Today, my friends, just for fun,I’m going to share a little backstage pass into what my book release day looked like for Anywhere Faith.

Here’s a little bit of what I did and my thoughts along the way:

dedicated the book with prayer

After the initial morning rush of getting everyone where they were supposed to go for the day, I paused.

My todo list was especially long because of the excitement of the book release.

But I knew once I jumped into productivity mode, it would be harder to stop and do the most important thing:  Pray.

So, I laid face down on my bedroom floor, held the book in my hands and offered it to Him.

I prayed for you–for anyone who might read the book. I prayed for its message and impact and for His favor.

And I thanked Him, wholeheartedly praising Him for doing this work.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psalm 90:17 ESV).

Prayer isn’t in addition to the work; it isn’t after the work or beside the work.  Prayer is the “work” that matters most.

 Spent the morning being a mom

Life definitely helps us keep perspective.  Even if it was a super-exciting book release day, I was still a busy mom.

I took a walk both for the exercise and for the soul-restoring quiet it gives.

My son wanted a trip to the library.

Dishes needed to be washed, meals planned, mess cleaned.

I remembered what matters: Service to God through our service to others, whether that’s writing a book, playing with a preschooler, or cleaning my house.

God values our sacred offerings of even the simplest acts and most daily ministries.

Felt blessed by my support community

Once my son went down for his nap, I was off and running with “official author business.”

For me, that meant lots of posting on social media and being completely blessed by the support there.

Thank you for your prayers, friends.  Thank you for your notes of encouragement, your post shares, your video comments, your “likes,” your Amazon reviews, your pictures and more.

You reminded me that one of the greatest gifts we can give to another is cheering them on when they follow Jesus.

I want to be that voice of encouragement for others and the kind of friend who comes alongside another.

We need friends who will carry us to Jesus even when we feel paralyzed and unable to walk to Him on our own. #AnywhereFaith

worried about failure

At some point in my day, I pulled out a copy of Anywhere Faith and I felt the full weight of looming failure.  I actually stopped where I was in my bedroom, hand stretched out over the box of books, and almost cried.

These words pierced me:

No one is going to buy this book or want to read this book.  Everyone was so nice about your first book just because it was exciting and new, but you are too small and insignificant for this book to have any impact.

On a day when my heart celebrated all God had done, Satan was still at work speaking lies, stirring up anxiety, and beating me down with hurtful fears.

I’m so thankful God meets us precisely in the moments of our greatest need.

Later that day, I read this verse:

Shall I bring to the point of birth
and not cause to bring forth? (Isaiah 66:9 ESV)

God is faithful to complete the work He begins (also see Philippians 1:6).  He doesn’t abandon us along the way or lose interest and give up on us.

We can trust Him with our callings, our ministries, our offerings, but trusting Him means leaving it in His hands.

It’s not up to me to make a book “successful.” We simply walk in obedience and we leave the results to Him.

Worked hard!

Results are always up to God, but we do need to do the hard work of obedience and be good stewards of our calling and ministry.

So, sure enough, I spent most of my day (in between trips to school and ballet and making dinner and the like), working through that to-do list: Create events, print signs, make images, write posts, share about the book in videos, reply to comments, offer giveaways.

I was a busy bee and thankful the whole time for the privilege of writing and sharing with you all!

Thank you again to all of you for your support and encouragement!  Here’s some news for you if you’re looking for info about Anywhere Faith or ways to help me as part of this book release:

Here are some quick links if you are looking to order the book online:

• Discovery House
• Amazon.com
• Christianbook.com
• Heaven and Earth

Facebook Giveaway:

For those on Facebook, I have a completely quick and easy giveaway posted on my Facebook author page here.   To enter for the giveaway, you leave a comment on the pinned post and that’s it!  Voila!  You’re entered!

Book Signing:

For my local friends, I’ll be on site at The Courthouse Restaurant on Main Street in Gloucester, VIrginia on Saturday, October 22nd from 1-3 p.m.   I’ll be signing books and chatting with those who stop by and visit!  If you drop by and see me that day, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a giveaway!!