I am flat exhausted. My chalkboard has been filled, erased, and filled again thrice over. Thankfully, I did manage to process some of my early morning chalk scribbles, neatly storing and organizing them in black, unerasable ink. To this I say, “Phew!” [Insert dramatic wipe of the brow].
Here is a brief summary of my black inked note cards – well actually it’s notebook paper – but in an effort to be consistent in my symbolism, we’ll stick with note cards…
I am twenty six. I have very limited formal training in the world of writing – and my memory of the limited is fuzzy at best. I am a wife and a mama to one very small, very demanding, very magnificent little girl. It is ridiculous and a little arrogant to assume that I should be able to roll up to a computer and produce some sort of production worthy masterpiece.
“There are three seasons of ministry: Go. Slow. No” – Renee Swope
My current season…
“DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR FAMILY IN ORDER TO DO MINISTRY. Don’t worry about the breadth of your ministry. Worry about the depth of your relationship with your kids. You only get one shot at that.” -Beth Moore
So, if I know God has called me to write, how can I be faithful to that calling in the “slow” season? What do I do with all of this wonderful information while I’m waiting for the “go”? Because honestly, it all feels terribly…
EDIT:: I’m such an idiot. I was waaaayyy too tired when I wrote this! Please know that Mary DeMuth’s session was sooooo helpful and NOT overwhelming in terms of what and how she presented. I am just so exceedingly ignorant in the realm of all things published writing that I had reached my limit by Saturday morning! Mary was so challenging in helping me to remember to be humble and diligent through the entire process. She was endearing and helpful and kind. She ROCKS! You should check her out here. I received her latest book Thin Places at the conference and can’t wait to get started!
So, that’s all. I just wanted to clarify because if you have an opportunity to get a little of Mary’s expertise, you TO-tally should!
Actual words that I doodled in my actual notes during actual sessions.
- Grow. Spend as much time as I can in focused, individual study of God’s Word. Spend as much time as I can in focused, individual prayer.
- Read. Great writers are almost always prolific readers.
- Write. Daily [which is where you come in]. Regularly submit articles for publications and be prepared for rejection. Learn the fine art of …
4. Ministry. Get to know my audience. Figure out what and who God has given me a great passion for and then learn everything I can about them, about their needs, and how to best communicate God’s sweet message of truth in their lives. I’m starting with twenty something women and cannot wait to tell you what God has put up my sleeve regarding this special group of ladies! That’s for another, less drained, more processed, properly prayed through post.
5. Walk with my sweet Savior. Constantly. And know that obedience is all that He asks of me. The results are in His sovereign, capable hands.
over from Chatting at the sky…love your heart…will be back! 🙂
From a gal who would have loved to be there but couldn't…thanks for writing this! Some good, good nuggets of wisdom here!
Have a great week!
Kristen
I'm sorry my proposal session overwhelmed, but I've certainly felt that way when I wrote my first one. Once you've written one, you should take yourself out for ice cream. Then you can rest on your laurels because you'll be able to use that template for years and years and years.
Keep being tenacious and amazing!
Great info here!!! I wasn't able to go to She Speaks this year (I'm already saving for next year!), but I think you just summed up exactly what I needed to hear from the conference… Thank you!
Hi Emily, I found your blog through Chatting At The Sky and so glad I did. I would have loved to be there at the conference but could not. I look forward to reading more about it and future posts on your blog! Have a great time! Angie.
Another visitor from Chatting at the Sky who thanks you for sharing your thoughts from the conference. I would also love to attend someday!
I too am here from Chatting at the Sky…thank you so much for sharing some of your notes.
Sigh….I am in the "NO" season. It's really difficult. But the things you have shared are an encouragement to me.
Thanks so much!
Amy
Thanks for the love, ladies! What fun to find new blog friends! I'm glad my brief, sleep-deprived synopsis was beneficial to someone 🙂
So fun that you got to go to She Speaks! And if you got to hang out with Em for even just a bit, I know you had a blast! She's so fun. Also, on a side note…I LOVE your handwriting! so cute! you can tell that i'm obviously not a writer, because i was drawn more to the appearance of your letters. talk about an idiot!? 😉 keep writing, and keep mulling over all you learned. it's wonderful, it will just take a few days to process. glad to see you in the blogosphere.