When our youngest was a toddler, she had the cutest way of declaring that she had finished something. She'd excitedly announce, "I'm did it!!!"

To this day, any time I complete a task (especially a challenging one), I hear that adorable little enthusiastic voice in my mind and say it, too (even though it doesn't sound nearly as cute). 

Today, "I'm did" something I've been terrified of for years: I officially started my YouTube channel! 

I've named it "HERE," and I'll be sharing videos every morning about things I write about here (figure it's the easiest way to stay consistent, plus my writing gets me thinking about the topic and then I can dive in deeper/broader). I'll also have some tech tutorials for my fellow she-geeks, as well as (gulp) sharing a piece of my music once a week.

Why HERE?

HERE represents the 3 phases of courage that each of us move through as we answer our own calls to "something bigger”:

Phase 1. Acknowledge the phone ringing. Answer the call. Listen to the invitation.
You don’t have to do anything with it yet. Just acknowledge the fact that God is saying, “HERE is something bigger for you.”

Phase 2. Show up.
We respond to the call and take action by showing up and saying, “I am HERE.” We don’t have to look cute, sound polished, or have anything scripted other than those 3 words.

Phase 3. Courageously contribute.
This is where it gets fun, because this is where we collaborate with a generous, loving, all-knowing God — supported every step of the way by Jesus Christ — as we humbly report, “HERE is my offering.” It’s still not perfect. It’s probably not even complete yet. But even in draft form, it is enough, and He accepts it with joy and adoring approval.

I believe we are in a moment in which each of us is gently but clearly invited to show up and contribute — in our completely unique, authentic way.

At any step of this process, as our knees knock and ankles wobble, we can look to the example of Jesus Christ, who courageously stepped forward and said, “Here am I. Send me.” He steadies our feet by holding our hand — as long as we reach for Him.

Why Now?

I believe that if we have something that contributes any level of light and goodness in the world, we have a standing invitation from God to do so. This invitation comes along with strong, stunningly beautiful supporting miracles, and I've experienced far too many to say "Meh. No thanks."

I'm doing this because I feel like a bigger, more generous version of myself when I do it. It's definitely going to push me, but I'm definitely ready enough to step forward. If videos are your thing, I'd love to have you join me. If not, I'll still be here in writing. Thanks for coming along on this journey with me.