Cool News and a Tribute

 I feel like I can talk about this now, as it is finally happening in real time. The book I am co-authoring with my dear friend and mentor, Norm Sawyer (sirnorm.com) is in the final stages of publishing. I don't usually talk about projects until they are completed, but I can say with confidence that the ink is very close to being dry on this one, and there are so many cool elements to this project that I can hardly be quiet about it anymore. It's not just a book with pages and spine. It was brought about by God and divine timing. 

When I think about how this all came about-writing my first book with Norm, I am a bit gobsmacked, as the Brits would say. Who would have thought that a person like me, living in a small farm town of barely 1500 in the states, would one day write a book with a Canadian world traveler living in a much bigger city, published author of (I've lost count of how many now) several books, and we would meet because we were both pecking away on our blogs way back in 2013? His, life application topics relating to the bible, and mine, various life situations relating to being a wife and mother of two. 

It has always been a dream of mine to write a book, but I have always lacked confidence and faith in myself to even step out and try. I have always kept it to myself, but thought I probably would never do it. One day last year, Norm sent me a message and said the Lord gave him a direction to write a book with me. I literally got chills on the spot. I felt an excitement run through me that I hadn't felt in a really long time. You see, I had been asking the Lord to help me get past myself, knowing I am my own obstacle. Norm has given me many writing opportunities in his own books by allowing me to write the foreword of one, and choosing to add some of my articles and poems to others. He would then invite me to edit his work, giving me a insiders look into the book publishing process. These gracious acts have blessed me in a way that have left this wordsmith completely speechless, but moved in a way that I never expected. I had the luxury of putting one toe at a time into a process that had always intimidated me, instead of plunging in headfirst. Writing a book with Norm meant I would have someone to give me direction and help me along the way in a daunting new process. I am currently learning so much, and enjoying the arduous process of putting a book together. As we've been putting this together, we've both gotten questions about how this has come to be. 

In 2013, I believe Norm may have commented on one of my blog posts, which led me to his blog, and I was hooked. I love the Proverbs, and his blog is called, Sir Norm's Proverbial Comment. I found a home there for my anxious mind and my seeking heart. I never dreamed I would find who would become one of my dearest friends too. All I can say when people ask me, "How did you meet Norm?" is "I got what I prayed for." It doesn't have to make sense, because when God is in it, cool things happen. I had forwarded many of his blogs to my family to aid them in different circumstances, and I began to write down certain things he would say on notecards around my house. In that sense, Norm became my mentor and a pastor, and a direction into my life that I began to trust. I didn't tell him he was my mentor, I just treated him as such! I always say I just adopted him into the role. More than all of that, he is my friend, and I am his friend as well. As much as he pours into my life, at times I have been able to speak into his as well, and that has been the bond of friendship that stands. I am pretty invested in praying for his family as well- his wife, sons, and grandchildren. 

It took me a really long time to really realize how much I cared for Norm, and that I had come to rely on him for his nuggets of wisdom, because in my experience, I lose quickly the people I love. So the closer he came to me, the more fear I began to feel. What if Norm leaves, what if Norm decides I'm not worth his time anymore...and on and on the fear threatened me. But what I came to realize was that he didn't put conditions on me. I was able to be myself, flaws and all, and I didn't feel the usual retreat that others had displayed in the past. He came to me with the love the Lord gave him to give, and with that came no price. That's what made it different. I had no worries or fears about being judged or left behind, and with that lesson also came an example of how I should also be loving others. The acceptance he showed me was exactly the way Jesus asks us to love others. And that, my friends, is why this friendship is God's work. 

He also began to expect me to live out what he was teaching me, and in that I began to learn that I can't be doing the same old immature things and expecting a mature result. Was this new information? Well, when put with God's word, it was new to me. I have come to him with friendship concerns, family problems, personal issues, politics questions, prayer requests, and probably even weather complaints. Each time, he has a way of showing me my responsibility in each equation. God's word in every issue. That is a friend. That is a person who lives what he says, and expects something of me too. I need that in my life without thinking I could lose someone due to my faults and weaknesses. Don't we all need that? I believe we do, and if we ask God for this, He will deliver. Just don't expect it to come as you picture it. It may be a pastoral man from Canada who says, "HA!" when he laughs. I'm just sayin'. 

This may have just turned into a tribute to my friend Norm instead of the announcement of our book, Thoughts From a Friend, but everyone always wants to know, "Who is this Norm?" "How did you meet?" Well, now you all know. This unique little book is a compilation of our poetry, commentary, and stories about life and travel. The traveling part is Norm. I am basically a hermit, which is even funnier that we are the most unlikely of friends. This book was a unique idea of Norm's in order to combine some of our work. A  60-something Canadian Christian man, A 50-something American Christian woman, living completely different lives in different countries, yet the common thread is the love of God, writing, and wanting to reach others for Christ. I hope you'll check the book out when it is available. The cover is more art by his late brother Kane, and it is special. I truly feel God has brought this friendship to fruition for His glory, and the works we bring together will bring good to others.