Declare It

A year ago this month I made a decision. I wanted to take the easy route. But, my husband got in the way. He challenged me to speak out loud what had been on my heart: my dream. I didn’t want to chase it down because it made me feel vulnerable and open to serious rejection that could slay my soul like a sharp knife. I told him I would try one thing and if I wasn’t “feeling it” then that would be my sign to not continue down this (scary) path.

After our conversation, I signed up for a writer’s conference that is put on here in Dallas once a year. I thought if I attended I would know whether writing was something to chase or something to discard. I had no idea what I was signing myself up for.

The first day was amazing. I felt on top of my game. I went to a pre-conference workshop and left feeling accomplished and positive. That night, the opening was energizing. I went to bed feeling ready. The next day was different.

I woke up feeling inspired ready to hear all the things to propel my down my writing journey. I had no idea that I would walk away from this day feeling fully fed emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I felt all the feels that day. I laughed, I cried, I was challenged, and I was pushed past my limits. I went back to my hotel room fully energized and fully exhausted.

I am not going to lie, I went to bed that night also feeling a little defeated. The women in that room were so well-prepared. They had one-sheets with their tag line for their book proposal and head shot ready. They had adorable business cards at the ready. They seemed confident and like they absolutely knew how to do this. I, well, I had a Word Doc and a smile. I got and bed and started contemplating canceling my appointments with the literary agent and editor. I felt unprepared and didn’t want to waste my time.

I was suddenly awakened around 4am with one thought racing through my mind: Do it for the one. This statement would not leave me. All I kept seeing was my pitiful Word doc and clammy hands. That moment, I knew, wasn’t random. It was God.

The next day, I went to the conference worn out but ready. I kept my appointments even though I felt completely inadequate. I learned so much in those moments I spent with those two women. The Messy Mingling was birthed out of those meetings.

Why do I tell you all this? Well, for a few reasons. First, if it wasn’t for the Declare Conference, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today. The Messy Mingling probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for that conference. Those three days were the best spent days for my career and for my soul. You see, Declare is so much more than a conference for Christian communicators. There is something different with this one. The moment you walk into the room, you feel the presence of God. He is so vastly present in every aspect of this conference it will make you shudder (in a good way). Declare is not just for the writer, speaker, blogger, or podcaster. Declare is for the Christian woman. Because, let’s face it, if you are a Christian, you are a Christian communicator.

Declare will fill your soul like nothing you have ever experienced before. You will meet the most loving, kind, and supportive people on the planet. Remember how I told you how inadequate I felt? The women at Declare wrapped their arms around me and carried me when I felt defeated. One sat with me on the couch before one of my meetings encouraging me and speaking life into me without being prompted. These are women trying to do the exact same thing I want to do; trying to get into a cut-throat industry. They didn’t vie for position. The stood alongside each other spurring one another up. Declare is worth it: worth it for your soul.

I also want you to see God. He absolutely helped orchestrate my steps. He didn’t control me. He guided me. A stirring began in me last summer. The boys were getting older and their needs of me were changing. I knew there was something else I needed to do. I had some desires but they weren’t solidified. Delighting myself in Him, spending time with Him fervently those three days at Declare, enabled me to be molded so the desires of my heart matched His. I always had the passion to write, I just didn’t have all the details on how to do it. He gave me those details at Declare.

Ladies, you need to do something for you. We export far more than we import into our souls and we are left depleted. We feel guilty or like we can’t leave our households because it will all come crumbling down. We put ourselves last thinking that’s the right and humble thing to do when, in reality, it’s what strips us of His glory inside of us. He never asked us to give up ourselves for this life. He asks us to give ourselves over to Him so He may fill us.

Invest in you. Invest in your dreams and your desires. Spend uninterrupted time with Him so that your desires, those ideas running through your head, can be refined and magnified to match His. There is something brewing inside you, something you’ve put by the wayside because you’ve convinced yourself it isn’t time or you aren’t deserving. You, my friend, are so deserving.

I would love for you to join me at Declare this year. The conference is the weekend of October 4th-6th. Come be filled and led into the desires of your heart. Watch your dreams come to life with a support system already in place for you. I would love to sit with you and have the honor of watching you uncover your purpose and blow the dust of your dreams becoming a warrior in all that you do.

You can find more information here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/declare-2018-warrior-tickets-38151834163

Love & Blessings,

Meg