(If you are visiting from the P31 Woman magazine, thank you for stopping by! 
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Two years. Yes, two years of rejection letters before I received my very first “yes”. “More Examined In The Waiting Room” is my very first published piece. I’m humbled and delighted that though the rest of the authors in P31 Woman magazine are “known” authors, I am an “unknown”.
I want to thank the entire Proverbs 31 Ministry staff, especially Lysa TerKeurst and Glynnis Whitwer who have gone before, encouraged and paved the way for me and countless women to pursue their passion! Thank you for this opportunity! (Opportunity sure has been the the word of the week here!) I also want to thank my writer’s group, Scribe’s Alley, particularly Jen (THANK YOU for never quitting, that choice helped change my life!), Mike and Al for critiquing and pursuing this call together!
(I celebrated today with an iced coffee from McD’s!)
I’m delighted to say that I’m finally “published”! But what delights me even more is that I experience God more intimately when I wait…more than when I “get”. And, not just in that doctor’s office waiting room that I mentioned in my article , but everywhere!
I’m learning to not just white-knuckle-wait, but to worship God while I wait. Worshiping God is much more fun and I’m near positive that it burns more calories than the worrying/fretting approach. 
What does worshiping God while I wait look like?
Well, it depends on the situation…
Waiting for our second son to be born, I memorized a scripture and spoke Hebrews 11:1 every time fear rose up in me. I said that verse A LOT. Waiting in a pre-op surgical room, it meant that I listened to a surgical nurse tearfully speak of her ill and deteriorating father, instead of focusing on me…me…me. Waiting for a financial miracle meant that Dave and I gave above our tithe when the pennies were diminishing each month. Seven years later, that additional $100 seed of monthly “worship” translated to currently a 100% increased income today. Waiting for loved ones to come into a relationship with Christ has meant that many times I talk less about Christ and pursue to act more like Him (loving). When I’d really rather just shake them and lay out the, “Steph Fink Eight Point Plan of Salvation.” (As if…) Waiting to be published required more than disappointment, but to rise up again to my keyboard, and type one more piece. The refusal to quit is an act of worship.
God keeps telling me, as I tell our two young sons, “Patience child!” I won’t lie, I’m not a naturally gifted “wait-er”. No, I’m a “git-r-done” (if this Jersey girl is permitted to borrow that expression from the southern folk) kind of gal. But now that I see God is interested more in how I behave during the wait than after I have the final result, I want to sing a different song, a new song.
Instead of, “When God, when…?” or 
“Nobody knows…the trouble I’ve seen…” I want to sing a new song that is less like, “UGH!” and more like, “God, I don’t see you moving but I trust you!”
To celebrate this two year wait and this very special “published” moment, I would like to give you a “New Song” to encourage you in your wait.
The first 25 people to post a comment here will be sent a music CD! You can post about something you are waiting on right now (I promise to pray for all posted), something you are celebrating after a long wait, or anything related to the waiting topic…you will receive a hot-off-the-presses-this-summer, CD appropriately titled, “Give me a new song”
Post a comment and I’ll contact you privately for your mailing address (and no, you won’t be put on any form of mailing list from me as that would require me to be far more organized than I currently am!) 
As a special bonus, anyone who watched America’s Got Talent last summer and cheered on sweet top 10 contestant cutie, Kaitlyn Maher, she sings on the CD too!
(L-R: Our son Cal, Kaitlyn, our son Jake, friends “Bubba” and Madison!)
For those that I’m not able to give a freebie to, you can listen to song samples and purchase a copy here.
No matter where you are at in your wait game – entering, in the middle or received your answer – choose to worship God and wait well!
