Holley Gerth - Youre Made for a God-Sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God Has for You

2013 by Holley Gerth

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4100-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are 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 labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

Holley held my hand as I helped launch one of the biggest, scariest, most beautiful God-sized dreams Ive ever been a part of. It impacted thousands of women from over twenty countries. This book is the blueprint that helped me make it through. I lived Holleys words throughout all the speed bumps, pitfalls, and loud voices of fear pummeling the inside of my head and the pit of my stomach. Holleys encouragement is practical, grounded in experience, and laced with grace, gospel, grit, and enough experience to convince you not to quit when the fear gets the loudest but to press on and into the God who gave you the dream in the first place. Everyone needs a guide when theyre on a God-sized journey. With a sense of humor and a side of cheerleading, Holley is the one Id recommend with two thumbs up.

Lisa-Jo Baker, social media manager for DaySpring, community manager for the website (in)courage, and visionary for the (in)RL conference

God has a dream for you. Yes, you have a God-sized dream, even if you dont know what it is yet. Holley will show you how to tap into your dream and thrive in it. Youll feel like you have a personal guide to help you overcome your fears, define your dream, and understand how to pursue it with confidence. Holley is the encouraging friend youll need for the exciting adventure into your God-sized dream.

Stephanie S. Bryant, cofounder of (in)courage and creative mastermind at S. Bryant Social Marketing

I cant remember the last time I turned the pages of a book so eagerly. Holleys words have revolutionized my way of thinking with such a simple concept: that my dreams cant be bigger than God. If hes in my soul-planted dreamsand I think he isthen why wouldnt he also craft my life to fulfill those very same dreams? Holley is remarkably gifted at explaining universal heart truths to those of us in different seasons of life and then equipping each of us with the motivation to make those truths a reality. I thank God for my friend, this gifted writer Holley.

Tsh Oxenreider, author of Organized Simplicity , blogger behind SimpleMom.net, and creative director of SimpleLivingMedia.com

Reading this book is like having your own personal cheerleader by your side as you pursue your God-sized dream. Holley will challenge you to overcome your fear and stop sabotaging yourself, all the while reminding you that youre amazing and perfectly designed for turning your dream into reality.

Mary Carver, author of the blog Giving Up on Perfect and monthly columnist at (in)courage

Reading Youre Made for a God-Sized Dream isnt like reading at all; its more like a visit with a trusted friend, the one who speaks truth and wisdom into your life and helps you to see yourself the way God sees you. I have no idea how Holley accomplishes this (does every reader feel like theyve found a new best friend?), but she does! God used this dream of Holleys to help me believe in the dreams hes seeded in my soulthose urgings that wont go away, the things that hide in secret places but are clawing for escape. Sifting through Holleys insights, I feel almost like I have permission to dream now; I didnt realize how much I swept those hopes to the corners of my heart.

Robin Dance, author of the blog Pensieve

Holley Gerth is a cheerleader for women with God-sized dreams of all shapes and sizes. Shell encourage and equip you to pursue the dream God planted in your heart.

Dawn Camp, writer, photographer, and author of the blog My Home Sweet Home Online

Holley is every womans sister and a profound writer whose words touch the farthest corners of a womans heart. Relational and personal, Youre Made for a God-Sized Dream will show you how to give wings to your dreams as you fly straight to the heart of God.

Kristen Strong, writer and author of the blog Chasing Blue Skies

I used to think God-sized dreams were only for people with perfect faith, powerhouse social media platforms, or personalities that thrive in a high-stakes environment. Then I met Holley Gerth, and little by little she helped me realize that God-sized dreams are for everyone, including me. Including you. Combining her rock-solid wisdom as a certified life coach with her sincerely encouraging heart, Holley invites you to take a peek at the God-sized dreams designed specifically for you.

Deidra Riggs, owner and writer of Jumping Tandem , managing editor for TheHighCalling.org, and contributing writer for (in)courage

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Endorsements

Dedication

1. The More Youre Made For

2. You Might Have a God-Sized Dream If...

3. The Heart of a Dreamer

4. What Comes Next for You?

5. A Guide to Overcoming Your Fear

6. The Disclaimers

7. When Your God-Sized Dreams Go Wrong

8. How to Stop Sabotaging Yourself

9. Why Your Dream Is Worth It

10. God-Sized Dreams Stories

11. Commissioning You

Acknowledgments

Notes

About Holley

Books by Holley

Note from Holley

Back Ads

Back Cover

1
The More Youre Made For

She whispers it into the phone, almost too softly for me to hear.

I just... have this desire in my heart that wont go away.

She lists off reasons why it wont work, why this isnt the right time, and how she feels odd for even thinking about it in the first place.

When she pauses for a deep, unsure breath, I slip in these words: It sounds like you have a God-sized dream.

A what? she responds with a bit of wonder in her voice.

I smile and share more about desire and hope, what it means to make it to your personal Promised Land, and how everything is going to be different now.

I understand God-sized dreams because Ive lived them. And once you have a taste, theres no going back to life as you knew it before.

You may say, But I dont have big dreams.

Exactly.

The size of the dream isnt what matters.

I believe everyone has God-sized dreams. Its not about how big or small they are, because he creates each one to perfectly fit the size of your heart.

Your dream might be to move across the world and start a nonprofit organization that cares for orphanswhat looks like a grand adventure in the worlds eyes.