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For weeks, God has been speaking to my heart four words. Every time I say them, I feel broken before God.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

What are you saying to me, Lord? Why do those words bring me to tears every time I speak them?

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

Is it me? What stones do you want me to lay down?

Each time I am brought back to John 8:1-11(NIV):

 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

I have read these scripture verses many times. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were trying to test Jesus. Could they accuse the man they call the Messiah of violating Moses’ law? Those caught in adultery were supposed to be stoned for their sin. But this time, while reading these verses, I began to put myself into this scene.

How could the crowd of teachers and Pharisees be so blind? They had the son of God, Jesus Christ, standing before the woman who was guilty of her sin. He was the only one who had the power to condemn and forgive her sins, but all they could do was think about the stone that was supposed to be thrown her way.

How many times have I been like that crowd?

How many times do I want justice more than the One who is justice?

How many times do I want to throw God’s law in someone’s face, more than I want to remind them of the power higher than the law?

 

Modern-Day Stone Throwing

I can’t help but compare our world today to this scene in John chapter 8. The pandemic, riots, disputes over COVID-19 regulations, racism, and our country’s upcoming presidential election.

I have watched the Christian community react to all of these events. And with every news article, tweet, Facebook post, podcast…God has been quietly speaking to my heart.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

Then news reports surface of another disgraced Christian evangelical leader who seems to have made a mockery out of God’s commandments leading me right back to picking up a stone.

That stone has words like hypocrite, sinner, and fraud written on it, and I feel ready to strike.

And then, quietly, I feel the brokenness again toward my sin. It’s that ever-present pull of the Holy Spirit calling me out. Instead of Jesus writing on the ground in front of the teachers and Pharisees, he writes it on my heart.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

I feel broken over those words because I don’t want to walk with the crowd of accusers. I have been in that crowd. I have held stones with my writing, my tweets, my posts, and my voice.

I feel broken inside because I have followed Christian leaders who throw stones, not pointing to Jesus or recognizing their sinfulness.

I feel broken inside because I rarely see sin exposed with compassion and a broken heart toward repentance.

In our modern-day world of communication, I see condemning headlines, angry posts, and a media in the business of stone-throwing.

If I put myself in that scene in John 8, I want nothing to do with that crowd or the modern-day one. I want the measure of my life to point to the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Laying down stones doesn’t mean I forget the commandments of God. It doesn’t mean I look the other way when a brother or sister in Christ sins. It means I drop my stone, remember my sinfulness, and then point to Jesus. He’s there in the midst of it all.

As followers of Christ, how we respond to sin is so important, and the world is watching.

We know the world throws stones—literally! With the violence, protesting, and destroying of property, the world is full of accusers and stone-throwers. Crowds want justice more than the One who is merciful and just.

But as writers, pastors, leaders, teachers— or anyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ— we are to lay down our stones and point to Jesus. Everything we say and do should communicate His truth. He’s the only one that can turn condemnation to redemption.

 

My Prayer

So here I am, Lord, with those four little words you have spoken to my heart.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

Please teach me how to separate myself from the stone-throwers. I want to be on the receiving end of your mercy and walk in the call of the gospel.

Help me to point to Jesus with my words and my life.

I am called to hold the hand of that adulterous woman after she feels the sting and shame of her sinfulness, and to teach her how to walk in your forgiveness and grace.

And Father God, heal the brokenness in our land. Let a crowd rise up where the gospel of Jesus Christ is the measure of their lives. A people ready to lay down their stones: their sin, their hurt, their pain, their need for justice, and control. And teach us love, compassion, and mercy for the most sinful among us.

Jesus, you laid down your life for me. The least I can do is lay down my stone.

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 “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  -Luke 2:19

My heart has never been as full as when I gave birth to each of my children. It sounds cliché but giving birth is truly a miracle. The exhaustion of each pregnancy and the pain of childbirth climax to what I consider the greatest emotional experiences of my life, and I treasure each one of those memories.

I guess that’s why during the Christmas season,  I become this emotional mess who can’t help but cry when I witness a living nativity scene in a Christmas play or reread scripture about Christ’s birth. It’s all about that swaddled baby. Shepherds and Kings kneel at the foot of the manger and Angels worship the miracle of the Christ child. And I sit with tears welling up because I can relate to treasuring the blessing of birth and the three gifts God gave to me.

I cannot even fathom Mary’s emotions, and her pondering God’s choice to allow her to carry in her womb the miracle baby— the salvation to the world.

God chose the most inconvenient circumstances for Mary to have a baby. An unwed, teenage mother who has to live with the cultural shame of an unplanned pregnancy. This could have led to the end of young Mary’s future. Giving birth out of wedlock could have forced Mary into a life of begging and prostitution, as that was the risk in those cultural times. But God asked Mary and Joseph to have faith and trust in this unplanned event in their lives as His intentional promise to the world.It was a choice to see beyond their circumstances, and faith to understand God could bring hope and glory from having a baby.

I don’t know about you, but the birth of Christ, especially at this time of year, draws me to my knees in prayer.

We live in a world where babies are in the headlines of politically motivated news stories instead of in birth announcements. Where words like pregnancy, unplanned, and birth are overpowered by the word “choice.” Babies are too many times reflected in sentiments of being unwanted instead of desired or treasured.

While our society gets bolder in shouting their abortions and embracing a woman’s right to “choose” as a cultural norm, I can’t help but reflect on that intentional message at Bethlehem.

God was deliberate in the plan of the miraculous conception of Jesus from a virgin and all the circumstances surrounding His birth. That baby—held by such a young mother and a father who risked societal shame to live out this mighty plan of God— is the hope of our salvation.

Ponder that! Let it sink in. We are the intended purpose of God’s plan. A plan derived from Mary and Joseph’s unplanned.

There will never be an understanding of the hope and sacredness of life without the acknowledgment of the Savior. Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection define the value of all life. It gives every baby’s life worth—planned or unplanned. When we understand why Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart,” then we can truly comprehend the sanctity of life.

This is why the gospel message must be wrapped in the pro-life message. Without the divine plan, it’s impossible to understand faith in the unplanned.

So, once again, as I watch that living nativity in remembrance of that miraculous day in Bethlehem and become an emotional mess of a mother, I pray that more people will know the gift of salvation. The hope of life. And treasure God’s intentional plan for all the unplanned circumstances in our lives.

*This is an adapted reblog from 2015.

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Photo from Brooklyn Teen Challenge archives

I love this photo!

This is my Grandma Wilkerson. She is my father’s mother, and this photo captures her familiar smile and an expression that I remember fondly.

I smile when I think about her. She was such a unique woman.

I was blessed with two very different grandmothers. I unfortunately never knew my grandfathers, so my grandmothers were what I knew of both sides of my family heritage.

I had the privilege of experiencing the typical “cookie grandma” on my mother’s side. Oh, how I still recall the smell of warm pies and homemade donuts in Grammie Hudson’s house. (I wrote about her here.)  She was kind of like your storybook grandmother. Her delicious home cooked meals, her crocheted handmade gifts, the rocking chair that rocked countless babies, and her long arthritic fingers that would cup my chin in her hands and offer up kisses. I am fighting back the tears remembering her. I miss Grammie Hudson!

But Grandma Wilkerson was a different sort of grandmother, and I learned to appreciate her for being atypical. I laugh remembering how she would offer up whatever I could find in her refrigerator to eat; which was usually an overripe slice of watermelon and a 2-liter bottle of flat Dr. Pepper. I don’t recall a rocking chair in her house. But I do recall her tattered and overused Bible on the coffee table. I remember staying with her as a young teenager and waking up to hear her humming church hymns in her room as she was getting ready for the day. My Grandma Wilkerson was a woman of deep faith and anyone who had the privilege of knowing her, found this out very quickly.

She was also a stubborn woman and would offer up her opinions regularly even when uncalled for. But any family member would tell you, that what Grandma Wilkerson lacked in motherly affection she made up for on her knees in prayer. She fought many family battles through her worn Bible and her private time with God.

When I was writing my book, Giving Hope an Address, about my family and the founding of the Teen Challenge ministry, Grandma came to mind often. I wrote about her in my story, but my book chronicles her in a time before I was born. I was the youngest of the grandchildren, so I knew an older Ann Wilkerson than I had written in my book.

But let me back up a little in my thoughts to get you to the point of this blog post…

Before I wrote my book, that shares the legacy of the Teen Challenge ministry and the legacy of the Wilkerson family, I had to come to terms with that dreaded word called legacy. I hated that word and everything I thought it represented.

To me, legacy carried every painful family experience, every character flaw I saw in family members, every expectation that family did not live up to in my mind, and I let it all root in my heart.  And it grew into bitterness and resentment. I let walls build up inside me, and each wall cast a shadow against the words family, legacy, and even ministry.

But praise God, the walls are gone! How?—By God showing me in His mercy my true family story.

He graciously and lovingly reminded me that the story I was to write was not about me. It was about God and how He uses all of us—despite our flaws—to write a bigger story as followers of Christ. A gospel story.

If you call yourself a follower of Christ, you immediately join a much bigger family. Legacy is your day-to-day interactions with those around you: family, friends, church members, those you work with… the list goes on. Legacy is how we live out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is not pride in our heritage or anger from a dysfunctional upbringing. Legacy is the grace of God that reminds me; it’s not about me.  There is a much bigger picture to legacy, and it is rooted in our faithful obedience and love for God. And yes, even in the obedience through our painful family circumstances.

I was recently reminded of this bigger picture through this beautiful example.

In the late 1960’s, Grandma Wilkerson had a coffee-house ministry in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. (I know, cool right?!) She told a man named Kurt Haas about the saving power of Jesus Christ, and his life was forever changed. He recently left this Facebook post next to Mom Wilkerson’s (as she was called) photo:

Photo taken from Kurt Haas.

“Wherever we go in life we leave footprints, whether they be good or bad, and 49 years ago on September 14, 1969, Mom Wilkerson left not only her footprints in my life but lovingly, after many months of sharing the love of Christ with me, she led me to the Master’s feet. Yes, Mom believed in me and never gave up on me. Thanks, Mom for sharing the light with me. Now I am sharing it with others.”   

 

 

Kurt has served the Lord faithfully for many years as a prison chaplain. He recently told me that when my grandmother was alive, he would often send her flowers to commemorate the day she brought him to the knowledge of the saving power of Jesus Christ.

That, my friends, is legacy!

I’ll continue to recall all the fond memories of Grandma Wilkerson. They’ll probably be mixed in with her quirks and stubborn ways, but the most important thing she’ll remind me of is the real definition of the word legacy. She lived that out in her life.

This quote reminded me of Grandma:

“The central ingredient to a divine legacy is godliness: to know God, to walk in His ways, and to teach future generations who He is.” (Kelly Minter)

And the most significant thing about that word legacy is that you don’t need to have children to offer that to the world.

Our stories, our family legacies, they are all linked by the cord of the gospel. God will continue to use imperfect people for His will and His glory. And I am so thankful that He does despite my often limited God view.

 

 

To read more about my family’s “bigger picture legacy story,” you can buy my book

on Amazon

or at Barnes & Noble.

 

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I don’t have a good memory.

I blame it on having three kids or not taking some natural vitamin that boosts my brain power.

I am constantly writing memos and lists so I remember to do all the things that I think of for a split second before it will vanish.

Thank you, to the person who invented sticky notes!

Sometimes as a Christian, I wish I could remember my journey with God. I wish I could recall to mind all the times God spoke to my heart, taught me a valuable lesson, encouraged my faith, or answered that prayer that I thought would never be answered.

Why do I forget God’s goodness to me, time and time again?

It’s like I wish I could write God-journey-memos and put them on my heart, so I never forget God’s faithfulness to me.

Fear sets in… Pull a memo… Oh, yes, Lord, that’s right. You were there then. You are still here with me.

Anger gets ahold of me… Pull a memo… Yes, anger destroys but peace brings forgiveness and healing. You taught me that, Lord.

Doubt plagues my mind… memo found… Yup, I remember that prayer. That was a long journey with you, God. I doubted, but Lord you were there. You gave me peace and contentment in the process. God, you are always faithful!

I don’t know why I forget God’s faithfulness to me over and over again. Maybe it’s my memory. Or perhaps it’s because God wants me to keep pursuing my relationship with Him and lean on His words and not mine. If I remembered every God-journey-memo, then maybe I would depend too much on my thoughts, taking for granted the power of God’s word.

I am thankful I don’t need my memos because God gave us His reminders through the Scriptures. The only thing I need to remember is to keep pursuing Him.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (Deuteronomy 11:18)

I’ll probably always forget, but I am grateful for His daily reminder.

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Let me set the scene for you regarding this photo.

I was sixteen years old on a mission’s trip to Germany. It was a bike tour from Bingen to Bonn where we stopped along the way at different towns and ministered in the streets through pantomimes. Our faces painted, no words just gestures, and sharing our faith through action. A crowd would gather around us, and after our pantomime act someone would speak and share their faith testimony.

I have never enjoyed being in front of a crowd. My fair skin will often reveal my nervousness with red blotchy patches of embarrassment. However, this time there was a sense of comfort hiding behind that white face paint and only having to express actions and not words.

But then one day on our mission tour, I was approached with the most interesting question by one of the leaders. He asked me, “Would you share your testimony today after our street scene?”

I honestly answered him, “I don’t have a testimony!”

He looked a bit puzzled and questioned me, “Julie, are you a follower of Christ?”

I nervously laughed, “Um, yes but I don’t have a story. I have never done drugs, been involved in a crime, and I made a decision to follow Christ when I was about five years old. My life is pretty boring. I don’t have a testimony!”

You have to understand my frame of reference here. I was raised in a ministry called Teen Challenge. It’s a faith-based drug rehabilitation program that has ministered to many men and women with life-controlling problems. It’s a ministry that I have recently written about in my book titled Giving Hope An Address.

At sixteen years old, all I understood about sharing a testimony was that it somehow had to include a former life of drugs, abuse, crime, prostitution, and maybe even a prison sentence. That was all I knew about sharing what Jesus Christ had done in a person’s life.

When you grow up listening to residents in a Teen Challenge program tell their testimonies of amazing transformations of God’s saving power from addiction, your own somewhat sheltered life looks a little dull in comparison.

But I’ll never forget the words the youth leader said to me after my naïve proclamation. He looked into my eyes and pointedly said, “Julie, you have one of the most powerful testimonies. You have been caught in the grasp of God’s hands at an early age, and by God’s grace YOU ARE KEPT.”

I still choke back tears remembering his words to me. I will never forget them.

Even when I feel like I don’t live up to the life I am supposed to live as a follower of Christ, I still remember— I am kept.

When life is hard—I am kept.

When I experience pain—I am kept.

When I feel unloved—I am kept.

When obedience is difficult— I am kept.

God’s promises are true whether we fall in the grasp of His hands at five years old or fifty years old.

One of the reasons I wrote my recent book was to express my gratitude for all those who walked through the doors of Teen Challenge and were willing to let God transform their lives as testimonies of His grace and mercy. Their life transformations and their willingness to share their stories, sealed in my heart a devotion to Christ that has kept me. I am always learning and growing in the knowledge of who Christ is in my life, but I can STILL say with confidence that I AM KEPT.

 

Never underestimate the power of your testimony, friends!

Share what God has done in your life no matter how boring or how tragic you think your testimony is. Never let embarrassment or shame keep you from sharing your story with others. We are called as Christians to share the light of Christ to the world.

It would certainly be easy just to share my faith through actions and not words. To hide behind a painted face and not reveal who I really am. But I can’t do that no matter how difficult it is to express myself with spoken words and with blotchy skin.  Because when you experience the powerful testimony of being kept by the hands of God, it’s a place you want others to experience with you.

Share the hope of being KEPT. It’s a testimony that never gets old.

 

 

Note:

My blog is changing. I want to use this platform to share other people’s stories and testimonies. Today I started with my own.  From time to time, I might share another person’s story with you through a blog or interview format. So stay tuned by subscribing to this blog.

And in case you missed it, here’s another powerful testimony by my friend Kelly that I shared last year.

http://www.theradiancefoundation.org/eva/

 

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In two weeks, my book will be officially released! I had the opportunity to share my story with a few people before its release date on September 1, 2018.  I am so thankful for their reviews and words of encouragement.

 

Here are what friends and Christian leaders are saying about Giving Hope An Address:

 

“As a new believer in the early 1970’s, freed from drugs myself, I was deeply impacted by the Cross and the Switchblade movie. Then, twenty years later, while preaching regularly for David and Don Wilkerson at Times Square Church, I read the book and was powerfully impacted again. Buy now, I feel as if I have gone behind the scenes into the lives of these wonderful men of God and gained a new glimpse into their courage and faith and compassion. What an inspiring, encouraging read! Today’s generation needs to hear this amazing story afresh.”

– Dr. Michael L. Brown, Host of The Line of Fire Radio Show, Author of Playing With Holy Fire

 

“I just finished reading Giving Hope An Address. Julie Wilkerson Klose wrote the Teen Challenge story focusing on the relationship between her Uncle David and her father and the founding of Teen Challenge. The story of TC has been shared, but not from this perspective. It is expertly written and is relevant to this generation. I highly recommend this book to all my friends!”

– Jesse Owens, Founder of Global Renewal, Retired A/G Missionary

 

“It was particularly mind-blowing to me that before I was ever a thought on this earth, in 1960, that God was preparing an Address of Hope for even me…a safe haven from the lifestyle of drugs, violence and promiscuity… a place for me to seek and find Him. My appreciation for the Teen Challenge pioneers just grew so much more. Reading about their struggles and trials really gave me continued inspiration to believe that God is FOR us and that He truly is working ALL things out for our good.”

– Mariah Noelle Freeman, Walter Hoving Home Graduate and Brooklyn TC School of Ministry

 

 

“Giving Hope An Address is the most authentic, inspiring account of the extraordinary Teen Challenge story. Thank you, Julie!”

-Laurie Owens, Executive Assistant to the President at Shippensburg University

 

 

“I am so blessed and honored to be one of the featured testimonies in this book. It’s a terrific read! I encourage all that know of Teen Challenge or graduated Teen Challenge to get a copy. I promise you will not put it down!”

– Frank Livoti, Business Owner and Teen Challenge Graduate (1997)

 

Order your copy today at Bridge Logos Publishing or Amazon.

 

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I have an announcement to make. I have written a book!

By September 1st, on my book’s official release date, I will be a published author. You know what that means? It means I am an expert on all things written and published. (Cue the laughing track.)

That was a little dose of writing humor, but in all seriousness publishing a book has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. It has challenged me to be a better writer, and it has matured me (emotionally and spiritually) in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

During the process of writing my book, I read blogs, articles, and books about the book writing process. I wanted to learn from the experts on what made their writing successful. I searched for quotes about writing that might encourage me along the way. This quote (below) by Donald Miller helped me through the particularly stressful times when I felt that writing my book would lead to a mental breakdown.

 

There was always a common theme among the blogs I read or the advice I gleaned from other writers. Writing is all about confidence. And every writer—even the best-selling authors—face moments of fear and doubt about their books.

But I did notice one thing among a few writers.  Some authors are not willing to be transparent about the writing process. A few can be a bit judgmental and quick to criticize. My biggest pet peeve is when well-known authors point out grammar mistakes from other less experienced writers. Think this doesn’t happen? Spend time on Twitter, and you’ll be amazed.

My background is teaching. Teachers are by nature collaborators. We share ideas, curriculum, and we’re flattered when other teachers want to “steal” our plans for their classrooms. Imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery.

Now imitation in writing is, of course, plagiarism. But collaborating by sharing your particular writer experiences—the process of writing— is so invaluable to other writers. And it strengthens the writing community.

To be transparent, I want to share a few writing points that I hope will encourage and strengthen other writers. I am still a writer/author in progress. I am learning and growing stronger in my skills each day. But as a writer, I want first to be a collaborator and encourage others to pursue that desire to write, to gain that confidence, and write that book!

  

10 Writing Tips From a New Author

1.  Where do I begin?

I think this is the biggest question for anyone wanting to write a book. The whole process feels daunting. My advice is to start with a rough outline of your book but don’t commit yourself to the outline. Just write and see where your story takes you. You’ll be surprised at the natural path that comes from just beginning to write down your thoughts.

2.  Know Your Audience

When I started writing my book, I had two audiences I was writing to. I typed out in bold lettering the names of both groups of people, and I made a paper sign and placed it near my laptop. If my writing veered away from that audience, I tried to get back on track. My hope is my book will reach all types of people, but writing with a particular audience in mind organized my thoughts and gave my book the direction it needed.

3.  Less is More

I recently read a biography where I felt that I was learning about every single day of that person’s life. It was exhausting to read. Half-way through, I decided to skim the pages because I was a bit fatigued about this person’s life. The best biographies or testimonies share a slice of the person’s life. Give the reader a good taste but leave them wanting to know more about that person’s life or the whole pie (to keep the analogy going). Don’t think you have to include every bit of information on your subject. Leave leftovers for marketing the book or maybe for book number two.

4.  A Timeline is Everything

I wrote a book with a defined time frame. Now I jumped around a bit, but I tried to keep to an organized timeline. I hope it reads well and readers can follow along. Many writers tend to write their anecdotal stories without giving thought to the timeline. A personal story or a testimony is compelling when it builds upon itself. Liken it to a photo album and how photographs tell a natural story. Use the natural progression of time to enhance your story.

5.  To Christian Writers: Don’t Draw Denomination Lines

The title is self-explanatory. Unless you are writing a book specifically on church doctrine from your particular denomination, don’t exclude a whole Christian audience that could benefit from your story. Broaden your Christian audience and let the reader gain another Christian’s viewpoint that you probably might not sit next to on a Sunday morning.

6.  Be Your Own Editor

Edit your work, over and over again. Invest in a good writer’s manual and make it your writing bible. Forgot certain grammar rules? Look it up. The more you learn from your own mistakes, the stronger your writing will become. That doesn’t exclude using editors. Let me emphasize here: Every writer needs a good editor. But the only way to strengthen your writing skills is to learn from your mistakes.

7.  Know When and Where to Use Tone in a Story

I am a sarcastic person. I like to be humorous in my writing as well. (Note: my opening paragraph.) But it is essential to know when to use the right tone in your writing and where. I tend to use my comic and sarcastic tone only when I blog. A blog is less formal, and you can write more creatively through a blog post. Always lean toward a more formal tone in a book. You should express your heart and personality through your story but be careful about annihilating a whole audience of readers by a tone that doesn’t translate well on paper.

8.  No One is Perfect

I was reading a book by a well-known author the other day, and there was a big typo on one of the pages. I immediately made a fist pump in the air and said, “Yes! Even this writer makes mistakes.” I’ll admit, it felt good to know that even an author who has been writing for many years is not a perfect writer. Anne Lamott said, “Perfection is the voice of the oppressor.” If you want to be a writer, throw perfection out the window. It’s not possible, and it will hinder your confidence in writing.

9.  Grow Thick Writing Skin

Prepare yourself for criticism but don’t take it too personally. I write that as if I have all the confidence in the world when my writing is critiqued but I don’t. It always hurts, and it is emotionally difficult to grow tough writing skin. But again, if you want to grow as a writer, you need to learn to accept advice or criticism. Don’t ask for feedback about your writing unless you are willing to listen and accept it.

10.  How Do You Eat an Elephant?

I am a finisher. If I am given a task, I want to finish it and check it off my list quickly.  But writing a book takes time, and the process cannot be rushed. Writing my story took nearly two years. Many days I just had to encourage myself to keep going and find satisfaction in the small tasks that inched along toward the completion of the book. Remember writing—especially writing a book—is a huge task. My advice is to journal your progress or write simple notes on a calendar marking each small success. You will soon find that there is a light at the end of that long writing tunnel.

 

Keep writing! Keep growing! And congrats on that future book!