From the time my children were very young I knew I wanted to write a book on parenting. So many around me were struggling, and I just knew that I could help. I had listened to the Holy Spirit, I had listened to trusted elders, parents with successful adult children, and most of all I had read the Word of God. My kids were not perfect, but they were learning, they were happy, and I was wasn’t overwhelmed. Surely, I had something to offer.
I knew that until my children were actually proving my methods, I didn’t need to be selling my methods. So I waited. I started some notes, I wrote lots of things on my blog, and I played with some titles and I listened for God to say, “Go!”
In the midst of that listening, I heard a lot of encouraging voices urging me to write a book. I knew I wasn’t ready. I knew that there was a book to be written, but I wasn’t ready to convey what God really wanted to say to moms.
I am so thankful that I did not rush into my writing. I have learned so much in the last 10 years. I have learned from moms who have done things differently. I have learned from moms who have done things the wrong way, and moms who have done things the right way, and I’ve learned it’s not nearly as much about the “way” we do things, it’s about why we do things. I’ve learned that good parenting, really powerful parenting isn’t about the methods we have come to count on, though they can be so, so helpful. It’s about the mindset we bring to our parenting. I looked back over the scores of blog posts I had written along my parenting journey and what stood out as effective was less about the way I disciplined, and much more about my willingness to listen to the voice of the Spirit. God had not called me to write a book on HOW to parent, He had called me to write a book about Him. He wants moms to walk in grace. Grace to see themselves as He sees them. Grace to see other moms as He sees them. Grace to see our kids as He sees them, and Grace as the power of God to get through everyday with His wisdom, His vision, and His joy in what we do.
In 2018, there was a change in my writing outlook. I was homeschooling my two youngest boys and something strong and sure settled in my mind. The 2019-2020 school year would be our last year to homeschool. God was showing me it was time to write my book.
I do not have a publisher. I do not have a budget to self-publish. I do not know how God will get this book into the hands of those who need it, but that is His task and as He has provided, and lead, I believe He will continue to provide and lead.
I have been using the book to create a companion curriculum for small groups. I have been using it to lead my own small group over this past year. It has been incredibly confirming to see the response of these women as we walk through the Word of God in relation to His desire for them to walk in grace. I know God has something good at work here.
That said, I want to proceed with the same caution I had in the beginning. I am here to facilitate His work, not run away with it. Your prayers over these next steps and questions would be of great value:
- Printing and distribution
- Marketing and speaking
- Should I send to a publisher, or self-publish?
- How will I market, and what are my options beyond social media?
- Should I finish and publish the “Grace Mama Curriculum” at the same time as the book?
- Is there a well respected name/mama who could write a forward to the book?
- Recording an audio-book
My goal is to write a book that will be accessible, shared, and held in the hands of as many mamas as possible. I keep envisioning a tired mom, night time feeding, with this book comfortably open in her free hand, propped up beside her, or maybe the audio version playing on her phone, building and strengthening her understanding of God’s grace, as she gives of her time, her sleep, and her energy to her child. I want her to rest in the knowledge that God has all of this. I want to tell her, “For all the questions, all the fears, all the confusion and disappointment, He has grace, mama, He has grace for all of it.”
If you have any questions, or if you are interested in being contacted when the “Grace Mama” book and curriculum are published, please leave a comment with contact information below. I will not publish your information.