Today marks the end of another quarter, so here’s an update on all things For the Journey over the last three months.
Monday Morning Verses for the Facebook Page:
June – Genesis
July – 1 Thessalonians
August – 1 Peter
Most Exciting Thing: “In Persecution” Release
I mentioned at the end of the quarterly review for spring that I hoped the next quarter would include the release of a new 30-Day Devotional. Thankfully, that did happen. I released “In Persecution” in early July. This project was such a blessing to me, and it was exciting to finally be able to share it with others in hopes it would be a blessing to them as well. Thank you to all who ordered copies!
Favorite Devotional Post: “What if We Prayed Like That?”
I was a bit of a slacker when it came to devotional posts for my For the Journey Facebook page this quarter. There were only a handful, and my favorite was “What if We Prayed Like That?” It was inspired by Jeremiah 32:17 and the surrounding context. Go check it out if you missed it!
Biggest Surprise: Tough Topics Blog
Back in January, I wrote my first “Tough Topics” blog post with plans for it to be a series. Almost a full seven months later, I finally got around to finishing the second one. I actually started making notes for it and even wrote a few paragraphs at the start of this quarter, but I had to push it to the back burner to focus on deadlines and did not get back to it very promptly. I say it was the biggest surprise of this quarter because, up until a few days before I finished writing it, I would have said there was absolutely no way I would finish it this quarter. For various reasons, I fell pretty significantly behind on adult Sunday School literature and had even joked with my sister that I was probably going to have to personally deliver literature the last Sunday morning in August after pulling an all-nighter. Thankfully, I managed to avoid that somehow and was even able to finish a second Tough Topics post. The first one was on conflict, and the second one was on church attendance. If you missed it, keep scrolling after you finish this post to check it out.
Biggest Blessing: That Last Copy…
I learned a long time ago that, if I pursued writing at all, I would experience a hearty amount of disappointment. And, I would like to believe that I’ve developed a thick skin at least when it comes to writing disappointments over the years. Sometimes, however, I realize my skin probably still needs to be a little thicker. I had one of those moments this quarter.
Before the release of “In Persecution,” my last 30-Day Devotional was “From the Writings of Paul.” It was, well, pretty much a flop. I don’t think I sold enough to even cover my printing costs. Maybe it was terrible. I don’t know. I don’t really trust myself to evaluate my own writing. Maybe people were burnt out on devotionals. I absolutely refuse to believe it was because people don’t like Paul’s writings because that would be Philippians and Romans and Ephesians and Galatians, and the list goes on… That simply cannot be what it was!
So…my plan after said experience was not to even think about 30-Day Devotionals for a while. I was going to focus on other projects and maybe someday come back to them or maybe just be done.
If you happen to have purchased “In Persecution” and read the introduction, you know the Lord changed my mind on that note mid-sermon one Sunday morning, and I was suddenly writing devotionals again.
This one was just different. When I would work on it, there was this sense of urgency. I wrote a lot of the devotionals very fast with the words flowing seamlessly. There was also never a moment in the process where I was uncertain about the project. I knew from that mid-sermon moment to writing Day 30 that, for whatever reason, God wanted me to write devotionals about persecution.
That said, my last 30-Day Devotional before this one felt like a failure to me, and while I may not have been uncertain at all in the writing, I was very uncertain about how the subject matter of this one would be received. I mean, persecution is kind of a heavy topic.
Thus, when I finished it, the doubter in me really wanted to play it safe and print five copies. I mean, surely, I could get rid of five copies. But, that didn’t feel right, so I gave myself a good internal lecture. It went something like: “Samantha Jean, you don’t have to go crazy, but you don’t get to play it safe because you were disappointed last time either! Shake it off and go on!”
So, I printed more than five copies and released the project. About a week later, when I put the remaining copies in the box on top of several copies of “From the Writings of Paul,” I thought, “Well, that’s just where they’ll be. At least it’s not quite as many as last time.”
Fast-forward a little bit, and I found myself pulling the last copy out of that box to put with an order and realizing I hadn’t even kept a copy for myself like I usually do. In that moment, it was like God whispered, “Didn’t you trust Me?” A project that had already been such a blessing to me became even more so.
I think that pretty much covers the summer quarter. Not surprisingly, I did not enjoy the heat, not one little bit, and I thought about how great snow is almost hourly. But, writing-wise, even though there were a couple weeks of long hours and sleep deprivation playing catch-up, it was both enjoyable and rewarding. I don’t really have definitive project goals for the fall quarter, but I’m excited to see what happens.
One more thing… I did print a few more copies of “In Persecution” (After all, I needed one.) and can always print more. So, if you missed hearing about “In Persecution” back in July and would like a copy, I would be happy to get one to you. Just let me know!
For the Journey Literature 