Momma always said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
But I’ve taken it a step further.
If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything.
This year I’ve been more intentional in practicing the discipline of solitude. Taking regular days offline, simply enjoying whatever is in front of me: a good book, a movie, reorganizing furniture, taking a nap with a thirteen pound cat on my lap, or strolling in downtown Franklin window shopping. Even with the things that are screaming at me for attention, I’ve come to cherish the one day each week or so that I soak in the essence of what’s tangible and present.
Creatively, these days are refreshing. And as a new season approaches – my last week working at Cross Point, and a month before the first draft of my manuscript is due – I don’t think I could survive without them.
Every ounce of energy I have seems to be spent in working on Permission to Speak Freely. Granted, I don’t have a dozen books under my belt but I do think it’s fair for me to say that it’s unlike anything I’ve ever written before.
Usually I feel the pressure of someone’s expectation, whether it’s my own, or what I perceive to be yours, or my publisher. But this book is different. In its own way, it’s my way of living out the message of the book. I’m speaking more freely than I ever thought possible. Typically there are words I write that are just words…but this project is different. Every word I place into that running document is drenched in heart-felt inspiration. Inspiration I pray is an overflow of the words and whispers I hear a Father speaking to me.
His expectation is the only one that matters now.
A week from today, I’ll be isolated in a friend’s cabin on Orcas Island. I plan on being as disconnected as possible and will have some friends sharing their thoughts on my blog while I’m attempting to knock out a good 20,000 words or so on my manuscript.
There’s a part of me wants to apologize for the quietness that you may experience coming from this corner of the internet for the next month or so as I tie things up, but there’s a part of me who just wants to say thank you. Thank you for your encouragement, for reading (as inconsistent as things may be), for inspiring, and for letting me discover (and rediscover) the next steps on my journey with you.
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Comments
27 responses to “Momma Always Said”
Anne,
Since I first discovered your book and this little corner of the net I have come away many times inspired and challenged.
Don’t apologize for taking time away. To me it means you are modeling your own book Mad Church Disease and avoiding burnout.
Enoy your last week at Crosspoint and your retreat to write.
In Christ,
Rick
I am just thankful I can read anything you write. No apology necessary….have a wonderful time doing what you love to do…writing what God lays on your heart!
thinking of and praying for you during these next few weeks!
Your solitude is paying off…in more ways than one.
Many of the wisest, speak fewer words and do not express their opinion on every little thing.
I also thinks not speaking constantly or blogging incessantly , helps us not to drown out that still, small voice.
Can’t wait for your new book.
I’ll be praying for you in this new season. :)
Thinking of you Anne while you take this quiet time!!!
Powerful gifts are given to be dispensed during solitude. Blessings on your time apart.
Sandy
I think you are fantastically talented and remarkably honest.
Thank you for this post…and for taking the time you know that you need.
Praise God that you can pull away from the world and delve into full creative mode with God. That’s a rare blessing!
Sigh…I want a writing cabin in the woods! We’ll miss you Anne.
Thanks for your posts. I’ll be praying for you!
Enjoy your time! Looking forward to reading the fruit of your solitude.
You guys are too sweet. Ya’ll are the best.
I think we are all really looking forward to this book, Anne. It’s such a great project – one that I suspect will provide many of us with a sense of solidarity and companionship, spark a lot of important conversations, and perhaps pave the way for healing and reconciliation with the Church.
Good to hear that you are approaching your deadline with such zen-like calm. :-) A month before my manuscript was due, I took to drinking three cups of coffee in the morning!
Wishing you all the best!
Excellent post… this is a lesson I am trying to learn for myself as well… I tend to like to hear “my” opinion… My wife is very good at keeping to herself… I’m slowly learning too…
aww! Such a good post. Thank you for explaining your journey with writing. I love how things like that can call us deeper.
I have a request. Please. :-) Breath in Orcas Island for me!!! Loved it there. May God go with you.
Anne, it’s in those quiet moments that we CAN hear from God. So relish them. They can be all too rare. God spoke to me very loudly when I was down for the count with mono a few years ago…..it was probably the only time i had sat down to be still and listen. no joke, sadly.
Blessings on your time away. Praying for God to replenish your soul in a divine way.
Enjoyed my day at CP btw. Thanks!
Thank You! i can’t wait to read the book, i know it’s going to be great.
Anne, I don’t think you could have picked a more beautiful spot to get away, rest (we hope?), and work on the book. I lived in the Northwest for over 10 years, and when the sun is out it’s absolutely gorgeous. Heavenly! We’ll all be praying for you, including that you’ll have some of those sunny days. (A student from the Canadian prairies once explained that area’s weather to me by claiming that the locals just looked at the mountains. If they could see them, it was going to rain. If they couldn’t, it already was.) So may you have many “going to rain” days – when it ISN’T, and when you CAN see it all! You’ll love it.
Hey Anne,
Good for you! :)
I’ve always lived by that rule of if you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything.
Then I get accused of being rude, snobbish, standoffish, etc.
Sabbaths are good things, whether they be from Twitter & the internet or from the realities of life itself. I’m learning this as we speak. This weekend was the first Sabbath my husband and I have had in quite a while. We were able to spend time with each other and not have any commitments or obligations with the exception of church Sunday night. I’ve been wondering when life became so busy. I think I’m gonna have to take a page from this book and apply it to my life more often.
Praying that the Lord really ministers to you while your on your trip and as you take this new step.
just prayed for you now
I echo much of what has been said in that I come to your blog expecting to be challenged and never leave disappointed. I feel like so many times God has used your words to tell me exactly what I needed to hear. He was whispering to my heart through you. I respect and admire the way you live out what you challenge others to do – take quiet time, focus on God and not the work, prevent burnout. As a fellow introvert I appreciate not being the only one in ministry who loves the people side of it but at times MUST give the introvert a little attention. So awesome to see how God is using you to encourage quiet time, truth, honesty, brokenness, and transparency in his Church here on earth. May He bless your quiet time and use it to bring you closer to Him, strengthen your faith, and reenergize your heart to serve his Church.
Very good thoughts. I think of Job when he said, “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth . Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” Good word again!
I find that these days I blog, facebook, and twitter less, but have more time to just be still and have a quiet dialog with God. There are seasons for me where it’s good to have that time to listen, and to be fully alive and fully human. It’s like God uses that time to input His data inside. Then that has time to take root and grow inside me. After that God normally helps sort it all out for me and more productive output takes place to the people He puts in my world. That’s especially true when I’m the busiest with work and living. That was part of God reclaiming my life from a bunch of religious activity. What a cool thing that God loves to be wtih us, just BEING with us when you window shop in Franklin or I go stare at the ocean here. For me, part of being really loved is to just be with someone in their presence without having to perform for them. Enjoy your time away, and may God help you sort out all that data His been working into you this year for the next book. I believe that the outcome of your work and the things people have also shared is going to be powerful! You go girl.
I am very excited about the book. I am just finishing Mad Church Disease which I could swear you wrote about my life and ministry. Chapter after chapter I was amazed that all of my feelings and anger and doubt were addressed. I thought I was in the wrong job, at the wrong church and certain that God did not call me. How could he have if I felt this way? It has helped me…big time!
Take your time. We will be here when you get back.