Brutal, honest truth AND an exciting announcement: ONLINE COURSE by ME!

My friend Jerusalem wrote a blog post titled "I am not Jen Hatmaker" (here) this week.  Funny because the same kinds of thoughts have been shouting, whispering, and cramming themselves into every nook and cranny in my mind and heart. Here's what I know and this is the brutal truth:

There's a whole bunch of really "popular" blogs out there on the web, with lots of gals clamoring to get a peek inside.  It's like fifth-grade all over again.  Will we gain as many followers as so and so?  When do I hit one thousand followers?  Comments made about other people's lives like "I'm so jealous!" Sad.

The internet can be a beautiful thing (hello, I love my blog and Pinterest inspires me on the greyest of days).  The internet can be a brewing pot of jealousy. Jealousy is sin.

I think God must watch us women, desperate to be like someone else, and just hang His head in sadness. Imagine if Anna Ruth or Betsy Grace made me something and worked excitedly and passionately on it.....and then I said "Well, really I'd like for it to be like this instead.." It would crush them. Yet I do the same thing to Jesus on a daily basis.

I unfollowed a lot of people on Instagram because of jealousy, when I don't even know them in real life.  The people that have blessed my life deeply lately are the ones in real life.  Jerusalem, playgroup gals, sister-in-law, sweet Lillie, mom-in-law, parents, sisters, the faces I see at local joints, the local talent.....real life people.

The "noise" of blogs, facebook, instagram, makes me feel like I need to always be just a little bit healthier, a little bit skinnier, a little bit more of this, a little bit more of that.  And if I give myself up to those thoughts I'm a lot less like myself and a lot less happy and a LOT less likely to tell the story of God's goodness for me.

This book and this cd have rocked my world this week.  So much so I don't even have the words to adequately describe it.  I'll try later.

I wrote and re-wrote this several times. It's insanely long and might be cumbersome to you.  But, it's me.  I think you can probably hear yourself in these thoughts too.

Can you join with me, in a new movement of being honest (brutally so) and learning to love the world we're in.  Not the "grass is greener" internet world.  But, the people whose tears you can see, the hands you can hold, the warmth you can feel.  Those matter.

And last-I DO have some wonderful internet friends I've met and when I read your blogs I feel God's love and friendship all the way through the screen.  The Christie's, Cheryl's, Julia's, Jen's, and more.  XO to you. :)


So, I DO have an announcement today. It has to do with the online course I'm writing.
I haven't said anything much about it.  The few times I've alluded to the fact I've been writing something on Instagram or wherever I've instantly felt the voice of Satan say "Who are you to write something? No one's going to read it anyway! You don't have enough followers".

Well, not so.  I know that as I've sat down and worked hard on this project the words have come.  This is something I'm fiercely passionate about.  I feel God taking my hand for this course.
You can read more about it below:

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I've been writing.  Not just words on this blog but a secret little project behind the scenes.  A while back I really felt God speaking to me, wanting me to share practical ways for women to find the rosy in their routine.  I would pray about my purpose (other than being a wife and mama, of course) and visions of women living healed and happy lives would flood my thoughts. 

I would read scripture and come across breath-taking passages like this one from Isaiah 49 (taken from The Message)

"I tell prisoners, come on out.  You're free!  And those huddled in fear, It's all-right!  It's safe now!"  There'll be food stands along all the roads, picnics on all the hills-nobody hungry, nobody thirsty, shade from the sun, shelter from the wind, for the Compassionate One guides them, takes them to the best springs.  I'll make all my mountains into roads, turn them into a super-highway.  Heavens, raise the roof!  Mountains, send up cheers!  God has comforted His people.  He has tenderly nursed His beaten-up, beaten down people. "

At first I thought that meant I needed to write a book.  So I went around telling lots of people that I wanted to write a book.  And I did.  I started having words and phrases gather in my mind and form an idea, then another idea, and another.  Before too long I had an outline for this so-called "book."  

After a particular weekend at AWBU and hearing other authors speak something in me felt really turned off at the idea of a book.  This is no offense to the extremely talented authors/gals that spoke at AWBU.  It wasn't really anything they said, it was just an answer I felt like I'd been whacked over the head with.  

Instead, what I'm writing is an online course.  The logistics of that mean that I'll have a separate blog titled "A Rosy Retreat".  The course will cost $20 and is available for anyone to sign up for.  Once you pay for the course via Paypal, I will email you the information to log into the blog, which will host the chapters/sessions of the course.  There is no deadline for the log-in information!  You can use it as long as you like.  I do ask that you're honest and don't spread the log-in information to all your friends for free.  This course is something I'm pouring my heart, soul, and a lot of time into!

The course will include writing by me, videos, pictures, and projects.  

Ok, whew-that was a lot of information!  Now for the good and exciting part! 

A Rosy Retreat Online Course Guide:

Beginning Truths

Introduction

Chapter 1: Happy Hodgepodge

Chapter 2: Learning through the Lens

Chapter 3: If These Walls could Talk

Chapter 4: Dear Diary

Chapter 5: Merry Mail

Chapter 6: Movable Meet-Ups

Chapter 7: Plunging into Possibility

I'm going to be sharing little snippets here and there from the course over the next few months so you can get a feel for what it will be like!  It should make it's big debut around the beginning of November, just in time for Christmas gifts! 

"I picture us learning to notice the way the evening sunset produces a magical glow instead of dreading the dark that’s to come; jotting down a thought, sketch, or grateful list instead of hammering out an angry e-mail; laughing and communicating face to face, hands being squeezed, hugs embraced instead of another evening alone with the computer; beautiful packages and parcels waiting in the mailbox, ready to deliver hope and joy, instead of only bills waiting with a hand out; the walls of our home delivering cheery sentiments, life-altering scriptures, and encouragement each place that we look, instead of being filled with disgust over the wall color; and last-

I picture God holding out His hand, ready to show us the rich and abundant life He’s promised.  I can just see His eager eyes light up as He watches us learn to celebrate.  I imagine He lets out a loud “YES!” and would give us a high-five if He could.  It’s time to dust off the drum, give it a fresh paint job if necessary, and learn to live freely. Dancing to the beat of our joyous rhythm, finding the rosy in the routine.  Join me?"