Be encouraged through an online community

I began my writing journey in January 2011. At the time my husband was way from home completing his training to become a soldier.  My oldest son would soon leave to begin his training to become a sailor. We were introduced to military life with what felt like one big pendulum swing: a civilian family one moment, a military family the next.

Writing became an outlet for processing the emotions that came along with this new journey. It provided both comfort and healing; especially on the days when my heart ached to have my family together again.

Those earlier writing days were under a different blog name. I’m embarrassed by the writing but bad or good, God used it to draw me closer to Him. The whitespace originated with chronicles of becoming a military family, but morphed into something so much more. A transformation took place in both my heart and my life. The kind of transformation only God can do.

In January 2013 I got brave and launched a new blog site: Simply Beth. With shaking hands, and at times lots of doubt, I threw myself into what many call the blogosphere. Never did I imagine the community I’d find there. The online world I discovered taught me what it meant to encourage one another.

People I had never met in real life came along side of me to encourage me in the twists and turns of life. When my husband and I were preparing for his first deployment online friends prayed for us. Throughout the deployment they have been a continual source of support . . . similar to Aaron and Hur when they held up Moses’ hands in Exodus 17.

“When Moses became too tired to hold his hands up any longer, Aaron and Hur took a stone and sat him down on it. Then both men stood beside Moses, one on each side, holding his hands up and keeping them steady until sunset.” ~ Exodus 17:12

God planted a desire in my heart to hold up the hands of others. Take what you received and give the same to those in need.

I discovered (in)couragers online community groups: “Groups of like-minded women doing life together in small online communities.”

My first experience with a community group came as a participant of a writing group. A small group of approximately thirty writers, at various stages of their writing journey, came together for six weeks to be encouraged and to encourage. These women gave me the courage to step out in faith with my own writing. Many of them I remain friends with online. One of those ladies actually reached out when she launched a new website called Outside the City Gate and asked me to be a part of the Facebook team.

When the next (in)courage session came along my husband’s deployment loomed. I needed to be encouraged so I joined the group for Military Wives. And the next session I figured the best way to survive the deployment required me to take the focus off of myself and encourage others spouses through the challenges military life can bring.

For six weeks we spent time getting to know one another. We prayed for each other, celebrated big and little milestones in our lives with virtual confetti, read from a devotional written by another military wife, Kristen Strong, and counted the ways God blessed us in the everyday mundane moments. I came to encourage these ladies but ended the session encouraged by them.

I’m more than halfway through my husband’s deployment and ready to co-lead this group of amazingly brave and strong women for another six weeks. This time my dear writing friend, Karin of Sunrise With A Six Pack, will be my co-leader. I could not be happier to have her by my side.

I received an email from my younger sister recently. She is going through a new and challenging journey with her baby girl and found encouragement through an online community. In her email she wrote, “I finally understand the support you have found through online community.”

Friends, you do not need to be a writer. No matter what your passion or season in life may be, there is an (in)couragers community group for you. There are over 70 groups to choose from. I invite you to join me and many other women by registering today for the encouragement our hearts all need. You will be blessed. I promise.

Head over to (in)courage to review the list of community groups, select a group, register and then meet your encouragers.

If you are a military wife looking for encouragement, please join Karin and me. You can register for our group here.

“Friendship is born at that moment when person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'” ~ C.S. Lewis

(in)courage: Daring to Dream

When I tell someone my husband is deployed I'm typically asked how many tours he has done. Because of our age, many assume we have been a military family for years and this couldn't possibly be his first tour. This tour is indeed his first.

Wait, I wanted to start from the beginning.

After far too many arguments to count, because the thought of my son joining the military scared me to death, I finally gave in and accepted my oldest son's decision to enlist in the Navy.

Can you imagine my surprise when shortly after my husband informed me he wanted to enlist in the Army Reserves? "You are 41. Is that even possible?" I actually surprising said, "Wow, that is way cool." The military had somehow won me over.

In February 2011 my husband became a soldier and in March of the same year my son became a sailor. I could not be prouder of these two men in my life.

I'm not sure why God used the military to draw us closer to Him, but He did. All I know is the decision made by my son and husband led to a transformation for our family that only God can accomplish. You can read our story over at Circles of Faith.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

It did not take long for God to plant a desire in my heart to encourage military spouses.

As a wife to an Army Reserve husband my experiences are rather limited. We do not live on a military base, there are no PCS moves for us and until now we had not been through a deployment. For the most part, daily life remained the same for us after my husband enlisted. "Why me God? How could I encourage military spouses?"

I quickly became enthralled by all things related to supporting our military and their families. My hand raised without hesitation to be the Family Readiness Group Leader for my husband's unit. And I kept raising my hand. I was suddenly greeting service members at the USO, packing comfort care packages to send overseas, writing letters and before long co-leading a military support ministry with my husband.

I wanted military families to know I understood the sacrifice made by the service member and also by the spouse. What I realize now, until the day my husband walked out the door for his first deployment I did not fully understand.

Now surviving a deployment has become my reality and the dream God planted has taken on wings. God has given me the word JOY as my one word for 2014. In a year without my husband, I'm seeking JOY and I find myself praying the same for other military spouses. God is not limited by where we are in the season of our life. JOY can be found even in a season of a deployment.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." ~ James 1:2-4 (NIV)

There are plenty of reasons to say military life stinks. Especially when going through a deployment. I know how deeply your heart can ache. In the skip of a beat you can go from being on cloud nine and then to your knees in uncontrollable sobs because your cloud nine cannot be shared easily with the one you love. Oh, how this just happened to me.

But blessings can be found. God is ready to overwhelm us with blessings.

"God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share." ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8 (Voice)

This past weekend a writing friend spoke on daring to dream. She reminded a room full of women how God will use whatever we are doing right now for a purpose. We simply need to trust Him and go through the doors He opens.

God has opened a door for me to encourage military spouses through (in)courage.

For the next eight weeks I will join another military spouse, Anna Pasquale, in co-leading a Facebook page for the women of (in)courage whose husbands serve in the Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard.

Are you a military spouse? If so, we would love for you to join us. Find out more here and then register for the (in)courage military wives page here.

This is a place where you will find encouragement and understanding from those of us who are traveling the same unique journey beside our own husbands. In our session we’ll dive into scripture, share practical tips for surviving military life, and love on one another when the trials of the day are overwhelming.

If you are not a military spouse, maybe you know one and will want to pass this information along. Pretty please.

Maybe you are another God-sized dreamer. He has placed a dream in all of our hearts. What dream has He placed on yours?