I became an aspiring writer at the tender age of…37.

At 38, I attended my first She Speaks Conference where I learned to drop the “aspiring.”

I am a writer!

When I saw an advertisement for the 2008 Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference, God shone spotlights, strobe lights, flairs, and every other kind of light on it. I had no idea speaker/writer conferences existed! Naive much?

I registered for the pre-conference session, “How to Prepare a Powerful, Effective 15-Minute Publisher Meeting” taught by Jeannie Burlowski. I needed that session something fierce!

And…..I missed it.

In fact, I missed all the Friday goodness. You can read about the reason here. I was right where I belonged.

In a flurry of changed plane tickets, phone calls, and taxi cab rides, I drug my weary bones into the hotel. The moment I glanced at my conference materials, reality kicked in. I have publisher appointments tomorrow, and I have no idea what I’m doing!

Next morning, I shared my panic with LeAnn Rice, and she came to my rescue by asking Jeannie Burlowski to meet with me.

I have never felt as “heard” as I felt while sitting in the lobby with Jeannie. That girl’s picture should be in the dictionary next to the phrase, “active listener.”

She listened to me ramble about my book for about five minutes, asked me some clarifying questions, and then helped me put together my thoughts in a way that wouldn’t make the publishers hit the get-out gong.

Writers track sisters, the She Speaks Conference is full of LeAnn’s and Jeannie’s! The teaching volunteers are there to share everything they can possibly squeeze into a weekend! Come with open ears and open minds, and you’ll leave full.

My sisters-in-ink, this is my prayer for you.

Lord,

Thank you for using these prayergifts to birth a love of writing in me. Nothing satisfies my heart more than writing down what You lay on my heart.

You used the She Speaks Conference to help me believe in my calling and begin to develop the skills to pursue it. I want that for all my writers track sisters headed to She Speaks in a few weeks. It blesses my heart to pray for them; please give me Your heart for them as I write and pray tonight.

Write Your words onto their hearts.

Lord, writing is wonderful, but writing Your heart is beyond description! For my sisters, I ask You to open their hearts to receive Your words…words that heal, words that uplift, words that promote heart change. You’ve been using human hands to write down Your message since the beginning; my sisters are no different than Moses, David, and Paul. May their willing spirits hear You full-volume as You say, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5)



Raise their skills toward excellence
 
As my sisters walk through those sliding doors in Charlotte, they come with varied skill sets, but all of them are anxious to learn and grow. They will be overwhelmed by all the practical information they will receive. Give them sharp minds and hearts to take it all in, but give them the wisdom to choose a few nuggets at a time on which to focus when they get home. Fill my sisters with urgency to present their best writing to You as a holy offering. (Numbers 18:29)
 
Increase their courage to be real

It’s hard to be real, Lord. Human nature urges us to hide our faults, challenges, and pain. But You want our healing to point to the Healer, and it won’t happen if we’re not willing to lay it out there in our writing. Give my sisters the courage to risk transparency. This world doesn’t need another book full of churchy platitudes. It needs gutsy accounts of how You can turn ashes to beauty! (Isaiah 61:3) As one of Your writer girls once said, “People are not looking for [us] to have it together. People are looking at what happens to [us] when [we] don’t.” (Beth Moore) May my sisters remember the way You, the source of all comfort, dealt so gently with their aching hearts; give them the grace to share that same comfort with others through their inspired words. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Take their offering and use it

Lord, when You take my writing and use it to encourage someone, my heart swells with delight. Nothing is more satisfying than to be Your instrument. You don’t need us, but You choose to use us for Your glory and the good of humankind. Thank You for that, Lord. Fill my sisters with joyful anticipation as they think of a future filled with those “useful” moments. Just as You took Elijah’s offering on Mount Carmel, take my sisters’ offerings and use them in such a way that people will say, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:36-39)

Equip them with thick-skin

Lord, You know my scaredy-cat heart and how much I fear rejection. You know how much it hurt to receive those first few rejection letters. It felt like I had failed You. It felt like I’d made a mistake about this whole writing thing. It felt yucky. But sometimes, rejection is part of the greater plan! You were despised and rejected, and that rejection resulted in Your journey to the cross. Maybe our rejections can take us to the point of taking up our crosses and following You. (Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 16:24)

I still don’t like rejection, but You have taught me that no matter how many times I’m passed over, You still have a call on my life. You will still use my writing gift for Your glory and Your pleasure. You like my stuff! Like a proud daddy, You show it off and say, Look what my girl wrote for me!

Prepare my sisters for the reality of rejection, for it happens a lot more often than acceptance in the publishing world. Some of my sisters going to She Speaks will need more of Your help in this area than others. You know who they are…the ones with heart wounds not yet healed. The ones who still doubt their worth. The ones who don’t yet see themselves the way You see them. When that first rejection email comes, deliver it to them with Your grace and compassion. Whisper truth in their ears. It’s OK, my sweet one. I have glorious plans for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope-filled future. (Jeremiah 29:11)


Lord, Thank You. Thank You for taking us writer girls and using our writing as arrows pointing others to the only worthy destination: You. As my sisters get ready to head to 2011 She Speaks, prepare their hearts, pave the way, and provide the resources. Use this conference to create new friendships, to connect writers with mentors, agents, or publishers, and, most of all, to change every heart to a closer resemblance of Yours.

In the precious name of the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus, I pray, AMEN