Greetings Bloggy friends! I’m so excited to share something new with you here on my blog. At my Writer/Speaker conference this summer, I met some amazing women who have the same passion as I do with words. Since then, I have been following many of the blogs and watching for their books to be published. I have enjoyed them so much, I wanted to share them with all of you! See–only children do share…sometimes! Over the next couple of months I will share them with you and also share the information as to where you can find them typing away and sharing their hearts with the blog world!

First up, is my friend, Michele Montgomery. If you like a suspenseful read – then Michele’s got it for you. SHE KILLS ME! I will be reading along and then she has the nerve to say, “come back for the end of this.” Ah!!! I often have to write to her and tell her she’s got me hanging again…hurry up and write it so I can find out what’s happening! Obviously, I’m not good at waiting!! Letting out a secret there! So for today, please read Michele’s post below and enjoy. Then make sure you go find her other postings over here!  Thanks for stopping by, Michele.

The bright blue sky and warm summer sun contributed to my carefree mood. Smiling to myself, I happily grabbed my keys, purse and iphone and headed out for a morning free of little ones dangling off of each hip. Mentally cataloguing my list of errands, I offered a quick prayer of thanks for the rare and long overdue opportunity for some much needed time alone.

Stepping casually over the threshold, I glimpsed a solitary lizard resting on the doorstep. The unexpected visitor caused me to tumble out in a last second attempt to avoid it. Luckily, the lizard did not attack me as I envisioned. Thanks to my quick and completely ungraceful moments, I cleared the doorway without having to step anywhere near the offensive reptile.

Climbing into my car, I hesitated. Images of my adventurous 2 year old happily examining the lizard and hugging me warmly played vividly across my mind. With a deep sigh, I clinked off the engine and returned to the house.

The lizard continued to lazily sun himself on my step. So, I jumped over the threshold and quickly shut the door before starting my quest to find an appropriate container. Spying a mason jar, I grabbed a pair of scissors and poked several holes in the lid. Stepping back to admire my handiwork, I smiled. It was perfect! However, with a sudden frown I realized that the time had come to actually catch the lizard.

If it wasn’t clear up front, I don’t like lizards. In fact, I don’t like reptiles of any kind. However, for my precious toddler, I resigned myself to the task of catching the creepy and very icky lizard. Wrapping my courage securely around me, I slowly knelt down next to our visitor.

I placed the jar carefully in front of the lizard and urgently wished him inside. Choosing to be stubborn, the lizard refused to obey my commands and continued to rest lazily on the doorstep. Apparently, the difficult lizard needed some encouragement. Firmly griping the lid, I gave it a slight nudge.

Let’s pause here for a moment. I realize that all of God’s creatures are precious and special. It’s just that some of them are better appreciated from a distance. I really didn’t want to catch this lizard anymore than he wanted to live in my jar. Yet, for the love of my inquisitive 2 year old, I offered a quick prayer for protection and bravely faced my fear.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

With a deep breath and determination, I focused on my task and gave the offending reptile a soft push and…the lizard fell onto its back.

Wait. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Leaning in for a closer look, I blinked in surprise at the realization that my fears had been woefully misplaced. Sitting back, I tried to process this rather unexpected turn of events. The laughter began bubbling up from deep inside my chest as I accepted the fact that a dead lizard had caused me so much fear and anxiety.

How often in life do we fear something only to discover later that there was nothing to be afraid of? How much time have we spent with anxious thoughts for events or situations that never even occur? Thinking back on all the time I’ve wasted fearing the unknown, I softly shake my head. That is not what God wants for us. It is not what He wants for me. He wants me to trust in Him and give my anxiety over to Him.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

I love that God can use a lizard to remind me of that fact.

This past weekend found me driving to Columbus, Ohio to see none other than Mizz Beth Moore!  Planning to be there early and lining up outside the Schottenstein Center at The Ohio State University proved to be wise!  My two buddies and I were lined up by 5:15 PM.  Doors did not open until 6:00 PM and the event began at 7:30 PM.  We had no idea how many women would be at the event and were totally blown away to find out that there were over 7,000 women there!  Wow – that’s a lot of estrogen in one location!  However, the early bird usually gets the worm – and us being early, we had pretty close seats.  Yay, us!!

Friday evening started out with such wonderful Praise and Worship music.  The crowd just came alive!

Then the moment I had waited for since purchasing my tickets back in February had arrived. Beth Moore came out and walked down the aisle towards us in the crowd.  She didn’t quite get to us, but close enough. I started to feel like a groupie!  Hmmm, maybe I should have leaned over the short wall in front of us and yelled for her to come over.  Nah – I’m just too shy to do something like that!  HA – yeah, right!  Had the wall not been about mid-shin high, I may have.  But not really thinking that falling over the short wall and splattering all over the floor would have been the way to go for the weekend!  I remained calm and reserved.

Our Friday with Beth was wonderful.  She had so much to say and share from scripture she could hardly contain herself.  She’s such a hoot.  One minute she had us choking back tears and the next minute splitting our sides open laughing.

By the time we left the Center, sat in the long line to leave the parking lot and got back to the hotel I was rather punchy.  I have to tell you this little event before I get on with my “Two by Four” experience though!  Always looking for a laugh, I found one back at the hotel.  Being over tired and my brain overwhelmed, the slightest thing could have set me off into uncontrollable laughter.  Oh, who am I kidding – just breathing sets me off!

Anyway, as the three of us entered the main door of the lobby, there he was.  The man that would just send me over the edge and cause me to become so “Tickled Pink” that I’m thinking it had to be “Tickled Fushia”!  Mr. Twister Pants!  All these golfers were returning to the hotel and were carrying their golf bags into the hotel – like they were made of gold or something!  Leave ’em in the cars dudes!  Anyway, I look to my friends and say (and of course not softly – cause I think he’s hilarious) “hey, look it’s Mr. Twister Pants!”  I’m telling you, I can hardly contain myself now thinking about those pants.  You all remember twister, the game, right?  Well, this man had pants like that!  So, as we all waited for the elevator, I could not contain myself anymore and started calling out, “Right foot, red!  Left hand, yellow!”  I do believe it was at this point my dear friends wished they were anywhere but right there!  I just could not contain myself.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Then came Saturday morning.  Another opening set of wonderful Praise and Worship music.  Just amazing.  Beth then returned to the stage to begin our morning session.  I was madly taking notes as her message for the weekend was all about the word “PREPARE”.  She had nine points for us and we were picking up with number four this morning.

Beth’s teaching was going along when all of a sudden she started stuttering.  She started looking through her notes and looking back at her Bible.  After a few seconds of scrambling, she finally said more or less under her breath, “Ok, Lord, I will.  I know you won’t let me go on until I tell them what it is you’re telling me.”  She walked to the edge of the stage and got down on one knee.  What she said next just totally took my breath away.

At 9:48 AM on Saturday, August 13, 2011 while kneeling, she said, “I am sorry, but the Lord is sending me off subject down this rabbit trail and will not let me have my focus to go own before I tell you this.  For some reason, God wants me to tell someone here today, right now that if He is telling you to write a book, you need to do it.  He doesn’t care if you’re not in the mood, you need to go on with it.”

Oh, no she didn’t.

The air went out of my lungs, my mouth dropped open and the floodgates just opened up and my eyes began to well up and unload.  Just last week, I told my hubby that I think God wants me to write, but I’m just not too sure and I don’t even know what to write.  Wise hubby said, “Just sit down to write, something will come to you…God will direct.”  And in my ever so spoiled child attitude, I replied, “But I’m not in the mood.”

Are you kidding me.

The very words I spoke last week, were spoken back to me by God through Beth Moore.  Wham – right upside my thick skull, like a two by four being swung with full force.  You have got to be kidding me.

After coming home from She Speaks with information overload yet feeling the calling from God to return to my writing, I have been going back and forth as to if I really understood God or not.  I believe Satan has been doing such a number on my mind, that I just started to justify all the reasons that I probably misunderstood.  Then this happened.

I’m thinking that if I didn’t get this Telegram or better yet – this two by four upside my head, then I’m just never gonna get it!  When God directs us to do something, as Mizz Moore says:  “You need to go on with it!”

….and that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy

As I wrote in my last post regarding my experience at She Speaks Conference on July 22-25, I am still processing everything that I learned that jam-packed weekend.  I would love to tell you that now that it’s over two weeks later, I’ve got it all figured out.  I would be lying!  I think I have sorted some things out.

I knew I went feeling the call to “write” especially after my cool experience at church on June 19 – Father’s Day.  While the sermon was predominately for Dad’s, our pastor was saying “Whatever tool God has made you, use your gift/tool and do the right thing.”  Sitting there and pouting, waiting for a huge answer on the screen (oh would that ever be nice) I thought to myself again….”Ok God, I’m still waiting–what is my gift and what am I supposed to be doing?”  As I fidgeted in my seat, I set my Bible off to the side and dug around for something in my tote.  When I picked up my Bible, my page had moved and the words  WRITE/WRITING jumped off the page of the concordance and I saw no other words!  I have always told my husband, “I’m dense – God needs to send me a postcard sometimes!”  Well, when I saw those words within seconds of ranting in my mind to God, I just about jumped out of the pew.  I looked at both my husband and daughter and could hardly contain myself.  I wanted to tell them so bad, but I knew I had to wait for 21 more minutes!  Oh. My. Word.  Twenty one crazy minutes before I could speak.  I was quickly aware of what little kids sitting in church feel like!  I wanted to shout it out, but I had to wait 21 minutes!

When we finally got to the car and I could tell my incident – I realized that God did not send me a postcard or even write a message across the screen on the stage.  No.  He actually sent me a Telegram!!!  Having this experience plus a few more throughout the spring-though not as huge-I knew that I was to be at She Speaks to seek direction in my writing.

So there I was in North Carolina with 649 of my closest writing/speaking friends!  All there to learn and study the art of these crafts of writing/speaking/leading.  I wanted another huge telegram from God.  I’m not usually the patient type, but I tried.  No really – I did!!  All weekend long I kept waiting.  Waiting And waiting some more.   Others around me were becoming “enlightened”.  I was becoming “discouraged”.  I believe I figured out on Sunday from our speaker, Micca Campbell when she told a story regarding her son – that I was like her son when he was struggling through school.   I had arrived being an “Over Expector” of what was to happen!

Though the nine hour drive home and processing the info over the last two weeks has been my “finally getting it” time, I’m still filling in blanks!  Gosh, is it because I’m getting too old to learn?  Nah.  Is it because I’m not cut out to write?  I don’t think that’s it.  I believe in all my heart that I learned so much, met so many wonderful other writers that my mind has been on such an overload and I’ve been experiencing an information hangover!

I truly am “Tickled Pink” with all the love that was shared there at the conference.  The meeting new, like-minded ladies, the laughter, the sharing.  Priceless.

I would love to say that I’m finally relaxing from the info processing.  I am to some degree.  I have been writing in my journal like crazy.  However—as if that weren’t enough crammed into my summer, guess where I’m going this weekend?  I’m going to see Beth Moore in Columbus, Ohio!  OH YEAH BABY!! Time for some more heart wrenching, side splitting laugher having, scripture digging…..information overloading weekend with my girlfriends!!   Whoa!  This ol’ girls’ brain isn’t going to hold a whole lot more for this summer!

But – you can bet I’m gonna be laughing.  And laughing A LOT!  I will be Tickled Pink by Saturday afternoon!  You can count on it!

….and that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy