable, showing the beautiful along with the messy, reflects the heart of Christ in ways that I could never have imagined. As we allow Jesus to step into our broken and messy pieces, He beautifully restores and redeems the things that we wish that we could forget or "erase" from our past. So returning to this time period in my life brings a soft smile to my face... and to my heart. A smile of a knowledge that comes with personally experiencing that the Lord works intricately and personally in the deepest lows and in the glorious highs... all remaining so faithful and so loving. He is so good.
As I signed the final signature a couple of weeks ago... I signed off on the final wording of the dedication page. What is ironic about this being the final signature is that these words were actually the first words I wrote for this book and only grew more precious over the years. *smiles* Words fail me on how to express how much the people in this dedication hold a significant impact of my heart....
"To the WCA class of 2009, thank you. Your love, your encouragement, and your selfless care for me will always be remembered with humility. You brought laughter when there would have been tears and a precious reminder that God was ever-present in the dark
...and to the WCA community who showed me what community rooted in God’s love and grace looks like… it was a piece of Heaven I will cherish forever
...and to Emily, my precious sister, who jumped on a plane and who has often held my hand in the dark lonely night of weeping, reminding me that joy comes again in the morning."
P.S. If you would like to keep up with updates specific to this book please follow along at the December Caravan Instagram page which you can find HERE! Also- I am going to be announcing the opportunity to be apart of the book launch team in a couple of weeks! If you would like to be apart of this (you don't have to be a blogger!) please leave a comment below with your contact information or send me an email and I will give you more information! Thank you!!
1. Buy Their Book. This might be silly to even suggest but the reality is that many of the independent author's closest contacts won't think to purchase the book. This might be because they have heard about every word of the book before it has even gone to print (*smiles*) but the reality is that for whatever reason many close family members and friends won't actually purchase a copy. Take the time to complete this simple step and this will be a huge support to your friend! (Interested in buying one or all of my books? Click HERE!)
2. Think Outside the Box and Share Connections Chances are, you know someone who could use the book that your friend has published even if it doesn't directly relate to you. Maybe you are happily married (so my book for singles wouldn't apply directly to you) but maybe you know someone it could encourage. Purchase and send them a copy! Maybe you could gift a copy of a book to your church library? Maybe you could gift a copy of a book to your doctor's office (if the book relates to medical information like my Lyme Disease books) or to the local hospital library. Perhaps you have a connection at a coffeehouse and you could bring in your friends' book and see if it could be displayed for sale or if your friend could try and sell some copies there at the store? Think outside the box and think of the people in your life that you know that you could connect your author friend with.
3. Write a Review. Just purchasing the book and reading it is a wonderful gift to your friend but what would help them even more is if you would take the time to write a review of the book (especially if it is available on Amazon)! Because your friend has independently published their book they do not have a huge marketing campaign for their books. Due to this they are doing all of the marketing themselves. Your words and testimony about their book will speak volumes to many people who aren't familiar with your friends' work! One of the largest pieces of help for me in selling my book, "Praying through Lyme Disease" has been the generous and gracious reviews that I have gotten. I have received several emails from people saying that the whole reason they purchased the book was because of the reviews! So take the time to write a review! I can guarantee that your friend has a goal of at least 20 reviews per book so pass the word to your friends and ask them to write reviews for your friend also! It will only take you a few minutes but will be of lasting help to your friend!
4. Share Their Business Card. Most authors, including myself, have a variety of business cards that are specific to the projects that they have completed. For example, in addition to my general business card, I have a specific business card for each of my books. This gives the opportunity to "get the word out" a little bit more. If you don't feel comfortable passing on the book to a variety of places perhaps you would feel comfortable with passing out your friends business card? Contact them and ask them for a bunch of business cards that you can have on hand to help spread the word about their projects! Live in a different city, state, or country then your friend? EVEN BETTER!! You will be helping them with marketing even more!! (Side note- if you are interested in helping market any of my books I would love to chat with you and send you some business cards! You can email me HERE! Thanks!!)
5. Talk About Their Book on Social Media. Share, share, and share some more about your friends projects on various social media forums. It will be such a blessing to them!! Tag your friends social media to all of your correspondence (example: if you post a picture on instagram tag them in it so they connect directly with people!). Volunteer to "social media love" your friends work! They will be so grateful!
6. Word of Mouth Recommendation. Talk about your friends book to people you know. Many people purchase books solely based on a friends recommendation.
7. Invite Your Friend To Share About Their Book (or their story). Work at a school? Ask your friend to come in and share about their book. Maybe the book doesn't fit into the topic that you teach or the school age kiddos but your friend could share about the writing process or about publishing a book or maybe their personal story or a variety of other things. Work at an office? Maybe your office is looking for a once a month lunch speaker. Suggest your friend! Invite your friend to your Bible study to have them share their story or to your church for a ladies luncheon. Work at a bookstore? Have them in for a book signing! Again, the topic might not exactly fit but your friend would love the opportunity to get their name out there and to share a little bit about writing or their heart!
8. Share Your Connections for Where They Are Traveling. Perhaps your friend is traveling for business, pleasure, or personal reasons. Do you have connections in the area that they are traveling? Share their information and the resources with them! I know that I am always looking to connect with people in upstate NY/Vermont and the south (both places where I spend 1/2 of the year) and in San Francisco (where my medical team is at). I am always looking for contacts in any of these areas to connect with. Talk with your friends and share your connections.
9. Host a Book Party. Similar to the various parties that exist (i.e. makeup, jewelry, etc.) consider hosting a "book signing party" and have your friend as the key star. This will encourage people to purchase your friends book, interact with them, and get to know more people!
10. Give the Gift of a New ISBN Number. Want to gather a few friends and take up a collection to bless the socks off of your friend? Gather the money to cover the ISBN number of their book that they have published (or for their upcoming book)! ISBN numbers are an investment and cost $125 which is a lot of money for independent publishers. This gift would be such a blessing to them!
What are some ways that you would suggest supporting a friend who has independently published a book? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Along with this topic is a request that I have from my heart. I am desperately trying to get the word out, market my books, and make connections. As I am dealing with health issues it is not always the easiest for me to make these connections and I would appreciate any and all help. If you know anyone who might be helped by my books or if you have any connections that you would feel comfortable sharing I would be most grateful. I would also be grateful for any social media love regarding my books and any workshops that you might suggest that are looking for additional speakers. If you would like to check out my personal website for writing and speaking you can find it HERE. Thank you so much for your help with this journey! I appreciate your help!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February
13, 2015
Contact: Rebecca VanDeMark
“Prayers for the Single Journey” released
Prayers for the Single Journey, by:
Rebecca VanDeMark, MPA
How do singles navigate the single journey
while their hearts long for their other half? How do they live fully in the
present while they long for a future day? These and other questions plague the
single along with a host of different emotions and situations. This book is
designed to encourage the single, lead them to scripture, and remind them that
they are not alone in this season.
“Prayers for the Single Journey”, written by
Rebecca VanDeMark, is a fifty-two topic prayer devotional for those who are
walking the single journey. Spoken from a heart of compassion and
understanding, Rebecca lovingly addresses many topics that singles deal with
each and every day.
Rebecca states in her introduction, “The book
that you hold in your hand has been written from my heart. The topic of
singleness is a subject that is near and dear to my heart as a single lady
approaching her mid-thirties. There are a lot of wonderful and well-written
books on singleness, but very little on the subject of prayer specifically
related to walking the single journey. My hearts desire was to offer scriptural
encouragement through the many difficult and changing emotions of walking the
single journey no matter the age of the reader.”
“Prayers for the Single Journey” can be
purchased where books are sold, including Amazon. "Prayers
for the Single Journey" (ISBN: 978-0692380024)
is a 134 page prayer devotional. Rebecca VanDeMark can be found
at her website: www.rebeccavandemark.com,
her blog: www.caravansonnet.com,
and on social media. Rebecca is also the founder of SEEN Gathering, a chronic
illness ministry, which can be found at: www.seengathering.org.
- ### -
|
| Photo By: Amanda Marshall |
If we are connected on instagram then you know that I am finishing the final few details for my second book that will be released on February 6th!! What a process writing is! The Lord has been so good to bring all of this together!
It is amazing to look back at this entire writing process and big picture. For so many years I have been quietly writing and seeking the Lord for HIS timing on several different projects. As I kept praying I would hear again and again, His quiet voice saying, "wait". It never seemed like "the right time". And now, to think back to when the Lord starting opening up a season of new dreams for me last summer and then to have been offered a book contract, released my first book, and now to be approaching my second book release it all seems to be happening so quickly!! TRULY the Lord's timing is always best!
It has been a ton of hard work and thousands of hours and it has been the Lord's grace and goodness each step of the way to see all of these projects coming to fruition. I have been overwhelmed by the response that my first book, Praying through Lyme Disease has received! My prayer continues to be (with each book project) that the Lord would use these books to encourage the hearts of someone reading it and draw them closer to Him.
A praise that I have to share is about the book cover design! I have been praying for over a year for the "perfect cover design" for this book. There was one picture in particular that I saw that I thought would be perfect but never felt completely peaceful about it. So after a ton of prayer and continued searching I found the PERFECT picture and quickly emailed the photographer and asked if I could use (with their permission) the picture for the project. Y'all I am SO excited to announce that Amanda was BEYOND sweet and SO supportive of this project and has given the picture! If you aren't familiar with her blog (Marshalls Abroad) you should definitely check it out because it is wonderful! Isn't the final cover design BEAUTIFUL? So many of you have been praying for the perfect cover and I am so excited to share this praise! Thank you so much for your prayers!! AND to Amanda... thank you again for your generosity, your kind words, and your amazing and beautiful life that continuously points people back to the Lord!
This book, "Prayers for the Single Journey" has been something I have been working on for years. It grew out of a time from my teaching days when I taught a class of 12th grade girls. Throughout the years of teaching I would write some for this book behind the scenes and it continued to grow. To be truthful this has been a little bit of a "wrestle" with my heart and publishing this book because of the subject. I NEVER thought that I would write a book dealing with singleness (nor did I desire to!). But the Lord kept quietly tugging at my heart and I knew that I had to be obedient to Him. This book is truly a vulnerable opening of my heart about this subject. My prayer is that it would be used by the Lord to encourage the hearts of single women that pick this up (no matter the age that they are!). I love (and have started to pray) what my former pastor says about book writing:
“I have a handful of prayers that I pray all the time... One is that God will put my books into the right hands at the right times. I've prayed this prayer thousands of times, and God has answered it in dramatic fashion countless times. The right book in the right hands at the right time can save a marriage, avert a mistake, demand a decision, plant a seed, conceive a dream, solve a problem, and prompt a prayer. That is why I write. And that's why, for me, a book sold is not a book sold; a book sold is a prayer answered. I don't know the name and situation of every reader, but God does, and that's all that matters.”
-Mark Batterson-
That is exactly my prayer... that God will put my books into the right hands at the right time for someone who is hurting, struggling, or needing encouragement in this area. Would you join me in praying this? Thank you so much sweet friends! I hope that you have a wonderful Tuesday!!
A praise that I have to share is about the book cover design! I have been praying for over a year for the "perfect cover design" for this book. There was one picture in particular that I saw that I thought would be perfect but never felt completely peaceful about it. So after a ton of prayer and continued searching I found the PERFECT picture and quickly emailed the photographer and asked if I could use (with their permission) the picture for the project. Y'all I am SO excited to announce that Amanda was BEYOND sweet and SO supportive of this project and has given the picture! If you aren't familiar with her blog (Marshalls Abroad) you should definitely check it out because it is wonderful! Isn't the final cover design BEAUTIFUL? So many of you have been praying for the perfect cover and I am so excited to share this praise! Thank you so much for your prayers!! AND to Amanda... thank you again for your generosity, your kind words, and your amazing and beautiful life that continuously points people back to the Lord!
This book, "Prayers for the Single Journey" has been something I have been working on for years. It grew out of a time from my teaching days when I taught a class of 12th grade girls. Throughout the years of teaching I would write some for this book behind the scenes and it continued to grow. To be truthful this has been a little bit of a "wrestle" with my heart and publishing this book because of the subject. I NEVER thought that I would write a book dealing with singleness (nor did I desire to!). But the Lord kept quietly tugging at my heart and I knew that I had to be obedient to Him. This book is truly a vulnerable opening of my heart about this subject. My prayer is that it would be used by the Lord to encourage the hearts of single women that pick this up (no matter the age that they are!). I love (and have started to pray) what my former pastor says about book writing:
“I have a handful of prayers that I pray all the time... One is that God will put my books into the right hands at the right times. I've prayed this prayer thousands of times, and God has answered it in dramatic fashion countless times. The right book in the right hands at the right time can save a marriage, avert a mistake, demand a decision, plant a seed, conceive a dream, solve a problem, and prompt a prayer. That is why I write. And that's why, for me, a book sold is not a book sold; a book sold is a prayer answered. I don't know the name and situation of every reader, but God does, and that's all that matters.”
-Mark Batterson-
That is exactly my prayer... that God will put my books into the right hands at the right time for someone who is hurting, struggling, or needing encouragement in this area. Would you join me in praying this? Thank you so much sweet friends! I hope that you have a wonderful Tuesday!!
Y'all I am so humbled and excited to share that a couple of weeks ago I received my first review for my book, "Praying through Lyme Disease" and guess what? It was a "5 star review"! I was so touched, humbled, and overwhelmed by the kind words that the reviewer left:
"I bought 2 and plan to get a few more as gifts. This is a book that you can't find anywhere else. With Lyme's Disease becoming more of an issue every year, many have been discouraged and left hopeless with this disease that they have to live with if they didn't get help right away from the beginning. Rebecca has put her heart and soul into this book and it obviously shows. Sharing from her heart and experiences is something every person affected with Lyme's can understand. I would encourage you to buy this affordable book not just for yourself, but for someone else."
These words meant so very much to my little heart because this is such an answer to my prayers!! THANK YOU so much to ALL of you that have purchased the book, have sent me encouraging emails, and have passed this book on to others fighting Lyme Disease. If you have read the book would you mind writing a review? As a new author this type of thing helps spread the word to others! Thank you so much!!
Most importantly, my prayer is that every person reading this book will be drawn closer to the heart of God. Would you please join me in that prayer? Thank you again! If you are looking to purchase the book you can buy it where books are sold and find it on Amazon HERE.
Thank you again! Happy Tuesday Friends!
Y'all I am so humbled and excited to share that I received word this morning that out of 8 MILLION paper back books, "Praying through Lyme Disease" is currently ranked 198,432 on Amazon!!! It is unbelievable to me that for such a little book it is ranked so high!!!! I was speechless when I found this out that after only 10 days of being on the market (and for being such a "niche" book) it was ranked this high! THANK YOU so much for spreading the word on this book, for purchasing it, and for being so supportive of this journey! My prayer is that every person reading this book will be drawn closer to the heart of God. Would you join me in that prayer?
Thank you again! If you are looking to purchase the book you can buy it where books are sold and find it on Amazon HERE.
Thank you again! Happy Tuesday Friends!
Do y'all remember when I shared last month about finishing the final few edits for my first book (and finishing the rough draft on book two)? I was so incredibly grateful for ALL of the kind words, encouragement, and prayers that y'all have prayed for these projects!
It is still so amazing to me to see how the Lord has continually guided this entire process of writing and having my first book published through Tate Publishing! It is amazing to look back at this process and think back to when the Lord starting opening up a season of new dreams for me in 2013 and then to have been offered a book contract was an amazing experience and such a gift from the Lord!
Thank you so much for your continued prayers for this process! This is an incredibly busy month with certain deadlines to meet but I am excited to share that with Book #1 ALL of the final edits are finished!! PRAISE THE LORD! I am now in the cover design/illustration phase and it has been an exciting time! This little book contains my heart in so many different ways and my prayer is that those who are hurting and brokenhearted will find hope in Jesus as they read it!
With Book #2 I am excited to share that the rough draft is FINISHED and it is now in the editing/final rough draft phase! This little project with book #2 (dealing with prayer) has been such a blessing to me and I am praying that it would encourage the hearts of those who read it!
And I am excited to share that I am working on my first fiction book! Yikes!!! It has been quite the learning process and yet I see the Lord's hand guiding this book and am excited to be in the early stages of writing it. Due to treatment, some commitments for my education (I am currently taking this semester off due to treatment but plan to be heading back in the Spring), my Etsy shop, and some other commitments I have made it my goal to finish the entire rough draft for this book here in the month of November. (Yes, even typing this out sounds a little insane. *hahaha*) Because of this I decided to sign up for the first time for the National Novel Writing Month. I have known several friends who have done this before and have always been impressed with their dedication and let me tell you it is not easy! BUT I am loving it!!
Writing is a ton of hard work and thousands of hours and it has been the Lord's grace and goodness each step of the way to see all of these projects coming to fruition. Would you pray for me as I work through the various phases of these different books? This month I have been specifically praying the words of the Psalmist:
"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer."
-Psalm 45:one-
"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer."
-Psalm 45:one-
Would you pray this for me too? My heart is stirred to encourage the hearts of those who are hurting and to write in such a way that people would be drawn to the heart of the Father. Thank you so much sweet friends! I hope that you have a wonderful Wednesday!
If you saw the above picture on instagram then you know that I am working on finishing the final few edits for my first book that is being published with Tate Publishing and finishing the rough draft on book two. It is amazing to look back at this process and think back to when the Lord starting opening up a season of new dreams for me last summer and then to have been offered a book contract was an amazing experience and such a gift from the Lord!
It has been a ton of hard work and thousands of hours and it has been the Lord's grace and goodness each step of the way to see both of these projects coming to fruition. Would you pray for me as I finish up these final edits on book one this weekend? The first book is a collection of stories that shows God at work in our every day lives and I pray that it encourages people to see God at work in their own lives and to encourage them to draw closer to God. Specifically I have been praying the words of the Psalmist:
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
-Psalm 19:fourteen-
Would you pray this for me too? Thank you so much sweet friends! I hope that you have a wonderful Friday and a wonderful weekend!!
I don't spend a ton of time on Facebook, but a couple of weeks ago when my health took an unexpected turn I spent about an hour catching up with some old classmates, friends, and co-workers. I happened upon a page of a friend of mine from graduate school who owns his own law firm
in NYC. He has written a book that I am
sure will be a best seller and has been one of the one of the fore-front
thinkers on social law. He eats his meals with people who have started
non-profits and have traveled the world helping those less fortunate then
themselves. Despite the fact that we went to the same graduate school I
am not surprised in the least that he does these big and crazy things that my
little heart only dreams of doing. Somehow the guy that convinced four of us to spend
the night under the stars in 30 degree weather on a grad school retreat and that led the charge for the arctic dip in the ocean in January had the ability to give
all around him encouraging pep talks with words that are imprinted on my heart forever. He is not just off exploring or
teaching at Harvard or writing a book to waste time but to live. I smile for
the boy that I knew has become a man destined to shape the world around us.
As I write this I have spent the day mostly in bed, resting in the quiet that I need for my body to heal. I am struck by the difference of what so many are able to do and how little I am able to do. It seems like so many people are doing these “BIG” things for others and for God. Young single Christians aren’t just adopting one child now they are adopting over ten. People aren’t just spending a week doing missions work in the inner city they are moving to
If you think that I am criticizing any of the people that I
have mentioned or the ones that I haven’t named but you know who they are then
you are wrong. Instead I am raising a question many have been afraid to voice
in the midst of the grandeur. In the midst of all of the miraculous is there a
place for the ordinary? Is there a place to offer small offerings among the "BIG"? These questions swirl around me as I question how a
girl like me can attempt to change her world for Christ if I don’t even have
the strength or energy to walk down the driveway or carry a conversation with
her non-believing neighbors. What happens if I am not healthy enough to go to
far off places or even work a full time job? Is there a mission field truly for
my little world? If so, what does that look like? What if my life is not as "successful" as I think it to be and what if it doesn’t make as much of a difference as I long for
it to simply because I am unable to reach the shores of a distant land? What if
the little loaves of fish that I have to offer are not enough for my great big
God who I long to bring glory to?
I just want to make sure that I am honoring the God that I love so much.
I just want to make sure that I am honoring the God that I love so much.
On my agenda for this fall I do not have the most miraculous
of plans. In fact, I have what most would say is beyond boring and ventures into
the territory of the mundane. My greatest goal is to try to increase a
necessary medicine and raise my immune system from its unacceptable number to a
higher number so I can even truly begin fighting the three illnesses that seem
determined to wreck my little body. Today I spent my energy talking with my
doctor and then having a conversation with my pharmacy about a prescription
that they don’t carry. Three calls later (and no remaining energy) I finally
found a different pharmacy who did. At the end of the
day I am beyond exhausted and wondering if I am truly accomplishing anything for the Lord. The days of
leaving the classroom feeling like I had imparted biblical knowledge are long
gone and the feelings of usefulness are drying up quickly in the wind. While
some call me young I feel like I have lived a
hundred years in the last 26 months and yet the journey is far from over. I
wonder again if I am accomplishing anything of value for the Lord. Anything
that looks remotely like a loaf – even a crumb that I can offer up to Him? My
life that I envisioned and the dreams that I have hidden in my heart seem like
a worthy life to offer up to the Lord. My life that I envisioned with a loving
husband and kiddos and an open house to where we love each other and love those
that enter in. My life that included rescuing kiddos in the foster care system
who have been abandoned and unloved, reaching out and loving on their families,
reaching out to the broken, to the students that I had in my classroom, and
loving all of those we encounter with wild abandon and freely pouring Jesus’’
love on the lost and the hurting. "Surely this
envisioned life would be so much better than the reality Lord?" I pray again.
But what about if this new agenda… this new role… this
new life is the real me? What if this life that I don't think has much to offer can be an offering to God?
In the midst of all of my questions I have come to love the story of the young boy with the
loaves of fish. John 6 (verses 8-14) states:
“Jesus later
crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or the Sea of Tiberias
What I love about this story is that this boy comes in the
middle of the questions that still haunt us today. While the disciples were
fretting about things that worry us in the 21st century just like it
did so many years ago this little boy had just showed up as he probably did
everyday read to eat. The disciples are worried that they would not
have enough food or money to feed the large crowd that had gathered around. One
of the disciples, Philip, even pointed out the fact that even a year of their
wages could not have fed the people that had gathered even to give them a bite
of food. (As a side note: I totally relate to Philip- I am constantly concerned with how the
Lord is going to provide even though He always does. It is interesting
to note though that Philip is the disciple who is always worried about how the Lord will provide- I so relate to that!) And I don’t mean to
take away from the miracle of the story by the fact that the Lord provided for
ALL of the people that were there that day, but I can’t help returning again to
the boy that was at the middle of the whole story.
This boy had only brought with him five small barley loaves
and two small fish and probably was planning on eating that food himself.
Instead he surrenders the small and meager amount that he has and gives it to
the disciples who are fretting about their wages. The fish that are there are
small enough that while they are most likely only for him they ended up feeding
all of those who had gathered at the hill to hear Jesus speak. And it was
through this miraculous event when Jesus chooses to use a little boy's meager
offerings that the people are turned to Jesus. “After the people saw the
miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the prophet
who is come into the world.”
Y'all I LOVE this- God can use ANYTHING- even what we think are small offerings for His glory! Its interesting that scripture doesn’t
particularly state the disciples thoughts on what occurred. The concerns and
worries that had plagued them earlier were gone and even beyond that there were
leftovers!I don’t think anything that God does is a coincidence and so it is
amusing to me that there are twelve baskets
of food leftover just like there were twelve disciples. Perhaps this speaks
volumes to the fact that God is a personal God and there is no detail left out
in His plans.
Maybe someday I will have an amazing fall plan to share,
but in the meantime I have decided that my biggest hope is to be like the boy
with the five small barley loaves and two small fish. I am going to keep
showing up and asking God to use my meager amounts and keep praying that each
thing that I do will encourage people to turn to Jesus. I am going to choose to
rejoice in the ways that my friends can dream big dreams and live bigger lives
then I feel then I able to right now and take some time to rejoice in the fact
that God uses everything- even small kiddos, loaves of bread, and fishies to
accomplish His purposes.
This may not have been what I was originally dreaming of life to look like, but there are so many blessings despite the pain and the fractured dreams. There are so many opportunities to touch a life for Jesus if I will look around and pray for the Lord's guidance. If you are feeling like I am friends, that you have nothing "big" to offer, let me encourage you to go back to the story of the boy with the fishies and find hope that your story- whatever it looks like- is a mighty important part of drawing people to Jesus. Keep showing up everyday, keep praying for wisdom, and remember that NOTHING you do- no matter how small is ever wasted for the Lord. There are no small offerings to God!
I was almost tempted to name this post "the trip of delays" but decided against it. *smiles* Now, don't get me wrong I really love car trips- honestly I do. BUT I think that anyone can agree that by the time you are done reading this post you will be glad that we arrived too! *smiles* And please ignore the quality of these photos y'all as they are all from my phone (which recently seems to be struggling!)
Sunday morning before we left I was up very bright and early to finish some last minute packing. I stepped outside for a few minutes to pray and there was the most glorious sunrise (which I mentioned on instagram). Later on in the morning as we were finishing the last minute packing I stepped outside once more for a last look at what has been my "view" for many long days and nights. I was reminded once again of the Lord's faithfulness and mercy each new day. Truly He is so faithful!
We left by 10am and were on the road! Since the book edits are due next Friday (yikes!!) I spent most of the car trip re-writing editing the book!
This was my view for the trip! About 8 hours into the trip we ran into heavy traffic and tons of truck traffic. This delayed us for several hours and definitely made the trip a lot longer. We were thankful though to have safe travels throughout the trip!
After 12 hours of driving we stopped for the night in Pennsylvania to spend several hours sleeping at a really quiet hotel which we were really grateful for. Unfortunately at hour 25 of the trip Scamper had some issues and it created a huge mess for us to clean up and delayed us another two hours. We were so grateful to see the New York state sign and know that we only had 6 hours left of the trip!
When we hit Albany and knew that we only had 4 more hours I was so relieved! My poor body was struggling on the trip and I was pretty exhausted! I snapped a picture of this building in Albany that I have always loved. The architecture in parts of Albany is simply breathtaking!
We arrived to a BEAUTIFUL sunny day and could only laugh as we pulled into our tiny town that we got stopped at the railroad crossing for thirty minutes. Seriously y'all we couldn't stop giggling! We have NEVER run into this and in all of my years I have only seen the train at other sections -not at this one-and have never been stopped by the railroad crossing.
But as I mentioned on instagram... it was all worth it. It was a simply beautiful day to arrive to and I am so grateful to be here. It is such a blessing to have a different "view" for these precious months!
Even after 31 hours in the car I was soo excited!!
Sitting and enjoying the view!
Thank you again for all of your prayers for safety and health as we traveled! I am spending time recuperating from the trip, unpacking, and will start treatment today. I am exhausted but so incredibly thankful to be here! Thank you again for ALL of your prayers sweet friends!! SO grateful for each of you!
As I mentioned in my "notes from the porch" (health update) last week I expressed that I had been having some stomach pain that I would appreciate prayer for. It was my assumption that it was simply a reaction to the chelation treatments that I had started. After adjusting the dosage of the chelation treatments I hoped and assumed that this would settle down. Unfortunately on Friday morning things went from bad to worse. I became incredibly sick and when I was still sick on Saturday my dad took me to the Emergency Room.
After all of the tests were taken we learned that I had contracted a bacterial infection in my gut. We believe this came from some bad food when we have eaten out several times in the last couple of weeks. My dad hadn't felt great either recently, but my immune system simply couldn't handle this and basically collapsed and developed this infection. After being informed of my complicated case details (with the Lymes and Cancer) the ER doctor was very leery to proscribe me an antibiotic due to his concern that it would activate my body fighting those things instead of the specific infection. I was in complete agreement with him on this. While we tried to reach my doctor there were some complications due to a miscommunication and I agreed with the ER doctor that for the moment we should just try to treat the infection symptomatically and obtain an antibiotic from my Lymes doctor on Monday morning. (Now before I receive a ton of emails on this point I just have to say that if you are a chronically ill person you understand exactly why I made this decision. If you aren't it is probably a little difficult to understand but the best way to say this is that there is ALWAYS the fear that Lymes and Cancer patients have of developing further infections. It is such a tightrope balance to press forward with one thing and have to deal with another. Please just trust me that this was the wisest decision that we could have made at the time.) Sunday and Monday were extremely difficult days and unfortunately after having a reaction to one of the drugs that I am on Monday evening (because it should be taken with food and water and I had not been able to keep anything in me for more than 15 minutes) Monday night was the roughest night of my life. We went back to the Emergency Room yesterday for more IV fluids and more anti-nausea meds (through the IV which are stronger) and I was able to have a couple of other doctors appointments also. I am so thankful to report that by yesterday evening I had kept down a couple of bites of food and also some sips of water. As I sit here this morning typing this (from the porch *smiles*) I am also incredibly thankful for all of the prayers that were answered as I slept for six hours straight for the first time in six days.
PRAISE GOD.
I appreciate your continued prayers as I heal from this infection and ultimately the Lymes and Cancer. Thank you for ALL of your prayers!
PRAISE GOD.
I appreciate your continued prayers as I heal from this infection and ultimately the Lymes and Cancer. Thank you for ALL of your prayers!
I won't lie to you. While I have left out a lot of details that I don't care to relive and don't want to have my friends read, these past five days have been some of the hardest physically and emotionally that I have had in many many many months. There have been countless tears shed, outbursts of anger and yelling at God, and discouragement at this "one more thing". I admit that I even have said several times, "this just isn't fair". It seems like every time that we make some small steps forward we take HUGE steps backwards. THAT is difficult physically. But emotionally it is sometimes heart-wrenching. This week is not what I envisioned originally sharing with you sweet friends. And to be honest I wrestled with the Lord over the verse that states: "Do not say why were the old days better than these..." (Ecclesiastes 7:10) as I knew that at my former job they were on the high school retreat making wonderful memories and my heart ached to be there.
AND...
once again I am learning the ancient truth that the Lord is near to the broken-hearted. As I look back on these five days and could think about all of the impossible difficulties that accompanied each day I instead think of the incredible mercy that surrounded each moment. I do not have a nice little reason for why the Lord allowed this, but instead realize that we live in a sinful and broken world and sickness is unfortunately apart of that. Yes, I am discouraged that this will set me back in my healing process but no I am not in despair. Even when it seems like our precious God is silent He can be found shouting to us in our pain through a thousand different things if we let our hearts look to Him. Long ago I made the decision that my life was in the Lord's hands and it is at HIS feet that I fall. I yield to HIM everything- and whether that is to suffer, live, or die- my life is in His hands. And oh sweet friends, what a precious place for us to live. There are no regrets there. My eyes are not on my circumstances, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance. I have had the privilege of knowing Jesus as my Lord for twenty-seven years. He has never let me go. While the days may be hard, our precious Lord never promised us "all good days". He has promised me that He would never leave me or forsake me and THAT is what I cling to. If you are going through a dark day my sweet friends, I am so so sorry. May God touch your heart in the precious ways that only He can.
Sometimes those ways can be completely unexpected. Like receiving a Facebook message from a former student:
Truly a message that not only spoke to my heart, but touched my life beyond belief. When I read it this morning I cried. What a beautiful God-thing. (And I definitely whispered a prayer to have the opportunity to visit at least once FCS this year!)
And other completely unexpected gifts in the middle of this caravan. I am so excited and honored to share with y'all an update on a post that I wrote last month entitled "a season of new dreams". I have a HUGE smile of excitement as I share this exciting news! Last week (before the hospital visits *smiles*) it became OFFICIAL. I signed a book contract! AHH!
I am so honored to be with Tate Publishing and can't wait to share with y'all more exciting news in the days and weeks to come about this new adventure the Lord has me on!
As I stop writing this post this morning and feel the small cool breeze on this porch grace my face, I am so incredibly grateful for each of you. Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and all of your beautiful comments that are SUCH a blessing.
May God bless each of you for your kindness. I love y'all!
When I heard that the North East Bloggers Network was going to have their first "meet up" I was so excited. It has been so lovely getting to know all different people from the network. Unfortunately the meeting was in Philadelphia which I couldn't make. Rachel (the network leader) offered the chance for businesses to donate products, even if they couldn't attend, and I offered to donate mini-journals from the The Paper Sonnet for each attendee.
It was a delight to create these! I hope that everyone had a great time at the gathering! Here's hoping that the next one is in New York! *smiles* Here are a few pictures of the creations!
Since the "meet up" was for bloggers I wanted to create something that would go along with that theme. I decided to create mini-journals that people could carry in their purses with them to write down blogging thoughts, tips, or post ideas. I wanted the journals to be cute, colorful, and inspirational and fun to look at (just like blogging). *smiles*.
I first gathered all of my supplies and got everything ready. One of the supplies that I used that I loved was the "sentence" strips that people could use to write down on. I cut them up and they were the perfect size.
After gathering all of the supplies I first worked on creating the covers of the mini-albums and the backs. For the covers I bought a large piece of cork board and cut it into 2x5 pieces. After writing out "Blog Ideas and Thoughts" and sticking ribbon and stickers onto the cork board I used modge podge to hold everything together. (Side note: this was one of my first times using modge podge and I am already in love!) I used three coats of the modge podge simply because I wanted these journals to be able to withstand wear and tear. For the back covers I attached my homemade "the paper sonnet" tags and some washiti tape.
Like I mentioned above I wanted the mini-journals to have a fun and inspirational feel. Color always inspires me and so I picked out 10 different ribbons to attach to paper and also decorated some fun tags that I found.
After finishing all of the basics I set out the layout that I wanted the journals to have. Putting the albums together was so much fun!
I love the finished product!
Thanks again so much North East Bloggers Network to be apart of this event! Interested in a custom order from The Paper Sonnet? Contact me by email (caravansonnet@gmail.com).
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