I am so glad you are here. My name is Melissa H. Thompson and I am embarking on a brand new journey. Quite frankly, it is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. Regardless, I am moving forward in spite of my #fear and I really hope that you will come along with me. #bettertogether
A few years ago, me and my hubby went on a spiritual retreat called The Walk to Emmaus. This retreat changed our lives. God began speaking to us individually. I suspect God has been speaking all along, we were just too busy to listen. (How to hear from God) First, God instructed us to sell our home of nine years, the house I loved more than I should have. Next, God said move from the community I had been a part of all of my adult life. When you stay in one spot for any length of time, your roots can grow pretty deep. And finally, God said leave the church that I had attended for as long as I can remember. That was a hard one. But God had another question to ask of us, and it would prove to be the toughest decision yet. All of this was and is part of the journey, even though we did not know it. Hindsight really is 20×20. But hang on, we’ll get there.
Why would God ask us to do these things?
Well, as we go forward, I will be happy to tell you. In fact, I am eager to share my story. But the short of it is, God is teaching us to hear God, to be obedient to what God is saying and to trust God. Listen and obey. Obey and trust. Reminds me of the words of that old hymn, “Trust and obey for there’s no other way, to be happy…” Ultimately, God was and still is leading us to fulfill the dream that God has for our lives.
The Toughest “ask” yet.
So back to the toughest 'ask'yet. Sell my business of 20 plus years. The business that helps provide for our family and follow a dream I have had for a long while. To write a book. But not just one book, I have many books to write, all housed inside of me, just dying to get out. So here I go! I'm on my way with the first book, working title, The Me-disease. A book that God handed me one morning as I was putting on my makeup in front of the bathroom mirror. You can click over to my Books tabs to learn more about that story.
But back to this story. I want to share with you how I came to the realization that God had a different plan for my life than the one I have been living. I was watching Oprah’s Super Soul SundayJack Canfield was her guest that day and was talking about his best-selling book Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jack said, “If you have a dream, it is not your dream, it is God’s dream for your life and if it is God’s dream, God will give you everything you need to fulfill that dream.”. On that day, I realized I had been holding on to my #dream of writing a book with a tight fist. After hearing Jack, I gave my dream back to God. It was not my dream to possess. It was God’s dream for my life and if it was God’s dream for my life, God would give me everything I needed to fulfill that dream. In that moment, something shifted inside of me. Within a few seconds of #confession and #surrender, God spoke to my heart and clearly told me what to do, “SELL YOUR BUSINESS AND DO THIS THING.” I hadn’t felt that kind of #joy, #peace and excitement in a long long time. I felt alive with a bazillion butterflies flapping around in my belly. On that day in 2015, the dream of writing a book took flight. It lifted. And it is still lifting today, as we, me and my family, attempt to Trust and Obey the direction that God is pointing us.
That's where you come along. I need you. I believe I have a #community of friends, family and people I've yet to meet out there rooting me on. So I want to take you with me. I believe that you can encourage me and I can encourage you. I believe we all have gifts and talents and dreams tucked away inside ourselves. We may not even know they are there. But God knows. God longs for me and you to realize that God has so much more in store for our lives. I know I am at the beginning of that realization and I am so excited to see what comes.
How can you help?
Here's how you can help (don't tense up, I'm not asking for money – lol), subscribe to this page. My first goal is 1000 subscribers. So I hope you'll help me reach that first goal. Subscribe and then forward to your friends to subscribe. And maybe they'll forward to their friends and they will forward to their friends… Well, I think you get the idea. Next, goal 10,000 subscribers. (I have #bigdreams). When you come back to the page, you'll see where we are. And you will know that you have been part of making my dream a reality. Isn't that exciting!
Here's the big, immediate goal and the reason for this website; THE BOOK, working title, The Me-Disease. This is the dream. I hope to have my first manuscript ready for publishing mid-summer. How can you help? Prayers would be much appreciated. I'll be writing from now until then. Next up, publishing and finished product in your hands by early fall of this year 2018. Prayers continued please.
I will keep you updated on my journey.
There's another book behind this first book, called working title, #Others. I can't wait to share both of these books with you on this journey. They really do go hand in hand. Both are a gift from God. This website will be filled with nuggets from both books and other works yet to be. I will keep you updated on where I am in this process. I hope to give you valuable content. Things you can use in every day life to deepen your relationship with God. Keep in mind, I am learning. Especially in regards to this website. So bear with me. And, I welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let's keep it positive though. This is a site of encouragement and love, #livelove .
There's a speaking element to this endeavor, one of which I've been doing now for quite some time. Check out my Let's Talk tab for upcoming speaking engagements, clips of past events and my speaking calendar. There is information available on how to book me for your next event. In January of this year, I spoke in Tennessee at a weekend women's retreat. My topic, Peace and Purpose. I'll be posting excerpts from that talk and hopefully a little bit of video, to give you a glimpse. Subscribe to my website to get updates on all new content available. If you know me, you know I love a good conversation. Preferably small groups, to keep that one-on-one feel. But I'm not afraid of a big crowd. So, Let's Talk, sometime real soon.
So, in closing, “live a life of love” and let your life be a fragrant offering, filling you with the peace and joy that can only come from something Higher than ourselves.
#livelove
-M
