Hatching Ideas, vol.01

Welcome to "Hatching Ideas." The Friday Recap Newsletter that has resolved to actually happen on a Friday even though I keep thinking it is Monday.

HAPPY, HOLY NEW YEAR, LITTLE FLOCK!

Can you believe it? A Friday recap occurring on a Friday? That’s right. If you didn’t believe in miracles before, believe now! Welcome to: Hatching Ideas. This weekly (and consistent) Substack newsletter is one of many ideas I have been praying about and have resolved, with God’s grace and relentless nudging, to make happen in 2026.

As 2025 came to a close, I was talking to God a lot, actually, more like allowing Him to speak. And I will be honest. I haven’t heard much. He can be a quiet Fellow, that Jesus. I hear other women talk about their mental prayer time with the Lord, how they rest with Him in hammocks, and He braids their hair and offers specific instructions for their life. That has yet to be my experience. But what I did hear loud and clear was that He didn’t need me to talk. He knows what I am about to say. All that He has asked of me as of late is to rest my weary head on His heart. That is it. Rest. To press my ear against His beating, bleeding heart. And while at times this resting has left me feeling frustrated and despondent, for the most part, it has been glorious. If you’re looking for an inexpensive getaway, I highly recommend it.

And while I have yet to hear an audible voice, the kind that makes you whip your head around because you swear there is someone behind you speaking, to say that the Lord has been quiet is a lie. He has been loud, in a silent way. He speaks to me with a word, one word or phrase that gets me into my Bible searching and always lands on precisely what I needed to hear. For a long while, I resisted believing that this was Him—His prompting. I just figured I was getting off-track in my prayer time, pulling out my phone, googling a word, and then going down the rabbit hole of Scriptures and commentary in search of some content to produce. And perhaps I do need to sit in this space longer before searching for its meaning. However, I am putting it in writing and publishing this now so that I never question or doubt and cry about “how come everyone else is hearing Jesus, and I can't? " This is the way the Lord speaks to my heart. It begins with a word. Then curisoity. Then, digging into Scripture. And then the “aha-pierce my heart moment.” And what confirms that it is the Lord speaking and not myself are two things: 1. the flood gates of the Spirit open, and the writing is effortless. EFFORTLESS. If you are a writer, you know the Divine GIFT of effortless writing. 2. I am brought to tears. So filled with emotion, love of the Lord, and overwhelmed by His faithfulness, I cry and cry, and then I cry some more. And so it would be wise for me to listen and do what He says.

HATCHING IDEAS

So, why this title for my newsletter?

Simple. It is the space where I will share my Holy Spirit-driven ideas. Not full-on, written-in-stone projects (although I imagine that will come), but the small sparks, the whispered blueprints, the seedlings and pullots. The baby dreams. That little Divine tap on the shoulder that ignites something profound within me, despite its foolish appearance. Perhaps I need to go back and add “idea-person” to my mission statement. I have always been this way. My father, a talented artist and designer, worked in corporate identity. I can remember sitting at the dinner table as a little girl, when my dad announced a new product he was designing and asked us for our logo and brand name ideas. This was so exciting! I thought he had the most fantastic job, and how lucky was I—just a little girl—to have my ideas submitted to grown-ups with real jobs! I learned to brainstorm at a very young age. And even now, it is my favorite thing to do. It is related to dreaming. My favorite thing in the world is to think up things that might happen, could be good, perhaps could transform a heart, life, or the world. And the kicker for me? It doesn’t even need to happen! I am perfectly content to live in the dream, linger in the brainstorm. It is where I feel most alive.

And yet. I do not believe that “in the dream” is where the Lord wants me to stay. A hatched idea is like a new life, meant to be nurtured, to grow and live.

And so I need, for my own sanity and obedience to God and the gift of ideas He has given me, to steward this well; to consistently show up and share what the Lord is doing in my heart and mind, the ideas He is hatching (and yes, the hatching is a nod to the chicken theme. Get used to that). This is important for a couple of reasons. The first, I just mentioned: it is being obedient to the Lord. My being an “Idea person” is not a useless daydream—it is a gift from God. And God does not place gifts inside of us to remain there. The second reason why “Hatching Ideas” matters is that the Lord wants you to hatch your own ideas, too! I hear too often from too many women, “I don’t have a dream” or “I don’t know my mission.” The word I received from the Lord is that not only is this a lie to hold women back from stepping into their God-given role and changing the world, but that I have been set apart to help, encourage, and inspire these women to reject these lies, step boldly into their mission, and see themselves for who they are: chosen vessels.

CHOSEN VESSELS

Ahhhh…and we get to my heart’s most recent spirit-breathed words—chosen vessels.

This, my friends, is what we are. An image came to mind in prayer. It was a clay vessel, and this vessel was me. And the clay was a mixture of my life’s experiences—all of them—from childhood until now. Every joy, encounter, family member, words spoken to me and over me, the prayers, the playfulness, all of it…it made the clay that formed me. But there was one thing, one particular thing that allowed this clay to keep its shape, to stay solid and strong and form me: the suffering. The depression, anxiety, loneliness, addiction, mental illness, betrayal, fear, bankruptcy (spiritual and financial), violence, verbal abuse, all of the trauma…these were not the things that broke my vessel; these are the things that made my vessel stronger. Even beautiful. Unique to me, and loved by God. These were permitted to happen in my life because they were chosen for me. And now, I have a choice. Will I allow these sufferings to define me as a victim, just a poor, sad woman who drew the short stick? Or, will I choose to use them for the greater glory of God by ministering to the women who can’t see beyond their pain, who are drowning in fear, who see suffering as what keeps them from living the good life, who do not see themselves as chosen vessels, but broken cisterns?

This. This is what I heard while resting on the heart of Jesus.

Vessels in the Bible refer to containers that hold something precious and are used for God’s purpose.

We are God’s containers. And the things we have been given and hold, and yes, I am speaking about the hard things, these form our mission. These point to our purpose. These are the hatching dreams the Lord wants us to grow, develop, and use, not only for our sake, but for the sake of the whole world. When we stop fearing and crying over the injustice of what we have been dealt, and stop staring at Suzy Sunshine, who is sitting in the front pew with her eighteen well-adjusted children and perfect husband, and it makes us want to throw ourselves off a tall building, when we stop all that…we can begin to see how the pain the Lord permits has never been about setting us aside, but always been about setting us apart.

To be holy means to be set apart, and I believe that our suffering makes us holy to the extent that we use it to minister to others—it is when we, chosen vessels, become vessels of service, that we align our will with God’s and step into a life of purpose.

BUT I HAVE NO GIFTS

Yes, you do. Stop that crazy talk now. If you don’t believe you have a gift, it is because you do not know the meaning of a true gift. Gifts are not only the great things we are good at. Gifts are not only about talent. The cross is a gift. Our suffering is a gift. Trials and tribulations are the greatest gifts because they teach us virtue and lead us to heaven. The pain we feel on earth purifies us, and we can be purified here, or in purgatory, and trust me, from what I read of the mystics, we should all desire to take on all the purifying necessary in the here and now.

What might happen if you started to look at the thing you are praying away as the thing that you can use to help others get to heaven?

Mission happens at the intersection of your pain and showing gratitude for it. Your suffering is your strongest sermon, not when your circumstances are cleaned up and the dust has settled, but in the midst of the storm. Pay attention to your pain. Give your misery over to the mission.

1 Peter 4:10 instructs: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

VESSEL OF SERVICE

In 2026, I want to be a living sacrifice. I know that I have been set apart, and instead of whining about what that even means and what the heck does the Lord want from me, because I have been chosen, I am choosing not to waste what I have been given. And the most precious thing this vessel of mine holds is the sweet suffering permitted by the Lord.

WHAT TO EXPECT

I am officially so pumped up about this space and what the Lord is going to work through Words & Birds in 2026!

As chosen vessels of service, our mission is to equip others for their purpose, so that they, too, can be of service, so that together, we build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). As excellent a plan this may be, every good plan of the heart requires a plan of action, meaning..structure, format, written down and held accountable. So, here is what you can expect from Words & Birds in 2026, and I pray you are as excited about it as I am: