Opportunity Knocked on the Door of Chaos

When Holley Gerth, Senior Editorial Designer and Writer for Day Spring invited me to join her and more than twenty other amazing women for a new project called (in) courage, I froze with shock...and a little bit of fear. I could not erase a single word question from my mind. Now?

Had the offer come several months earlier excitement would have trumped doubt, but chaos and uncertainty loomed the day I received Holley's e-mail. The Professor's contract was not renewed at the end of the semester and very few job prospects were present. A move (and most likely an out-of-state move) was inevitable. And I was in the middle of a personal writing slump.

I wanted to say yes and I wanted to say no. So, I said maybe. And I prayed. And prayed. And prayed. After a few weeks of praying, I knew that I needed to accept the offer to join the (in) courage team. I think you'll understand more about why after the site officially launches on August 10th.

This week, the team of women I mentioned earlier is being unveiled one woman at a time. Some of you may be visiting me today because of Mary's link at Giving Up On Perfect. If you are not a regular reader of Mary's blog and enjoy a refreshingly honest writing style from a woman who desires more of God, then please head on over to her site. You will be blessed.

Another member of the (in) courage team is someone whom I wish was with me right now as I unpack boxes and settle into my new home in Ohio.

Melissa from The Inspired Room is an interior decorator, wife of a pastor, and mother of three children. She is passionate about what she has dubbed Authentic Living. Because Melissa is as talented at writing as she is in interior design, I will use her words to describe authentic living.

"By my loose definition, authentic living is living a life that works for you, instead of struggling against the one you have been given. It is finding satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment in the present. It is living on purpose and with purpose. And, perhaps more importantly, it is a life where we are useful to people around us because we are able to give of ourselves in the way we want to. It can be a life filled with dreams, hard work and determination, but at its foundation is authenticity to both who we are and what is appropriate for us at any given point in life. It is like a compass, it helps us to determine if we are spending our time and money appropriately. It is living well within our means not only financially, but emotionally, physically, time-wise, and in other ways as well."

Don't forget to stop by www.incourage.me today for a sneak preview of what is to come and then visit again on August 10.