July Newsletter – 🎆 Celebrating One Year of The Grace Space 🎆

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (ESV)

𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨

Yes, that's right—it's been a year since I started The Grace Space! The exact date is July 4, if you're wondering. And yes, I launched it on a national holiday on purpose so it would be easy to remember. :)

I would have loved to send a handwritten note to each of you on this occasion, but since that's not possible, I thought I'd do the next best thing and put one here.

I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of the top ten posts from this last year. Some are my favorites, while others are reader favorites. Whether you're new to the blog or have been reading for a while, I hope something here will interest you.

~ "Surrender in Every Season (Part 1)" - Surrender is one of my common writing themes, and this post (the first of two) weaves together some of the lessons I'm learning about it.

~ "Passing the Flame (Part 1)" - Intergenerational relationships within the church is another theme that's close to my heart. This post (also the first of two) shares some thoughts on this form of ministry.

~ "Embracing the Power of Encouragement" - Something else I'm passionate about is the power of encouragement. I've been learning a lot about this lately, so I'll probably write more about it, but this post covers some of the basics.

~ "Back to the Basics: What Is Worship?" - This is the first installment in a three-part series on worship, which seemed to draw reader interest.

~ "8 Songs of Surrender" - One of the most popular song lists I've shared so far.

~ "Favorite Worship Songs" - Another reader favorite.

~ "The Encouragement Playlist" - One of my favorite playlists I've put together. This was intended to go along with the post on encouragement mentioned above.

~ "A Faith that Sees" - The first installment in a three-part series, this story's down-home feel seemed to speak to readers.

~ "The Street Singer" - Another of my favorite stories on the blog, this resonated with readers as well.

~ "Peace Finds Me (a poem)" - The first (but not the last) poem posted on the blog.

𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴

In my March newsletter, I mentioned that I'd landed a position as managing editor at Skillful Pen Press. I'm excited to announce that the first project I worked on with them is finished! This is exciting for a couple of reasons: one, it's the first full-length project I've edited for a press, and two, it's the first published book with my name on the cover. Which is kind of ironic, because Through Rays of Light doesn't contain any of my writing. However, I did help select the poems included and was part of the editing process for each one. I also got to vote on the cover and title, so I think it's safe to say I had a major role, even though I didn't write anything for it. :)

𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴

There are a few books at various stages in the publishing process that do have some of my work in them. One is the lovely Calla Press's yearly spring journal. I was published for the first time in this journal a few years ago, so this publisher will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm extra excited about this edition because it's the first time they've followed a theme, and this year's theme is Living in Wonder. It's all about finding the beauty in ordinary things, which is one of my favorite topics to write about. Not only that, but my piece, "The Underestimated Wonder of a Quiet Life," was selected to be included in the "Featured Work" section. I was absolutely floored and incredibly honored.

Due to some delays, this year's edition has turned into more of a summer journal, but it's available for preorder if you are interested. You can find out more about it here.

Another project I'm excited about is a women's devotional anthology called Candid Moments: Living in Light of the Gospel, which includes a devotional I wrote on how the gospel changes our lives. This book won't be available until later this fall, but I couldn't resist giving you a sneak peek:

For my fiction readers, don't worry: I've got something for you too! A couple of short stories I've written have been accepted into anthologies both slated to release later this year. I hope to have more details about those in my September newsletter.

𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 (𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴)

“[O]ur ability to make a difference for God in a broken world, in society or in the church, comes through our capacity to be life in the midst of death, to be people of hope in a discouraging world.”

— Gordon T. Smith

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