Casey - Make it happen: surrender your fear. take the leap. live on purpose

PRAISE FOR MAKE IT HAPPEN

Want to exchange your fear for faith and move forward into all God has for you? Lara shows by example how to sort through the clutter and chaos of your life to find what really matters. So many of us hold dreams and we dont know what to do with them. Lara is a master at unraveling purpose and helping you move forward with freedom and joy.

JENNIE ALLEN
FOUNDER, IF:GATHERING AND AUTHOR, RESTLESS

Finally theres someone to remind us that making things happen is more than just trying to accomplish everything that might happen on our to-do lists. Instead she explains how we often glorify busyness and then goes on to offer important helps to find and follow the real success equationthe one that will allow you to live on purpose.

JEREMY COWART
ARTIST, AUTHOR, HUMANITARIAN

My days and weeks are filled with meeting with women of our generation, online and in my living room. I cant tell you how often I find myself asking them, Have you heard of Lara Casey? God has wired Lara in the most beautiful way to fire women up while simultaneously soaking them in grace and hope through her story and her wisdom. This book is one that I cannot wait to pass across the table because I know it offers the truth and encouragement that so many women are desperately searching for.

JESS CONNOLLY
ENTREPRENEUR AND WRITER

If youve spent most of your life living between feeling like you are either not enough or way too much, you will want to read Make It Happen. Lara Caseys personal history and her relentless pursuit of perfection (and ultimate surrender to grace) provide the perfect backdrop to help you go from feeling overwhelmed to living on purpose. You wont put down the book feeling more overwhelmed, but with an actionable plan filled with reminders from Lara that youre already enough and never too much.

HAYLEY MORGAN
COFOUNDER, INFLUENCE NETWORK CREATIVE DIRECTOR, WILDLY CO.

2014 Lara Casey

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

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Unless otherwise marked, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the English Standard Version. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-529-10150-1

ISBN 978-0-718-02239-6 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Casey, Lara.

Make it happen : surrender your fear. take the leap. live on purpose / Lara Casey.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-529-10150-1 (trade paper)

1. Self-actualization (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 2. FearReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Courage. 4. Christian life. I. Title.

BV4598.2.C38 2014

248.4dc23

2014022260

14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Me: Gracie, what should I write here?
Grace: Mommeee, yooo shud wite I lub you!
Me: Thats a great idea, sweet pea! I love you, Grace.

T his book comes from the thousands of stories shared with me over the years from women who want to make what matters happen. To those who have shared their lives with me online, in workshops, and in long conversations over sweet tea on my porchthank you.

The women I work with each day at Southern WeddingsEmily Thomas, Lisa Olson, Marissa Kloess, Kristin Winchester, Nicole Yangnot only ran our company while I was writing this book, but they encouraged me daily. Ladies, you are the bees knees. This book came from your hearts as much as it did from mine.

My very first Bible, which was given to me by my grandfather, was a King James Version, published by Thomas Nelson. When God put it on my heart to write this book, I prayed, God, if its Your will, I would love to write a book with Thomas Nelson. God heard my prayer and not only allowed me to write these pages to you, but He brought incredible people alongside me to make it happen. Debbie Wickwire, thank you for guiding me with such heart, helping me laugh, heal, and trust that God sat me down at this keyboard for a reason. Your encouragement shaped each word. Katie Bond, Stephanie Newton, Matt Baugher, Emily Sweeney, Paula Major, Carol Martin, Caroline Green, Kristi Smith, Meaghan Porter, Adria Haley, Andrea Lucado, Belinda Bass, Julie Allen, Jennifer Stair, and the Thomas Nelson team, thank you for giving me this chance to share what He has done in my life.

Enormous thanks to Seth Fishman, who introduced me to my agent, Claudia Cross, at Folio Literary. Claudia, the first time I spoke with you, I felt the same way I did in starting a magazineI had no idea what I was doing! But you put me at ease immediately. I am so grateful.

Many dear friends have walked with me on this journey, reminding me I am not alone and encouraging me in the (many) times when I felt like Id never ever finish: Emily Ley, Gina Zeidler, Natalie and Richie Norton, Nancy and Will Ray, Karen Stott, Rhiannon Bosse, Hannah Brencher, Carrie McQuaid, Kate Dunlap, Jessi Connoly, Hayley Morgan, Amber Housley, Emily Hansel, Jessie Bell, Tijuana Goodwin, Whitney Afonso, my sister Kathy, the Making Things Happen community, and so many morethank you.

Mom, thank you for nurturing our family like you do your garden, with fierce love and devotion. Dad, thanks for always reminding me that my creative gifts matter. Your faith and zest for life inspire me.

Michael and Suzy, your encouragement through this book process helped me to let go of perfection and focus on purpose.

Mitch and Jan, Phil and Leslie, Bob and Buena, Ted and Sonya, and our local church family, your bear hugs changed everything.

Meredith Blankenship and Susan Wooden, its because you love my daughter, Grace, that I was able to write these words. I know God is good because He gave me you.

Gracie, you cant read words yet, but you can read hearts. Ill give you my thanks with ten thousand hugs, boo-boo kisses, and silly dances in the kitchen over the next however-many years God lets me. When you are able to read this, know that your boundless love and joy filled me every single day I wrote. You are my sunshine.

Ari, thank you for helping me unearth these words and for drying my tears as I wrote about our hardest times. You helped turn those tears into a deeper joy. This book is my love song to God in thanks for you.

Grandpa, thank you for giving me that first Bible.