Looking for your next Christian fiction book? Get weekly notes from the author, plus sneak peeks of each month’s new release and cozy extras too.
From one mom to another 🫶
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Hey there, sweet friend, My normal Willow Creek update accidentally went out early this morning… but honestly, I’m kind of glad it did. Because I wanted to send something a little different today. A hug from one mom to another. 🫶 Motherhood was hard for me sometimes. Honestly… a lot of the time. Especially as an introvert who has always loved a quiet, calm house. 🙃 I loved my children deeply. But the constant noise, needs, interruptions, emotions, and everyday chaos (adding homeschooling on top of that) sometimes stretched me beyond what I knew how to handle. For so long, I measured myself by all the moments I thought I got wrong. The moments I wish I had been more patient. More present. More playful. More able to handle the noise and the mess with grace. But the longer I walk with Jesus, the more I’m reminded that He does not see me through that filter. He sees me through grace. And I need to see myself that way too. I’m so grateful for the reminder that God truly uses all things for good for those who love Him. Romans 8:28 And now I’m in this season where the children I loved, prayed over, worried about, sacrificed for, and poured years into… have grown and flown and are unfolding into their own lives. I love getting to love them and encourage them on their journeys and becoming a Gigi has been honey for my soul. But if I’m honest, I still have to remind myself to keep my eyes focused forward. Because that is where Jesus and His Grace is. He covers my past but He is pulling me forward, not backwards. 🙌♥️ Philippians 3:12–14 This weekend, I heard a new song by Brandon Lake (feat. Nick Jonas) called Author that hit me straight in the heart. I wanted to share it for any of y’all who could use a fresh reminder of His grace for you. I know this email is a little unexpected, but I just wanted to reach out and hug any mom who could use one today. Especially the mom who loved her children with her whole heart, but didn’t always love the noise, the chaos, or the never-ending demands. You are not alone. You are deeply loved. God chose you to be your children’s mom on purpose — with your exact heart, your exact wiring, and yes, even your exact need for quiet. And His grace is for you too, Reader. ❤️ Here’s to seeing our lives thru the filter of His grace! 🙌❤️ grace + hugs, Melissa Alyse. |
Melissa Alyse, Author
Looking for your next Christian fiction book? Get weekly notes from the author, plus sneak peeks of each month’s new release and cozy extras too.
Hey sweet friend, When we first met Lora Bennett, she wasn't looking for an adventure. She was perfectly happy baking cookies, spending time with friends, and cheering everyone else on from the sidelines. But sometimes God has other plans. And sometimes those plans show up in the form of a cookie contest. 😁 👉 Grab your copy of Whisked Away here This month, Lora is heading to Magnolia Bend as one of twenty contestants in the Crazy Cookie Regional Contest. The prize? A commercial KitchenAid...
Hey sweet Reader, This week, I thought I’d show you how the stories actually get made — from idea to book in your hands. Because it’s a whole thing. 😅 How These Stories Come Together: When the Lord shares what’s coming next in Willow Creek, I map it out to the best of my ability. Right now it looks like a not-too-fancy Excel sheet, but it works. 😁 When it’s time to work on the next book, I pull the quick outline I made when I mapped out the season and fill it in. Once that’s done, I write the...
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