What did I get myself into? I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was going alone or if it was Satan messing with me to keep me away. Forty-five minutes before I was supposed to be sitting across from someone I had never met for an appointment, I suppressed tears and questioned God about my choice to attend the Speak Up conference.
Finally I stood to leave. Okay God, You better make this worth it!
Within the first 15 minutes, during my one-on-one appointment, I received so much encouragement that I stopped questioning God and started praising Him.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that make us uncomfortable; however, He will not leave us in that discomfort! We have to trust Him to bring us through!
Going to this conference alone was scary, but really fun!
If I attended this event with friends, I would not have branched out as much as I did. Being there alone gave me the opportunity to meet some great people and take time to connect and get to know them.
Advice to college students: If you are or want to be a writer or speaker, GO! Don’t think about it, just do it! This was advice one of my college professors gave me about any writing conference and it was a big part of why I considered going to Speak Up in the first place.
A few Key things I learned at Speak Up:
- If God is telling you to write, you have to write. If you don’t, you are disobeying Him.
- God has called you to what He placed before you.
- Even if you are only writing for God, it’s worth it.
Don’t let fear hold you back. Obediently step out in faith.
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? —Esther 4:14
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Living and Learning 
Hey friend!! I’m glad I found you here on the blog hop, as I’ve been slow connecting with people I swapped contact info with. You have an easy, honest way of writing and I love it. I completely relate in feeling inadequate and nervous in the face of agents, publishers and more. I know that your story is going to inspire and challenge others around you- keep it up!
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Thanks Carrye! It was great to get to talk to you at the conference! Being bold at events like that can be difficult but so worth it!
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So fun to meet you, Julie! I’m so glad you came. 🙂
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Great meeting you too, Shannon! I’m so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to come and meet so many amazing people like yourself!
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Julie, I am SO glad you came! Who knew that we both had so much in common with Cornerstone University and Our Daily Bread Ministries. I loved your blog. and look forward to connecting again soon! Keep writing for Jesus!
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Thanks Jennie, meeting you was such a blessing! It was great to hear that we do have so much in common! I look forward to talking soon!
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It was wonderful to meet you, Julie, and what a blessing to read your blog! I still think of our time on Saturday during the morning worship time as a “God appointment.” Keep on writing for Jesus!
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God is amazing in the way He works things out like that! 🙂
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Thank you Julie for sharing your fears and your wins from Speak Up! I loved this quote from your post- “Even if you are only writing for God, it’s worth it.”
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Thanks, Shawna! It was definitely a difficult thing to go to at first, but I am so glad I went!
I actually heard variations of that quote throughout the conference. Sometimes that’s hard to hear because we want our writing to go somewhere, but it’s amazing to know that no matter what, as long as the writing is for God, it is worth it!
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