Glowing Local has been a dream of mine for many years. I have worked on it…a little here, a little there…for quite a while, and despite my feelings that this was what I was supposed to do, I always stopped short – scared of actually doing it, scared of actually putting myself out there, scared of what this would mean for our family and my life. But, as often happens, the Lord continued to put it on my heart, giving me the assurance that sometimes stepping out on faith, and trusting despite what I know ahead of time, is a good thing.

I have a three-year old son, and he just loves books (much like his momma). We read, and read, and read throughout the day. But, it always feels like we read the same books over and over for a period of time…and sometimes that gets old. I get tired of reading about the bears needing their safety gear to go skateboarding, or about semi trucks being articulated trucks with two parts. So, I sometimes skip parts…and to be honest, I think I am good at it. I can see a page, pick out the main idea, and kind of ad-lib, to make it through a little faster.

But, my son catches me more often than not…so maybe I am not as good as I think. He always says, “Mom, read the story, the whole story.” Busted by a three-year-old. Again.

But sometimes, I think stepping out into something new is like that too – it is easier to skip over things or just try to ad-lib your life so to get through things a little faster. But I think the Lord calls us to something more – to read the whole story, and not miss out on the abundance that is possible…if only we would stop trying to make the story work according to our own timetable.

So, this is the start of a better story…one I feel compelled to write in full, not skipping over the good parts. I am hoping this story tells of God, and offers advice on glowing some love in your local story too. I know the Lord works in ways I cannot even imagine, and I look forward to seeing that in Glowing Local.