The Overflow! Where souls are filled and faith is spilled: Writing

"My heart is overflowing with a good theme;

I recite my composition concerning the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

- Psalm 45:1 (NKJV)

     I imagined myself a writer long before I even knew the alphabet. My mother claims that before I could spell, I followed her incessantly with pen and paper and begged use of her fingers to print the stories in my head. When I learned to write, I unleashed the words in my mind and filled stacks of notebooks with original novels and prize winning poetry.

    My first published poem was a cheesy jingle for Spin Blend mayonnaise. It rang across the airwaves of a hip metro radio station all summer long when I was a gangly girl of thirteen. It earned me the honorary title of Miss Mayo and fifty dollars to spend as I liked. To celebrate, I bought a brand new pair of hot pink parachute pants and threw a party for my seventh grade English class. Though my radio fame faded, my love for words did not. I taught my first writer’s workshop at the age of fifteen and secured my own byline in the local newspaper shortly after.

     Eager to unlock the world of words for others, I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in English teaching. I had planned to grow gray behind a school desk, but after three short years, my heart was tugged home by a tow-headed toddler who called me Mommy.

     My world of words shifted from Shakespeare to Green Eggs and Ham, while my love for writing dissolved into grocery lists and post-it-notes. I no longer scribbled poetic thoughts into journals, no longer crafted stories in my mind. However, in the quiet of the night or the stillness of dawn, the bigger-than-me-demands of motherhood drove me to God's Word. And this word-girl fell in love with Word Made Flesh (John 1:14) all over again.
     Three babies later, when I was buried deep in diapers, dishes, and discipline God interrupted a midnight feeding and whispered, “Write.”

     Like Moses before the burning bush, I protested. “I can’t even complete a coherent sentence anymore.”

     “I’ll give you the words.”

     “I never went to graduate school. My husband’s the one with the M.D.”

     “I’ve equipped you for the call.”

     “Who will read it? I’m just an ordinary mom…”

     ”With an extraordinary God.”

My argument ran dry, and I began to write.

     From the trenches of motherhood, I penned articles of hope, humor, and encouragement. True to His promise, God placed my words into the hands of thirsty moms. My splashes of inspiration landed on the pages of magazines like Today’s Christian Woman, Proverbs 31 Woman, Hearts at Home, MomSense and Power for Living. Today, I'm still writing from the trenches of mommyhood (or from the front seat of the minivan). And I'm praying that God will use the words of this humble print missionary to illuminate the One who fills my soul.

   I am currently working on my first non-fiction book for mothers, dreaming up a children's book series, and creating devotions for families who want to bring the Living Word to life in their home.

     If you're a lover of reading, writing, or the Word Made Flesh, I hope you find inspiration here at The Overflow!

I'm honored to be featured in this beautiful devotional from MOPS. Join me and countless others here as we seek God's glory in all the giggles and grit of motherhood!