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Many of you have been asking me how the book is doing and what I have been up to since publishing so I thought I’d write an update….

I’ve been up to this….

And this….

The first picture is my FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE!  Christian Veterinary Mission is an organization that sends veterinary missionaries all across the U.S. and the entire world.  I told the president about my book and he invited me to write an article for their quarterly magazine!  And as if that wasn’t awesome enough, he allowed me to advertise my book…for free!!  Then he bought multiple copies and gave them to his staff and is considering using them in their veterinary student chapters across the U.S.

The second picture is part of my new adventure of marketing.  I am now proud owner of an excessively large personalized retractable sign promoting my book.  The need for this sign came about for some upcoming book signing events.  The first one is Next Sunday at the National Animal Hospice and Palliative Care conference in Seattle.  The second one is at the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association’s (ISVMA) yearly conference in Lombard at the beginning of November.

The neatest part about all these opportunities is that they did not come from any strategy you would find in a marketing book or online.  They came directly from God’s favor and prayer.  I’ve always been a proud member of Christian Vet Mission but never in a million years could I have imagined how beyond supportive they have been.  I have never been to a veterinary conference that had requested authors to bring books to sign and sell (available to anyone), but it just so happens that the one I am going to this year offered that.  And the director of the ISVMA just so happened to love my book and suggested I bring some to sign and sell at the conference at no charge to me.  Usually any vender has to pay a fee to be there, but this is yet another manifestation of God’s grace.

And once again, thank you so much to all those who have bought the book, shared the book, and are encouraging me.  You have been a real blessing to me and have helped spread the word.  I ask that you please, pray for me for continued favor over these opportunities.  Veterinarians need to hear these words of hope that God so graciously gave to me and I need prayer.  (also pray  that I don’t knock someone out while setting up that retractable sign…that thing is crazy big!!! LOL)

 

I just returned home 2 days ago from a vacation in Arizona with my husband.  On our return flight to Chicago, the pilot came over the loud speaker to announce a pretty significant storm that seemed to just pop out of nowhere.  It ran in a straight line across the entire United States and our options were to either fly north towards Minnesota or south towards Texas to go around it.   He chose Texas and explained this would set our arrival time back, but that it was the only option since the storm was “impenetrable”.   With a voice radiating pure excitement coupled with a steady calmness, He then told us to look outside the right side of the plane to see the magnificence and beauty of the storm.  He spoke in a way that you could tell he really admired and respected the storm.

The lightning was illuminating the surrounding clouds at a speed of 1 strike per second as it seemed to dance along the night’s sky.  It was breathtaking.  Then I found myself in this sudden dilemma, should I be scared or is everything truly going to be ok?

I turned to God, “Are we going to be ok?”  I felt Him reassure me that all was well and to trust the pilot.

You see, when you are in an airplane, do you really have a choice not to trust the pilot?  Flying is one of the most trusting things we do as humans.  We allow a couple people to literally control our safety as they take us 40,000 feet up into the air, making decisions as they see fit that determine our outcomes.  You have no choice but to sit there and follow whatever direction the pilot wants to take and there is no bailing out.

What if we applied this concept to our lives with God?  When things get tough and God takes you in another direction, what if you went along for the ride instead of putting up a fight for control or just refusing all together and choosing to bail.  I am convinced that many people miss the beauty God has in store for them because they bail out during the storm.  They don’t keep going or follow God in another direction, they just head back to their departure terminal and never reach arrival.  Trust me, I’ve definitely been one who sits reluctantly at the departure gate not even wanting to get on that God driven plane ride.  But something so peaceful happens when you fully grasp what God said through Isaiah in chapter 43 verses 1-3:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God.”

The same God who is control of the waters and flames is still in control during the storms of our lives.  He will guide your path and will not forsake you.  And in the process, you will experience Him with more beauty and wonder than you ever thought possible.

 

As with any job working with the public, there are clients who are extremely wonderful and there are clients who make things slightly difficult.  Thankfully, the positive ones greatly outweigh the negative ones at my job.  Let’s celebrate those positive ones!

Ode to the Veterinary Clients Who Bring Joy

To the client who asks me my opinion on a food or supplement before believing Facebook, thank you for valuing my years of research and study over marketing.

To the client who patiently waits for me to see their pet while I finish up an unplanned euthanasia, thank you for your kindness to my other client’s needs and to my emotional wellness.  Your lack of complaining eases my stress and allows me to switch gears and focus on your pet.

To the client who pays their bill, thank for understanding that we do love animals and with that comes a small business that must make money in order to keep the lights on and allow our staff to feed their families.

To the client who asks me how I am doing, thank you for your kindness.  I greatly enjoy getting to know my clients and when we can share a little of our lives together, I think it helps deepen that professional bond.

To the client I end up calling back at 8pm, thank you for your patience and for acknowledging that I must have had a busy day and you will keep it short.

To the client who brings us chocolate and other various things that they know my staff and I enjoy, thank you!   Enough said!

To the client who researches what we talked about in the exam room then calls to discuss it, thank you for wanting to do the best job you can for your pet who is going through this certain disease process.  I love collaborating with you and walking you through the tips and tricks you may find that could certainly be new to me and help your pet.

To the client whose dog I helped in hospice care died suddenly at home, thank you for your hug and even though my grief is nowhere near what you are experiencing, thank you for acknowledging it.

To the clients who show me cute pictures of their pets doing silly things, thank you for being a bright light in my day and bringing me laughter.

To the clients who let me parade around the clinic their cute new puppy or kitten so all staff can meet him/her, thank you for bringing instant happiness into our day.

To the clients who adore their animals and trust me with their care, thank you for giving me the honor of being your veterinarian.  I truly would not be able to do this without you!

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” (Isaiah 8:20).

There are not a ton of exclamation points in the book of Isaiah, so in this instance, I picture him shouting “in all CAPS!”.  THIS PROCLAMATION WAS IMPORTANT!  Why?  Because at this point in time, God’s people, the Israelites, were broken up into Northern Israel and Judah.  And Northern Israel was teaming up with some other nations to try and wage war on Judah (where Isaiah lived).  Now, God had just told the King of Judah, Ahaz, that he need not fear because they would not overcome Judah.  However, there was one condition that God gave to Ahaz: God said, “If you will not believe, you surely shall not last” (Isaiah 7:9).

And sadly, Ahaz began looking to another king for help (Assyria), who eventually turned his back on Judah and waged war on them himself.

And Isaiah had a front row seat to Ahaz’s disobedience.  While chaos and war is raging all around Isaiah, while he is telling Ahaz God’s instruction for him and Judah, then watching Ahaz completely disregard it, Isaiah proclaims the importance of God’s word: “To the law and to the testimony”.  He also says (“I will wait for the Lord…I will even look eagerly for Him.” (8: 17)

Isaiah displays great faith in God and His word, searching it, looking to it for hope (in 8:20 the word “dawn” is also translated as hope) and it is after his proclamation of faith and pure reverence for the Word of God that God gives him the most beautiful prophecy of the coming Messiah (Isaiah Chapter 9): “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light…..for a child will be born to us….and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

What this time period in Isaiah’s life has shown me is just how much the Word of God is our hope in uncertain times when our world leaders may be off doing their own things and not consulting God.  Isaiah did not try to control Ahaz or start a campaign to smear him….instead, he said (Heidi paraphrase here) “Get to the Word of God and see what He says!….there is your hope!”

I tell you what, I have just embarked on this in depth study of Isaiah by Kay Arthur called “Precept upon Precept”.  I love it!  I spend days on one chapter, reading it over and over, answering questions, and being directed to different verses in different books of the bible.  One thing I’m already noticing is how studying the Word of God has stifled the noise of the world in my life and magnified the noise of how holy, powerful, loving, and seriously terrifying( if you do not believe in Him, and even sometimes if you do know Him) our God truly is.  It has given me a depth of reverence, awe and wonder that I have not experienced before.  And I LOVE it!

So if you find yourself shaking in your boots with fear because of how intense things are right now in our nation…follow the advice of Isaiah and get “To the law and to the testimony!” aka study your bible!  There is power and peace in knowing the Word of God.  Praise be to Jesus!

The silence….maybe you have felt it.  Those times in your life where you just cannot seem to hear God that well or even at all.  You’ve asked God to search your heart, be there any wicked way in you, and reveal it to you….but nothing.  You start to wonder what you are doing wrong and begin thinking, “well, I could do this better, have a better attitude in this area, not think those thoughts in that area, not act this way in that area…and on and on and on…..still nothing.

“Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters when you encounter trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” –James 1:2-3.   Sometimes, the trial is the silence.  Sometimes the trial is remembering all the times God has been moving in your life like crazy, doing unimaginable things with unquenchable power, and wondering why that is not happening now.  “and let perseverance finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.”-James 1:4.  Let it finish…that means submission to the silence.  That means holding tight to faith knowing that in doing so you are in fact strengthening your faith muscles and maturing.  That means realizing that the Almighty God does not owe you anything and your response to that is gratitude for what He already gave you….eternal salvation.  That also means still enduring in prayer and reading His Words because you are nothing without them.

I was around some amazing wonderful women warriors of God today who all shared about these seasons of silence.   And you know what…THERE is God.  Among the rocks near the shore, four friends, encouraging one another in faith….Christ in us…hearts desiring Him…and all of a sudden I noticed…when you have friends on fire for Jesus….God isn’t so silent after all.

***written a couple months ago, but I needed this reminder…always:

 

I have been drowning in the mundane and the pain recently.  The mundane of going to work, coming home, going to bed and repeat, and the pain of failure at work.  Even though the failures came with no lack of effort, skill or knowledge of my own, they still came.  And I’m not sure that makes it any better.  Working overtime and pouring out effort and emotion in a case only to find that no matter what I did, I would still lose.  The animal loses, the family loses, and the clinic loses.  Never in my career have I felt such disappointing losses back to back to back.

I dug my heels in.  Deep into despair, self-pity, bitterness again, and insecurity in my abilities.  I thought about the book I am about to release in regard to work entitled “Victory Unleashed” and felt nowhere near victory.  I begged and pleaded with God for each case, “God, please, just let this be a victory, let this one work out,” but they did not.  I turned my eyes towards future cases and prayed, “God, please give me a victory, I need a victory at work.”  To which He replied so clearly, “Was My Victory not enough?”

You know those moments where you just wanna shrink up into a little ball and slap your palm to your forehead…..yeah, this was one of those.  How many times have I read and studied, literally studied about how I am to be Kingdom focused and “unstained by the world” (James 1:27).  The ultimate victory has already been done: Christ won salvation and freedom from sin and death for me on the cross and all else I should consider a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8).  Whatever storms of life are going on around me are overshadowed by the power and mercy of the cross and the majesty of Jesus.  How could I forget that!  He is how I stay sane during those rough days and He is how I consider it pure joy when I encounter many trials (James 1:2).  He is how I escape the mundane and see treasures placed within my day knowing they could only be sent by Him.  It is a grateful spirit and a knowledge of the intensity of the cross that summons the ability to see God in the mundane and the pain instead of drowning in my own challenging human emotions.

My Jesus, please help me, help us as your people to never forget the magnitude of what you did for us on Calvary.  May we place all our faith in Your Words “It is finished” and believe them with all of our hearts knowing that you won, are winning, and will always win the victory over our lives.  You are a great, wonderful, powerful and merciful God who loves each and every one of us.  We offer up our sufferings to you and choose not to hold onto them as our burdens.  But may we release them unto you with gratitude for your love and wait in eager expectation for your next “move”.  We love you, Jesus and ask this in Your Mighty Name….AMEN!

Back to School

Sometimes….well…a lot of times….nope…. Most times, God pushes us in directions we never could have imagined.  I am going back to “school”!  Not a physical school, but an online type of school which I have never done before.  I’m starting a one year journey to become certified in animal hospice and palliative care and I cannot tell you how excited I am to get back into school!

What is animal hospice and palliative care?  Well, I used to think it sounded crazy!  Maybe you do too and that’s ok.  I pictured dogs hooked up to IV’s in a small little nursing home scenario while family members stood by waiting for them to pass.  No, that’s not it at all.  It the science of how we, as veterinarians, can use our medical knowledge of behavior, disease processes, medications and apply them specifically to end of life care to alleviate pain and suffering.  It is also about being able to communicate with owners about quality of life and end of life decisions.  I used to think it went against euthanasia and ending suffering, but in all actuality, it is a strong supporter of it and helping pets have the most peaceful passing at the right time.

I have discovered a side of veterinary medicine that I am really passionate about and that is helping these old grey muzzles and feeble whiskers be comfortable and enjoy their final weeks/months for as long as they can and help owners navigate the challenging question of “When is it time?”.

So back to school I go!  Wish me luck!

I have been overwhelmed and overjoyed by the family and friends that have read or are reading my book.  Thank you for your support and kind words!

People have been asking me what it was like to write a book, and honestly….it was one of the best joy rides of my life.  I wanted to share a bit about the writing process because God is so cool and I got to encounter His power in such a new way through writing.

Each time, before sitting at the computer desk, I would feel a message or topic burning in my heart.  Situations at work would line up, my daily readings would fit perfectly with it, topics at church or in my women’s bible study would align with it, and I would know that I was meant to record it.  I would go into my study, kneel on the floor and pray for God to speak to me.  I would ask for Him to guide my words to glorify Him.  Then I would start typing…..and it would flow….some days for hours, some days for minutes.  But there would always come a point where I could feel God say, “that’s enough”.   Then, I’d stop.

Just recently, I was offered an opportunity to write an article for an organization I have been a part of since veterinary school: Christian Veterinary Mission.  It’s an organization of 70 plus missionaries around the world who are vets.  It also holds retreats and training for vets in the states.  I had about 24 hours to write this article, but I knew God created this opportunity and He would make it happen.  So I sat down at my computer and wrote the article.  Then I heard Him say, “What if I asked you to erase everything you just wrote and start over?”.  All these thoughts started racing in my head, “What??? But…no.  I gotta get this done, I only have so much time…”   In not one of my proudest moments, I tabbed down to another page, WITHOUT erasing, and started writing again.  In just about 10 minutes I wrote an article that was 10 times better than the one before, which I soon erased.

I think a lot of times, God makes what He is calling us to do seem impossible so that when it is accomplished, we must look back and say, “it had to be Him because there’s no way I ever could have done that alone.”  That is what I love the most about writing with Him.  He surprises me, He thrills me, and He always comes through.  As Beth Moore stated in the video I’m about to watch with my women’s group this week, “There ain’t no high like THE Most High!”  Jesus is the thrill of my life and I CANNOT wait to learn what He is up to “now” that will be my “next”!

Here is my current status, sitting in my study, pouring over emails and addresses that I have obtained for popular/famous veterinary personalities, and sending out thank you cards and free books.  (And yes, I did a little girly giggle of excitement when I got a personal email back from Dr. Marty Becker!)

When God told me to write a book, I was like…Whoa, what, how, me!?!  But the writing in comparison to publishing, designing, proofreading, business making, and now marketing was like cake!  It has been a great reminder that yes, when God calls you to do something, He provides you with the anointing to do it…but you have to do the work!

It has been amazing seeing family and friends support me in this journey.  SO many of you have bought my book and I am thrilled that you would want to read what I have to say.  I have loved every selfie/picture of my friends who have bought my book (and don’t worry, they are being saved in a special file 🙂

Now God is calling me to go beyond the friend zone, and so far, this: packaging yellow envelops with free books is the best idea I have.  Would you pray with me?  You see, this adventure is not just about selling books.  And this adventure is not about me!  This is about getting this book of hope in the hands of someone who is at the end of their rope in a career that has severely disappointed them and telling them about the life saving, beautiful power of Jesus.  Pray that these little envelops bless those who receive them.  Pray that they share the book with at least one person.  And pray that God’s favor over this book may reach without limit to all veterinarians.

Thank you!  Thank you for your prayers and for reading my book!

Much love,

Heidi

Click on the link below to preview the first few pages of my book! THEN click again to enlarge the text. Enjoy!

Book sneak peak