The Joy of Collaboration

Do you have someone with whom you enjoy collaborating?

I am so grateful for the gift of a friend who has become my favorite creative collaborator. Nancy is a full-service creative: photographer, artist, hand letterer, graphic designer – you name it, she probably does it – and she and I have collaborated on assigned tasks and for sheer joy. For almost a decade we worked together to strengthen the communication at our church, and we have also worked on projects simply because we like the work we do and we like each other; we enjoy putting our creative gifts together. I can’t count how many times I’ve said, “I write words and she makes them attractive.”

Today I am grateful to share some fun news with you: Nancy and I have been working on a project that is now available in her Etsy shop.

Name Above All Names: a 31-day devotional journal focuses on 31 names for God found in the Bible. Each page includes an illustration of God’s name, a scripture, and a question to guide your reflection.

You can use the journal as a digital download or by printing it out. Also, it’s not dated, so you can start using it any day of any month. You might use it daily for one month, or set aside time once a week to reflect on a few names for God, or use it to guide a spiritual retreat once a month or once a quarter.

The names are listed as they appear in biblical order, but the pages aren’t numbered. Like most books, you can start right at the beginning and work through to the end. However, we highly recommend praying each time you pick it up, asking God to guide you to the name that will most encourage you that day.

If you observe the Church season of Advent, beginning four Sundays before Christmas (November 28 this year), Name Above All Names will invite you into a deeper relationship with God as you prepare your home and your heart for Christmas. It also makes a great stocking stuffer for friends and family.

We’ve set the cost at an extremely reasonable $4.25. However, if you join my email list, I will send you a coupon code for 70% off, good through the end of the year. (To subscribe, on a desktop use the form in the right sidebar; on mobile, click a post title and scroll to the bottom).

Nancy and I prayed over Name Above All Names while we dreamed and discussed, while we wrote and illustrated and designed. We have prayed for those who will use it … which means we’ve been praying for you. We continue to pray that God will use our creative collaboration to encourage your faith and enrich your conversations with God.

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving, friends! May you enjoy a satisfying meal that fills your belly and your heart. May you create opportunities for generosity of spirit and resources. May you experience the love of God and others as you seek to love God and others well. May you notice the miracles in your mundane.