My FAVORITE paragraph from Holy Crap!
There are so many sections of the “Holy Crap” book I enjoy, but this paragraph from Chapter one is probably one of my favorites.
From Chapter One: Holy Crap! This Book is for Everyone! (electiopublishing.com)
“I started running a few months ago and had a small “revelation” about people who don’t think they can run extended distances. Someone asked me about being able to run and he said, “I could never run that far and not pass out.” I told him “you will never be able to run as far as you want until you run as far as you can.” It was so weird because it just came out of my mouth and has ended up being an encouragement to myself in all areas of my life, including my relationship with Jesus. Just start with what you can do and don’t stop trying. Eventually you will see yourself “running” with Jesus further than you could have imagined and in better mental and spiritual shape than you could have ever dreamed.”
I love this section so much because it is really the essence of Holy Crap; DON’T EVER GIVE UP. I know it’s not easy to get up one more day when you are going through crap. I understand the thoughts of feeling like you are reliving the same nightmare day after day with no hope or end in site. I am not saying this and thinking that everything will instantly get better but just asking you to do one thing. Do what you can do today and keep going.
Praying for you and cheering you on.
Don’t Lose Hope
The above pic is when I was on Prednisone and then what I look like now. If you are going through something terrible, I understand the hopelessness of thinking that things will never get better and wanting to give up. Don’t. I cannot promise the outcome of your life, but I can promise that reaching out to God is never a bad option. Even when I wanted to give up on God in my crap He would not give up on me.
Maybe you have a friend or family member who is going through a painful situation and needs someone to reach out to them. Be the one who makes that connection and bring encouragement to those you know who are down.
Have a great day and I am praying for you.
Keep Calm and Shut Your Pie Hole
From Chapter 13 – The Do’s and Don’ts
“One thing that is important to do with someone going through pain is just to spend time with them without talking about what they are going through.”
I have an entire chapter where I discuss what TO say and do and the things NOT to say or do with someone going through pain. Before I got sick I didn’t realize the power of having a totally unrelated conversation with someone could be so refreshing and actually help me get my mind off of the situation I was in. We don’t need to have all the right answers for people in pain and just by reaching out and offering to connect, you can have a greater positive impact than you could imagine.
If you have someone you know going through something painful it may be time to reach out to him or her and not attempt to psychologically deduce what is going on or ask 400 questions about their situation. When you actually DON’T ask them about all the details of where they are in life I am fairly sure you will pleasantly shock them. Just being there for people can be more than 1,000 words could ever say.
Have a great night and week!
Holy Crap Book Info and Ways You Can Help!
The pic above is from the Celestial Seasonings tea tour with my mom and Yolanda. It’s in this post just for a laugh! Haha
We are only a few short days away from my book being available on my publisher’s website this coming Tuesday, June 7th. I wanted to make people aware of some things that they can do to help get the word out about my book and helping it get into the hands of people who I believe really need to be encouraged by my story.
If you can buy my book on the http://www.electiopublishing.com website the week of June 7th that would be AWESOME. I really want to show my publisher that there is a need for the book even before the full release on June 28th. I am not sure how long you would have to wait to get the book once you order it from them but you will be the first to get one before anyone else. If you are in town or at one of the book releases we are planning then you can bring it and I will sign it if you would like.
The FULL release of Holy Crap will be on June 28th and that is about the time I will have the author copies available that Yolanda and I are ordering. We are planning a probable book release here in Denver and a few other states possibly (think of states I have lived in…:) and will have books with me for you to buy. We are using the new Square credit card readers (that include the chip readers and apple pay, android pay, etc.) we will be able to process card payments as well as cash.
Once you read the book, even if you didn’t buy it on Amazon.com, if you could go to Amazon and leave a review once it is up after June 28th that would be stupendous (and I don’t just throw those kinds of words around 🙂 The interesting thing is that the “normal” book world looks at Amazon reviews to see how a book is doing and also can encourage big box bookstores, like Barnes & Noble, to carry a book if it is popular enough.
If you have ANY connections at all to people who could help get the book into areas of your town or state (radio, TV, bookstores, etc.) please notify me so we can chat (Facebook also works to connect) about how to maybe get the book into your area.
I will have window decals available (cut out 3M lettering that will look sweet and not goofy looking) of my website HolyCrapBook.com that I want to encourage people to put on their car windows to help us promote the book over the summer. I will have these decals in the next couple of weeks and can get them to people in Denver but will also be willing to ship them to you if you would like one.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, please be praying for the next few months of my life and the things that we believe God wants to do with the book. As I have said to many people and from the beginning, we are not thinking of this as a moneymaker as much as a ministry to people hurting and ready to give up. I am especially trying to get the book into people’s hands who do not go to church.
Thanks everyone!! I am sure excited for the future and using such a crappy and painful time in my life to have greater meaning than, “Hey! I made it!”
Stop Fighting People and Start Fighting Hell
I went on a little run tonight in my first town I lived in when I got married, Worland Wyoming. As ran and prayed I asked God to show me what was happening in the Spiritual realm in town so I could know how to pray while I am here. I felt impressed with something that almost changed the paradigm of ministry to people and even what I am trying to do with Christian Television in Denver.
I felt like he said, “it is time for people who follow me to stop fighting other humans and start fighting hell.”
I think there are too many people who stand behind the wall of “what they believe” and throw rocks at all the people they don’t agree with or disapprove of. I really have no idea where that mentality came from because Jesus sure was not like that when he was on the earth interacting with people who probably did not line up with his belief system.
It is much easier to tell people what you are against than to stand up for what you do by leading with love and acting like Jesus. For some reason, we feel that interacting and working with people we disagree with in some way is going to “taint” our “super-holy walk” with baby Jesus. This is EXACTLY the mentality that the devil wants believers to have.
Until we start to see people who are dealing with the struggles of life just like us, we will continue to judge the actions of people we disagree with instead of loving people FIRST and then praying and looking for our role in their lives.
Stop acting like the religious people of the Bible. They were the ONLY ones who Jesus argued with in the Bible, by the way.
I want to be known as the one who doesn’t agree with everyone but loves LOUDER and FIRST with EVERYONE I come in contact with during my life. That’s what Jesus did and that is what I am going to do. Want to join me?
A Moment of Transparency with the Holy Crap Book
I really can’t believe that my book is coming out on June 7th. It has been such an incredibly long and arduous journey getting my thoughts out of my head and into a manuscript. It has taken me 7 years to write and get my book to a publisher and the whole time I was sick was only 5 years.
Now that I am finished with the first phase of getting a finalized manuscript to the publisher I am thinking about what my book could mean to people who read it, good AND bad. I have had to come to grips with the fact that some people are not going to like what I have to say maybe because it is not at their literary level or it is too simple (for those people who want a deep theological discussion, which it is not) or that I strike a nerve in people and their relationship with God by talking about something that really hurts. I have ALWAYS said that if you don’t want to be criticized then don’t put yourself into the public eye. The problem with that philosophy for me is that my story, and what I felt like I learned through it, is more important to share with people who are lost in their hurt with no where to turn than for me to worry about public scrutiny.
Many people may think that I am completely secure in who I am because I joke a lot, talk a lot and like to be the center of attention all the time. I am telling you that there is a real struggle inside when thinking of dealing with hurtful words thrown at me when I am pouring out my heart in a book like Holy Crap. I know that God has been and is my strength but it is still something I know I will deal with as long as people are reading my book and giving feedback.
I guess this blog is a micro version of what my book will be for those who read it; transparent thoughts to help people relate to what I have been through and even currently go through. If God was big enough to get me through the hardest season of my life then He will be able to carry me through this next phase of the story.
Holy Crap! It’s almost time to share my story with the world! I pray that my book will bring healing where there has been hurt and hope where there has been despair. Thanks for coming along on the journey with me!
Holy Crap 