Julie Lyles Carr

2017-01-26T21:44:00.002-06:00

Raising an Original Audiobook Giveaway!

2017-01-04T19:03:00.000-06:00

We're so excited to celebrate the release of the audiobook for Raising an Original: Parenting Each Child According to Their God-Given Temperament! And we want you to win a copy! Simply fill out the form below, 'like' our Facebook page, and you'll be entered in our drawing. Share this giveaway via social media with your peeps and you'll have even more chances to win! We'll be announcing winners on 1-11-17.

Please note: the CD version of the audiobook is only available within the US, and winners can choose between the CD version and the digital download. International entries will be eligible for the digital download only. No purchase necessary to win. Winners will be selected at random and informed via email and blog/social media posts.

2017...Let's Go Forth!

2017-01-02T09:56:00.002-06:00

Year in Review

2016-12-31T14:09:00.000-06:00

2016, you've been a whole mixed bag of crazy.

Exciting things on the career and ministry front.
Milestones for the family.
And a whole lot of really, really hard and difficult.

2016, you'll definitely be one that will be remembered.

JANUARY

Oldest baby girl Madison up and moved to Chicago.

But rather than processing that momentous event, I met up with my brothers in Oklahoma a few days later and we cleared out my mom's house. Which was one of the more hilarious, heart-wrenching, memory exploring and building things I've done. It was five days of non-stop nuttiness. And from start to finish, I couldn't have adored my brothers more as my cohorts in the dismantling of the nest.

We moved my mom to a wonderful senior living residence complex in Indiana just around a couple of corners from one of my brothers. It was definitely the right decision. As of this writing, she is doing much better. A few months later, my 98-year-old grandmother moved to the same facility, which meant another house to go through and get on the market. My brother Rob and his amazing wife Jill get all kinds of bonus points and stars in the their crowns and extra helpings of everything for all they've done this year for my mom and grandmother.

And I started writing for All Mom Does. It's a great treasure, the writing friendships I've developed with the AMD team. They are all in the Pacific Northwest, I'm here in ATX...but we've bonded and connected and the team has become a true joy to me.

FEBRUARY
Then McKenna, Baby Girl Number 2, moved out. So we had three moves in three weeks. Which was awesome since I love moving so much.

Not.

Legacy of Hope/2dance2dream turned 5!

(photo credit Shannon Lafayette Photography)

It's hard to believe that we've been serving families with special needs for over five years now. The annual recital and fundraiser took the stage in February and was our biggest yet. This was one of the finer moments of the year and it was such a joy to realize how far we've come!

Maesyn and I got to have a joint speaking trip, as the keynotes for Hearts For Hearing's annual fundraiser.

It was the first time Maesyn had publicly spoken about her hearing loss journey...and she was incredible. She spoke with passion, wit, humor and heart to a room full of state senators, legislators, public officials and corporate A-listers. And I tried to not to cry too loudly.

We ran by my in-laws' home as we made our way back to ATX. My father-in-law hadn't been feeling too well in January, but all his tests were clear and we thought he was on the mend.

Just a few days after we got back to ATX, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And an already tumultuous year turned upside down.

MARCH

We made the trek to Tulsa in what I expected to be the first of many trips for the year, wanting to soak up as much time as possible with my father-in-law. I took tons of pictures. We laughed and laughed and laughed. We said all the things. All of them.

And after a few days, we headed back to Austin.
I truly, truly thought we'd be back with him a few more times.

Right after we got back, I led the memorial for one of the precious kids we had in the 2dance2dream program, our beloved Casey.

And a couple of days after that, I produced the Good Friday service at the Frank Erwin Center and McKenna danced. 2016, that had to be one of the weirdest, most emotional, most exhausting and exhilarating and wrenching and numbing weeks ever.

Ever.

(photo credit Shannon Lafayette Photography and Kelly Smith Photography)

APRIL

We did make the trek back to Tulsa.

But it was to say goodbye.

Michael's dad passed on April 4th.

It was fast. It was peaceful. He was at home.
When he went home.

The number of people who turned out was simply incredible. My brothers swooped in, as did my pastors. People were incredible and loving and generous and kind.

My father-in-law's passing was a huge crater, a muffled blast that shook everything. But his passing came in the middle of multiple losses. Two passings in our church family, one a baby, another one one of my women in LifeWomen. Casey from our 2dance2dream family. And Jeanne Hornsby, a long-time mentor and friend in Tulsa. And a couple of months later, Nancie Magnusson Brown, a much beloved friend. And then one of my best friend's mom, Gladys Faulkner. I went to and/or spoke at four funerals in about four weeks.

And I ate my feelings. A lot.
A lot of feelings.
A lot of eating.

And very quickly got into the worst weight and shape of my life.

In the middle of all of this, the final edits for the book were due.
So I ate some more.

MAY

Maesyn graduated. Such a huge accomplishment.

JUNE

McKenna and I also got to have a joint speaking trip this year, as keynotes for a young women's dance leadership camp, where we were able to take about leading well and the message of inclusion and community mission.

And we released the second online Bible study, ASK. So many of you participated and it was an honor to take the journey of several questions in the Word with you.

As I went through all the video shoot of the Bible study and post production, I couldn't deny any longer that this eating my feelings business was getting way out of control. With the book launch just a few months away, I knew I needed to begin the hard work of dealing with the stress of the year in a different way.

JULY

We started principal photography for the book trailer. Because nothing is more refreshing than outdoor video shoots in July. In Texas. Justus did an incredible job, truly capturing the heart of the book with exceptional footage. And I got to work with my son. So win win.

I also launched myself headlong into a fitness and nutrition regimen. I talked with my fitness mentor. I gave myself no cheats, no wiggle room.

It was hard.
Very hard.
And no one could tell for a long time.
And it was worth it.

Merci danced in front of a whole bunch of people.
Total pro.

AUGUST

At the end of July into early August, we headed for one of my favorite places on earth.
The lake house in Indiana.

We got to spend time with my mom and grandmother, whom we hadn't seen since their moves to Indiana.

We got to breathe a bit.
As much as you can with 17 hour road trips either side.
I was again reminded how far ATX and Indiana are from each other.
Madison drove down from Chicago and last minute, we flew Justus in, who had been traveling and hiking all over the west.
McKenna's work and school schedule didn't have any room for travel, so we had to pout a little about that.

Various interviews, articles, and podcasts for the pre-launch were sprinkled throughout these weeks, along with deadlines for new project proposals. There wasn't a lot of sleeping going on.

SEPTEMBER

Raising an Original launched. A multi-year journey.
One of the biggest moments of my life. In one of the weirdest years of my life.
Crazy gratitude.

This cute guy started soccer again. Jake is simply the sweetest. With the best freckles. The perfect person to be the baby of the family.

OCTOBER

Multiple interviews and articles dropped.

I had to pinch myself.
A lot.

NOVEMBER

And this happened.

DECEMBER

Lots of dancing.
Lots.
Jairus and Journey are upping their game.
Big time.

Somehow, the calendar had already clicked to December.

And I finally got to have all my birds back in the nest for a few days.

On Christmas Eve, I produced three services, including one at ACL.

(photo credit Kelly Smith Photography)

And came home this kind of tired...

And so very thankful for Michael.

And his weird kids.

So, 2016, I bid you adieu. It's been a year of tears and thrills. You've taught me a lot. There have been many days I haven't liked you at all.

There have been days I've loved you.

I suppose that's the job of a given year.
To celebrate.
To mourn.
To achieve.
To question.
To wonder.
To wander.

And in the adventure and the crisis, in the sun and in the storm, you ultimately did what you were supposed to.

You reminded me afresh that my hope is not in a predictable set of days, but in the Lord who has already seen and who holds them all.

And so I leave you, 2016, with that.
Hope.

Proverbs 31 Devotional: Whose Kids Am I Raising?

2016-11-16T16:19:00.000-06:00

Wildly thrilled and humbled to be posting over at Proverbs 31 today. Would love for you to take a read. Whose kids are you raising? Whose life are you living? Whose measure are you comparing by?

Bonus Interview

2016-11-05T09:37:00.001-05:00

Had a chance to sit down with Randy Robison while at LifeToday and chat about differences, strengths, and how to embrace those things that make us unique~

LIFE Today

2016-10-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Here we go! Such an amazing experience to get to talk with James and Betty Robison about Raising an Original, the situations that make us ask 'why", how we can be the originals God created us to be, and more!

You can watch the episode by going to the link above. Additionally, you can watch it on television: click here for a station guide with broadcast times.

Mama Bear Dares!

2016-10-06T10:45:00.001-05:00

I had the BEST time chatting with Leslie and Tesi on Mama Bear Dares! Take a listen!

Are You Living in the Land of Tired?

2016-10-03T14:54:00.001-05:00

As parents, it's the one thing we seem to be able to agree on, no matter all our other kid-raising philosophies: we're all T I R E D. Join me tonight on a special FB Live on All Mom Does to talk about the fatigue of family building and care and best practices to keep on a'going! Monday, October 3rd, 7pm PST, 9pm CST.

What's Written on the Blackboard of Your Soul?

2016-09-27T12:57:00.001-05:00

It's always a treat to get to do my thing at my home church LifeAustin.

Speechless...

2016-09-14T14:07:00.000-05:00

Friends,

I am utterly speechless. Yesterday was the official release day for my new book Raising an Original. If that wasn’t exciting enough, the book almost instantly shot up to #1 Bestseller status on Amazon (in the Christian Family category) and it was in the top few hundred of books OVERALL on Amazon as well. At first I thought I was seeing things (after all, I've been slurping way too much caffeine and entertaining far too little sleep...) but my publisher quickly confirmed that indeed things were off to an amazing start.

I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU. Thank you to those of you who are supporting me and this book. Thank you for helping to make the launch day such an overwhelming success. And thank you to those of you who are encouraging others to check out the book.

I wrote this book because I want to make a difference, to equip parents and those who work with children to notice, identify, and celebrate the incredible originalities woven into each child. I know, with your help, we’re doing just that.

If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, please do. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere books are sold. You'll find links over in the right sidebar.

If you’d like to help spread the word, you can click to share on Facebook & Twitter (share buttons are at the bottom of this post).

I’m so excited and can’t wait to see what God has in store for Raising an Original and those who read it.

Thank you!

Julie

A Secret To Parenting that No One Tells You: The Strength is in the Struggle

2016-09-12T15:43:00.000-05:00

Of this writing journey, this has got to be one of the bigger thrills for me. I'm posting today over at Ann Voskamp's gorgeous blog, A Holy Experience. Would love for you to take a look~

When Your Timeline and God's Timeline Don't Match

2016-09-09T15:20:00.000-05:00

That picture right up there?

Y'all.

I'd pretty much written off any kind of experience like that.

Signing books?

Me?

A book I had written?

What?

My lit agent Esther Fedorkevich of the Fedd Agency threw a little soiree last night to celebrate the upcoming release of Raising an Original: Parenting Each Child According to Their Unique God-Given Temperament. She's recently expanded her gorgeous offices and it was a great time to show off her new digs and to sign a few copies of the book for clients and colleagues and friends.

But it was so surreal.

Twenty-three years ago, I sent my first inquiry letter with some sample writing to a couple of publishing houses.

Rejected.

I kept filling notebooks, writing in spurts and stops.

Eight years ago, I started this blog.

Seven years ago, my pastors kept encouraging me.

And Esther and I started throwing around ideas for this book close to six years ago.

We got some feedback.

We retooled.

It sat on the shelf for a while.

I pretty much thought it was over.

But two and half years ago, we started again. Going a little deeper. Clearing out the dross. Honing in on the central message. Developing yet a third book proposal to send out.

Praying and listening like crazy.

And then God starting opening doors.

Wait, that's not quite correct.

He'd been opening doors all along. But He was doing it in a series of intentional sequences. The 'chance' meeting with someone who had a publishing connection. The person who followed my blog who knew so-and-so. A series of events, some little, some not so little, that over time and over seasons, He somehow wove into a timeframe.

Even though to me, it seemed like nothing was happening and I was stuck with a 'no'.

Until, in His time, it became a 'yes'.

Now, we all know that there some things that we long to do or would love to see happen for which we don't get the answer we want. You've got those areas in your life. I do to.

But Jen Hatmaker told me a while back, it's the long game. We were talking books and writing and publishing, but I'm seeing now it's even more than that. There can be a dream, a longing, an urgency laid on your heart that keeps you up nights and rattles around in the back of your head and for which it feels like you've got a space in your existence that can only be filled by that thing.

Sometimes, we're wrong about those things.

And sometimes, we're exactly right.

But when the timeline doesn't match our sense of urgency, we can think that what is right must be wrong.

So.

That thing you long to do? That dream you hope to see realized?
Let the details unfold and flow.
Let God design.
Keep praying.
Keep writing...or dreaming...or dancing...or creating. Whatever it is that's on your heart.

Because sometimes the timeline doesn't match.
But the dream does.

(A big shout out to my amazing friend and photographer Shannon Lafayette. She took the photo of me for the back of the book cover and has a crazy incredible photography business here in the ATX and in Port Aransas. Check her out!)

Pairadocs Podcast

2016-09-01T17:59:00.001-05:00

Michael and I sat down with Drs. Jimmy and Josh Myers and talked about big family life, the new book, and how Michael uses a spreadsheet for parenting! Click here to listen!

Join the #RaisinganOriginal Launch Team!

2016-08-09T18:22:00.001-05:00

Wowza.

We've built quite a community here on the blogsphere, haven't we? As I look back over my blog list, those friends far and near that I check in with, as I read your posts, watch your kids grow, celebrate your new journeys...it's an amazing thing, this digital pen pal neighborhood.

Those of us who love blogging, whether we started into it early on or have recently jumped in, we get to take a peek into each other's lives, and gather fantastic ideas for home, work, fitness, cooking, decorating, organizing, and faith.

And we also have opportunities to get the word out about things that make our lives better, ideas that we are passionate about, a soap box, a platform, a microphone that gives us a voice, regardless of our season. Our digital lives have become an exceptional democratizer, an ability to have a voice in the conversation that comprises our culture.

I come to you now, my fellow blog writers and readers, asking you to consider using that voice to get the message out about my new book, Raising an Original, which is being released September 13, 2016 by Harper Collins/ Zondervan. I'd love for you to consider being part of the Launch Team, which will be selected by a drawing from applicants at the end of the week. Launch Team members will receive a free review copy of Raising an Original and we'll have some fun Facebook events, some goodies for Team members, and more! There are a limited number of slots, so please register today.

It would be an honor to have your voice involved in the launch of this book, this project that found its early steps here within this amazing blog community. Appreciate you all so much and hope you'll join me in this thing known as a book launch!

Raising an Original Book Trailer!

2016-08-04T15:52:00.002-05:00

Okay friends, warning you ahead of time that I may be like that overzealous grandmother with a thousand pictures of the new grandbaby for a while.

Not that I'm a grandmother.
Or that there is a grandbaby on the way.

But this new book feels like a new member of the family, a project that has had a long gestation and has been eagerly and nervously awaited. So as we edge ever closer to the book release date of September 13th, I may be a little over the top.

But I'm okay with that.

And I hope you are, too.

God still surprises me, and that this book found such a great home with Harper Collins/Zondervan is a precious surprise indeed.

So cue the book trailer! Don't forget to pre-order to get all kinds of awesome free goodies. And look for a few familiar faces!

2016-07-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight, tonight, tonight! So excited to circle up with you this evening and talk all things writing! Join me on FB Live at 7pm CST and let's discuss your questions and thoughts about writing, the writing process, creativity, the business side of publishing, and more!

So You're Ready To Write That Book...

2016-07-19T13:06:00.000-05:00

As the launch date for the release of my new book Raising An Original gets closer and closer (eeakkkk!), I've been chatting up writing and publishing and lit agents and the creative process with more and more people. So many of us have a story to tell and a book in our hearts...so how do we #justwrite? Join me this Thursday night, July 21, 2016, at 7pm at my Facebook author page for a Facebook Live session talking all things writing! I'll be sharing what my journey has looked like and will be excited to hear your questions and how your writing process is going! Can't wait to see you Thursday night!

Shameless Kid Adoration

2016-06-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

When you're kids number seven and eight of a large tribe, there are just some things that are so much a part of the family culture that you consider as part of the norm.

Case in point.

Dance.

These two have grown up with a calendar that includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and spring dance recital.

It's just part of our jam.

And the picture sessions that come with said recital? Well, as homeschoolers, we don't really have that fantastically awkward and perfectly goofy collection of yearly school class pictures (which is a homeschool regret of mine~~there's something special about those school pictorials). So dance pictures are sort of our version of recording the click of the clock of another year.

These two?

What can I say? The babies of the tribe. The hip-hopper and the ballerina.

Let's take it back a few years, shall we? Just because I need another reason to binge out on chocolate.

Here we go.

Right?

Four years ago.

Might as well go for it...

I know.

My chest hurts.

So I'm renewing my view. I'm remembering to notice. To take in the moments, small and large.

And I'll keep paying for those cutesy/posed/backdropped dance pictures. Because they're our form of an hour glass. And I want to gather all the grains of sand.

Free Online Bible Study!

2016-06-07T18:53:00.000-05:00

ASK Free Online Bible Study Promo from Julie Lyles Carr on Vimeo.

Would love for you to join our free online Bible study, ASK! Register today at bit.ly/askstudy !

The #MotheRing

2016-05-18T15:40:00.000-05:00

The #MotheRing from Julie Lyles Carr on Vimeo.

It's always a joy when I get to speak at my home church of LifeAustin. It was an honor to speak on Mother's Day, celebrating all women in the family of God and the call we each have to mother someone in the family of God and to be mothered by someone in the family of God. Mother's Day this year happened to fall in the midst of several important writing deadlines and project details. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get it all done, that I might let somebody down, that I might miss some details.

But I'm learning.

I'm learning to build in more margin. I'm learning to skinny, skinny, skinny down the slots on the calendar for availability for certain meetings and luncheons. I'm still not great at it. I still tend toward filling every single hour from dawn 'til dark with perceived responsibilities and tasks and urgencies.

But.

I'm learning that preparation, solid preparation, takes time.

And I'm learning that it takes time to listen.

To listen well.

To listen to God.

To listen to what needs to come next on the manuscript, the teaching, the project.

I'm finally starting to learn that when I'm willing to do those things, when I'm willing to stand by a reasonable schedule, when I'm willing to risk not being seen as always on and always available, God gets stuff done. He just does.

So here's to continuing to learn and progress and listen.
I've got a plenty long way to go. But the lessons are sweet.

Living on Which Side the Tracks

2016-04-20T16:48:00.001-05:00

(photo source)

Just. Wow.

So I want people who stop by the blog to be encouraged and inspired and to share a laugh and a smile.

And I want to be real and forthright.

And sometimes, encouraged and inspired and smiling get blasted by real and forthright.

It's been a season, I tell ya.

My precious father-in-law was diagnosed with end stage pancreatic cancer just at the end of February.

And by April 4th, he was gone.

His passing comes in the midst of several other heartbreaking situations within the scope of my ministry world in our church family and non-profit work. It's been a crazy teeter-totter of tending our own broken hearts while caring for the broken hearts of others.

And smack in the middle of all this, there has been all kinds of amazing progress and joy. The final production and marketing decisions for the book have been an exciting distraction for me with the Harper Collins/Zondervan team. An exceptional experience producing the Good Friday Service in Austin with Michael W. Smith. My husband's development of some exciting content coming together on personal productivity. Our oldest daughter Madison accepting a fantastic promotion within her company and moving to Chicago. The 2dance2dream program celebrating its inclusion at a national dance competition, in which the team brought home a major award. An adored friend with a featured role on Nashville, for whom I couldn't be more thrilled and proud.

Joy and heartache.

(Good Friday at the Erwin Center, Austin, Texas. Photo credit Shannon Lafayette.)

Accomplishment and loss.

Gratitude and unsettling questions.

Birthday parties and funerals.

Happy reunions but at the occasion of memorial services.

My pastor, Randy Phillips, was recently talking about an interview he had seen with Rick and Kay Warren about the two tracks in life that seem to run concurrently, a track of triumph and heights and a track of challenge and disappointment. These words were penned in Kay's devotional, Choose Joy, Because Happiness Isn't Enough:

We tend to think that life comes in hills and valleys. In reality, it’s much more like train tracks. Every day of your life, wonderful, good things happen that bring pleasure and contentment and beauty to you. At the exact same time, painful things happen to you or those you love that disappoint you, hurt you, and fill you with sorrow. These two tracks — both joy and sorrow — run parallel to each other every single moment of your life.
That’s why, when you’re in the midst of an amazing experience, you have a nagging realization that it’s not perfect. And while you’re experiencing something painful, there’s the glorious realization that there is still beauty and loveliness to be found. They’re inseparable.

Right now, it's enough to give me whiplash, cutting my head from side to side, trying to figure out where my heart is being broken and mended, numbed and expanded, as I hurtle down the tracks of life at what seems like breakneck speed.

And that's real. And forthright.

And I'm not sure all that encouraging.

Except.

We're still on track. Even when it feels like the wrong side of the tracks. Even when we only want to travel the track upon which the sunshine seems to beam. It's life. It's what it encompasses, the beautiful and the brutal, the merry and the melancholic, the content and the confusing.

If you're there too, living in a dual track of sunshine and rain, it's okay. Sometimes it just runs like that. It's not all good and it's not all bad. Perhaps that's exactly the point.

So for now, in this season, I'm embracing both. We're going to mourn hard. We're going to celebrate hard. We're going to cry often. We're going to laugh with abandon.

We're not going to live on one side of the tracks or the other, with either of their perceived reputation.

We're just going to take it right down the middle. And pay attention to what we learn.

The Six Friendships You Can Do Without

2016-04-01T08:45:00.002-05:00

There are those friendships that nourish us...and then there are those that wear us out. Find out the difference over at the All Mom Does site today.

All Mom Does

2016-03-10T12:21:00.000-06:00

Over the past year or so, I've been a blogging contributor for the Christa Media group. It started out contributing to Spirit 105.9's website and in January grew to include writing for All Mom Does, a fantastic site with encouragement and equipping for women in business, parenting, marriage, and different seasons. I'd love for you to pop over and check out some of my recent articles, including the one that published today on school pride. Click on each pic to access the post at All Mom Does. And let me know questions, thoughts, and input you have on your journey. I'd love to think on and address topics that are important to you and what's going on in your life. You can comment on this post or email me at info@julielylescarr.com.

Communication, Conflict Resolution, and Redecorating the Bedroom

2016-03-02T09:27:00.000-06:00

For a number of years now, I've had the honor of teaching alongside Dr. Jimmy Myers on a weekly basis at LifeUniversity. We've tackled all kinds of relationship issues, marriage challenges, parenting topics, communication styles and personalities...the list goes on. Through the years, as we've been teaching, we've also been learning. A lot. We've conducted surveys and questionnaires. We've had many conversations. And we're finding that, while some challenges remain the same, our modern times and technologies create some new hiccups and hurdles when it comes to our contemporary covenant relationships. We recently tacked a few of those topics~take a look.