The Call

I firmly believe that every one of us has a God given destiny--a calling to fulfill God's plans and purposes for our lives.

For six years God has compelled me to pursue His calling on my life to communicate, and you'll have to trust me when I tell you it wasn't my idea. I've watched in sheer astonishment as He has opened one writing door after another, even though I'm the least qualified writer on the planet.

Have you ever dreamed a dream so big it seemed ridiculous? I think God gives us ridiculous dreams so that we'll cling to Him like a knit skirt fresh out of the dryer. When we finally succeed, (and there will be plenty of fumbles) we'll know it's the result of His gift at work in us, not because we're all that. Which leads me to The Call.

Details

Over the past year, I've worked on a nonfiction book for women. I've met with a few publishers, editors and agents at writers conferences and gotten a couple of nibbles, but nothing was happening, unless you count head banging.

Until recently.

Though I had nearly given up hope, at the beginning of the year I decided to send out my book proposal one last time to one last agent. If nothing happened, I'd shelve it and pray about my next step.

Then, in the middle of my blog and Twitter break, I heard back from the agent. He was interested (!) and wondered if I had tested the book material on actual women. It hadn't even occurred to me, but I liked his suggestion, made a few phone calls, and to my surprise and delight, a focus group of women quickly formed. We met together for three weeks (to read the first three chapters--normally included in a nonfiction book proposal); a second group of women who couldn't attend the group meetings read the chapters individually. I compiled a survey, threatened every woman with bodily harm if they dared to flatter me or withhold truth, and procured promises of honest feedback.

The test group turned out to be outrageously fun! It superseded all my expectations. The suggestions and ideas I received from the women helped me to adjust and tweak the book, which made it much stronger. I'm so grateful for all their help!

And then, I sent it all back to the agent: the updated proposal and survey results. That same day he e-mailed me back with a contract. *Squeal* We chatted on the phone the next afternoon, since I had lots of questions, which he patiently answered.

So, it's official! I have a literary agent, Les Stobbe. And while there are no promises in today's publishing market, I couldn't be more thrilled that I answered the call.

How about you? Are you pursuing your calling? Do you have a ridiculous dream?