Writing/Publishing

(To start from Part One click here. And if you can't see the images click here.) 

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Congratulations to Dawn for winning the Christmas set giveaway! If you still want the set or anything else I've talked about in this series you can find it on DaySpring.com and get 20% off with my friends and family code. (holley20)_____________________________________________________________________

And now for the rest of the story…

For several years I spent most of my time at DaySpring on cards and gift items.

I also got to be editorial director for Blessings Unlimited, a direct-to-consumer division of DaySpring (think Pampered Chef or Mary Kay).

We'd meet as a team to brainstorm, pray, and ask God for new creative ideas. He always answered and this beautiful catalog is an example.

I love working with Blessings Unlimited!

Then a year or so ago God began nudging my heart in new directions. At first I didn't know what it meant. I just had a vague sense that I wanted to be closer to something, someone. And then one day I realized it was YOU.

As I explored the social media world more, a dream began forming in my heart for a community of women online that was about every part of us—spiritual, emotional, social, and even practical! I began talking about this possibility with other women and found they shared this dream too. In particular, my coworkers Stephanie and Lainie also felt a passion for a new way to build a relationship with you.

Over the next year we spent hours talking about what this meant, praying about what God had in store, and moving in that direction without even knowing where we were going exactly.

All of that eventually became a new site called (in)courage. I hope you'll take a moment to read the whole story here.

(in)courage was never a corporate initiative. It was a calling.

And it has become an amazing God-sized adventure that has knocked my socks off.

(in)courage has convinced me that God can and does do the impossible.

Come closer, and I'll whisper to you why that's true. In less than three months, we've had well over 100,000 unique visitors to the site from almost 170 countries. Our page views are on track to hit half a million this week.

And, y'all, I just don't think that happens without Jesus.

We have a team of almost thirty amazing women who write and create products for the site. They are the heart of what we do and I'm honored to know and work with each of them. You can get to know them here.

That's the latest chapter in my God-story with DaySpring. I'm so thankful that you let me share all of it with you. If you take anything away from it I pray it's this…

If God can use me then He can (and does) use you. And there is nothing that can get in the way of His plans. It doesn't matter what anyone says—not a publisher, not people, not the pulpit—God is the author of your story and He gets to write the ending. Period. There is no mistake too great, no weakness too big for Him to overcome, no obstacle too complicated for Him to get around.

Find out what He created you to do and then do it. You + God are unstoppable.

I wrote this piece for Blessings Unlimited and I'd like to close this series with it because it expresses my heart for you…

You are a woman of strength—
more than a conqueror,
able to do all things,
a warrior and princess
in the Kingdom of God.
You are called to fight,
to minister, to pray,
to change the world.
The Lord has given you
all you need
and made you
all you need to be
for victory. 
So go forth, strong sister,
With a smile on your face,
a heart full of hope,
and a determination
to never stop until
you receive every
blessing God has for you.

I can do everything through Him
who gives me strength.
PHILIPPIANS 4:13 NIV

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(To start from Part One click here. And if you can't see the images click here.) 

First of all, thank you for letting me share my story! I've never done so before and it's been fun, humbling, and a little bit scary. I'm amazed that you're not only reading but leaving kind comments too! I'd hug you all if you were here.

Explaining everything I worked on at DaySpring during the first few years is a bit like trying to describe a kaleidoscope so I'd love to just share a few of my favorite projects with you…

I wish I had a big yellow umbrella
that would keep away all the rain in your life. I would hold it over your head, and the drops would splash, splash, and you would never even feel it. But I don’t have a big yellow umbrella – so I’ll walk through the rain with you.

The card above began as an e-mail to my friend Heather on a tough day. She was a designer at DaySpring and it became the starting point for a summer line called Heather and Holley in stores several years ago.

Then this new version of it came in 2008 and won Card of the Year at the Louie Awards (the greeting card equivalent of the Oscars) in New York City!

I love that card because while most of my cards start with an assignment, it simply came from the heart in a moment of need for a friend.

I've helped create card lines for stores like LifeWay, Family Christian, Hallmark, Wal-mart, and a variety of other places. Altogether I've written about 2000 cards!

I've also worked on other paper items like journals, calendars, and this Comfort and Encouragement booklet. It's a ministry guide for anyone who wants to help others through losses.

I wrote it during my counseling degree when I assisted with a grief support group. The name of each person in the group and the loved one they lost are in the front of the book. Sorrow is sacred ground and I'll always be grateful for those who let me walk and learn with them.

 
  
I even got to write three children's books with Thomas Nelson through a partnership! I love knowing that even if I don't have kids of my own yet, I can be part of building a heritage of faith in other families.

DaySpring also does gift items so some of my projects are things like ornaments, mugs, and home decor. Here's a little Christmas message that I wrote for card that became the inspiration for a gift line…

The Meaning of the Snowflake
Every new snowflake comes to the earth
as a picture of our Saviour’s birth,
because they are sent from up above
and remind us of God’s care and love.
Each one is so intricate and small
because Christ sees the details of us all,
and just as two are never the same
the Lord knows and calls us each by name.
Snowflakes gently cover the world in white
and hide what’s unlovely from our sight,
showing us how He covers our sin
and gives us His grace when we come to Him.
So may every snowflake bring Christ to mind
and in every bit of white may you find a
reason to celebrate anew and a reminder
of His love for you.

I love being a small part of connecting women with God and each other.

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Without you, none of the words I write would matter. 

I truly appreciate you so I'm having a giveaway of this Christmas set as a little thank you!

It's from the gift line I mentioned above and it comes with two mugs as well as a carafe that's perfect for serving cozy cups of tea or cocoa.

Just leave a comment before midnight on Saturday to enter!_________________________________________________________________________________

A couple of years ago, God began stirring something new in my heart and that has turned out to be an amazing adventure I never expected. To be continued…

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(To start from Part One click here. And if you can't see the images click here.) 

I continued freelancing for DaySpring and eventually they asked if I'd like to be an intern. Of course I said "yes!" and started coming to the office one day a week during the school year and full-time during summers.

My duties consisted of glamorous tasks like entering ancient cards typed on 3×5 notecards into an even more ancient computer.

But I didn't care because occasionally I got to write.

JESUS
He came not to a throne,
but to a manger.
He lived not as a king,
but as a servant.
He chose not a kingdom,
but a cross.
He gave not just a little,
but everything.
–Holley Gerth

  
  
In those days, our schedules were a lot slower and I'd often carry my card assignments out to a picnic table under an oak tree outside. I usually took a stack of books with me too. For example, if I had a Sympathy card to write I'd read about grief and what comforted people most.

Sometimes our whole department would go to a nearby Bed & Breakfast for the day. We'd pray, sift through stacks of magazines until an idea hit us, or even watch a movie to get inspiration.

Inside…

Hope is more than just a word—
it’s a state of being.
It’s a firm belief that
even if you don’t know how,
even if you don’t know when,
God will come through
and better days are ahead.
Life sends rain…
Hope dances in the puddles
until the sun comes out again.
—Holley Gerth

When I look back on those times, I'm thankful God eased me into the publishing world by gaving me a time of rest and growth.

I graduated, married, and moved to Colorado Springs where I worked at a travel magazine and then a software company writing manuals (torture!).

After almost a year it seemed God was calling us back to home and DaySpring. When I returned, I found a place far different than my internship. Our quaint little company had been bought by Hallmark and had more opportunities than we'd ever dreamed.

Even though many things have changed, I've kept many of the lessons I learned during my internship with me as a writer…

1) Creativity is inherently relational. As a writer, the best place to start isn't our own mind–it's God's heart and then the heart of someone else. We create with God for someone else.

2) Creativity has to be cultivated. Its seeds are sown through time, inspiration, new experiences, relationships. We reap creativity when we've done the hard work of planting and tending it.

3) Creativity and life are intimately linked. If we're not living fully or well, we won't create fully or well either. Taking care of ourselves is not selfish. It's an investment in the vessel God uses to create. We're his pens, canvases, paintbrushes.

4) Creativity is never complete. Because it's linked to life, we are always growing, learning, expanding in our creativity. We can always get better.

What have you discovered about creativity? I'd love to learn from you.

God did keep giving me opportunities to grow at DaySpring. I was no longer an intern but a writer and editorial director with the privilege of working on best-selling card lines, collaborating with talented teams, winning awards for our work, and being surprised by God in other ways I couldn't have imagined. To be continued…

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(To read Part One click here. And if you can't see the images click here.) 

I slipped my card ideas into an envelope and sent them off with hope and a prayer.

Have you ever sent a dream, a piece of your heart, out into the world?

Then you know how my heart was pounding all the way to the mailbox. And at nineteen years old, I had no clue about all the proper things you're supposed to do to get published.

…CHRIST

He is with you and many prayers are for you as you fight this battle.

You answer me and encourage me by giving me the strength I need. Psalm 138:3

When the phone rang a few weeks later a sweet woman named Ann (who is still my coworker) told me yes, DaySpring did want some of my ideas. I didn't know then that their freelance acceptance rate was about one percent.

Ann asked if I'd like to send more ideas or drop them off personally and meet the staff. It turned out DaySpring was only about thirty minutes from where I attended college. I told her I'd love to stop by.

DaySpring started out small. They relocated from California in the early 1970s and the building where I first worked was a renovated duplex that was expanded bit by bit to hold over a hundred employees (of the almost 500 who worked there then). It overflowed with life and creativity.

So for more reasons than one, when I walked through the door that first day it felt like my heart came home.

Roy Lessin, one of the founders, took me to the product room where row after row of cards was displayed, much like my grandparents' store. He told me to look around while I waited to meet with Linn (who is still my boss now!).

As I quietly read through cards, Roy slipped up behind me again. He tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a journal. On the cover a blond-haired, brown-eyed little girl smiled in a photograph. She looked a lot like me.

I thanked Roy for the kind gift. After he walked away, I flipped through the blank pages of the journal. I couldn't help thinking of another journal–one that had a thousand pages. I'd just finished it and so many of the events recorded there during my season of rebellion filled me with regret.

I felt the Lord whispering, "Start over…and don't write anything on these new pages you wouldn't want me to read."

By the time Linn came to get me, I realized a new chapter in my life was beginning.

I'm glad God called me to DaySpring then–not when I was the "Christian good girl," not when I felt like I deserved it, not even when I knew anything about publishing.

I'm here not because of what I've done or know but because of Who chose me for reasons beyond my understanding.

If you have a God-dream in your heart you may be thinking, "But I need to be more _________. Or I need to know__________. Or if I could just ____________. " I hope my story encourages you that God is bigger than all of those blanks.

As Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Yes, we are to be proactive partners in the process who pursue excellence. But God is the one who makes it happen. Nothing is impossible for Him…and for us because we are His.

And in my adventure with DaySpring He was just getting started–to be continued.

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When I had writer's block recently, I asked what you'd like to see as a post. Several of you mentioned DaySpring so I thought I'd start there…

 
(Cover of an award-winning card I wrote, inspired by my personal struggle.)

My grandparents had a Christian bookstore when I was growing up. I spent many hours curled up on an old chair in back of the store reading the stacks of books I'd gathered from the shelves.

I wrote my first book at age five. It was not published but proudly tucked away by its number one fan–my Mom.

I never really considered another career besides writing.

My grandma on my Dad's side was an English teacher. So it seemed words flowed through my veins and heart from the moment I came into the world.

In school I wrote poetry during science class and carried around enourmous notebooks.

I graduated and enrolled as an English major.

All through high school I'd been the "good Christian girl." And frankly, the pedestal was getting old. That first semester I rebelled.

I came home for Christmas broken and desperately missing God. During that time my sweet Grandma (the one with the bookstore) mentioned to her DaySpring sales representative that she had a granddaughter who wanted to be a writer. The representative told her I could send some ideas.

So she passed that little bit of good news along and I decided to try a few greeting cards. It became a turning point in my faith too.

And I know now that what happened next is nothing short of a miracle…to be continued.

What do you want to be when you grow up? (None of us really are grown up yet…right?)

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