What it’s all about!

Hello there, my friend!

Julie here. How are things going for you today? I hope everything is groovy. Wow, that’s a word I don’t use too often. Groovy? Where did that come from?

So, I’ve decided that since it’s been so long since I’ve actually written anything interesting, I owe you a serious update on what’s been going on in my neck of the woods. Now the question is: where do I start? Ummm… Let me think.

Okay, here I go. Life has been good lately. Mom and I have been able to speak to some church women’s groups in the last couple of weeks. It’s been an incredible experience! Mom and I have both heard Father asking us to share our stories with women, and we both feel so humbled that He actually wants to use us to touch their hearts. We do tag-team speaking, and we also use music to try and bring our message to life. I love hearing Mom share her story with these precious ladies, because she is so willing to be totally transparent. She just lays it all out there, never holding anything back. That’s something I think is seriously lacking in our churches today. We need to learn how to be real people again. Can you imagine how much our relationships with each other could improve if we would all just take off our masks? It’s so neat to see the women respond to Mom’s open, honest heart. We recently spoke at a church where they allowed us to use a small quiet room to talk with the women individually after we finished our presentation. They were also going to eat a pot luck dinner at the same time, so we honestly didn’t expect many ladies to come to the room where we were waiting. (The food smelled pretty delicious, so we assumed that taste buds and growling tummies would trump their desire to talk to us!) We went to our little room, and we were shocked at the number of women who came to visit. One by one they filed in, bringing with them their heavy hearts and unique struggles. It was so incredible to talk with them one on one, to give them encouragement, and to pray with them. We met single mothers, women who had experienced terrible tragedies, mothers who have children with special needs, and women with all kinds of other battles to fight. For an hour and a half, we talked, hugged and cried with them. When we left that night, Mom and I both agreed that this is the reason we do what we do.
“You know,” Mom said, “My life doesn’t seem all that special to me. I get up every morning and just live one moment at a time. It’s nothing that unique. It’s so humbling that God can take my life experiences and use them to reach out to other women and encourage them.”
In other related news, Mom has begun taking a course on becoming a Christian counselor. It’s something she has always been interested in. We’re hoping the education will help her as she meets more women in need of love and support.

Well, my dear friend, I have tons of other writing topics bouncing around in my head. But, I’m going to save them for future posts. Right now my lovely Mother is finishing her dinner preparations. Her fabulous sweet potato fries are calling my name! I promise to be back soon with more updates. Have a spectacular day!

Where have you Been???

Hello my dear bloggy friends,Well, I’m ashamed to admit that my last blog was written on July 4! Will you please forgive me for my lack of writing? I have lots of different excuses for my bad blog behavior, but I’m sure you don’t really want to hear them. Do you? Okay, I’ll just tell you one. I am a procrastinating perfectionist. Yep, that’s me. Practically every day over the last few months, I’ve been thinking, “Gee, I really need to update my blog.” But then I think, “Gee, I really don’t feel like doing that today.” And the problem is, the longer I put it off, the worse it gets. “Goodness! It’s been 3 months since my last post,so whatever I put up there next has to be really fabulous.” Thus the pressure builds to an unbearable level, and I begin to feel like I can never measure up to the high standard of literary genius that you’ve come to expect from this little blog of mine. But, recently, I stepped back and realized that the only one putting this pressure on me was, well… me. So, I am hereby releasing all of my guilt. This seems to be a theme that Papa and I have been exploring in my life lately. I am learning to let go of the need to perform well in order to be acceptable. And, when I let go of that need, He then replaces it with His incredible love and freedom. Ah, yes, sweet freedom. I am gradually learning that no matter what I do, and no matter what I don’t do, His love is secure and unchanging. I don’t have to do anything to earn it or keep it. I am loved. And so are you, my darling friend. When you let that sink in, everything changes. So there you have it—the reason I haven’t written lately. Now that the ice is broken, I’m hoping that I’ll be returning much more often to provide you with more updates and amusement. I really do have a lot to write about! I pray your day is filled with joy, and that all is right with your world. I’m so glad I’m back! I’ve missed you! —