• Confessions of a self-published author

    ByKristin books, life, Real-life Confessions

    I released a book in September and didn’t do much to promote it – at least not in comparison to what I had planned both on paper and in my mind. I am proud of the book. I loved researching and writing it. I believe Created for Communion: Discovering God’s Design for Biblical Friendship is a message that matters. 

    But a few weeks after I realized it, life got hard – more difficult than I saw coming, which I know is life sometimes. And I know people have walked through more fiery trials than I have. Even so, this season knocked me sideways. I went into survival mode with one of my children and dived into advocating and learning about what that child needed. The hard continued into November, through the holidays, and the new year. I think, maybe, hopefully, we’ve turned a corner – and not because of anything I did but by the grace of God. 

    While that hard was happening, a friendship shifted in a major way that caused me to grieve. This friendship had been gradually changing over the previous year, but then a conversation created a bunch of emotional explosions that rocked my world. 

    These two hard situations were simultaneous. Autumn was full of these changes and realizations and heartache, holiday traditions changed seemingly without warning, and a friendship that used to be one way was another way. 

    Meanwhile, I thought about this book I wrote about friendship – yes, that friendship that has been hard but also others that have carried me through. I learned some things I wish I had known to include. 

    I sold a few copies of Created for Communion here and there. I told some newer friends that I did indeed write books. I probably should have shared with more people that this new one is probably my favorite one. Maybe it feels like my favorite because of what I’ve walked through these past six months. (Shout out to Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family and Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories of Gathering & Nourishing People because, really, they’re my favorites too.) 

    So here I am, sharing about Created for Communion: Discovering God’s Design for Biblical Friendship. I’ve been re-discovering the value of having friends who know all the things and love me anyway. God works through these friendships to draw me to Him. He didn’t intend for us to walk through the muck of life alone, so He gave us His Son and His people. 

    I’ve shared a couple of excerpts on my website: Suffering Friends and Purposeful Friends. Plus you can learn more about Created for Communion here, where there are fun freebies, including a sample chapter, playlist, and pretty printable list of One Another verses. 

    Regardless of whether you read my book, let’s be friends with God and with one another because it’s the only way to truly live. Trust me, I know. And let me know if you want to buy a book as a reminder. 

  • Real-life {summer} confessions

    ByKristin Porch Stories, Real-life Confessions
    18 Comments

    My calendar says today is the First Day of Summer, you know, officially. My kids, our routine, and our darkened skin say otherwise. We’re about a month into Summer, according to the big kids’ school calendar. But, you know, in honor of the actual calendar and the fact Summer is my favorite, how about some real-life mom confessions? These really are the kind of things we’d talk about if you were on my porch or in my pool.

    1. I lose track of how often my kids shower and I don’t care. Hello, pool.

    2. I threw away the reading logs that came home from school at the end of the year as soon as I saw them. Ben has actually had his nose in books way more this summer than ever before, and, well, if you know Cate, then you know she’s always reading, often a book she’s already read.

    (Reading logs could make my Summer Not-To-Do List …)

    3. I don’t have chore charts or bucket lists, but we still do chores and have fun. I do sometimes jot down lists for the big kids, especially Ben, who is more productive when he can focus on thing at a time rather than me blurting out 36 instructions at once.

    4. I eat Wyler’s Italian Ice popsicles at least as much as my kids. And I drink grape Crystal Light because it tastes like Kool-Aid.

    5. I went to a school board meeting to interview a teaching candidate recently in shorts, a T-shirt, and flip flops. I totally meant to change before I met Greg to eat, hand off the kids, and swap vehicles. I forgot. Legitimately forgot.

    6. Sometimes cooking dinner in the summertime involves hot dogs on the George Foreman grill.

    7. I wore my shorts-and-tank swimsuit with another tank top on top to pick up Cate from horse camp. In other words, I wear my swimsuit in public sometimes.

    What real-life confessions do you have to share?

    {Tweet that.}

    *****

    Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories

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  • He makes a way

    ByKristin Real-life Confessions
    2 Comments

    “We will sing to our souls
    We won’t bury our hope
    Where He leads us to go
    There’s a red sea road

    When we can’t see the way
    He will part the waves
    And we’ll never walk alone
    Down a red sea road …”

    {From “Red Sea Road” by Ellie Holcomb}

    I’ve been taking steroids for a couple weeks {um, go away, Poison Ivy} and they’re doing all kinds of things while gradually drying up the rashes on my stomach and arms. Like making me hungry and restless and irritable … and wrecking my blood sugar levels … and making me thirsty. So thirsty.

    While running errands before picking up the kids from school Tuesday afternoon, I drank water & Diet Dr Pepper. And then I sat in the pickup line and decided I could wait until I got home {22 minutes later} to use the bathroom.

    Except then I couldn’t.

    So I stopped at the only gas station directly between school and my house. I hauled all three kids in the gas station, which also is a burger & milkshake restaurant.

    When we rapidly approached the single restrooms in the back, I gave Rachel, who wasn’t wearing shoes because she took them off {again} to Cate AND GOT IN LINE. At 3:20 p.m., this rural gas station/restaurant had a line.

    Grandpa was waiting for his wife and trying to convince Granddaughter it was okay to use the boys’ bathroom because they were single stalls and she could lock the door. She was having none of that so my son jetted past them for his turn. When he came out, Grandma was still in the girls’ restroom, so I made sure Granddaughter really wanted nothing to do with the boys’ side, and went on in.

    And then we ordered two milkshakes to go.

    Of course the story doesn’t end here. I first accidentally tried to pay for the milkshakes with my health savings account and debit card pin. Um, no match. I pulled out another card, and inserted it in the chip reader.

    I signed the receipt. Each big kid took a milkshake they were going to share with Rachel and me.

    And we walked out.

    I was wrangling my shoeless toddler into the car seat when another customer graciously brought me the credit card I had left in the chip reader machine.

    At least I had all my kids, an afternoon treat, and a relieved bladder. Five minutes later we were home and I drank some chocolate milkshake.

    The story continued into Wednesday evening. After a busy afternoon of parent-teacher conferences and hauling supplies and furnishings out to our lake house, where a renovation is almost finished in time for me to host a retreat there this weekend, we needed a quick, convenient dinner. So back to the gas station restaurant we went.

    We sat down, enjoyed our dinner, used the correct restrooms, and didn’t order milkshakes this time because the machine was down. Good thing we’d made that pit stop the day before!

    *****

    This is just a peek into my week. There have been plenty of other moments that would usher you right into my imperfect but blessed life. And those same moments have ushered me right to God, who thankfully sits upon his throne and over my life.

    When I looked at my calendar and to-do lists {because, yes, I had more than one …} on Monday, I was overwhelmed. But I just did what I could do. One thing at a time. The next thing when I could. And the overwhelming feeling was replaced with peace.

    Then plans changed and I shopped online instead of running even more errands. The delivery guy asked if he could come to the lake house a day and a half early. {Yes, please!} Friends offered grace. My generous mother-in-law offered her usual help.

    Spaces on my calendar freed up. My perspective changed so I could see life full of blessings and not a series of emergencies. I knew attempting to do it all couldn’t be an option.

    I’ve had to apologize to my husband and my kids because between the steroids {go away, Poison Ivy} and the overwhelmed start to the week I certainly wasn’t the best version of me.

    But I am me. And I’m not God.

    {Tweet that.}

    But God is with me and for me. And you too.

    He really does have the whole world in His hands and makes a way for us. So let the fear and worry go. Give up the do-it-all expectations. Let someone help. Say no if you need the space. Say yes if you need the grace.

    And turn on Ellie Holcomb’s latest album. Every single song will offer hope and truth. And that’s the kind of soundtrack my life needs this week – and pretty much every other day.

    *****

    I’d love you to share some of your own real-life confessions in the comments.