When I went back to re-read the June replay email, trying to make sure I don’t miss something in the round-up of things below, I had to laugh at this line at top:
“Hope plays the long game.” (June)
We talked about a whole bunch in yesterday’s Zoom chat with Holley, and there are several great quotes (“Having a soft heart in a hard world is courage, not weakness.” “My role is obedience; God’s role is results.” Etc) but one of the themes?
“Hope is not a liar.” (August)
No pun intended, but my hope is that if you’re struggling to have hope today, if it’s wearing a little thin, the conversation will be an IV infusion of encouragement for “the middle place.”
Some of the things we talked about on our call yesterday:
The “why” behind Fiercehearted being Holley’s personal favorite
How Holley prepared for writing Fiercehearted (Mind blown. So smart.)
Sharing stories from the middle, in real time when you don’t have a bow to nicely tie everything up
The path of vulnerability vs. the path of self-protection
The difference between being nice and being kind
How do we keep our heart open after being deeply hurt and what does it look like to continue showing up with hope?
What does it mean/look like for us to be fiercehearted on our *own* behalf?
A safe place to come back to when we’re feeling overwhelmed (present tense I AM)
Seemingly small practices that bring beauty, meaning and gratitude
Moving from “it’s not enough” to “manna for the day”
Showing up and loving well after betrayal
The powerful difference between hoping IN and hoping FOR
What Holley would go back and say to herself as she wrote Fiercehearted, now that it’s been several years
Creativity, writing, and faithfulness vs. fame