Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, I always knew I had a purpose in life, but like many of us, I didn’t know what it was, or where to search for the void within me…my purpose for being here on earth. After graduating from high school in 1982, not knowing what to do, I joined the Army Reserves, and the motto at the time “Be All You Can Be” became real to me. Once I completed my reserve training, I attended Bowie State University, Bowie, Maryland and joined the school’s Reserves Officer Corps’ Training (R.O.T.C.) Program. After graduation, I was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army.
With a combined total of 14 years in the military, both active/non-active, the Lord called me out of the armed forces to be a wife to my husband. I’m not joking! I really thought my calling was to be a soldier for Uncle Sam. However, unknown to me the Lord had other plans for me, and the military was not part of His plans, or my purpose. So for the next ten years I learned how to become a wife to my husband. (I didn’t know you had to learn how to do this!) In the learning process, there were many days I was heartbroken, confused, and sometimes downcast, not because I didn’t enjoy being a wife, but the void within me was still there. I still didn’t know my purpose. Diligently seeking the Lord, it was in the summer of 2005, the Lord clearly told me to start a publishing company, and to name it Rapier Publishing Company. Now I know this was from the Lord, for the mere fact, I have never heard of the word rapier, nor did I know how to spell the word. But after looking it up in the dictionary… not an APP….LOL, I saw what it was and what the connotation meant and how it reflects what I am destined to do. Like the rapier sword, our books and our authors are using our voices in print, “thrusting” God’s Word into the atmosphere, making a difference and transforming minds to become better servants for God, His people, His Kingdom, and mankind as a whole.
Now you would have thought that once I received this revelation, I would’ve just “jumped” right into my purpose. I didn’t. It’s easy when you know what to do or it’s your plan, but when God tells you to do something, it’s not easy. It’s can sometimes, and many times be downright terrifying. When the Lord calls you to do something, He just needs a willing and empty vessel; someone who will trust Him, and let Him lead the way. That’s a hard thing to do, even for mature saints. Why? Because, we are taught by society at a young age, that we are invincible, or we make our own destiny. You understand what I am saying. So when the Lord calls you, they are not your plans but His plans. The way you do things are not God’s way of doing things.
I was always an avid reader, and I loved to write. The majority of my jobs, even when I was in the military were preparing me for my purpose. In addition, learning how to be a wife also prepared me. I had to learn how to submit under my husband’s authority. (Don’t shoot me down. Submission is a beautiful thing, if you’re doing it God’s way. Read my book, “Help Meet or Hindrance: Which One Are You?) However, it still took me five (5) years to yield my will to His will. Why. I was in fear. I didn’t know anything about the publishing business, and because of my fears, I didn’t want to go through the process. But I had to, and you do too.
Today, we are launching Rapier Publishing Company. Through tears, late nights, and many uncertainties in the beginning, it’s here. I am excited, overjoyed, and most of all grateful and thankful. We have some awesome authors, and my team is just amazing! I know that it is not in my strength or power, but it’s in His strength and power. I am just a willing-empty vessel, allowing Him to lead me with His Spirit and His Word.
You see, I learned (sometimes the hard-way), if I just trust in the Lord, and obey Him, acknowledge Him, He will order my steps. He will do it through me. In the end, it will appear easy (it’s not always), because I let Him do it. I can rest now because I know what the Lord has begun; He is able and will finish it.
So as my first blog, with many more to come, I just wanted to share my journey with you. Also, to encourage you and let you know that if the Lord puts something in your heart, that you can’t shake. If He is leading you to an unknown territory, a different place or journey, if He is telling you to do something that you can’t do. Trust Him. He does not depend on you. He is looking for an empty vessel that is willing to allow Him to lead you into your destiny.
Now that I shared my story with you, I look forward to hearing from you, and what God is doing in your life. Let’s talk and together we can make a difference in God’s Kingdom and each other. By the way, check out our site and books! And welcome to Rapier Publishing Company!