“As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.” Mark 2:14

Follow me. These two, simple yet powerful words got a hold of me. As I read them in Mark 2:14, they gripped something inside. In that passage Levi (Matthew) immediately responded to Jesus’ command. No questions asked. Those words and his response stayed with me. In fact, they have been reoccurring in messages throughout the week. Hmm. Is He trying to tell me something?


As I prayed this week, the words to a song by the Sidewalk Prophets began to stand out. Much like “Follow Me,” the words “Father of love, you can have me” struck a chord in my heart. Last night, as I was driving to pick up my daughter, the song came on. I found myself closing my eyes and singing those words with my whole heart.

It was a “yes Lord” moment. I need to remain fully immersed in His plan and trust that He is all I need. That’s easy for me to say and hard for me to always do. There are bills to pay, my husband and our kids have many needs, there are expectations on me at work. My tendency is to wrap up in those other things too much and forget all that I am equipped to do.

I came back from the Proverbs 31 Ministries She Speaks conference a couple weeks ago full of fire and inspiration. I am still very full, don’t get me wrong. In fact, when I came back, I wanted to lock myself in a closet and just write.

But in all honesty, that is not what the Lord has placed in me either. Yes, I am called to write – He has made that crystal clear. But, I am also called to be a light. And that is found in the other areas of life that are vitally important to being a witness for Him. A witness in my role as a wife, mother, friend, daughter, sibling, employee, encourager and teacher. Those are areas where it should be evident to all I come in contact with that I am following Him. Like Matthew, asking no questions. Perhaps that is the story He’s calling me to live first and then write.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

I used to think my path was so crooked that it wasn’t worth much. Today as I was reading through some of the daily devotionals I get in my in-box, a couple things took hold. The first was that the path I’ve taken is exactly the path that God laid out for me long before I ever came into being. The second was that I need not wonder about the how’s and why’s of my path or where it is leading because it is in God’s hands. Those are some pretty freeing and peace-giving thoughts.


The verse above from Ephesians was the Scripture reference for today’s Encouragement For Life devotional from the Proverbs 31 ministry. After I read through it, I was able to stop and read more thoroughly through the entire 2nd chapter of Ephesians. I’m glad I did. It reaffirmed that I never want to forget where I came from before the grace and mercy of Jesus saved me. It also reminded me that because of that grace, I am to honor God by using the gifts He’s given me and follow the path He laid out to bring Him glory.

My next stop was Lysa TerKeurst’s blog. I’ve written about Lysa and Proverbs 31 before. Lysa is the founder and director. Lysa has us spending time in Colossians – which I am also working through with her readers.

However, at the end of today’s blog was what really grabbed my attention. If you’ve read my blog, you know that I believe I have a call on my heart to do more for His kingdom with my writing. What that is, I’m still waiting to find out. But what I do know, without a doubt, is that I am supposed to attend the P31 conference, She Speaks, being held this summer. My previous entry on this topic (originally posted February 16 and re-posted March 10) recounted when God made it ever so clear that I am to pursue this opportunity. I also have asked family, friends, Facebook friends & Twitter followers and anyone who happens to stumble upon my blog to come along side me and help sponsor my entry fees. While I work full-time, my husband is working very hard to get his baseball academy off the ground and it's taking time and patience before we see paychecks. And in the last couple days on her blog, sweet Lysa said that she's having a contest for scholarships to the event!

I’ve said for years that I believe a book is living within me. I’ve got a few thoughts on what the story is and I’ve even written a few thousand words of the semi-autobiographical fiction option. And, who knows, perhaps God is using this blog and my very crooked path to write a non-fiction story of His love, redemption, purpose and encouragement. Giving hope to others and hopefully leading them towards a relationship with Jesus would be the best story I could write.

So, why do I want to go to the conference? Well it's something that I have prayed about for a couple years because I need to "learn the ropes" about the publishing world. This conference would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about the process, meet some of the top folks in Christian publishing and speaking, find encouragement to forge ahead along this path that God has clearly shown me and maybe, just maybe meet Lysa and give her a hug of thanks for being the inspiration she is.

“She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26

Friends, this is a bit of an unusual entry. There is something that has been on my heart for a while, and I’ve been wrestling with what I believe is a nudge from God. Why have I been wrestling? I really don’t have an answer! I guess it’s because it requires me to something that I am a bit uncomfortable with. I know what you’re thinking, ‘doesn’t that happen a lot when God is moving?’ It puts you in a place where you will likely have to step out in faith and possibly do things that are uncomfortable.

Last night, I was praying about this specific area. As I sat there talking to God about this tug on my heart, a peace came over me. Then, I felt moved to open my Bible. I was stunned. The title of the daily reading plan was “Written on our Hearts.” I read through that section and thought, okay, maybe God’s telling me something, but I’ll just move to the next day. Guess what the first four words of that section were? “Put it in writing!” Um, okay, God, I think I get it. Read on, dear friends!

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a Christian ministry geared toward women and provides a wealth of resources from daily devotions, a radio program, speaking events, conferences, a monthly magazine, resources, online communities, and Gather and Grow groups.

One of the annual conferences put on by P31 is She Speaks. She Speaks is a life-changing event for women seeking to explore the tug on their hearts to reach out to the world for Jesus. In its ninth year, She Speaks encourages and equips women as they communicate God's Word through writing, speaking and leadership. There is a specific “track” for writers – my specialty.

The writing track covers everything from basic writing guidelines to preparing an article or manuscript for submission, and everything in between. In addition, the opportunity to meet one-on-one with some of the top editors, publishers, and literary agents in the Christian market.

Is it just me, or does that sound great? Oh my, I get so excited just thinking about it! Last year, I started this blog in response and obedience to the blessing that God has given me in the form of written word. I’m grateful that He gives me words that touch people’s hearts and has provided this platform to do so. Well, once I started the blog, I realized there is a lot more I can be doing to share the gift. About that time, I was reading (again) about She Speaks. At that point, it was just too late to try and muster up the money to go, so I put the dream on the back burner.

Well, this year, I don’t believe I can push it off again! That tug feels more like a pull. The biggest hurdle (for me, not for God) is the cost. The fee is $575 (based on double occupancy) plus air travel. The conference is July 30-August 1 in Concord, NC. There is a pre-conference writer’s track for another $125. Here’s the part that makes me a bit uncomfortable. I’m asking for you to prayerfully consider helping me attend the conference.

The Lord has obviously laid it on my heart to attend this year. I trust He will provide a way financially for me to go, and I would like to invite you to be a part of this life-changing conference! Will you prayfully consider partnering with me through a financial contribution towards a scholarship that will allow me to attend?

If your answer is yes, there are two ways to participate. You can call Proverbs 31 Ministries at 877-731-4663 to contribute or send a check payable to Proverbs 31 Ministries to:

Proverbs 31 MinistriesShe Speaks Scholarship/Patti Hazlett
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105

Please be sure to designate the scholarship in my name in order to credit my scholarship fund. The sweet ladies at Proverbs 31 have set up an account to track my donations. You will be receipted for your tax-deductible donation. For more information: http://www.shespeaksconference.com/index.htm.

The last bit of Scripture that I read last night was this: “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.” Proverbs 16:1. It was headed up with “God gives us words.”

I gratefully thank you and pray for you to be blessed!