Write Your Heart Out: A Giveaway.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I don't think I'm that great of a writer. 

Seriously.  I'm not going to impress you with perfect grammar or sentence structure.  I can't remember half of the literary terms that years of honors English classes tried to beat into my head.  It has never been my intention to create great works of theological study.

I don't want to be perfect, but I do want to be authentic.

So, in the spirit of authenticity, I need to tell you that I wanted to quit writing a few months ago.

I've been casually throwing words together since the third grade, so the idea that I would ever want to put my writing pen away seems unfathomable.  But I did.  What once felt like breathing suddenly felt like a burden, and it was the worst form of torture.

I put my pen down.  I locked up the words in my chest and told them they couldn't come out.  People had always told me I could write, and because I wanted to believe them, I accepted it.  But now?  Now I knew the truth.  I wasn't a writer.  My words were nothing.

I discovered, very quickly, that when God creates you to do something, you have to do it.  Even if you don't want to.  Even if you don't think you can.  There will be a literal buzz that hums through your body until you release the gift that God has given you.  It is constant.  It is annoying.

It is beautiful.

I picked up the pen, put words to paper, and felt myself exhale for the first time since I had mistakenly convinced myself that the words I wrote were mine to keep.  

And maybe there's a gift inside of you that you've locked away, and maybe it hums through your veins and begs to see the light of day.  And maybe, just maybe, you should remind yourself that this gift?  This annoyingly beautiful gift that you just want to put down? It's been given to you, but it's not really yours to keep.

*******

My writer friend, Tiffany, is a gem.  You know those genuinely kind, creative people that you just love immediately?   Yeah, she's one of those.  And she knows a thing or two about using, and sharing, the gifts that God has given.

That's the heart behind her new creative ministry, The Inspire Shop.  She aims to create #mugswithamission: beautifully crafted mugs that will inspire you as you sip your daily cup of tea or coffee. 

But they aren't just coffee mugs.  Tiffany wants to bring that same inspiration out into the community.  Once a month, a team of volunteers come together to bring the love of Jesus and crafts to women who are choosing to leave addictions, abuse, and lies behind for a purposeful life. 

I love the heart behind her shop, and because God is good and His timing is impeccable, the mug came like a gentle reminder that these words and this heart are meant to be poured out.

And because Tiffany is so kind, she wants to bless one of you with the mug of your choice! 

So here's how this works:

• Visit The Inspire Shop and pick your favorite mug. (WARNING: You will want all of them because they are beauties.)
• To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below!  Tell us which mug you would want to win. (You must comment here on the blog; comments on social media WILL NOT count.)
• One entry per person.
• Winner will be chosen by Random Result.
• Giveaway starts 5/8/17 at the time of this posting and ends 5/14/17 at 11:59 PM.
• I will announce the winner on 5/15/17 via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  (If you're not following me on social media, what are you waiting for?!  I'm a cool chick.  Let's be friends.  You can find my social media over on the sidebar ------>)

That's it!  It's that simple.  So which mug do you absolutely love?