I’m so stinkin’ happy about the upcoming week or so I can hardly contain it.
So first the announcement:
Next week beginning Monday I’m going to do something on my blog I’ve never done before.
Ever.
I’ve been blogging for three-plus years and this. has. never. happened.
Men will be taking over my blog.
GASP!
I’ve never categorized myself as a Mom Blog really, but most of our community here is definitely women. Next week five guys will be talking about their own personal struggles with fear. Some of them you may recognize and some you may not. But for sure you will enjoy.
So Monday morning, we’ll be here with the guys. Will you be here too?
Next, a link:
Today, as it would stand, my post for September is up on (in)courage. They asked us to write about community this month and my product is the third (yes, 3rd) attempt at writing something about that very thing. I think when I’m in the middle of something {searching for community} it can be ludicrously easy to write about it or next to impossible. For me, this was almost impossible. But I did write about the community that happens when one person risks love and friendship to push their friend to talk about the hard things. I had a friend do that for me recently.
Thank God for early morning inspiration.
It takes a good friend to get up at 5 am to meet me at the gym.
There’s sweat, there are leftover sheet marks on cheeks and by all means, there isn’t any makeup.
I submitted to her get-in-shape-via-cardio-interval plan one morning last month completely unaware of what I was getting myself into. We began on the treadmill and gradually over the course of 20 minutes she had me running at almost seven miles an hour.
“We won’t be able to talk in a minute,” she said to me over the whirr of the early morning gym sounds.
And she was right.
After almost an hour of quadricep-burning, lung-fatiguing intervals we ended up on the stationary bikes.
Except for our treadmill sprints we’d been talking the whole morning. I’m a firm believer in creating relationships through exercise because suffering together is a bonding experience. Marriage and fitting into wedding dresses, friendship and church. We’d talked about it all.
She looked over at me and said, “Can I push you on something?”
She’d been “pushing” me all morning so I wondered what more she could possibly want.
“What happened to your book, Sarah?”
To read the rest of the post, click here.
And lastly a thank you...
This weekend, actually today as you are reading this, I’m on a plane traveling to South Carolina. I’m heading to Hilton Head for a weekend long retreat for the (in)courage bloggers. Dayspring, with huge support from the Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting us at a beautiful spot on the beach until Sunday. I’m really blessed to be a part.
(in)courage’s dream of a place where we can put up our sandy feet for a little while is being realized. Crazy! I know.
I get to travel with one of my besties.
I get to hug another one of my dearest friends.
And a bunch of the women I’ve had the honor and pleasure to interact with over the past year will be there as well.
But I want you all to stay tuned to (in)courage. They have some AMAZING things dreamed up for some of you too in the next week and month. It’s pretty incredible.
So thank you, Dayspring and Hilton Head for a weekend I’ve yet to experience. I can’t wait.
Do you have an announcement? A link? Or a thank you you’d like to share with us?
I have insomnia, I think. It’s past 1 a.m.
Will be fun to see the men take over as long as they don’t hold you hostage!
Have an awesome, awesome time beachside! What a gift. No links, I just found myself thinking a lot about you this week as I blogged about some hard struggles I went through as an imperfect mom. I didn’t even share that much and it was so hard. How you share your story day in and out is beyond me. I just know it takes boldness and courage, and a lot of prayer, I’m sure. So thank you, because it blesses me.
Okay. Nite, Nite. Errh, uh, Good Morning?
I agree that one of the hardest things in community is confrontation. Getting to the point where one is so comfortable, so revealing and honest takes time and commitment as well as a willingness to be vulnerable. I have one friend in community that I feel safe to do that with. She is amazing. However a year ago she moved far away and our time together is only on the phone or via email now. Finding someone new to create that special intimacy with has been difficult for me. There is a real void in my life. I pray that God leads me to someone that I can have that “push” relationship with.
Have a restful, (en)couraging weekend and I look forward to seeing what comes up next week.
Oh Sarah, I so appreciate your heart. I see us in you. And it’s in that we all find community. We share hurts and happiness together- being authentic in who we are- Thank you Lord for people who push us to be real with ourselves, with Him! I live in Charleston(so yeah for you visiting my state! I wish I could just say Hi in person). I just moved here actually, SC is a lovely place. And it was here God was gracious enough to give me my dear friend, Debbie, who pushes me, encourages me, grows me. I am so thankful for a Father who knows what I needed immediately. She smiled and welcomed me at church just one week into our move to SC. Relationships are a process, and this one was a needed and timely one. And I am grateful for you. Blessings on your trip to SC.
I loved this post so much, I reposted it on my site (with due credit of course!) I hope you don’t mind….so perfect, a true Strings Attached Friend! And YAY for you for staying open and authentic in that difficult place.
I am excited to see who will be posting next week! Great idea!
I stumbled upon your blog a few weeks ago and have to say that I love it. Your posts are extremely uplifting. You have a beautiful spirit and a gift for reaching people on a personal level. I am truly blessed to have found your site. It challenges me everyday to re-think my own life and to want to improve my relationship with God. Your story is something most people can relate to and it’s an inspiration to see you so willing to be vulnerable to people you don’t even know, simply because you want to touch their hearts.
As for your book, when (when, not if) you manage to have it published, I will be on the lookout.
Enjoy your trip. Friendship is such a wonderful thing!
Thank you for bringing more testosterone to the blog
Have a wonderful time with the ladies, looking forward to your next weeks posts.
I hope you have a wonderful time! Breaks with good friends, good food, and beautiful places are so needed!
I cannot wait. Bring on the writings of the guys!!! Sarah have a safe and blessed time in SC. : )
Enjoy your weekend!! I live about 45 minutes from H.Head and go there often (Homegoods!!). Beware of the humidity, it is still pretty heavy around here.
whoooop whoooop – can’t wait !! ManWeek at SarahMarkley
Forgot to congratulate you on your blog with the (in)courage team. What an awesome belessing for you. Your writing skills equal many of the ladies on that team. So excited for you. Praying for you as you continue to write and share with your readers.
Have a fun weekend!
My closest friend is also the person God uses to help me to grow. She is my spiritual guide. (“Train up a child in the way he should go…”). We live 25 minutes away from one another, so we commune mostly by phone. We do bible studies together – right now we are doing three, pray together, have pot lucks and game days with our families, support one another, laugh a lot! And when I need to be guided to a different place in the Lord, she delivers the hard, straight-forward words that God gives her. She says she is hard on me so I can be the best I can be, and she is right. I welcome these times because, although I can hurt from what she says, I realize that it is because God wants His best for me. Don’t get me wrong. She is not hurtful. When God disciplines us, it usually hurts – sometimes a little, sometimes more. But I take what she says to me to heart, meditate and pray about it, and then act on it. Without a friend who is tough on you when needed, you can hide so much. I’m glad God has given me this amazing friend to help me stay open to His discipline and encouragement.
I thank God for all of the opportunities He’s opened up to me this past year since I began blogging and speaking. I do have an announcement…but it will have to wait just a little longer
It will be great to read a point of view from a man’s view. x
I came to your blog via Lisa Leonard’s blog. I am new to this blog world, but I am all on board! Thanks for your very encouraging posts. Your ‘real’ approach is very empowering (to you as well, I am guessing). Just wanted to say “hi”. Until next time…………
Uh, well, my manuscript is due at the end of September instead of November 15.
And there you go.
have fun!!!
speaking of lisa leonard, who won that giveaway?
Terrific web page! I thoroughly enjoyed your content …very properly written.