Just another crazy God-story…

There is a buzz among the beloved Women’s Bible Study ladies right now … God Speaks!  We’re journeying through Priscilla Shirer’s Discerning the Voice of God Study and it is phenomenal. It was so fun, this past week,, to hear from women — many! — with stories of how God truly is leading them, speaking to them, drawing them into new depths in their times with Him more than ever before. You can’t help but me moved by this work God is obviously doing — thank you, Lord! 

And can I just share another crazy God-story? So, recently I have been praying and feeling burdened about finishing the book (I’m writing Sacred Mundane the book). People kept asking me how it was going and my answer was, “It’s not going. I have no time to write a book!”  It was true. With Bible study, speaking, ministry, family, two kids, blah blah blah… when on earth was I supposed to carve out time to write? Even my Friday “writing-days” have been full with other things for almost four months.  Not a single word more had been written (besides the first few chapters already completed).

So during the first week of this study this seemed to be the topic of conversation between me and God. He kept bringing it up, through prayer and through the innocent inquiries of other people. I kept saying I didn’t know what to do. So He started hinting.

First, a conversation with a godly woman I know. I’ve often wondered, “How do you do it all?” She finally shared that she goes to bed early each night then rises between 3:30-5am to begin the day.

Excuse me? You rise before 5am? I had been battling just being up by 6am! (And losing that battle, I might add.) Surely, she was just plain crazy. But it lingered with me …

Then, as I prepared to write a week’s 52 Bites post, another one stood out to me. Get Up Earlier was the title. I didn’t even read the rest of the entry … I could guess what it said!  Then, finally, yesterday I went to my weekly 6am prayer meeting. A group of sweet women have been meeting for two years and every week God faithfully shows up. This particular morning there were fewer women than normal so apparently I was going to be getting some questions about my life:

They asked pointedly about the book.  I explained: No time, blah blah blah.

My lame answer didn’t satisfy them one bit. They prayed like nobody’s business. They called out to God and asked Him to miraculous open up time, lead me, show me where to say no, to make me more efficient. They offered to watch my kids (!), these women are amazing. Then just as we left one of the older gals mentioned that God had led her recently to get up at 4am each morning, to do some of her own writing work. And she’s near 70! Perhaps …  I went home walking on clouds — God was clearly leading.

Talk about a quick answer. That day was divine. Our chores and homeschooling were done earlier than normal. The week’s laundry got done. The ironing got done. The kids were happy. I even had a friend over and got a haircut!  I wrote a half a chapter during Heid’s nap! The kicker: Because my mom’s foot has healed so well my parents offered to come in on Mondays and hang with the kids so I can write.

AMAZING. All in one day. The only tricky thing that remained was this running schedule. I had felt led by God to do this half-marathon to support my friend Shawna. No way I was backing out of that. But half-marathon training is time consuming! Even just 4-5 hours a week is time when a lot of words could be written … but God could sort through that too.

So last night, I told Jeff my plan, expecting me to say I was crazy. He didn’t. In fact, he said he’d get up too. (My sweet man!) So at 4am that morning my alarm chimed and, by His miraculous power, I got up!

After a sweet hour of real quiet time, talking back and forth with the Lord (which was amazing in and of itself) I opened my computer to write. As my email popped up I noticed a message concerning Shawna’s half-marathon.  This, the very first morning of getting up early by faith to write, I began to read … smiled … shook my head.

Her half-marathon run was switched to a 10k. 

What? Half the distance? Instead of more than 13 miles I’d now be running 6.2??

Crazy.

Really, God? You are amazing. A 10k will still let me be in great shape and keep me regularly exercising, without the tremendous time-commitment of training for a half-marathon. There will be time to write Sacred Mundane.

Sometimes you just have to stop and worship. 

I just had to share this. Our God is so personal! For the last few months, I’ll confess, I felt like something was missing. This is it. Communing with God and LISTENING to Him. Not going through the motions. Not striving, stressing, worrying. Listening.

He is up to something great in your life. Perhaps, today, stop for a moment and ask Him what it is…

{THANK YOU for reading, and I welcome your continued prayers throughout this adventure.}