There may be laws that keep mouths silent in schools, there may be countries that put you in jail for saying His name, there may be leaders and dictators and presidents that are offended to think there is a higher power than themselves, but there is one thing that cannot be jailed or killed or persecuted because of the telling. There is one voice that cannot be silenced by hate or fear or anger or judgement. The heavens declare the glory of God, and their telling will never be silenced.

Join me in more of the telling as I write this morning at (in)courage.

I’ve talked here before about the ways I hide when I live in fear of not being enough, of not doing enough, or of not whatever else enough. Sometimes I hide for the opposite reason, too – that of being too much. Too emotional. Too sensitive. Too dramatic. Too critical. Too much.

There is a finding that happens between friends, but only if we allow it. Sometimes I convince myself that I don’t want to be found. But really, don’t we always want to be found, to be seen and loved anyway? I’ve written about this today at (in)courage. Please, follow me there?

Writing for (in)courage has been an unexpected gift this year. It was one of those things I agreed to before I was really sure what it would be. But oh, how glad I am that I said yes. It was officially launched last year at She Speaks. As I sat in the audience and listened to Stephanie tell the room full of women about the vision for (in)courage, I imagined what it would be like if the thing they wanted to do online could somehow come to life.

“When we asked ourselves what kind of place we were building, we finally came to see it as a bit like a beach house. You can put your sandy, dirty feet on the coffee table, laugh late into the night with friends, and also hear God’s voice clearer than perhaps anywhere else.”  -from the story of (in)courage

Well now, that beach house vision is coming to life even more. Right now, I’m sitting in a beach house on Hilton Head Island with 12 of the women who write for (in)courage. And I am able to see how the words these women write are also the words they live by. But it’s not just for us. Not really, anyway. While we’re here, we are brainstorming ways to offer even more to you in the coming year. And we couldn’t be more excited about it.

Since our family has been vacationing on Hilton Head for many years, I know what a fantastic place it is. And the wonderful people at the Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce (seriously, they are wonderful), as well as DaySpring are making it possible for the women of (in)courage to experience and fall in love with Hilton Head as much as I have.

That’s Lisa, Robin, Jen, Annie, Arianne, Dawn, Mary, Nester, me, Stephanie, Holley, Sarah, and Jessica. Some of them are obstructed. Sorry about that. This weekend coincides with the National Day of Encouragement (did you know there was one?!) and so it beautifully brings in year two of celebrating intentional community building at (in)courage.

Last night’s dinner catered by Soozi and Linda

the beach house, provided by Hilton Head Rentals & Golf

Dolphin tour, taken with Dawn’s camera

And I know this one is blurry, but I hope you can read the emotion of the moment – this is us talking with Ann Voskamp and Lisa-Jo on Skype while they are with Compassion International in Guatemala. It was so beautiful, I couldn’t not post it.

I wish you could see their faces more clearly. It was so sweet to see them and hear their South African and Canadian accents and to see them live from Guatemala as we were all together, gathered on the bed.

If you ever need a place to bring your family, to play golf, to watch some dolphin, to bask in southernness, consider Hilton Head in South Carolina. I come here at least twice a year and hope I never have to stop. And who knows? Maybe next year we can all meet up here for a real-life (in)courage beach party with you. What would you think of that?

Disclosure:: Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce generously provided the accommodations at the amazing beach house, bikes, an ocean cruise, and dinner at The Aqua Grille & Lounge. DaySpring took care of all the incidentals and meals for each of the bloggers.

We interrupt this week of guest posts to bring you the following announcement: (in)courage is celebrating her one year anniversary! And that means giveaways for you. I have loved being a part of the community of women who read and write for (in)courage. None of us really knew exactly what we were signing up for when it started a year ago. Is it a store? A blog? A website? A devotional? A greeting card?

One year later, I’m so glad I said yes. I couldn’t have imagined the friendships and encouragement I’ve received from being a part of this community. It is one of the safest places on all of the world wide web. For the next 30 days, (in)courage will be hosting a giveaway to thank you. And today, I have a post up over there so go on over and check it out!

P.S. Stay tuned in a few hours for today’s guest poster, Katie. Two posts here in one day. What is going on!?

Stories have always been a happy part of my life. As a girl, I remember sitting in our Iowa basement, typing out scenes on my dad’s black and white typewriter. I even used those strips of white correction tape when I made a mistake. More at (in)courage…