Back in the Saddle

I want to tell you a story.

Several years ago, I heard a missionary with the North American Mission Board speak on her work in New Orleans in the days after Katrina. I can't remember her name, but I do remember that she hails from the Paducah, Kentucky area.

Her entire presentation was inspiring, but tucked inside was a nugget that I'm pretty sure was meant for me. As she told her story, she explained how it seemed surreal that a girl from Paducah would end up in a major metropolitan area in the middle of one of the biggest disasters in recent history. She urged the audience not to limit themselves, not to be afraid to step outside their comfort zone.

And the voice in my head said, "Write."

I purposed in my initial fervor to find her when the book published and give her half of what I made. (It's a promise I still intend to keep.) But as the days, and weeks, and months, and years have gone on, I have found every imaginable reason not to finish the book, all to mask the real reason.

I'm afraid.

What if it's no good? What if I never sell it? How will I fulfill my promise?

Fast-forward to yesterday

I attended my first teleconference yesterday. It was amazing, all about writing and publishing. I found my enthusiasm for writing returning and this time, I am armed with some tools to help me.

One of the first things that I learned came from Seth Godin's keynote. (You can read his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/). He said several things that really left an impression on me like write every day, even if no one is reading it (which is why I'm here blogging my little heart out this morning before the conference resumes). He also talked about the purpose of writing which led me to ask myself why I want to (need to) finish the book. Is it just about the money or was there something else that led me to begin.

For the record I'm still rolling that question around in my head, but it did remind me of something one of my former students said when I started. To paraphrase, she said that maybe the book was for one person and one person alone. Maybe the story that I had to tell was the story they needed to hear and if only that one person read it, then my writing would be successful. (Pretty insightful for a high school senior, huh? Are you surprised I still remember, Chelsea?)

What I did hear yesterday that made a big impression on me was a Tweet-back (is that even what it's called?) from another of yesterday's speakers, Stacy Ennis (a writer and writing coach -stacyennis.com). She said, "Writing a book is an act of #bravery. Connecting to why you're writing—your #passion and #purpose—is important."

I've thought a lot about bravery, courage if you will, and the connection I made is found in Joshua. As Joshua faced what had to be the most daunting task of his career, Moses told him to be strong and courageous because God was with him.

The story that I'm telling is a story of redemption. The tale of a woman who gets lost along the way, but finds her way back to what matters most. It's a story of God's love and mercy. I've decided to Moses' advice to Joshua as my own. I will be strong. I will be courageous. I will finish with the passion and the purpose I had in the beginning

I want to tell you the story.