Trailblazer: Heroines Volume IV (Makenna Runion)

You know that feeling when you finally make it to the gym after 23 years of off-days?

You’re lying on a yoga mat two billion other people sweated on earlier that day and you think to yourself, “Could this possibly be worth it?” You take a deep breath and let Beyoncé give you the energy to lift your head off the matt and pull your knees toward your chest. Then, you feel it. The burn. You stretch your body out and do it again. And there it is, more burn. Over and over again, you repeat this motion. Over and over again, you feel the burn until eventually you either reach your goal or collapse in a sweaty mess because you haven’t done the work to feel the burn leading into today’s workout.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

The burn hurts—we often leave trembling and weak. It doesn't go away immediately. Our muscles ache for days, but if we practice the motions enough, if we are consistent with investing our time, energy and heart, then we become stronger and healthier.

We can fight our enemies with more force and energy (which, in this case, means avoiding the leftover box of Krispy Kreme’s on the corner of my kitchen table).

I want to chat with you today about a different kind of burn, one that leaves us marked deep within our souls and changes who we are forever. I want to talk to you today about our wounds, ones that were given to us from friends who didn’t care, boys who wanted more than they had rights to and parents who were wounded themselves.

Ones that are a result from living in a constant state of debilitating fear and anxiousness. 

Deep, aching pain from love lost and people taken from us without our consent.

Life is not always easy. Sometimes it is so hard it takes every ounce of strength just to leave our beds in the morning, let alone be the strong, vibrant young women everyone expects us to be.

Our fight doesn't end once we get out into the world after having the mess beaten out of us. It carries on when we have to cover our brokenness with smiles, laughs, fake energy and dry shampoo. We feel the need to act like we’re not dealing with very real, excruciating and sometimes ugly problems.

This process leads to isolation and eventually defeat.

Opening up the ugly and broken parts of our hearts hurts. It burns deeply. Sharing the pain of our past and present with even our closest friends takes more courage than we often feel we could ever have. We view the other girls in our lives through a distorted lens, thinking they have it all together. Their jobs are exciting and allow them to work in trendy coffee shops around town. Their boyfriends are doting hotties and have money to buy them fancy Kate Spade bags. They work out more than five times a day and don’t have an ounce of fat on their perfectly styled bodies. They are too perfect to experience shame, fear or depression. They seem to have it all together, which leads us to feel like our pain and wounds make us "different" from everyone else and therefore, undesirable.

This is so wrong.

Everyone has experienced some degree of brokenness.

You are not alone in your pain, confusion and fear. Your wounds do not discount you from what God has destined for your life. Do not fall victim to the lies.

I challenge you, God-authored heroine, to be the one to start the wave of authenticity in your tribe. Take a deep breath and exhale your truth. It is okay to be broken. It will burn, but it is a burn that will make you and others in your life stronger.

Let’s be trailblazers, people who mark and prepare a trail through a forest or field for others to follow.

Let us carry our torches, tell our stories, embrace the burn and create a way for others to experience true freedom in Jesus. 

If we can muster the strength to be vulnerable and authentic, we can be the heroines for our sisterhood. Our pain reaches their pain and tells them it is okay to hurt, there is a Savior who sees their pain and loves them more than they could ever imagine.

Scripture tells us in Isaiah 61 that God replaces our ashes with beauty. He takes our mourning and despair, gives us instead joy and praise (Isaiah 61:3). When we allow our brokenness to be revealed, He redeems it all and gives in return healing, fullness and freedom.

There is great power and strength that comes with the burn of living an authentic and vulnerable life.

Let us pick up our torches and blaze the way for our sisters.

The burn is worth it.

“ . . . To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

-        Isaiah 61:3

Makenna Runion:

      I am a worshiper of Jesus Christ, an adoring wife of Jared Runion, an older sister to Jordan McCroskey, a daughter of two high school sweethearts and a part of a world-changing movement of God in Nashville, TN. I am a hopeless romantic, outdoor fanatic, tone-deaf music lover and major Disnerd. I spend most weekends on an airplane traveling to photograph incredible couples or adventuring with Jared. I have a passion for Gods daughters, a love for their hearts and a vision for their lives. I can shop with the best of them and can a pitch a tent faster than my dad… usually.

Pick Up Your Sword: Heroines Volume II (Caroline George)

War burns as a charcoal haze, a bundle of embers flickering where the kingdom melts to horizon. Your fur cloak, white as Michelangelo marble, is replaced with plated metal. You trade your scepter for a sword, your throne for a chariot. The calling to battle is rich, anointed and promised. You will charge into the fire out of obedience to the King, fight for the people He has placed under your leadership. To forgo the task would result in destruction, so you push away your fear and submit yourself to whatever occurs at the front.

Beauty once drew their attention but now it has transformed into a radiant strength that surpasses eyes and reaches deep into hearts, divine in origin, holy in mission.

There has come a time in each of our lives when we’ve had to trade our flower crowns for ones made of metal, forged from heat and sweat, given out of necessity, not vanity. We’ve experienced painful seasons when what seems pretty around us carries the weight of a battlefield. We may look put together like queens but at the center of our innermost being, we are survivors, warriors and royals riding our horses into already-won battles. We are God-authored to be heroines in His victorious saga, but have we accepted the role, been rebuilt by the divine authority entrusted to us as daughters of the Most High God?

Heroines, in literature, are characters who accomplish incredible feats despite impossible odds. They sacrifice their own interests to attain a goal greater than themselves. Their motivation stems from mission, purpose, vision for self, others and the world.

God-authored heroines are women of vision.

Throughout the Bible is evidence of God’s relationship with His girls. He handpicked women from insignificant backgrounds and used them in world-changing ways. Not glamorous. Not sugar-coated and dipped in petals. Hard, taxing ways that made history.

We, as handpicked protagonists, have the same potential and God-strength as Esther, Ruth, Mary and the other countless women who were used in the story of Christianity. Time does not sever us from saga-impacting roles—time is irrelevant and unbinding to the God who created it. We are our generation’s heroines.

Judges 4-5 introduces girl-boss heroine Deborah, leader of the Israelite people, a prophetess and wife. Deborah had a deep relationship with God that yielded strength, insight and vision. She was faithful to her calling, recognized the strength of others but remained steadfast in God-ordained authority and sanctification.

Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him; “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”

Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

“Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

Judges 4:4-6

Three things to note . . .

1.     God gave Deborah a vision for the Israelite nation.

2.     Because of the vision, Deborah was a steward of God’s plan for others.

3.     Deborah did not leave Barak to tackle his God-given mission alone, rather she went with him into battle to share the weight of such a task.

God-authored heroines . . .

-        Are fueled by futuristic calling, accept leadership and point others to their God-authored visions.

-        Recognize God’s presence in the visions of others.

-        Magnify the callings of others.

-        Heroines see through the worldly shroud of sin and bear witness to God’s will for the future.

God’s daughters have melted under stereotypes, expectations, fears and insecurities for too long. They have denied their swords and crowns, instead retreating to their small, safe dreams. Heroines take their swords to already won battles and suffer through trials with supernatural endurance. They also join others in their suffering so as to keep unified the Kingdom of God.

What is vision? How do we get it?

-        Visions are God-sized, God-given dreams powered by purposeful calling.

-        To have vision is to have vision for self, vision for others and the world.

-        Visions are not products of tenacity, rather weapons gifted to us by the King of Kings. As children of God, we have visionary birthrights, positions of ordained leadership bought for us through salvation. If we take ownership of the power offered to us, we step into a place of sacred closeness with God and the visions handed to us like swords become our drive, our struggle and His victory.

-        Vision isn’t a quiet, gentle gift. It roars like a lion. It rattles its cage, aching to break free.

-        Vision leads.

Takeaway: Women with holy vision are women equipped with the power of God.

We are not flawless. We have been broken, pieced together and scarred in battle. Our lives are not aesthetic scrapbooks uploaded on social media sites, rather charred battlegrounds and reconstructed fortresses. In the eyes of others, we appear pretty and soft, but our Creator has designed us to carry vision, leadership and care for others.

What are the visions God has placed on your life? What’s stopping you from charging into battle with faithful endurance and royal confidence?

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. […] “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

Proverbs 31: 25-26, 29

Heroines, let’s forgo our scepters, pick up our swords and step into the history-changing, generation-defining roles prepared for us by the Author of All.

Lighting the Spark: Heroines Volume I (Stephanie McGraw)

A little girl sits cross-legged while playing with her beloved stuffed bear, Fuzzy. Her mother is in the kitchen making pancakes while her father sits on the couch next to her flipping through channels on the television. Little girl is content. She loves Saturdays, and pancakes, and Fuzzy. Father’s program cuts to commercials and little girl looks up. On the screen is what appears to be a flawless woman with long legs and yellow hair. She is being chased by a handsome gentleman. They embrace each other. They look so happy. In that moment little girl becomes aware of her undeveloped body and curly brown hair. She will forever associate beauty with the flawless couple that frolicked on the screen.

We were children when we first started to build our definitions of what womanhood meant. While the television was often a dominant educator, we also watched our mothers, and older sisters, and friends to understand who we are, and what we will be. Some images empowered us, and others crippled us. And at some point in our lives we must choose the kind of woman we will be. Some will fixate their eyes on beauty, and others wealth. Some will use their womanhood to birth a lineage, and others will dedicate their lives to seeking justice. For each of us, there is a deep sense and longing for more. Unfortunately, some women have been told to, “be quiet,” or “let a man do it” for so long, that they have become lost to this calling.

It is extremely easy to get swept away in the noise and let false perceptions define you. That is why we want to go to the source of our womanly nature—the author of our very being. Through this series we will be unleashing the vast ways of being a God-authored heroine.

Heroine. The word is literally defined as, “A woman noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.” She is strong. She is fierce. She is unstoppable.

Contrary to popular belief, God loves using women in His story. Scripture is filled with examples of this—Esther, Ruth, Rahab, Mary, just to name a few. He loved using the unlikeliest of people to carry out His will and to be heroines in their time. They defied cultural norms, risked their lives, and took immense leaps of faith to fight for what they believed in. They embodied courage, bravery, and spirit.

It’s easy to look at these women and marvel at their stories and how the Lord used them to make history, but dismiss that same possibility for our own lives. However, there are endless doors of possibility waiting to be opened by the girl who unlocks the potential that God has given her.

She who sees her womanhood as a gift and not an obstacle. She whose character surpasses her beauty. She whose spirit lights the way for others. She who believes the Lord can use her. These are the heroines of our day.

I truly believe that God deeply enjoyed making the woman. Woven in our personhood are the sincerest and most loving characteristics of God. The Lord delights in using the woman. She is His secret weapon and one of His most treasured creations. He grieves when she is oppressed. He rejoices when she is glad. He loves her and is for her.

A God-authored heroine is a woman of enormous character. She loves life, yet holds it loosely. She is always receptive to learning and is always searching for the Lord in every corner of her life.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25

As God-authored heroines, it is important that we believe in each other and encourage one another. We must highlight more than our sister’s cute shoes, and instead, note her character. We must search deep within our sisters to see their unique strengths and gifts, and lift those up. We must build up what was torn down. When we begin to reconstruct our views of our own womanhood and the women around us, we free ourselves to truly loving one another. We rid ourselves of envy and jealousy that has so often robbed us of our joy and confidence.

It is time that we stopped looking at our womanhood as a curse, or an excuse, or an obstacle, and instead saw it as a gift from the heavens. May we not get stuck looking back that we never move forward. May we use our words to lift up and heal one another. May the Spirit fill us with dreams bigger than our fragile frames that they may overflow into the hearts of others.

We invite you to explore what being a God-authored heroine means in your life. It is our prayer that you would be open to hearing from the Lord to see how He can use your story and womanhood in this world. May these words light a spark in your heart. There is unimaginable adventure in store for she who embarks the life of the God-authored heroine.

“It is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

STEPHANIE MCGRAW

WordsUnfolding.com

I am a girl, growing every day into shoes too big. I’m a dreamer, always have been. I’ve loved many art forms, but the written word is by far my favorite. I have come to adore the infinite possibilities that characters and syllables and punctuations strung together can become. I believe we are all storytellers and that we all have very special, very unique perspectives begging to be shared and heard. Words have the power to inspire us to do remarkable, courageous things. They sometimes lift our spirit and make us laugh. Other times they make us cry and see the world differently. Words can help us heal and grow stronger.

Just like I am a young woman becoming my own, my story is unfolding with the passing days. I don’t want to miss a beat. I want to savor every word on every page of this story that is my life. I want you to be part of it. To hear my heart. To laugh with me, cry with me, grow with me. I want to hear your story, too. Let’s have a conversation. Let’s love each other well, and use our words wisely to change our worlds for the better.

For me, I believe that this life is far too complex and beautiful to not have an author. I adore my Creator, and am learning from Him and about Him each day. It is for His glory that I write. He’s the truest inspiration.

Supported: We, The Authored Volume V

Supporting characters are foundational elements of fiction books. They are developed, important to the story’s progression, loved by readers and have a specific function: to reveal the main character’s internal lies through relationship, point the character to their mission and encourage them on the journey to the END GOAL.

We are protagonists of our stories but part of our life mission is to elevate the divine calling of someone else’s plotline, to act as the tools needed to equip another character to change the world.

Each of us desires to be the person God chooses for grand, spotlight-catching, earth-shaking plans. However, the truth is not all of us will be world-changers, but we can all be story-supporters. We, the authored, must infect our self-consumed minds with Supporting Character Syndrome and look at the big picture, what’s at stake, and then do what we can to achieve the universal objective.

“In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will . . .” – Ephesians 1:11

Although it may seem discouraging that our stories might not be the ones to spark revivals and massive change, our plotlines are still more intricate than the constellations. We, as characters in a God-authored saga, have been gifted with spirits of authority, voices with power from the Holy One. Because of our existence and fulfilled plotlines, God will change the world. Revivals will spark. History will scream His praise.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us . . .” – Ephesians 3:20

To compact the message of SUPPORTED into a few concise sentences: Our stories are important, but some stories imprint history more than others. Our Author writes us with intentionality, weaves our lives into an ornate tapestry. By investing in someone else’s story, we are developing our own.

I accept the fact I may not be the person God uses to rebuild His kingdom here on earth. I may never be the one who has the honor of speaking to hundreds or thousands of people, who writes a book history remembers. The privilege may never anoint me . . . but it might bestow itself on one of my friends, a girl in my small group, a classmate or coworker. It is my duty as a child of the Most High God to be a supporting character for each of His kingdom-builders, love and encourage them with a relational purpose.

“But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” – 2 Peter 3:13

David and Jonathan are a wonderful example of the righteous bond between two God-authored characters. The loyalty between them, as written in 1 Samuel, demonstrates the relationship we should have with others—bonds through Christ, united by sacred blood and culture of connectedness. Both men had extravagant plotlines written for their lives, but we regard David as the Biblical account’s protagonist. Jonathan was a good steward of David’s story, he recognized God’s authorship in his friend’s life and took a step back so David could step into his ordained fate.

Christ-like leaders follow in Jonathan’s footsteps. They are good stewards of others’ stories, recognizers of God’s authorship, and they take humble steps back so others can step forward, into their ordained fate.

The role of a side character is one of humility. However, through the position, we have the unique opportunity to be included in a multitude of stories.

We, the authored, are supported.

Next week, HEROINES (A Blog Series) begins! The incredible Stephanie McGraw from WordsUnfolding.com will be visiting Girl Meets Publishing World to kick off the series.

Composed: We, The Authored Volume IV

Set: Nashville, Tennessee. Present day.

Protagonist description: Twenty-year-old girl with dyed blonde hair, mature features and a figure shape she tallies as another insecurity. Motivated by vision and God-conviction, the girl battles for her beliefs even when faced with impossible odds. However, she struggles with lies from her past.

The girl originated from a small town in Georgia but moved to Nashville for her education and career. Her insecurities stem from middle school weight gain, high school rejection and family issues.

Other character ideas: The girl often embarrasses herself by falling down stairs, walking into doors and getting stuck in rose bushes. She drinks too much coffee and writes science fiction books, maybe maintains a blog comparing God to an author.

Do you know me?

You have select facts about my past, but do you really know me? Have you read my story, experienced each plot point, loss and gain? Did you witness the inciting incident of my writing journey? Were you in my baby blue bedroom when I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life?

Backstories exist with the sole purpose of providing foundations for character development. They are established by facts and give an author the first rung in an extensive ladder.

Composition of any kind begins with a plan, a pencil sketch in a notepad or a few test shots. For art to form, the artist must mentally and physically develop the included elements. Writing functions in a similar manner—authors must sketch their characters from facts before developing them through the writing process. These facts are often dark and twisted because . . .

To conquer, one must have something to overcome.

Key elements of character development are fatal flaws and lies. Over the course of a book, the protagonist must wage war against his or her fatal flaw and discover the truth to counteract their believed lie.

As characters in a God-authored saga, we have flaws and lies. We begin from a series of facts but grow into perfectly composed entities.

Three things to remember:

1.      An author begins a story when he or she meets the main character.

2.      An author uses a character’s past to build a more victorious story.

3.      An author takes the lies a character believes and uses revelation to create a glorified novel.

Stories do not have true beginnings or ends. Before the first indented paragraph, there was a story. When the final period concludes a written work, the story continues in a place accessible only to the author.

God begins the divine epics of our lives when we surrender ourselves to His writing. He indents what becomes the first paragraph and goes to work, crafting us from the facts of the past.

We absorb our true identities as we are saturated with the Author’s will.

To restate what I said earlier, backstories are often dark and twisted. Readers fall in love with characters from rough beginnings and celebrate with them when they achieve their end goal. Through struggles comes purpose, transformation and triumph. Endurance brings about the greatest development.

One question I have heard a lot as of late is, “Why did God let bad things happen to me?”

I do not pretend to understand God’s plan, nor can I predict His plotlines. All I know for certain is nothing happens by accident, and He works all things for the good of His characters.

The roughest beginnings have potential for the most cinematic, fist-raising endings. No matter the obstacles you encounter, your story has a predesigned plotline, an indented first paragraph and a holy, God-redeemed final period.

“Many are the plans of the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

-        Proverbs 19:21

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

-        Ephesians 2:10

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

-        1 John 5:4

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

-        Psalm 138:8

WE, THE AUTHORED is meant to showcase God’s intentionality by comparing His careful construction with the writing process. Life, from a day-to-day viewpoint, can seem obscure and without structure. However, through the eyes of an author, love, obstacles and backstories make sense and point to the relentless, all-consuming love of our Savior.

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”

-        Philippians 3:12-14

We, the authored, are composed.

Resisted: We, The Authored Volume III

“I was transformed by the program.

Nothing is the same now.

Not me. Not Kyle.

Not the world.

It’s been two years since the Titan first started killing off Legionaries. He challenged us all to a game but killed ninety-percent of our soldiers before the fight for our survival could begin.

My brother is dead. So is Sarah and all of Kyle’s task force.

Europe is a nuclear wasteland.

The other continents have gone dark.

America is barely a flicker on earth’s rotating screen.

And I know that if things don’t change, its meager light will go out.”

-        The Prime Way Program: Divided (Coming fall, 2017)

Conflict sparks a story and keeps it in motion. The first element of plotting an author must determine is the inciting incident, the moment when a character’s life is thrust in a new, life-altering direction. Before the grand conflict, all that exists are a backstory, a character with tremendous flaws and limitless potential. What matters most about the character comes from the pain, the suffering and times when he or she has to either conquer or be conquered. The story itself stems from resistance.

When readers reach the final sentence of a novel, they desire resolution, a sigh-worthy scene where the protagonist at last has what he or she has been fighting to gain. THE END is the end for a reason because once a book or series is finished, the conflict is, in theory, no more. How can we, the authored, live with the expectation that life is meant to be different for us; we should be without obstacles and villains, we should waltz into our dreams as easily as stepping across a threshold?

Without a villain, there cannot be victory.

Without obstacles, a story is an eternal state of THE END.

Obstacles come in various forms. Writers have pinpointed and categorized these struggles: man versus self, man versus man, and man versus world. However, there is one other conflict not included in the list—man versus Satan.

Self is a villain often overlooked. We, the authored, sabotage ourselves. Like any well-developed character, we believe our own lies, we allow insecurities to riot against our calling. Self is an insurgence waging war against the confidence gifted to us as children of the Most High God.

Man is the more notorious villain. In most books and movies, there is an individual wreaking havoc on the protagonist’s life or threatening the world on a massive scale. Although used by storytellers to give evil a face, men can be overcome. They are mortal. They believe their own lies.

World is a villain with power over the physical. It can attack a character’s body and state of wellbeing, but it cannot fully reach an emotional level. The world doesn’t have supernatural authority. However, its ability to deprive is its greatest weapon.

Satan surpasses all villains. He is our greatest enemy, knows when we are weak and works without relent to prevent us from fully experiencing the favor of God. He works . . . but the war against him has been won. We, the authored, have been victoriously rescued and claimed. Our THE END was written before we breathed our beginning. The conflict was resolved before the inciting incident.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John, 16:33

Suffering comes with the question of why, and the answer isn’t sweet and straightforward. It isn’t wrapped in a gift box or include hot tea and fuzzy slippers to comfort us while we deal with its truth. Suffering is the foundation of our story. We live to fight a God-won war, to grow as characters in His saga and reach the victorious THE END. We suffer to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ on earth and magnify His sovereignty.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10

My intentions for this post are not to woo with poetic language. Instead, I desire only to offer truth and encourage my fellow comrades. We have been called by the Living Christ to enter into a crusade for His glory. We, the authored, suffer so we can have a meaty, rich story that oozes His divine power. The war isn’t easy and will require everything to complete. With urgency and determination, we must clothe ourselves in righteous armor and battle the villains, obstacles, conflict.

We must allow God to conquer our villains by surrendering ourselves to His plot.

Friends, I have been fighting the good fight and I am weary. Conflict rages in the rooms I enter, saturates the air I breathe, but God has declared victory over my heart and soul. He has won the battles I am now facing, so all I must do is endure.

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” – Exodus 14:14

Our villains do not define us, whether they are memories of sexual abuse, bad relationships, addiction, anxiety or depression, etc. If we have entered into the kingdom of God by confessing our mistakes and asking Him to claim us as sons and daughters, the conflict in our stories has been resolved. We fight with divine armor and God-favor. We are free of fear.

What are your villains? Have you surrendered your pain to God and asked Him to transform your suffering into a glory-rich story?

The protagonist climbed the plot graph, gained and lost, bled and sweat, reached a climax, then plummeted down a falling action. They endured a catastrophic amount of turmoil, yet they’re stronger, wiser. And when their THE END comes, all that once seemed impossible no longer holds relevance. With their THE END comes victory.

Through resistance, they discovered their story.

We, the authored, are won.

Love-Struck: We, The Authored Volume II

A barista shoots me glances of confusion while I slump over my laptop and coffee-stained notebook. I squeal like a teen girl at a boyband concert while rereading conversations between my book couples. I’m the author of their story, yet I delight in each sentence of their journey. Why? There must be a reason for this insane, geeky reaction, a connection to someone greater than me and my fictional stories.

Over the past five years of having my books on shelves, I have learned people crave stories with romance. Some of my friends won’t read a book or watch a movie unless there is a prominent love interest. What gives us this need? Why do we hunger for hope in someone else’s happy ending?

Books hold incredible romances, but our love story began at the cross where the Prince of Peace, Son of the Living God, sacrificed Himself in a wild, unrestrained, indescribable gesture of desire. Love-struck and infatuated with us, He did the one thing others have written into their stories for millenniums. He demonstrated love in its purest form.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

– Romans 5:8

Before documentation of Jesus Christ, there isn’t a recorded case of sacrifice in the name of love, so why has society accepted the selfless giving of one’s own self as the most extreme expression of care?

We, the authored, radiate with our Creator.

Our hearts ache and break for a cinematic meet cute; boy and girl make eye contact from opposite sides of the room—maybe they sit next to each other, begin an awkward first conversation—and they fall in love. Easy. Fast. Straightforward.

We want to be able to fit a love story into a few chapters or a two hour movie because for the duration of our lives, we’ve been taught by the media that love happens fast and concludes with a couple lounging on a park bench, hopelessly enthralled with each other as the camera zooms out or the final paragraph comes to a sweet conclusion. Although we all have a victorious ending in Christ, our stories read different. They’re each beautiful and captivating in their own way, but their plot graphs differ in rising action and climax.

I met a dear friend for coffee a few days ago. As we sipped our fancy Cubans, she reminded me of a truth that has stuck with me—Love may start with sparks, but it comes softly with time.

God delights in our love stories more than we could ever “fan girl” over book characters and their climactic, romantic breakthroughs. He is writing our love interests into existence, smiling as we move toward each other. He reveals His own love for us as we grapple with the uncertainty and fear of opening our hearts. Softly—a word saturated with the deep richness of all beauty and excitement that is to come through our intimate relationship with the Author.

Time is irrelevant to God. In fact, He uses time as a buffer between plot points, a suspense-builder and a catalyst to merge His glory into the romance. He manifests Himself when the story reaches a prime moment, when the unfolding beams with evidence of His inspiration. As heroes and heroines in the God-authored saga, we must ask Him to sync our souls with His will for our stories and be confident in all that is to come because . . . it will come . . . in forms we may or may not expect.

Uniting the threads between writing and resting in God’s composition is the simple truth: Without the author, there cannot be a love story. Relationships in books require the author’s inspiration and the characters’ willingness to subject their independent nature to reliance on the author’s care for them. Three entities. Three lovers. One story.

Genesis 24 holds the love story that has haunted my mind for months. I often feel like Rebekah, carrying my jug of water to the spring, waiting for God to choose me for His Isaac. I have been like Abraham’s servant, asked for signs, watched closely to “learn whether or not the Lord had made (my) journey successful.”

Hearts cry out with joy when the Lord taps His podium, raises His conductor’s baton and signals destiny to erupt in a symphonic celebration. The audience sighs when the story unravels at the pristine instance, when both characters mature to perfection and merge lives. They clutch their mouths when Rebekah appears on the horizon, clothed in her wedding garb. They weep as Isaac moves across the field, captivated by her. They cheer as the Author unites both characters in a scene of desert breezes, canvas tents and ordained lovers standing face-to-face, hand-in-hand.

Crafting a romance between pages or on a screen is nothing more than an allegorical representation of our lives with Christ Jesus. When we write books, we reflect what God is doing with us, the craving He has for our attention and faith. Write with this fact in mind, know that perfect love takes three entities and Jesus-inspired sacrifices.

Our desire for a meet cute is the echo of need we have for a romance with our Writer. Once we’ve synced ourselves with His cinematic story, we melt in the sheer wonder that comes from His anointed plotline because . . .

We, the authored, are love-struck.

#Boss2017

Merry Christmas!

As 2016 draws to an end, I’d like to offer a brief reflection on two topics often involved in New Year’s resolutions: time management and entrepreneurship. Included below are some simple tips to help 2017 be your best year.

1.      Complete your work one step at a time.

When faced with a project, one often becomes overwhelmed and resorts to procrastination. To avoid time-wasting, divide the project into small tasks that can be completed in a short amount of time. The feeling of progress will keep you focused and motivated.

2.      Prioritize.

There will be times when you’re forced to juggle many tasks. Inspect your deadlines, see which job needs to be completed first and focus your complete attention on it. By prioritizing, you are less likely to experience last minute stress.

3.      Find what organizational tool works best for you.

My public relations friends have high-tech planners and complex organizational systems. I have a basic calendar and rely on my daily sticky note to-do list to keep myself on track. Although my method is unorthodox, it works for me. Figure out a way to organize your tasks without causing yourself panic.

Time management is an ever-going process. However, knowing how to manage your days opens the door to pursuing dreams and business ventures. To prepare yourself for such endeavors . . .

1.      Think about the future.

Write down your dreams, where you envision yourself in ten years.

2.      Make a plan.

People often dream about the future but refrain from creating a strategic plan to help them achieve their goals. Once you know where you want to go, make a map to get you there.

3.      Complete the plan one step at a time.

As you can see, time management goes hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship. Well managed time leads to broad possibilities.

Although my tips are simple, they revolutionize productivity.

Thank you for making 2016 a terrific year! I’m excited for all God has in store for 2017.

Five Steps To Falling In Love With Your Story

Books live within their own pages, bleed an invisible intimacy that connects with readers in powerful, unexplainable ways. The publishing industry feared extinction when new forms of entertainment became available to the public, but they soon discovered consumers treasured the ability to indulge in an individualistic experience catered specifically to their personal desires, interests—an experience different for each person. eBooks also presented concern for publishers. However, even with lower book costs, consumers preferred the tangibility of paperbacks, the physical bond.

Readers fall in love with books, characters and new worlds.

Writers must fall in love with their own work because, as I mentioned above, books bleed an invisible intimacy that first stems from the writer before it can affect a reader.

I’ve undergone months and months of rewriting, editing, probing the innermost parts of my creation. There have been times I have wanted to kill off my characters and spend the remaining word-count lecturing on my book’s meaning, yet I have continued to fight through the work because I believe the book says something important—it may resonate a valuable lesson to readers.

The writing process is long and turbulent. Without a personal connection and belief in the story’s importance, a writer will “throw in the towel” and trash their manuscript.

Love, life, writing—they are all the same. They require determination, a futuristic mindset and belief in the end goal. They involve relationships . . .

And relationships, the ones that change us, are worth fighting to keep.

Fellow writers, I understand preparing to write a book can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider when developing plot, characters, etc., most of which I will not cover in this post. However, I will offer you five steps to help you fall in love with your story.

1.      Believe In Your Message.

You have the unique opportunity to capture readers’ attention for hours. Use that time you have with them to say something important. If you believe your book could help someone, change perspective, make a needed statement, you are more likely to reach the “finish line.”

2.      Write For Yourself.

I have met many individuals who tell me they want to be authors. What they do not realize is publishing is the product of writing a book worth reading.

Write the book you would want to buy, read and showcase on your shelf. Write the book you would love so much, you wouldn’t care if another person laid eyes on it.

Loving your story will create an urgency that increases your motivation.

3.      Weave Yourself Into The Pages

Find a common ground between you and your characters. Add elements of yourself to the setting, conflict, etc. Although the book shouldn’t convey you to the public, it should reflect parts of you.

Just think—you wouldn’t grab coffee with someone polar opposite to you (that would make for awkward silence and an overall uncomfortable situation).

4.      Extend Expression

Writing projects a story, but there is more to a character’s life than what survives edits. Have fun with your world-building. Create a storyboard, illustrate scenes from your book and incorporate your work into other artistic mediums. Be your own biggest fan!

 

5.      Believe In God’s Plan For Your Life

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Galatians 6:4-5 says, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”

If God has called you to write, you will discover the ability to write.