The suitcase is unpacked—or at least sitting open on the bedroom floor where you keep telling yourself you’ll unpack it tomorrow. The name badge has been tucked away. The appointments are finished. The notes are piled up, and your head and heart are overflowing with ideas.
And now it’s Tuesday.
Maybe not literally Tuesday, but you know what I mean. It’s back to ordinary life. No one is standing on a platform or asking about your book proposal. There isn’t a faculty member or friend leaning across a table telling you that your message matters. It’s just you and God and the next thing He’s placed in front of you.
On the day I peeked through a crack in the door and saw my grandpa kneeling beside an old metal chair with a broom leaning against the wall nearby, I probably thought he had stopped working. Now I know better.
The real work was being done on his knees.
Before the people came and the doors opened, before anyone sang a song or preached a message, my grandpa was preparing the room in a way no broom ever could. He was praying. And perhaps that is the picture I want to carry with me long after Speak Up.
Sometimes we can become so focused on the work God has called us to do that we forget the work He wants to do in us. We leave a conference ready to write the book, build the platform, craft the message, send the proposal, and pursue the opportunity. But before we rise up, we must learn to kneel down.
Perhaps this is where we begin to practice His presence—to build into the ordinary rhythms of our Tuesdays the habit of becoming aware that He is already there. To pray before we produce. To listen before we speak. To open His Word before we open our laptops. To lean into His presence before we lean into the next opportunity.
Kneeling down doesn’t always mean literally getting on our knees. It is a posture of the heart that says, “Lord, I am here. I am listening. What do You want to do in me before You do something through me?”
And maybe that’s when we begin to understand that Tuesday isn’t simply the day we have to get through on our way to the calling.
Tuesday is part of the calling.
We can become so busy preparing to Rise Up that we forget to kneel down. So let Tuesday become the place where we pray, study, listen, and practice. The place where we write when no one is reading and serve when no one is applauding. The place where we fill the gap and quietly say yes.
Because it is there, in the ordinary rhythm of Tuesday, that God prepares both the message and the messenger.
Where is God asking you to be faithful right now? And where might He be inviting you to kneel down before He asks you to Rise Up?
So now that Speak Up is over, perhaps the most important question isn’t, “What’s my next big opportunity?” Maybe it’s simply: What is my Tuesday assignment?
Because long before God calls us to rise onto a platform, He calls us to kneel at an altar and worship Him on Tuesday.
~ Carol Tetzlaff,
Author, Speaker, Associate Publisher, Redemption Press
The team at Redemption Press loved being part of your Speak Up experience, both virtually and in person. As you settle back into the rhythms of Tuesday, we would be honored to continue the conversation.
If you’d like to talk about what God is doing in the Tuesday spaces of your heart—and where He may be calling you to Rise Up through your writing—we’re here to help. Whether you’re ready for a manuscript review or simply want to meet with someone to explore your next step, we’d love to walk alongside you.
Visit Redemption Press and discover your next step.
Carol Tetzlaff, Athena Dean Holtz, Shelly Brown, Heather Rider, Anastasia Corbin, Sara Cormany, Wendy Tacey, Shelley Picard, Janell Neuman, Joy Wendling, Sarah Griffiths Hu, and Holli Aparicio.
Question: What do you do on an “ordinary” day at home that prepares you for your public ministry?
Is God nudging you to write a book? Check out Redemption Press and schedule a free discovery call.
About Carol Tetzlaff
Carol Tetzlaff is a Bible teacher, multi-award-winning author, and Associate Publisher at Redemption Press. With over 22 years of ministry experience, she equips authors to steward their messages with excellence. She is the Selah Award–winning author of Ezra: Unleashing the Power of Praise. Connect with Carol at www.caroltetzlaff.com.
