Captured Preview

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Here is a preview of Captured, releasing on Tuesday, September 22. Captured is available for pre-buy at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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Monday Meditations: One Head, Many Hats

I always have been a multi-multitasker. At my best, I can do four things at once, at worse, two. I have for years fought that part of my personality, determining to fit into this unrealistic idea of normal that I had. I would look at people who were specialist in what they did and long to be like them. To know the one thing I would do with my life. I didn’t want to be a general practitioner.

The older I got, the more I realized I’m not that kind of normal. When I tried to do one thing at a time, I got bored quickly and moved onto something else. After much trial and error, it dawned on me that multitasking is my normal. It took me a little more time to accept this.

The revelation came primarily from my life. Yes, multitasking was my habit, but my life explained to me why I did. I wear many hats. I’m a wife, mom, and pastor. I have a budding writing career. I work full time and go to school part time. I knit and I love to read. All of these things are me.

In order to keep these caps on my head, I have to multitask. Many days I feel like the peddler from the book, Caps for Sale. All of them precariously piled high on my head. And as in the book, it only takes one monkey to send it all tumbling.

But the one head/many caps life works for me. That’s they way God made me. And when I stopped fighting that truth, my multitasking became easier. I realized that it was okay to got to bed exhausted after I gave my life all I had. I had to let go of being specialist and life the general practitioner life God called me to.

And I learned something in all that. A multitasking life is a full life. Full of love, laughter, good times and joy. I wouldn’t change that for the world.

My Life In Stitches: Cold Office Knitting

I recently got a promotion from bookseller to the Community Business Development Manager at Barnes & Noble. I loved my old job and I equally love my new one. It allows me to still sell book, but on a different platform.

It also means that I got an office…a very cold office.

I am one of those people who stay cold no matter what season it is. I keep a heavy comforter on my bed all year round, much to the distain of my husband and wear long sleeve shirts all year round. My fingers and toenails are always blue and I dress in layers even when I’m inside. Needless to say, I spent the first day in my new office training shivering.

As I sat, watching training videos, I found it hard to focus. Not because they were boring or that I was cold. I kept daydreaming about all the sweaters I was going to knit to wear in my very cold office.

Some knitters find it hard to knit sweaters in the summer cause it’s so hot. But when you have your own personal winter all year round, it’s not so hard. I actually sat outside in the sun on my breaks from my very cold office and worked on a worsted weight poncho.

So here are my cold office projects I have lined up.

Vodka Lemonade. I loved this project when I first saw it and now seems to be the perfect time for it. I’m almost done it, but I think I’m going to have to reknit the first sleeve cause I don’t like they way it looks. I’ll probably keep this hanging on the back of my door in cause of a freezing emergency.

I Want That Wrap. This is my current mindless knitting project. It is also the first poncho I’ve ever knitting. I love the color and can’t wait to wear it in the fall. It’s also warm!

Pucker. My husband and I made these socks for a KAL for this last year. The goal was make a pair of matching socks. I didn’t like the pair I made but he loved them. Since he got my pair, I promptly bought the yarn to make another pair. I’m not a big sock girl. The cold office has changed that.

I hope to get this all done before it really gets cold. In the meantime, I have a heater.

Monday Meditations: Sacred Devotion

I often have moments of spontaneous prayer. There are times when a prayer bubbles up and reveals something in my heart. This happened to me while I was doing something in my new reality: preparing to preach at the church my husband and I pastor.

When we started the church in January, Pastor Hubby and I decided that if we both were on the preaching rotation, it would decrease the chances of burnout. Besides, church planting is definitely on the top my list of the most heart stirring, mentally taxing and labor-intensive things I’ve done in my life. The more help the better.

After a few months, I fell into a routine of sorts. Not that preparing sermons is routine, but I found myself following a process. I would clean whatever room I was going to prepare my sermon in. I’d complete all my other tasks that might distract my thoughts. And I would pray.

During a particular preparation session, I found myself thinking about people who have preached for years and have an extremely business-like approach. They didn’t treat preparing to preach as the special work it is. Their approach to ministering to God’s people was a task, not sacred vocation.

And that’s when the prayer floated up to my thought: Lord, I never want to feel like ministry is a job or obligation. There is a sense of joy that comes from knowing God wants to encourage and strengthen people through my sermons. Since I preach God’s holy word, there should be a sense of holiness about my preparations. Pastors should approach ministry different than a job. It’s not just this thing that we do. It’s a sacred vocation.