Back from Neverland

We're back! We journeyed (by car with all three kiddos in tow) to Florida for a week of magical fun the day after school got out. I'm not sure who had a more difficult time falling asleep the night before the trip - the boys or Jimmy and me. For our family, Disney World is a special place. An almost sacred place. It was a week (8 nights to be exact) of laughter, joy, temper tantrums, swimming, exhaustion and family bonding. And here I am, a few weeks after the trip, looking back on our memories and I find myself longing for them once again. I'm homesick for our Disney home. I ache to be back in the place where it's about more than long lines and crowds; because for our family it's about community - the people we meet who both work at Disney or are simply on vacation. When we're there, our family grows from five to thousands...in the place where everyone can return to the pure excitement of seeing a magical world through the eyes of a child.

While there, I was giddy about finding this little gem:

It's a journal and Cinderella adorns one cover and Aurora the other. I adore journals and love opportunities to add another to my collection, so this was an obvious pick. I've already been jotting down everyday things I'm thankful for as part of my Joy Dare in one section and the other part of the journal is for notes on my current book, future books, and my typical mom musings.

What about you, do you collect journals? What is it that you can't find yourself without when you sit down to write?

Last week at Bible study, I challenged the group to pray bolder prayers. We're talking about a God who created Heaven and Earth, as well as named each individual star and created all the beautiful things we take for granted daily. Why not hit our knees hard and pray bolder to the God of love and mercy? The King of Kings? My bold prayer was for a way to begin using my job as a way to reach people and give back. Often I work from home and feel disconnected from those around me. The result of my bold prayer is now turning into something bigger than I could have fathomed. Christmas in July for Moore, Oklahoma has turned out to be HUGE. Thanks to my selfless, never-give-up production team, along with some of the brightest, most caring, generous interns I've ever worked with, big things are happening. In just one short week, God answered my bold prayer, and I'm hungrier than ever to keep praying for bold ways to be used by Christ.

With that, I'm officially back to the book, and I'm on to my first interactive online task: building community. I'm filled with all these words and all this Godly inspiration and motivation for fellow moms out there, but one of the first steps is to build a community around me. Cherie Colburn has been mentoring me throughout the process, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Her guidance not only gives me strength when I feel weak, but she (sometimes without even knowing it) picks me up off the ground on days when I think, "I'm not good enough to write a book. I'll leave this to someone else." Funny how the devil loves to get in and toy with our minds, huh?

I returned to bold prayers. My book is a bold prayer. Building community is a bold prayer. Allowing God to work in His time and not mine is a bold prayer.

This book is a chance for me to spread the gospel to all ends of the globe and glorify His name through a job that I never saw myself fit enough for but can't imagine myself not being a part of - parenting. I pray it touches hearts as it has so far touched mine. Another bold prayer.

I pray boldness for you, too. I pray that no matter where you are on your walk or journey, that God uses you in a bold way. Do you have a bold prayer you would like me to pray for?