A Triple Blessing

Welcome back!

I’ve always heard it said  that things occur in sets of  three.  Both in the case of good news and bad news.  For the past couple of years I have had a lot of friends who have found out they were expecting.  With both of my last pregnancies, there have been three of us pregnant, myself and two of my friends.

Likewise, I have witnessed many times in our community the deaths of people happening in threes, as well as the “Murphy” incidents occurring in our home in a set of “three” more than once.  It is just something about that magically number three.

This time my set of three was a triple blessing in more ways than one.  First of all this past week I had three wonderful blessings to occur, beginning on Sunday night with the sponsorship to Blissdom09 this coming weekend by Kelly McCausey and Mom’s Talk Network.

Followed by finding out on Monday that I was accepted into the distance learning program at Liberty University through their theological seminary where I had recently applied to finally finish my Master’s degree.

And finally the big news that I received on Wednesday which I have been dying to share but had to wait until all the details were clear and a contract was signed.  This news was overwhelmingly exciting.  As it will give me the tools that I need to accomplish several things that I have had goals set for months and months regarding another set of three, including finishing an application to join Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker’s team, having a professional speaker’s one sheet created for myself as a speaker, and help  landing a book deal for the “prayer journal and devotional guide” I have been working on.

The blessing is this I have been awarded a scholarship from the Cecil Murphy Scholarship Foundation. This scholarship will pay for the services from Kathy Willis, publicist and editor who will edit materials for me for my application as well as for my speaker’s one sheet and my book proposal.

It also includes my speaker’s one sheets being professional designed and printed by Tekeme Studios. This is a huge blessing for me that will allow me to achieve my goals and do so at the level of professionalism that I was hoping for. This was all made possible by the efforts of Kathy Willis and the generosity of Cecil Murphy. A huge thanks to both of you.

Photo credit : Lolly Knit

Christian Writers, Speakers & Bloggers, Oh My!

She Speaks, was a conference for Christian Writers, Speakers and Bloggers, oh my! The worst part, feeling torn between all three. I have for a long time called myself a Christian speaker, for a shorter time however I have began to dub myself a Christian writer and blogger. Though, I have had a love for writing a long time and been a faithful blogger as well, I just didn’t realize that I really WAS ONE! Does that even make sense? But now, looking back on the conference I realize, I am …. really… ALL 3. Which is awesome, but challenging at the same time.

As I chose for the conference to go as a speaker, I chose to take the Speaker’s Track and mostly take speaker related workshops with a few exceptions here were my choices: Blogging: What Works and What Doesn’t, The Power of a Story, Marketing for More Bookings, Teaching By The Book and Balancing Marriage & Ministry.

I feel like God placed me in each of those specifically for a reason. The blogging one helped me, in addition to Friday’s blogging reception to connect with those ladies online who I only knew by face and words. It was amazing to meet someone whose blog you’ve read and pictures you’ve seen 1000 times. I told my husband it felt so weird because I felt like I knew them already in “real life” though I really did not, but now can say that I do.

The other workshops were amazing, I learned too much to even possibly post. And, in addition I participated in Shari Braendel’s Speaker Evaluation Group which was the most nerve racking of all the things I did this weekend. You see, I’ve been a “speaker” for 3 whole years. I have had no shortage of speaking opportunities, no matter how small to me, I felt I was prepared. So, why did I suddenly become nervous when I strangely never got nervous before about speaking?

Well, normally the 11 other ladies in the room aren’t “evaluating” me. I think that was the key. However, these sweet sisters, were very honest, yet critical, but just what I needed and Sunday afternoon I walked away with an even greater confirmation that I am a “Christian speaker”. I can do this with God’s Grace!!! Ironically one of the themes of the weekend was “grace, grace, grace”, the other, “Setting my agenda aside, for God’s Will to be done.” Something I want, now, more than ever, “for God’s will to be done in my life”.

I was blown away when Shari shared with me during my speaker evaluation session that I should write my “speech” into an article and submit it for publication in a Christian teen magazine. This confirming that I am a “Christian writer”.

And, as I sit her “blogging” this morning, I know, I am a “Christian blogger”. So, I guess God has only confirmed in me what I thought I knew, but now know for sure! Amazing, and as I said yesterday I am truly BLESSED!

Though I know for many of my readers it seems like I am going on on and on….there is more… so stay tuned.