Many blogs are created for the purpose of sharing updates and everyday events with family and close friends. That was never, ever the purpose of this blog.

From its beginning, in fact, long before its beginning, this blog was created to fulfill a much different purpose. This blog was created in response to what I believe was and is a calling. God has been calling me to write, very specifically and methodically, since early 2003.

I understand that calling is a strong word choice. Believe me, I’ve debated and debated whether this is a calling for years. But after putting 11 years of pieces together, I’ve decided God has given me ample evidence. It is a calling. I have been called – by God, here in this space – to write.

With that in mind, let me state that this blog is for anyone, everyone who connects to the words I write on the screen. My words are for family and friends, most definitely, but they are also for fellow human beings all around the world. I understand these claims are big, bold, perhaps presumptuous, and maybe even scary for some of you who are family and consider my safety and privacy paramount. But I believe this sharing of a message with those known and those unknown, is what God has called me to.

The goal for my writing has always been to impact lives in deep and meaningful ways. I believe I have accomplished that goal in my two years of blogging. However, something’s been nagging in the back of my mind. While I have most definitely established my writing style, I’m not sure I’ve established my unique writing voice.

One of my favorite male bloggers, Jeff Goins, defines voice as follows…

“A voice, with respect to your blog, is a feel or style evoked in your writing that causes the reader to personalize what she is reading.

 Your readers begin to construct a person based on the voice of your blog. And when that happens, your blog ceases to be all things to all people and becomes something very particular to a certain group of people.”

Jeff states in another post…

“…that a blog needs a voice that is both exclusive and authentic.”

After two years of blogging and many years of reading blogs, I believe these statements to be true.

So why am I sharing all this bloggy talk with you today?

Because I want you and anyone else who visits my blog, hears about my blog, and knows about my blog, to have a very clear understanding of what I write about. What can you expect to find when you come to this place? How do we view the world similarly? What is the central theme here, at Divine In The Daily? What makes this space unique, different from other blogs? If you were asked to summarize my blog in one sentence, what would you say? If I was asked to summarize my blog in one sentence, what would I say?

These are the questions I want to answer definitively – for myself, for you, and for future readers.

You’ve been faithful readers. In fact, at this point, I consider many of you partners. So today, I’m inviting you on the next leg of this journey.

Here’s a little more information on where we’re heading…

Two weeks ago, I sat down with my husband at Caribou Coffee to discuss the long-term vision and next steps for this blog. I shared the vision that’s been milling around in my mind for nearly four months. I wanted to focus the blog. My husband said it was more a matter of “defining the topic.” It’s all just semantics anyway, because ultimately, we agreed on the vision.

I brought the vision, my heart, and knowledge of the blogging world I’ve gained to date. And he brought his business and marketing sense to the table. We worked together, scribbling a bunch of notes in a small spiral-bound notebook. Over the course of 90 minutes, we generated a framework I can use to create and define a clear, long-term, big-picture vision for this blog.

So between now and the fall of 2015, there are going to be changes happening on this blog.

I am currently working on a new blog mission, vision, tag line, guiding scripture, and core values. I will also be defining what I’m going to write about. Once these elements are made public, all of my writing will be funneled through those filters. In other words, I will only publish posts that fall within the new parameters I’ve set for the blog.

You can expect to see an updated logo on my blog home page. I will be updating my business cards, Twitter cover, and Facebook page cover as well.

Last, but not least, the “Meet Amy” and “Blog Vision” pages will be updated on my blog. This is going to be a lot of work, but is something I’ve been wanting to do for several months.

Once most of this behind the scenes work is complete, I will be sharing the new vision with you in a post similar to this one!

Then, I’ll begin writing within the parameters of my new vision. That is going to be the hard part. That is why this is all going to happen between now and the fall of 2015 (and realistically, probably beyond that). Because while the vision is definitely going to be clear, it is also fairly big. Writing is going to require a little more diligence and planning than it has in the past. And I have three small children at home. So while I define and hold the vision, I will also give myself grace. Grace to understand the vision can remain while I also maintain my most important roles as wife and mom of three.

We will grow into and through this together.

At this point, I can’t say exactly how and when all of this is going to roll out. It will definitely be in phases. If all goes well, I’m hoping to complete a good portion of the behind the scenes work no later than September 29, 2014.

For any of you who were wondering, my blog name, Divine In The Daily, will stay just as it is! You’ll still find me blogging right here at www.amybethpederson.com. You’ll still find me writing with the same style, the same heart, the same passion and compassion. Truth be told, nothing about me or the way I write is going to change. The thing you’ll see refined the most is what I write about.

I’m making these changes to establish, very clearly, my unique writing voice. As stated earlier, I believe God has called me to write and has a message to share, through me. If I am going to answer this call to write, then I want to make sure I define and communicate that message very clearly.

It is an honor to have you as readers and traveling partners on this journey. In the days ahead, I’ll be working behind the scenes to make all of this happen. I’ve already started engaging many of you in conversation about core values on my Facebook page this week. It’s been great fun and I’m taking all you’ve said to heart. If you aren’t already following my blog Facebook page, I’d LOVE to have you join us (just click here to connect). There’s a lot of conversation that happens on Facebook that’s not visible on the blog itself.

Thanks friends, for letting me share this special news with you today! So excited for what’s to come.

I love small spaces, tiny places like Disney’s Storybook Land.

Storybook Land is whimsical, fantastical, magical.

It’s everything Disney’s cracked up to be.

Call me a sucker, but here’s the truth. Just plop me in one of Storybook Land’s boats, float me around its winding, narrow waterways built in 1955, and I’m good to go.

As I pass each wonderful world, I’m tempted to jump right over, jump right in to inhabit the small spaces and tiny places.

How wonderful would it be to become acquainted with that cottage? How peaceful would it be to stroll those stones on the way to the mail each day? How enchanting would it be to have a valiant knight in shining armor transport you to the castle on his white-as-snow horse? How quaint would it be to find yourself lost in the village, meandering ’till your soul’s caught right up with the rest of you?

So when our favorite local nursery started carrying all the things needed to create a fairy garden, I was all in. The only problem was that I didn’t have a budget to create my own whimsical, fantastical, and magical fairy garden. So I just kept ooh-ing and ah-ing over the possibility of my own tiny worlds, thinking one day, maybe one day, it’d be possible.

One day, yes one day, on my birthday, my valiant knight in shining armor husband surprised me with a small world of my own.

Do with it as you may, do with it as you might, he said.

So I did.

I decided a fairy garden right in the garden is what I wanted.

So we dug and we planted, we moved and we marked. Arbor nestled here. Little bridge over there. Creeping thyme over here. Creeping thyme over there.

Voila!

A small space, a tiny place.

Right in our garden.

A world to get lost in, find space in, seek rest in.

A world to wonder and to wander, even if but a moment.

A world to call beautiful. A place to call peace.

A small world of our own.

Whimsical.

Magical.

Fantastical.

In the blink of an eye, we’ll be back at Storybook Land. We’ll ride waterways and be transported to Disney’s worlds just as magically as we have every other time.

In the meantime, we’ll enjoy our own small space, our own tiny place.

It doesn’t have a name for now.

But it’s ours.

It’s mine.

My tiny world.

A world like no other.

Dear Beautiful But Bound You:

I see you. You, created for so much more. You, whose presence graces this bountiful land. You, formed in your mother’s womb for a purpose, a plan.

Yet you, bound by the things of this world. You, hiding in darkness. You, trapped in the tiniest of places, tucked away spaces nobody knows but you. You, lost in great voids, valleys, wandering, wondering how in the world you’ll ever get out.

You, I see you. I know you. You’re bound. Bound.

You, bound by things. You buy. And you buy. More is the word. More and more. More and more. You want for nothing, but you want for more. You buy to fill the void, buy to hide the pain. You think stuff will quench your deepest longings to be loved, known, filled with purpose. You buy to impress, buy to feel good. You buy to make things better, buy so people will know you better. You buy, buy and buy. You feel the high, then crash and die. So you buy, buy, buy some more to fill the gaping hole that’s your heart.

You, bound by flesh. Your body’s your idol. You workout like a madwoman. Rock solid abs, buns of steel your goal. You take on workouts like they’re your job. You do it all. Cardio. Weights. Resistance. 5Ks. 10Ks. You have the gear, you know the game. Your eating? Pure. Clean. Only from the earth. Ice cream’s from the devil, and devil’s food? Well, you know. And others? You’re trapped deep in your own flesh, tell yourselves things you’d never tell anyone else. I’ll never lose that weight. I’ll never feel good. I’ll never be a size 8, 12, 34, 36 again. I can’t do it. I’ve lost control. I’m just fat, fat, fat. Forget it.

You, bound by work. Oh you, beautiful you. Your soul’s fatigued. You work and work and work so hard. Day in, day out, your life’s on the line. You have no boundaries. You know no limits. You can do anything, so you think. Perhaps others will love you more if you work longer. Perhaps you’ll climb higher if you work harder. Perhaps you’ll rise to the top and everyone will notice if you do this, do that, just push a little farther. Work is your life. You know no rest. Work and work and work some more. If you work hard enough, you’ll finally make it. But let’s be honest. All this working’s left you with nothing but work, work, work.

You, bound by substance. What can I say? You, so full of potential. You, so gloriously made. You, quite literally, waste your days away. You excuse, deny your behavior, act as if it’s nothing. Hide it away, tuck it away, try to make light of it, but it’ll bind you for a lifetime if you’re not careful. Your relationships? They’re suffering. Your potential? It’s wasting away. Your peace of mind? Let’s get real, it’s nonexistent. You know in your heart this isn’t right. This getting wasted, getting high, this tucking away pills and potions, bottles and beers? It’s not working for you, hon. It’s not working. You’re bound. Bound by an addiction that’s trapped every fiber of your soul.

You, bound by expectations. You, oh you. You expect so much. Your standards are high, unrealistically high. Why oh why did you ever believe in this perfection? Why oh why did you ever start this all? Why oh why do you set goals you’ll never achieve, he’ll never achieve, she’ll never achieve? Every day you fall, it’s your own fault. Your expectations were lofty, beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Do this. Do that. Do everything in between. Do it all. You can do it. But truth be told, half of it’s too much. You’re bound, sweet one, by illusions. You’re delusional in your wanting it that way and this way, this way and that.

You, bound by your past. I don’t want to forget you. You, bound by things of days gone by. You’re trapped in memories from a time machine stuck on reverse. The dark, ugly secrets of your past? The mistakes you made? The days that went horribly wrong? They haunt you, hunt you, want you to sink deeper and deeper into quick sand. You’re desperate to relive time. You’d die for a chance to go back, repair it all. You’d give anything to erase those days from the slate. But it’s impossible, right? So you stay stuck there, in days gone by, unable to heal, unable to forgive, unable to repair the tragedies that tore you apart.

You, bound by things unnamed, unseen. Hey, you. What is it? What binds you? What keeps you up at night? What keeps you from flying high? What hinders the best you from shining through? Only you know. Only you can see. Only you know the truth. Only you can face the facts about your reality, your totality.

You, bound.

Awake.

Arise.

Break free from the chains.

Come, dear one. Come.

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be afraid.

It’s you who’s longing to be free.

It’s you who’s desperate to be seen.

It’s you who’s calling, you who’s falling, you who’s gnawing to get out.

So get out.

Get up.

Be free.

Be redeemed.

Walk away from all that binds.

And be.

Be free.

The cake’s lit up. Today’s for you, dear one.

What wish will you have? What wish will it be?

Dream grand. Dream big, sweet one.

For there’s only one you. You, beautiful you.

Where would you go? Who would you be? How would you live life that’s meant to be?

Do you believe it is possible? Do you believe it is true? That you are the one and only you?

What will it be, dear? What will it be?

Tell me, tell me. I long for you to see.

What does your heart say? What does it say?

Go?

Stay?

Be?

What, dear one, will be your wish?

If you could have anything, anything, anything? What would that be? What would that be?

See.

See.

See.

To see is my wish for you, for me.

To see the beauty every day.

To see the purpose in your pain.

To see life’s canvas, waiting, white.

To see your future, beauty, bright.

To see miraculous you, you.

To see the love that’s waiting on you.

To see your life for what it is.

To see that you are truly His.

To see.

See.

My birthday wish, for you, for me.

To see.