Just Start.

I bought the domain a month ago, and it's been sitting here in the secret interwebs, waiting for me to press go. There's something about taking the password away from the site, clicking 'publish,' despite the fact that no one knows it exists. It makes it official, that my dream is actually much more than that: something that's lived down deep, even before I was a twinkle in my parents' eyes. When God wrote the book of life, He knew my calling. Since the moment my lungs breathed the air of this world, God knew the passions of my heart would lead me here, writing my thoughts, my desires, my convictions, all which are out there for the world to see, if only I had the courage.

When I was a baby Christian (reality: actually an adult, just the earlier years of my intentional Christian walk), I attended my first women's conference with a gaggle of my closest friends. Jill Briscoe spent the weekend speaking of Paul's letter to the Philippians. While I honestly can't remember the content of her talks regarding his words surrounding the joy of a Christian life, her words regarding courage and mission remain crystal clear: we don't have to be brave on our own, and, oftentimes, courage is on the other side of the thing that seems impossible. Jesus boldly takes our hands, leads us through, and only once we're on the opposite side of the deep canyon of doubt can we see that our call isn't to courage, it's to obedience.

So here I am. Writing a thing because I know that this is what stirs my heart: my call to encourage, bring joy, and pursue others' hearts has always led me back to this place. I have sat in the wings for awhile, intermittently flexing my writing muscles in a discrete manner as to not ripple the waters too much, that I won't be noticed. That's not our call, friends. God doesn't gift us with passions of the heart to merely sit on the sidelines or barely dip our toes in the water. He calls us to boldly proclaim His Gospel and saving grace through the unique gifts he has blessed us with.

I don't promise to be perfect as I navigate this new bold expression in my life, but I do promise to encourage, to be truthful, and to do my best to point you to the love of Jesus. He's changed my life in ways I could have never imagined, and I can't wait to see how He works in your life, too. Be encouraged, friends. He loves us so very much.