Why did Inspire close?

I often get asked the question, "Why did Inspire close?" I feel it is time to answer that question...

Photography by: Kristin Byrum Photography

These photos were taken with the intent of printing them in the 2015 Inspire Weddings & Marriage issues. The issues that never materialized. To explain why we closed Inspire, I need to start at the beginning...

Brad and I were living in St. George, Utah when he blurted out "you should start your own wedding magazine!" This statement came in the middle of a conversation about our big dreams, and what we wanted to do with our life. 191 days after the conception of this crazy idea, we had the actual dream in our hands.

I know the exact number of days because of these journal entries:
November 8, 2012: "Is this completely crazy?! Start my own wedding magazine - really!?"
May 31, 2013: "Today is the day!! We go to print!!"

I share that with you to illustrate an important point: this dream became a reality VERY quickly. In 191 days, the team you see above was formed along with: 140 pages of wedding and marriage articles, photo shoots, advertising, testimonies, resources, all of which had to be created from scratch, edited, and then designed and bound into a magazine! Are we that amazing!!?? No. We are not. But God is.

I could literally write a book about how Inspire was only possible because God equipped us to do it. (Hmm... maybe I should!)

In 2014, we produced 4 issues, and printed 25,000 copies. The magazine was sold in 20 states and in parts of Canada. We were thrilled with the progress and were excited for the future. Yes, we had a LOT to learn and we made many mistakes that first year, but we were eager to improve.

We were evaluating the year and planning for the next when I felt lead to stop and pray. I prayed that God would show us where to go next, that He would guide our every step, and that it would all be for His glory. Within 48 hours, I knew we were suppose to CLOSE Inspire. As quickly as it began, it ended even quicker. Truthfully, the idea of closing came out of left field, but do you want to know the unbelievable thing... when I called each team member to tell them, everyone agreed it was the right decision, and we all felt at peace with it. Even though we had not discussed closing, not once.

I still don't know God's master plan, but I know He has one. And I know we obeyed by closing.

(Keep reading...)

Last week the Inspire Girls got together around a firepit and had some amazing fellowship.

I want to share the definition of fellowship with you:

fel·low·ship

noun: fellowship

1. friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.

 "they valued fun and good fellowship as the cement of the community"

Synonyms: companionship, camaraderie, friendship, mutual support, togetherness, solidarity    

That is exactly what these women are to me, plus some! To say that I am grateful for them would be a vast understatement! 

That night I posed three questions to each girl:

1. What have you been able to say yes to since saying no to Inspire?

2. What is stirring in your heart?

3. How can we pray for you?

These questions were very intentional. Through the first question, I wanted to affirm that closing Inspire was the right choice and to recognize the amazing things we have been able to say yes to. It has been several months since we had all been together, so I asked the second question so everyone was able to share that thing that was on their mind. And the third question...

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Matthew 18:20

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Matthew 21:22

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16

This beautiful story leads me to ask YOU a couple of questions...

What do you need to say no to? What do you need to say yes to? I encourage you to take some time to really think about these questions. 

Here are a few quotes from Lysa TerKeurst's, The Best Yes to encourage you in your yes's and no's. If you haven't read that book and you feel weighed down by your schedule or are unsure how to answer the questions I just asked you, it is a wonderful read!

“Whenever you say yes to something, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your yes is worth the less.”   

“The only way our faith will ever strengthen is for us to use it. We need to apply thought and prayer to our decisions and then trust God for the outcome. We need to set our sights on growing in faith, not shrinking back for fear of failure.” 

“Like a tree, a woman can’t carry the weight of two seasons simultaneously. In the violent struggle of trying, she’ll miss every bit of joy each season promises to bring.”  

“Find that courageous yes. Fight for that confident no.”