I met Julie and her friend, Jennifer in the hotel Starbucks when I attended the Allume Conference last fall. I ordered a drink and was planning on taking in the downtown view from the outside patio, soaking in just being there across the country - childless, without any expectations and a God adventure on my sleeve (I have found it is easier to be open to these sorts of things when traveling alone, be to it to the grocery store or library or across the country, wherever it leads) but as I waited for my name to be called, I started talking to Julie and Jennifer.
They invited me to enjoy the
morning with them on the patio and I agreed. They were sweet and real and
hospitable, even in an unfamiliar Starbucks. We spoke of God and life and our
children and the fact we had no idea what we were doing at this conference, all
as first time attendees but knew that this
is where God was calling us to at this
moment in time.
Julie is one of those easy to talk to people
and real and deep and speaks with love and grace. Her heart is in each word she
says and her authenticity is evident. She cares
for her family and people and what God is doing in each person.
She shared about her book she was
working on and we exchanged contact info, as we indulged in the last of our drinks
and parted ways.
We have stayed in touch and she was
gracious enough to share part of her journey in the Hearing God series at the
beginning of the year. And now I am super excited to announce
that the message that God has put on her heart to share, which is never easy to
share, is being released today in her first book, No More Secrets: Set Free from Fear, Shame and Control by Discovering True Grace.
I was blessed with the privilege to get an advanced copy of the book a few weeks ago and read it through in one night. I love Julie's honesty and transparency to be herself and share issues that she has overcome through Christ. We do not all have the same struggles or the same fears but her message reaches past the actual struggle to the freedom from whatever is holding us back. Freedom that is found and rooted and Christ. Julie was sweet enough to let me pick her brain about her new book, so without further ado, here she is.
-interview-
How did God lead you in to compiling
your experiences in to a book?
Writing is how I
process. So during this year of intense struggle, I filled my journal with
thoughts, prayers and examples of all God taught me through His Word. I started
blogging again and shared some of my journey there. One day I was sitting at
the computer and I heard the Lord say, Ok,
I want you to compile it all. I thought about it for weeks, and I couldn’t
shake the sense that I was to turn this journey into a book.
I didn’t know if compiling it was for my continued
processing and healing or if it would one day be a published book. So I just
kept taking the next step. When I finished compiling everything I had written
during that year, and read over it all several times, I put it away for a few
months, continuing to pray for God’s guidance.
One day the next
step was clear: find an editor. I found
a writers’ group nearby, and so decided to check it out. My first time there, I hoped to just observe, but quickly found
out I was the only one with material to read. Before I started reading, I told
the leader, “I feel like God is asking me to make this a book. So I want you to tell me if you think it has
that potential.” When I finished reading the first chapter, she confirmed, yes,
this could definitely be a book.
On the way home, I
was unable to contain the tears from spilling down my cheek, totally
overwhelmed at what God had put in front of me. The publishing process itself
made me want to quit so I tried complaining to God about how I can’t do this.
After I finished whining, I remember Him saying, But do you trust me? I decided then, my job was to write and what
happened after that was up to Him.
Now here we are. He
provided a wonderful editor that challenged me and pushed me to be more
specific about my struggles. He carved out time for me to focus on finishing
this project and I look forward to seeing what He does with these words.
"We think our church
friends only want to hear the good stuff. We think we need to be strong for
them and not let them see us hurting. Now we don’t have to wallow in self-pity,
but we can be real. We must be real. We all need a place to share our
brokenness, our temptations, and ask for prayer and help to overcome.: (No More Secrets) How has letting go of
your fears and shame changed your friendships and yourself as a friend?
It’s funny you ask
about friends. Circumstances in my life have changed so much over the last year
that it’s actually been a lonely time for me. That plus all the time behind the
computer it takes to write a book, I feel like my personal friendships have suffered.
I will say that the
year I wrote this book, I identified fear
of man as a big stronghold in my life. I care about what people think of me and I hate it when my actions
negatively affect someone else.
Sometimes even our obedience can do that. The Proverb says “As iron
sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We sharpen each other while we
walk out what we sense God asking us to do. God had to break this fear of man in me so I will look to His approval over the approval of my
friends. This has hurt a few friendships
lately and been very difficult.
"I just have to
trust Him. Words that are so much easier to write than actually live out each
day. To just keep walking when the road ends takes faith." (No More Secrets) What does trusting God
look like practically in your life now and how has that changed since you were
younger?
I would say earlier
in my walk with God I had a set of expectations of how, when, and where I
wanted God to answer my prayers. I expected
Him to do certain things and when He didn’t, I grew frustrated.
I’ve learned to
turn my expectations into expectancy.
He hears my prayers and wants to answer me. He just may not do it like I want,
when I want. Expectancy knows He will answer, and is eagerly on the lookout for
how that will play out.
How have you grown since
writing the book?
Oh goodness, I’ve
grown leaps and bounds in this whole process. Dealing with fear is an on going
process for me, rather than a once-and-for-all done deal. It seems to come in
waves, but I’m getting quicker at recognizing fear’s footprints and dealing
with it before it paralyzes me.
What is your biggest
take away for readers?
As long as we walk this earth,
we’re going to be tempted. Often this temptation comes in the form of what we
thought we could never do. Temptation
itself is not sin, but temptation is not something to take lightly or think we
are strong enough to handle. It wants to destroy us!
I love my husband’s
illustration I share in the book about living life in a round room. A round
room has no corners. Everything must be brought to the center and dealt with.
It’s much easier to handle difficult issues when we know exactly what we’re
dealing with.
This topic isn’t talked about
much in the Christian community, especially when it comes to thinking too much
about the opposite sex. That’s almost taboo. My prayer is that we can find the
courage to talk about these issues and get them in the light. I see affairs
affecting more and more families and it all starts in the mind. We have to
figure out how to handle our thoughts and the temptations Satan sets for us,
otherwise they turn into sin and eventually death.
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A special thanks to Julie for sharing her story. You can find more about Julie on her blog, Facebook page and of course in her book available on Amazon.
