I met with a friend and her husband a few weeks ago to celebrate the launch of her new book, Azaria. I had helped her get started with it last fall, and she called me a month later to say she had finished it.

"What?!?" I said. "I can’t believe you wrote the whole thing!"

She said she had followed the tips I had given her to write it, and she was calling now to ask what to do next!

I couldn’t believe she had followed what I said and had finished writing her whole book, a 387-page memoir of her dramatic life. I was gripped by her story from cover to cover, from growing up on a farm to modeling in New York, from meeting Bill Blass to fighting bulimia, from being abused and abandoned to being found by Jesus and a man who loves to this day still.

I gladly jumped in and helped her for another 4-5 months editing, formatting, and uploading the book to Amazon. Her daughter-in-law helped design her cover. Her friends helped her proofread.

And last month she started selling her first copies… from "an idea in her head" to "published on Amazon" in just under six months!

When it was all done, we got together to celebrate with lunch and a toast. Her husband surprised me with a little birthday cake of my own, a party, and a special shirt he had made just for the occasion.

The shirt had my name stitched on it, along with the words, "Author – Advisor."

When I walked into the bathroom to put on the shirt, God spoke to my heart as I was looking in the mirror and pulling it over my head.

"Put it on and wear it," God said.

It made me cry. Why? Because I knew God was talking about more than just the shirt. He was talking about my gifting, my calling–not only to write and tell my own stories–but to help others write and tell their stories, too.

I’ve helped dozens of people do this over the years, but I’ve always seen it as something I’ve done "on the side." I’ve done it because I love doing it! I’ve done it because I love hearing other people’s stories! And I’ve done it to help even more people hear stories about what God is doing in people’s lives today.

But on that day, at that celebration of Pam’s book launch and my little birthday party, I felt God affirming that this was part of my calling, too: to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples–to use the gifts that God has given to me and to multiply those gifts so others can benefit from them, too.

"Put it on and wear it," God said. So I did. And I still am!

What about you? What is God calling you to do and saying, "Put it on and wear it"?

What is He putting on your heart that He wants you to take out into the world, to "go forth," and to do His will here on earth?

I’m amazed how God spoke to my heart! And I’m amazed that His calling is something I love do to. It’s not just His will. It’s my will, too. And whenever God’s will and our will line up… that’s a match made in heaven!

"Put it on and wear it!" I am praying this for you right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. If you’d like to join Pam and her husband Dennis and me for a public launch of her new book, we’ll be at the Streator Public Library in Streator, Illinois, on Wednesday, July 5th, from 11am-12noon, Central Time!

Pam will have copies of her new book, Azaria, and I’ll have copies of MY NEW BOOK–complete with all the tips I told her–calledWrite With Me! The ultimate guide to WRITE & SELF-PUBLISH that book on your heart!

You can also find both books on Amazon at these links:

Enjoy your day! Love you all!