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It’s time to write

    It was a regular Monday morning.

    I got Brady off to school (Ryan gets up with Ethan an hour earlier, bless his heart), then made my way back up to my room to read and journal and throw on clothes for the day. The things I do every morning.

    But this morning was not like any other.

    As I came out of my room and headed down the stairs to start the next morning breakfast/make lunches/hair/teeth/backpack routine with Mason and Audrey, I heard a voice say so concisely and clearly:

    It’s time to write.

    In my lifetime of following Jesus, I can only count a few times when I know I’ve heard God speak to me. There are lots of times when He speaks through scripture, music, dreams, conversations or nature. I adore these special moments of closeness and connection.

    This time was different.

    It wasn’t a conversation or an affirmation. It wasn’t even in response to something I had been talking with Him about. It was a catch-you-off-guard, clear as day directive.

    It’s time to write.

    I stopped mid-tread, listened, and agreed.

    Yes, God. It is time to write. 

    I have been blogging for nearly a decade. Typing away on my computer is something I do every day and journaling is a practice I do regularly so it would have been easy for me to miss the meaning. But I knew, in that very moment, that the writing He was leading me toward was different. I knew, in that split-second, that it was time to write the story – my story – of identity and freedom.

    The idea of writing a book was not a new one for me. I have entertained the thought and the desire has long lived in the back of my mind – I even included ‘write a children’s book’ on my 40 by 40 list. Over the course of my blogging career there have been opportunities; it just never felt like the right time or the right topic. The last thing I wanted to do was write a book just for the sake of writing a book and not have it be something that I feel called to and purposeful in doing.

    As a first step toward my someday children’s book, I started a new journal in January 2018 dedicated to it. I figured if it was something I would do one day, I should at least commit to jot down ideas, think about a storyline and gather it all in one place for future reference.

    In April, a literary agent who read the blog emailed me about the possibility of writing a book and we set up a call. She was delightful and so encouraging. We brainstormed different ideas and I shared some of the concepts I had been thinking about for the children’s book, but also other books, too. I left that meeting feeling so excited and my mind swirled with possibilities.

    After our second meeting and after she sent me sample book proposals, I lost all enthusiasm. It was totally overwhelming and clearly not the right time for me to pursue book-making.

    I wrote in my new book journal on June 1, 2018:

    “I’m not ready yet. The Lord has more to teach me and prepare me before doing this work.”

    And so I let it go.

    The summer came and went. I worked on other things and, more importantly, started diligently moving toward growth and healing in areas that had long been a struggle for me.

    In October I turned 40. We celebrated with a trip to Oahu where my greatest hope was to sit on the beach and answer a 3 1/2-year-old question: WHO AM I? It was this question that I asked with tears streaming down my cheeks on a beach in Maui years earlier that started my long journey toward freedom. It felt like the most hopeful way to enter the next 40 years of my life to answer that question and close a soul-searching chapter in my story.

    That moment happened. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was clear and it took place on a beach and it was truly the greatest gift.

    That was just a few days before that Monday morning when God stopped me on the stairs and told me it was time to write.

    I knew it. I felt it. I agreed. He healed me and told me who I am and now it was time to write it all down. To share the good news of what He had done in my life. Would it be just for me? Would it be something I shared publicly? I didn’t know and I wasn’t concerned. I just knew it was time to write.

    The morning went as normal. I dropped the kids off at school, came home, sat down at my desk to begin my work day and opened my email.

    At the top of my inbox was an email from the literary agent – the same literary agent I was talking to when I decided it was all too much and not the right time. We hadn’t connected in over five months and I was totally surprised to see her name pop up in my inbox.

    In the email, she mentioned that she was now working as an acquisition editor for a Christian publishing house and was acquiring authors for the 2020 list. Was I was ready to write yet?

    The timing of it all was not lost on me.

    On the same exact morning – just 45 minutes apart – God tells me it’s time to write and a literary agent-turned-acquisition editor asks me if I’m ready.

    And so it began.

    Lunch with her in November led to an invitation to visit the publisher in January. That invitation led to a conversation with my sisters who encouraged me to reach out to my author friends who subsequently all suggested I get an agent.

    With only three days before my trip to visit the publisher, I sent off a quick email to a literary agent who came highly recommended who, in turn, was stuck at home due to a freak ice storm and able to take my call. We hit it off, we both said yes and two days later met for the first time in the hotel lobby before meeting up with editors from the publishing company. And, get this, that ice storm that had kept her at home? It had prevented her from making it to a meeting between the rest of her agency and the publishing company we were now sitting at. A meeting that if she had made it to, she would not have been able to take my call that day or meet me just a few days later as my new literary agent.

    You guys. I can’t make this stuff up.

    God’s hand – his great, big, generous, all-knowing hand – was at work.

    The way writing a book is supposed to go is you write a proposal, your agent presents it to different publishers and you hope for an offer.

    My story is all backward.

    I went empty-handed to one publishing house where I sat at a board table and shared my heart and somehow we all knew it was the right fit for us to work together. I never wrote a proposal. There was no need to shop the books to other publishers.

    I told myself going into the meeting that I was just there to explore the options. I thought of it as a college visit; I wasn’t committing, but just feeling it out. In a moment of clarity on the drive from the hotel to the publishing office, I realized this was faulty thinking.

    For most of my life I’ve been an explorer of options and it has put me in situations where I have said yes to things I didn’t really want to do. This reactive, laid-back way of decision-making needed to stop – especially when it concerned the future of my work and an investment from a professional publishing company. I sat in the car and asked myself, “do YOU want to write a book? Not do Ruth or Jenni or Ryan and your sisters or your mom want you to write. Not because you should or could. Not to gain approval or prove your worth. But is it what YOU, Emily Anne Lex, want to do?

    Yes. 

    I answered quickly and quietly – out loud, I think, to the car dashboard.

    Yes. I want to write a book. 

    In our board room meeting just moments later, I sat at one end of a long table with the president of the company opposite me and directors and editors from all the important divisions tucked in on either side. I should have been terrified, but I wasn’t. They are all delightful people and the company has a comfortable family feel, but also, I just felt like I was in the exact right place. All of the vocational work I have done over the past 10 years and all of the growth I had pursued over the past 3 1/2 led me to this place where I could freely offer myself.

    And they said yes.

    Even without the traditional author necessities (like a book proposal! an outline! chapter title ideas!), they saw my heart and opened the doors to a whole new direction in my professional and personal life.

    With the most incredible awe and a settled spirit, I’m beyond excited to tell you that I have officially signed a book deal and get to create something lovely for you. Three somethings, actually.

    The first of my three books will be a beautiful, full-color gift book (I’m calling it an illustrated memoir). The second, an illustrated children’s book and the third a guided journal to be a companion to the first book.

    The book writing, art-creating, editing and printing process is long and we’ll have to wait until 2021 to get our hands on the first two books, but I am so hopeful that they will be worth the wait.

    I signed the final contract last week, so the excitement is still very fresh, the ideas swirling, the research happening and steps forward being taken.

    Because, now, it literally is time to write.

    100 thoughts on “It’s time to write”

    1. I’m not crying, you’re crying. =] Seriously,
      from now on I will always refer to God’s hand as
      “God’s big, generous, all-knowing hand.” That’s
      SO GOOD.
      I too once clearly heard the voice of God on a beach,
      and what He said shocked me:
      “I will give you nothing that you ask for…
      and everything that you need.”
      I kinda think His plans for you and me run that way.

    2. “You guys. I can’t make this stuff up.”
      This is so very true in my life too!

      God bless you Emily and fare well into this journey, this amazing new adventure!
      I shall look forward to updates about the first book and will be sending you affectionate prayers from London, UK.

      All the very best,
      Vic

      PS I have had a book deal concluded back in 2008, BUT although my work is quite advanced, somehow I cannot complete it…..

    3. You’re making your own “Faith Chapter”, mapping out your faith journey to encourage others, and letting your light shine. I’ve been following you since you were preparing for your cross-country trip with your family, and always look forward to reading your new blog entries. You are diverse in what you present and down-to-earth, so it always remains fresh and interesting. Congratulations on your acceptance of your new title, “authoress”. We serve an awesome God, don’t we, who cares for each of us as if we were the only person on earth!

    4. God’s ways are amazing. He truly directs our steps. I don’t know you, but I’ll be praying for you as you continue this journey. I hope you keep blogging as well!

    5. That is awesome! What a perfect God story! I’m still in the in-between wondering who the heck I am now, and what is next. It’s a hard place to be, but this gives me hope. Very happy for you – Congratulations!

    6. Thank you for beautifully sharing your journey. It’s very encouraging to those of us who have similar desires. Congratulations!

    7. Thank you for sharing your story. It is an encouragement to me in how God directs and transforms our lives when we continue to show up. It tells me that God doesn’t follow a formula, that as we do the next right thing, faithfully following the Spirit’s whispers, we are directed. May every step of your journey be a filled with sweet surprises and gentle encouragement. I look forward to reading your books. Blessings!

    8. Such a wonderful story! Good on you for listening to your inner voice, and His voice. And warmest congratulations on your exciting adventure ahead!

    9. Emily!! I’m so excited for you! Thank you for sharing your journey to this moment. Such a beautiful example of following His lead. Is it too soon to preorder all three books? :-) Happy Writing!

    10. What a story! What a journey! So encouraging and inspiring. Congratulations Emily! Excited for what’s to come!!

    11. Congratulations! I also resonate with the above comment about the 9-ness of it all, struggling to make decisions that YOU really want. Wishing you well on this journey!

    12. I am SO,SO,SO, SO EXCITED about this. I just finished Tiffany Bluhms new book and study titled “She Dreams” and this is what our dreams are made of! You are an amazing example of somebody who listens and then steps out in faith!! I can’t wait to get my hands on these books. I teach in christian school so I will be reading the children’s book in class. I have a list as long as my arm for girlfriends I will be buying your books for, especially if you are doing the illustrations!! Watercolors??:)

    13. You heard Him speaking to your heart…..you listened and responded. Exciting stuff! I can’t wait to see what you and God come up with.

    14. How wonderful! I cannot wait to get my hands on your books. I have visions and dreams of books (13 of them actually) I’ve self published my first and am just praying for the patience as God lines things up to make the rest of them happen. I hope you will share your journey along the way for all of us aspiring authors.

    15. Fantastic! I love that you have all the details of God’s handiwork written down to look back on and remember. So looking forward to seeing your books. Totally worth the wait!

    16. This medium is so funny, creating familiarity with people that you’ve never met. I started following you shortly before you went on the road trip and would give my husband updates as if I knew you.
      Anyway you and your family have always been very special in that your values are like our values.
      Good on you. Congratulations to you and your family. Can’t wait to continue seeing what God has in store for you.
      Diana

    17. This is so wonderful. Yesterday, my daily devotion said, “While God is growing your business, he’s growing you. While God is growing your children, he’s growing you. While God is growing your career, he’s growing you. For you to grow, you have to learn to rest in God’s goodness.” I believe your rest over the last few years has opened the door for God to do his goodness. Be encouraged and go live out His will. xo

    18. I don’t believe in “coincidences”. Because you are close to God, He is close to you and spoke to you. Can’t wait.

    19. Wow! I am fond of asking for signs that I am on a “right path,” but your signs and “coincidences” (no, I don’t believe in them but I like the word) can’t be challenged. I will also be waiting to read your words since you are being inspired by the absolute best! Congrats on the books deal but also for having the courage to say YES! =^..^=

    20. Emily, so excited for you and us. Can’t wait to see what you create. Exciting news, wishing you all the best as you start this new journey.

    21. In the words of Lysa Terkeurst, this was your Best Yes. God most certainly orchestrated all of this for you. Can’t wait to read your books.

    22. We have a great God and He has been at work in your life from the background, from the day you were born–
      I can’t wait to read your story.

    23. God is so good to delight us unexpectedly! So happy for you! And excited to see what He has for you, and the rest of us! :)

    24. I love when we can completely see God’s hand in the path we are taking. Clearly, you are about to do exactly what you are called to do! Congratulations! Simply awesome!

    25. Yay!! Here we go! So excited and just in awe of God’s hand over your life! What an inspiration you’ve been to me! I can’t wait to see more of that Jesus flowing out of you!

    26. It’s amazing what can happen when we listen to God’s voice. Your post about Jonah makes a lot more sense now, and I look forward to seeing all the things God is going to do through you. I’m just a girl from small town Alabama, and you’ve already touched my heart!

    27. Congratulations! I have been reading your words here for years now and am so excited to see what this new endeavor brings.

    28. This is so exciting for you! Keeping faith that God will also direct my steps towards where He wants me to be. He placed that dream in your heart for a reason. So inspiring!

    29. Emily! I am so excited for you! I can’t wait to read your books and give them to my friends! You are literally the only blog that I follow. i have been following you since the big road trip and it’s just been so fun to keep up with what is going on with your crew and how you balance motherhood with your own dreams and need to work. I really could not be more excited! Way to go!

    30. Exciting times! Congratulations and best wishes♥♥♥ Curious if your illustrations will be your watercolor art? Love every single one of them…They are inspiring me to give it a try.

    31. I needed to see this today! Thank you for being open to act when God called you! I’m a mom struggling to find new books that are a positive influence for my children and finding public school libraries and Amazon filling up with horribly negative books aimed at our children. I am so thankful for you and encourage anyone else out their who may be hearing God’s whisper to you to write as well (especially for children/teens). You may have just inspired me!

    32. I am so happy for you! Sometimes when things happen “all upside-down”, it is so humbling to know this is right where God wants you! He makes the impossible possible! May you continue to bless others through your words of honesty, faith, and hope!

    33. I am so happy for you to take the first step. However the first step was a long time ago when God was helping to write your personal story and journey. I self published a book with the help of a Christian publishing company and that was costly and a mistake. I got well known Christian authors to endorse my book but didn’t how to market. I thought after paying a huge amount of money I was going to be getting more help. The book is published but everything came to a standstill. I pray for you to have much success. God bless! Nicki J.

    34. Congratulations, Emily! That is so exciting and what an amazing story of God at work in your life! Can’t wait to read your books!

    35. Wow! What an amazing testimony! I can’t wait to read what you share with the world! God is so, so good and always faithful!

    36. This is so so exciting. And I’m in awe once again @ how God guides our steps…even the literal ones!! I’m happy for you AND for all of US who are walking with you on this journey! I’ll be praying for Him to guide your hand & heart as you pour out what He gives you to say…I look forward to reading! ♥️

      1. Emily, the most important thing is that your heard clearly from the Lord. and you are trusting Him. He will guide you along your way of your book writing. There are 3 scriptures that I leave with you. “I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.” — Psalm 89:34 NIV. “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” — Isaiah 25:1 NIV. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” — Hebrews 1023 NIV Blessings Wendy

    37. Congratulations! One of the things that drew me to you (and still does) is your transparency for God and your love for Him. It has been encouraging me and I like to hear your piece in it all. Best!

    38. I love this story!! Congratulations! I cannot wait to see what you create! In the meantime, I’ll be praying for the steps it takes to get to a final published project!! Cheers Emily!

    39. Emily, I’m so excited for you and this new journey you are taking. I can’t wait for the books to come out. They will be just as delightful and beautiful as you are. Congratulations!

    40. That’s amazing, Emily! I love it when we hear the Lord loud and clear and it’s even better when we listen and follow His direction. Wishing you the very best of blessings as you follow His path.

    41. Congratulations Emily. What a beautiful confluence of events.Rarely do we get clear confirmation that we are where we need to be so it’s wonderful to see you walking with that confidence into this next chapter. I’ve written two books and know what a long, solitary journey it can be. Looking forward to seeing the words and art you’ll put into this world.

    42. I am so excited to read what God lays on your heart to share. I am a quiet follower that has taken most of your courses and followed you journey for years!! How exciting it is to have something tangible from you in my home. Sign me up!! I’m not sure I can wait 2 years Emily!! 🤷🏼‍♀️🥰 📖👏

    43. Wow Emily! I am writing this with tears in my eyes. GOD is so very good. I can’t wait to see what you and HE do together! When you open your heart and eyes to his will, the universe will be on your side and things will naturally manifest for the good of all! So glad you get to experience this journey! Such an amazing story!

    44. I am writing this to you with tears in my eyes. God is so very good! I love hearing other ways that God is working in the lives of others!! I can’t wait to see what you and God can do together!!

    45. Our God is amazing! This is definitely an Ephesians 3:20 moment. There is only one explanation for how this all came together!
      Very excited for you as you continue on this journey. Can’t wait to buy your books!

    46. YAY! YAY for you, Emily. Love watching you grow and pivot and create and have fun! I have loved your watercolor art these past few months. Excited about your next adventure. Please take us along with you. Cheering for you here in Texas.
      xoxo

    47. “Found” you recently on Instagram and love following you. Signed up for your watercolor class, too. Love your spirit, Emily, and this story was beautiful. Congratulations!

    48. Congratulations! Such a beautiful example of faithfulness and answered prayer – even if it looks differently than expected. Cannot wait to get my hands on these and share them with everyone I know!

    49. I have tears in my eyes for the touching journey you have made and the adventure that awaits. Thank you for sharing and inspiring me to follow my dreams and open my ears to hear Him.

    50. Congrats Emily how wonderful! I love your story of how this all came to be. I love that you are making space to seek what God wants and not what the world wants!

    51. Amazing how it all worked out…in God’s time. :) Very excited for you and also to one day be a reader of your books!

    52. Wonderful news and I am so happy for you! I am a long time blog reader and I cannot wait to read your books. Best wishes on the writing process!

    53. Oh my word! I am so incredibly excited for you! (and for ME as a future reader of your books!) God’s perfect timing is so awesome!

    54. I am smiling from ear to ear reading this today. I am so excited for you and your journey ahead!

      Best wishes & happy writing!

    55. I love this!! I’m so excited to read the books one day. And as a fellow 9 – I completely resonate with the part about passive decision making. So glad that God’s voice was loud and clear and you could march confidently forward :)

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