I remember the feeling I had when I received the text saying “The book is live”, meaning it’s on Amazon and people can start to purchase it. It felt really weird, like nothing I’d actually ever felt. I was perfectly comfortable for years telling the story, but the realization that I’d now written the story came with a stomach full of butterflies. Knowing that anyone, anytime could learn the story and I wouldn’t be there to explain parts of it that they might not have understood, or parts that they wanted to know more about, well, weird was really the only word for it at that moment.

I remember my responses to texts, emails, and phone calls of congratulations at the book coming out, and my self-deprecating humor responses, with lines like “yeah, if you’re having trouble sleeping, this book will help”.

I also remember hearing from people who had already read the book and who were telling me how it impacted their lives and changed their outlook on some things, and thanking me. Also weird, not that I wasn’t thrilled to hear these things, but that they somehow credited their excitement to me in some way.

I kept feeling this way until one day soon after, I jumped into the car going to an appointment, and during the drive I started praying and telling the Lord how “weird” I felt (like He didn’t already know, right?). I remember telling Him that I knew I shouldn’t use self-deprecating humor, but it was just a reflex to deflect praise off of me. And “promoting” the book was even weirder because of that reflex.

And in that moment, it was another one of those times where I absolutely KNEW that the Lord was speaking to me, I heard Him say “Who’s story is this?”. I answered, “Well, it’s YOUR story Lord.” And He said, “Can you not promote MY book?”. And of course, immediately I said “Yes Lord! I CAN!!”.

From that moment forward I’ve eagerly and excitedly “promoted” HIS book and now with this website I am also eagerly and excitedly promoting myself to speak in public about it and tell more of the story in person, and also promoting myself to share the things we learned during the story with other organizations in hopes that something we learned could be something helpful to them.

I’m sharing HIS story, not mine. THAT, I can promote. I hope HIS story will bless YOUR story.