Tabitha Caplinger's Blog: TabithaCaplinger.com, page 7

I #LiveChosen- Joy

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”Matthew 5:48Being the perfectionist that I am, this verse stressed me out when I read it for the first time. I have always put a lot of pressure on myself to keep my act together and do the right thing, so imagine the spike in my heart rate when I read Jesus Himself commanding me to be perfect!I am painfully aware of my inability to be perfect no matter how disciplined I am or how hard I try. If only God's standard of perfection was measured by my performance in comparison to that coworker who curses or that friend that compulsively shops online; I’d be doing alright. But God is perfectly holy and He simply cannot tolerate a selfishly motivated action, a rude comment to my husband or stealing time browsing the internet while on the clock. The smallest transgression against God's holiness is enough to rightfully condemn every one of us to an eternity in hell, apart from God(Romans 3:23).But God is incredibly kind and merciful. Knowing that our failure to live up to His required standard would forever keep us from a loving relationship with Him, He made another way for us to be with Him. He came down to us! Romans 5:8 tells us that "God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."Jesus Christ Himself, God's beloved Son, was crushed on a cross bearing my disrespectful attitudes, jealousy and apathetic heart to satisfy God’s just wrath against my sin. In the Old Testament, blemish-free lambs and sacrifices were made to temporarily atone for the evil of the people, but they couldn't ultimately bridge the chasm between man and God. Only Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, could offer complete reconciliation! The part of this redemption story that brings tears of joy to my eyes is not just the awe-inspiring forgiveness and sacrificial love displayed at the cross, but the divine resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:4 says that on the third day God raised Christ back to life and that by faith in Him we too can have new life in Him.Life in Christ means I am united with Him and that His very perfection and righteousness is attributed to me! Heavenly music to a perfectionist's ears! God declares me righteous, not by my own efforts or anxious toil, but by simply trusting in Jesus and what He has done. Jesus loves me and chose to set His seal of righteousness on me so that I could have friendship with Him forever! This is the truth that gives me hope, joy and peace every morning as I struggle to grasp the length and breadth and width of God's love for me. And it is Christ's love that compels me to serve my husband, write and record songs, lead worship, disciple other women, fight against modern day slavery and share the Gospel with my neighbor. I am learning that every gift God has given me is simply a tool to share the life-giving truth of His grace!You can download Joy’s music on iTunes or buy her latest album, Set Free, atwww.joyhanna.com.All proceeds go toInternational Justice Mission, a global organization protecting the poor from violence in the developing world.Whatever it is God has purposed for you to do, He gave you all you need to accomplish it through Christ. I hope Joy's words inspire you to seek a deeper relationship with Jesus. He loves you so very much. More #LiveChosen stories are coming...don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!!!

I #LiveChosen- Kandi

Live chosen. What does it mean? I’ve been asking myself that ever since I signed up to do this blog post. How hard could it be to write about daily life? Then I sat down to write and nothing came. How could I explain it? Would I come across as hypocritical? Then today happened.Monday morning just before six o’clock, I’m ready to hop in the shower to start the week as a teacher. I’ve had a wonderful weekend with family and a conference. A loud CRACK shatters the stillness, followed by the twisting of metal, and a dump truck emptying its load of rock. I rush to a window and look out. I can’t see much, but the electric pole across the street is at an odd angle. An RV a block down turns on its lights, and a car has pulled up to our neighbor’s coffee shop which hasn’t opened. The parked car turns off his lights, and the RV turns onto the highway and leaves. I’m tasked with the job of calling the power company, while my husband heads out to work.Still curious, I look out my window and see people walking around at the coffee shop. My husband stops to see what’s going on, and I call the power company and head back to the delayed shower. Dawn spreads across the sky while I’m in the shower. The light reveals more than we had seen before as does my husband who swings back home to pick up a forgotten name tag.The parked car had split the power pole, leaving it to tilt at a forty-five degree angle, before plowing through a rock wall and coming to a stop in front of the coffee shop. Miraculously, the driver walked around with only a limp as he explained he’d fallen asleep with cruise control on. Thankfully, no one else was in the vehicle with him.Fixing breakfast, I watch the proceedings, from fire department showing up to ambulance coming and going, to police and finally wrecker an hour and a half later as I’m leaving for work. My mind grapples with the frailty of life and how God can protect. Then I check my email at school and discover a student has lost her mother. My heart races, and my heart breaks for her. Barely a year ago, she lost her dad in a fishing boat accident.How can we live chosen in times like these? I’ve found three ways to make it through the day and live chosen.1. Choose to TrustIt’s easy to forget, to get swallowed in the waves of despair. Instead, we need to do as the song says and ask the Lord to “Help me to know you are God, I am not.” It’s a conscious decision to put aside our fears and worries and allow Him to be who He is. That leads us to the next point.2. Know who God IsReally get to know God. When we understand who He is, we know we can trust Him. I’m reminded of a friend who read Timothy Zahn’s The Icarus Hunt. The book is one of my favorite mystery stories, even though or maybe because it’s set in space! This science fiction story has all the makings of a who-done-it. There were times when my friend was ready to put the book down because of the suspense, and yet, he paused and thought. “Wait a minute. I know Timothy. He wouldn’t end this badly.” Knowing the author, enabled my friend to continue reading. It was a matter of trust. It’s the same with God. When we know Him, and I mean really know Him, we can trust Him.3. Don’t ForgetIn Sunday School, we’re studying about the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. One of the big take aways is how easily they forgot and then they fall into sin by complaining and grumbling and not trusting God. This whole idea of our short-term memory is scary. When trials come my way, do I fall into panic and forget what God has done in the past? This morning as I struggled with despair, I turned on Pandora, and heard Laura Story’s Blessings. That reminded me of a time several years ago when I would hear that song over and over again and through it, God walked me through pain and surgery. That simple reminder, was enough to know He could do the same with today.What about you? How do you live chosen? Do you struggle with trusting, forgetting, or knowing God’s character? We’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks for reading and be sure to enter theGIVEAWAY!!!Get to Know Kandi...Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that's her own five or the hundreds of students she's been lucky to teach. When Kandi's not spinning words to create stories, she's using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.Connect with Kandi...WebsiteFacebookGoogleTwitterPinterestGoodreadsAmazonFind Kandi's Books...The Dragon Courage SeriesThe One Who Sees Me. 

I #LiveChosen - Zoe

*Disclaimer: Zoe is a fictional character fromThe Chronicle of the Three Trilogy.She is not real. But,  I believe, there is still some truth to her struggles, while fictional, that could give us insight and encouragement in our own. You may proceed.Some days I don’t want to be chosen anymore. It has cost me a lot. It’s painful and exhausting. I’m tired.I know this probably isn’t what you were expecting, or wanting when you clicked on this. I should give you some inspiring words. I should tell you how awesome it is to be chosen for a purpose. It was, at first.That’s how things work some times though isn’t it?When you first start out you are full of passion and excitement and hope. You have this song playing in your head making you feel like everything is just going to fit smoothly together and nothing will go wrong, nothing bad will happen.Then something bad happens. I mean if it was a little bad you’d be okay. You’d brush it off, adjust the volume on the happy song and keep strolling down your path. But it isn’t a little bad, it's a lot of bad, it's a big bad and it doesn’t just change the song, it crushes the radio. The music is dead.When the music is dead how do you keep living chosen?The weight of sorrow killed my song. After that, my path just looked dark and foreboding and being the Chosen One just seemed like too much for a seventeen year old girl to handle. Heck, it's too much for anyone at any age to handle, trust me.The thing is, I’m not supposed to handle it.I know that doesn’t seem to make sense but it's true. Sometimes we have to get to a place where we can’t hear the music to help us realize we needed a different song all along. (This place sucks, I’m not denying that. It doesn’t suck less knowing that even the dark places can serve a purpose. Just so we are clear.)I don’t know what your happy song is. Maybe its popularity, acceptance, comfort, fame. My happy song was ease. I was willing to fight. I thought I knew what that meant. I thought that I had counted the cost of it but I realized I hadn’t. I wanted it to be cheap, I wanted it to be easy and when it wasn’t…well, no more happy song.I think most of the time our happy songs are a little selfish. We are excited about our purpose. We are even stoked to be helping others, but we want it to be on our terms. We want to help as long as we don’t get hurt in the process.I don’t think it works that way. Pain comes. It’s inevitable because we don’t see all the shadows, no matter how hard we try. Some of those suckers are sneaky.I see them now though. I also see my selfishness. I see my need for a new song, a new anthem. This one won’t be about me. I’m not the source. Neither are you.So yeah, sometimes living chosen is painful and exhausting. You’ll get tired. Remember it’s not about you. Relinquish control. Adjust your perspective. Change your tune.Zoe is a character fromThe Chronicle of the Three Trilogy.You can read her story of learning she was chosen in The Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline. (Download a sample offor FREE.)I hope you are enjoying this #LiveChosen bonus material as well as all the real life stories of some awesome people sharing what it means to #LiveChosen. There's still more to come, but don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!!!

I #LiveChosen- Andre

When you move around as much as I do, you meet a lot of different people. What I've found is that I love "real" people. I'm talking about people who are not afraid to be vocal about their imperfections, people who make the rest of us feel like we're not alone in our flaws. I love these people and I love connecting them to others. While having conversations about the needs of a ministry, there are so many instances when our contributors say, "I know a guy..." You could be one small connection away from the ability to achieve your dream; one connection can elevate you to the next level, whether that's scoring the next big account, reaching more people in your community, or something entirely different. My hope is to connect great people who desire to make a difference in this world. Life is better when you surround yourself with people who lift you up and I want to help connect those people.Connect with Andre...WebsiteThe Anderson ListTwitterThank you so much for listening in on our #LiveChosen discussions this month. Join in in the comments. And don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!! 

I #LiveChosen- Etta

Let me start off by saying how far out of my comfort zone it is to even write this post. But I’m doing it because I hope my #LiveChosen moment will help someone else.My husband Gary and I have been married for 57 years. Gary and I have been in the ministry for over 40 years and have pastored several churches and traveled as evangelists during that time. We were priviledged to be able to travel thru England and Scotland where Gary had a chance to minister and we could share the plan of salvation with so many. We watched our children grow up being a part of this ministry we had chosen which was both wonderful and trying at times. Speaking of children, I have four daughters and 3 sons-in-law, 8 granchildren, (add the four that are married and it will be 12 grandchildren) and 8 great grandchildren. I have been blessed with a large family!I believe we should live this life with a goal in mind…to make Heaven our eternal home and to invite as many folks as we can to join us. I hope that that can be said of me and my life. I know that kind of mission leads to a lot of moments where you have to live on purpose, for your purpose. At my age I did have a little difficulty choosing just which #LiveChosen moment to share. There have been many times through this life in ministry that I have had to make "Chosen Choices". Few stand out as much as this one...I was walking down the hospital corrider toward the little chapel and I knew my world was changing.  It was half-way through my husband’s surgery and the doctor had just met with me, the news was not good.  The surgery, that was just supposed to remove a tumor, one we were told was not cancer, was now more complicated. It was cancer and the surgery was going to be a lot more invasive than we had thought or planned, and I had to make the decision for the doctor to continue.  To continue would be life changing for Gary.  When I asked the doctor what would happen if he did not do more now and we waited, he just bluntly said, "he could die.”My children were in the waiting room and I was pacing around that chapel wondering what I would say to them. How do we make these decisions? How do we know the right thing? We aren’t facing them alone, if I knew anything it was that, so I asked God for help. It’s never so easy as just asking for help because Satan is a destroyer looking for our weakness and fear. He was just trying to get his evil negative thoughts the situation. There was a war going on in my mind.Gary had always preached that we are to praise God in everything, we had taught this in our church, to  praise God in the midst of your trials.  Now I am hearing Satan whispering, "let me see you praise God now.”BUT GOD IS GREATER!The scripture came to my mind in Luke 22:32 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail."   In that moment I knew He was also praying for me, that my faith would be steady!I knew that God heard me, because in the middle of all this going on in my mind, I heard the words to the song we often sang in church… "with my hands lifted up and my mouth filled with praise, I will bless Thee O Lord".I felt God enter that little room. So with my husband facing a terrible ordeal, I chose to praise God anyhow. Was it easy? NO! But some choices in this life are not easy, however, when we make the right choice it is worth it in the end. This was my moment of choice…I could give in to fear and doubt or I could sing out in faith, praising God for an outcome I hadn’t even yet seen.Trusting God when we can’t see Him, when we can’t feel Him, is hard. We come face toface with things that are too heavy and we don’t know how we will hold them. We want to give in or give up. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL! He hasn’t gone anywhere. Opening your mouth to praise Him beyond what you feel or see opens your eyes to His presence right in the middle of your trial. He was in that little hospital chapel with me and He is right there with you, wherever you are, ready to help you live chosen.And He will prove that those “Chosen Choices” are always worth it.This one of mine was over 25 years ago and my husband is still alive and has been cancer free since that surgery!Thank you for reading about Etta's #LiveChosen moment. I hope that you've found this series encouraging. Don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!!!SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

I #LiveChosen- Claire

*Disclaimer: Claire is a fictional character fromThe Chronicle of the Three Trilogy.She is not real. But,  I believe, there is still some truth to her struggles, while fictional, that could give us insight and encouragement in our own. You may proceed.Imagine waking up on your fifteenth birthday, so early the sun hasn’t even begun to make it’s daily debut, and there is a demon hovering over your bed. Yeah, I freaked out too.The thing is I knew about demons, about the reality of a darkness that wants to destroy us. I grew up in a home of demon slayers, descendants who fought these shadows. I just never thought that life would ever really be for me…and then it was.That day a demon woke me from a dream into a very new reality. I wasn’t just a descendant, I was the Chosen One. (Really, I wasn’t but we didn’t know that then and it’s a whole other story so let’s just go with it.)Being chosen sounds cool (I did get a sword). I mean we all want to be the hero while we're watching a movie or TV show, but in real life it’s hard, real hard.From that first day of my fifteenth year until too many days later to count I was mostly alone, isolated, consumed solely with the mission.For the record, being passionate is not the same as being consumed. (It’s funny because I defeated the darkness for others for half my life and hadn’t seen it creeping into my own, waiting for weakness so it could pounce and nearly destroy me. So pay attention to your own hearts and minds, people. Self-assessment is a spiritual gift, at least in my book.) Our lives need balance. We need rest. We need healthy relationships. We need time to refresh and be restored. I never gave myself any of that. I mean, the world needed saving and stuff. My health came second to that, right?Wrong!You can take care of the whole world, you can even be really good at it, but if you don’t take care of yourself, of your own soul, you will fall.I fell. Not far. But it was enough that it could have ruined everything. I let loneliness and bitterness and burn out push me to make a choice I wouldn’t have made on a better day. It was a choice that left me heart broken, cracked in places I thought would never repair and feeling like I had failed beyond the point grace could redeem.Have you ever felt like that? Like you’ve messed up so badly that the effects of it rippled out and hurt people you would never want to cause pain?I found myself in this hole, a grave where I was being buried by regret and despair.But…For three little letters that can be a really powerful word…BUTnothing is unredeemable. You can’t mess up so badly that the Maker can’t repurpose it.I had another choice to make. I could stay in that grave or I could take the hand reaching to pull me out of it. (There is always a hand waiting to pull you out by the way, look for it.)Here’s the thing, I got out of that pit. Well, I’m working my way out of it. It takes a little time to get all the dirt off and the hole filled back in.I feel like I’m rambling, sorry about that. I don’t usually talk about myself and definitely not about this, but I needed to. Maybe you needed me to.I guess it all boils down to this one thing, failure isn’t final…unless you let it be.If you mess up don’t give up. Put your fighting clothes on, pick up your sword and fight. The darkness may draw first blood, but you can make them sorry they did.Claire is a character from The Chronicle of the Three: Trilogy. You can learn more about her and her band of demon slayers in The Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline.  (Read a sample offor FREE)Thanks for checking out this #LiveChosen BONUS Material. There are still some more #LiveChosen stories to come, from real people as well as fictional. Also, don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!

I #LiveChosen- Laura

Laura A. Graceloves to read with a passion. Her personal goal: to read all the books as well as write a few of her own (maybe even a hundred!). She’s a firm believer in spreading hope, and book blogging makes a perfect outlet. More than once her husband has caught her staying up late to support and get to know Christian indie authors online. You can find her in her North Carolina home, attempting to capture her characters and force them onto paper—or trying to read just one more chapter before going to sleep.Connect with Laura...-Website-Facebook-Twitter-YouTubeThanks for watching Laura's story of what it means to #LiveChosen. Stay tuned for more #LiveChosen voices throughout the whole month of May. Be sure to enter theGIVEAWAY!!!

I #LiveChosen- Ralene

When I was born, I had a tumor in my neck—a tumor the size of a man’s fist in a newborn baby’s neck. Of course, the doctors said I would die if the tumor wasn’t removed, but even with the surgery my chance of survival was only 50%. Once the surgery was over (and I was still alive), these same experts were so convinced that I would be so physically and/or mentally handicapped that they tried to get my parents to put me in a state home that could better care for me.Today, unless I tell you about my minor physical handicaps, you probably wouldn’t notice them. I’m a fully walking, talking, creative being who is alive and pursing her passions.Statistics say I should have died. And, if I did survive, then I shouldn’t be able to care for myself. But I serve a God who is bigger. Bigger than life. Bigger than statistics. A God who chose me for a purpose. A God who gave me a passion for life and people.CHOSENBut you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)The tagline for my business these days is SHINE Beyond. To me, that tagline sums up the #LiveChosen message. And it is how I try to live my life.I want to SHINE Beyond my circumstances, my experiences, my fears, my dreams, passions, my worries … When the world looks at me, I want them to see that precious light.Life is a gift. A temporary gift. We are all given one life and one opportunity to leave our mark on this world—big or small. In the end, is success important? Money? Status? Power? No. Of course not. Just like life, these things are only temporary and fleeting.What matters then? Relationships. People. Hope. Love. Faith.#LiveChosenI got into writing because I wanted to give people hope and encourage them wherever they are in their lives. And I wanted to give them the tools and confidence they need to SHINE Beyond, influencing the people in their circles.I got into social media for the same reason. But it’s a different approach because social media is all about being social, it’s all about relationships. When people are real and authentic, in addition to providing value online, that’s when they find success in social media. Success is not defined solely by numbers, but also by engagement—in other words how people respond to their message.To #LiveChosen, I strive to leave each person I meet a little bit better than before I met them. A little happier. A little smarter. A little more encouraged. Whatever “little more” they needed for the day. I help people achieve the dreams.And to think, some experts thought that I wouldn’t make it to my first birthday, or that I wouldn’t have be able to care for myself. Look at me now! God chooses people and calls them according to His purpose. And what a ride that is!About Ralene:Whether she’s wielding a fantasy writer’s pen, a freelance editor’s sword, or a social media wand, Ralene Burke always has her head in some dreamer’s world. And her goal is to help everyone SHINE BEYOND! She has worked for a variety of groups, including Realm Makers, The Christian PEN, Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, and as an editor for several freelance clients. Her first novel, Bellanok, is available onAmazon!When her head’s not in the publishing world, she is wife to a veteran and homeschooling mama to their three kids. Her Pinterest board would have you believe she is a master chef, excellent seamstress, and all around crafty diva. If she only had the time . . .You can also find her onFacebook,Twitter, or at herwebsite.I have been so excited to share each of these #LiveChosen stories with you. I hope you are encouraged and inspired by them. It's not over yet, there is still more to come this month, but don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!!! 

I #LiveChosen- Lauren

Lauren Earlsserves Faith Community alongside her husband, lead pastor Josh Earls. She is an awesome woman of God who is passionate about helping people move from where they are to where God wants them to be. Aside from coordinating dream teams, directing small groups and discipling women, Lauren has a heart for missions projects around the world. She is also super fun! I am honored to work beside her and call her friend. (She is also a rockstar mom to 5 year old Carson.)Connect with Lauren...Thanks for watching Lauren's story of what it means to #LIveChosen. There is more to come so stay tuned and don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!!

I #LiveChosen- Laurie

I gave some thought to the idea of vocation back in high school and college, but it never quite seemed to fit with my life. I was drawn to a few areas of study and had a knack for certain subjects, but nothing ever felt like a true calling. Eventually, I concluded that vocations were for people like doctors, nurses, clergy, and missionaries. Since none of those fields interested me, I just needed to find a career. A job.I went on to law school and worked as an attorney for several years. I enjoyed my co-workers, and the analytical, wordsmithing nature of the work suited the way I think. But I never attached any real importance to it—my career was merely the means to a paycheck.When my first son was born, I felt much more drawn to parenting than to my work, despite the time and expense I’d put toward my law degree. With my husband’s full support, I left my job to become a stay-at-home mom, and for a short time it felt as though I’d found my purpose.Then I became restless. Caring for a baby was physically draining, but I needed more mental stimulation. One beautiful fall day, as I pondered what kind of project I might take on, the thought struck me. You could write a book. My first instinct was to dismiss it. I was a reader, not a writer. I did well with legal writing, but that was very different than writing a full-fledged book. Especially a work of fiction.But the idea stuck with me. Soon I even recalled a story idea I’d come up with years before, complete with vivid scenes playing through my mind. So I gave it a try. I took out my computer, opened a blank Word document, and started typing. Certain I was crazy. Certain I would give it up within the week. That evening, in the midst of much hemming and hawing, I admitted to my husband that I’d started writing a fantasy / romance for teens. I waited anxiously for the laughter, but it never came. Instead, he shrugged and said something like, “That sounds great, good for you.” If he only knew what he was getting himself into… ☺Instead of dwindling, my interest in writing increased exponentially over the following months. I wrote every spare moment, and ideas flooded my head whenever I couldn’t be at my computer. I’d never before encountered something that exerted such a pull on both my mind and heart, and I was hooked.Fast-forward several years. My first manuscript had been rejected by numerous agents, and with a heavy heart, I chose to set it aside. I was just discovering the notion of Christian fantasy, and I decided to be more open about my faith as I launched into a new project. I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and found not only a wealth of resources, but also an amazing community of fellow writers and authors. It seemed as though I had found my niche.My trip to the Realm Makers Conference for Christian writers of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, etc.) in July, 2016 confirmed it. It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many like-minded writers, and I had the opportunity to connect with Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, which later became the publishing home for my debut young adult fantasy novel, Common, which will release in 2018.In the midst of all this growth in my writing journey, I had another revelation. One of my critique partners was offered a contract with a small publisher and needed someone knowledgeable to review it. Without any publishing law expertise I wasn’t able to help, but it got me thinking. What if I developed that specialty? What if I could use my background in law to counsel fellow writers and supplement my earnings from book sales? My kids are too young to make that goal a reality just yet, but the prospect has me more excited about law than I’ve been in a long, long time.That brings us to the present. After spending most of my life assuming I wasn’t called to do anything in particular, I’m starting to see glimmers of the purpose God may have in store for me beyond my roles as a wife and mother. My big imagination, love of reading, and skill with words have all drawn together to prepare me to be an author. Even my past discouragements and challenges are coming into play. Reflecting back on the insecurities I experienced as a teenager, I write fantasy adventures about ordinary teen girls who accomplish amazing things, not due to special skills or awe-inducing destinies, but because they care and are willing to try in spite of their shortcomings. Past heartaches caused by falling for the wrong guys and our society’s obsession with physical beauty inspire me to write swoon-worthy romances based on friendship and mutual respect in addition to physical attraction. And (hopefully) several years from now, I can take the law degree that I’d seemingly thrown away and use it to help fellow writers accomplish their dreams.I know there will be many twists and turns along my journey that I can’t foresee, and many days the thought of being a published author terrifies me. But I have to believe that this is where God wants me to be, at least for the time being, and I’m amazed and humbled that He had a vocation in mind for me after all. Even though I never saw it coming.Connect with Laurie...WebsiteBlogFacebookTwitterInstagramThank you for reading Laurie's story of discovering her purpose and for joining us for this whole month of #LiveChosen journeys. Don't forget to enter theGIVEAWAY!