Dear Fear, You and I have been through a lot together; I wanted to share what I learned from you in this letter. We have spent many long and sleepless nights together. You made me believe in myself. Scratch that you made me believe in another self. The self that did not exist, one built on lies, like a house made of match sticks. The whispers you spoke into my soul at night, driving deep into my humanity. I believed you; you created me. We shared some great times together, well they were great for you at least. You partied and had a fake lifestyle, one where you pretended to have it all together. Meanwhile, I was buried in my insecurities and self-doubt. I believed the lies you told me, telling me I was worthless, would not amount to anything, even stupid. I thought I could change you, but in turn, you changed me. I no longer recognized the skeleton that looked back in my mirror. I was a fading image of what God had made me be. We have grown apart, you and I, we are different now. I no longer have the same feelings I once had for you. You have become distant and, well I cheated on you. I found someone else that loves me for me. They don’t try to change me or fix me. I wake in the morning without buyers remorse. Laying my head down at night knowing I have made the right choice. Don’t shed tears as you […]

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I recently wrote a book. No, it is not available for sale yet. I don’t even have a title so you can’t pre-order it, yet. However, I am writing a book; I am just not doing it alone. I wrote a book; it is currently about fifty-one thousand words give or take. Not only did I write a bunch of words but I organized them into chapters. Each chapter was building on the last. Until finally I created a book. The project started as a challenge, a contest of sorts, I signed up to participate in the NanoWrimo contest last November. The contest is where contestants are to write fifty thousand words in thirty days. Little did I know that the story that would unravel would become a book. Currently, I am editing these words; I have employed a couple of software programs, in hopes to make the words flow easily. I wrote the meat of the book in Scrivner the best writing tool for writers on the market in my opinion. I then used the Hemingway application to get a feel for the ease of readability. If it does not read nicely, you likely won’t read it right? Lastly, I am using a paid version of Grammarly Premium to edit the grammar, punctuation, and more. Granted I did not pay for it, I got a free month of use of the paid version, in exchange I promised I would give them a review. The review will be forthcoming in the next week or so as I wrap […]

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We are coming to the end of another life changing year. When I look back over the past twelve months of 2015, it has been quite a journey for us all. As I reflect back over 2015 I have already started to lean forward into 2016. Nothing happens without a plan, and it looks like it will be another amazing year for the record books just as this past year has been. Before I get too far ahead it is best to take stock in the humbling events that 2015 brought us through. I wrote about a hundred blog posts, had numerous guest bloggers join me and share their stories along the way. Thousands more readers visited my blog this year versus last, and many of you have commented and shared your thoughts. I was humbled throughout the year as you shared the posts with your friends and family both in person and on social media. You joined me as I traveled to Haiti on my first mission trip, and supported me as I fought writers block as I wrote my first book. You were by my side as I finally graduated college and faced numerous fears and obstacles. Without you, my readers none of this would matter, better yet much would likely never have happened. As we close out the year I simply want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I look forward to sharing more of my story with you and, in turn, hearing about yours in the months and […]

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