All You Had to Do is Trust

Jean Petersen

I could’ve touched the marshmallow clouds as we descended, but the only thing holding me back was the thick airplane window’s glass.  A friend and I were coming home from an amazing writers conference in South Carolina, called She Speaks by the Proverbs 31 team.  The four-day experience was filled with learning, reflecting, writing, worshiping, praising, and fellowship to its highest. It also left me feeling like I had been fed by a firehose.  There was so much to process. I excitedly wanted to accomplish it all, but also knew I needed to let some of it come back to me as I re-entered reality.

One of the most critical components of this trip was a dear friend.  She came to me days before the registration deadline, which was almost full, said, “we’re going, you’re going, that’s it.”  I made truly a million and one excuses why I couldn’t go, with real reasons. She said, “You are supposed to be there, God said.  You’re going.”  It was so strong and prophetic of a statement, there was no questioning, only obedience.   I simply said okay.

It was truly the worst part of the summer to leave home camp, but we, well she, diligently registered me for everything even my one-on-one opportunity with a publisher/editor, and it was this meeting the good Lord had aligned for our introduction.  We met and talked about my on-going project.  She was professional, gracious, and informative, and I felt exceptionally wishy-washy and had no real concrete idea where I was headed with the cookbook at this point. I was thankful for the opportunity, left, floated through reflecting on her comments, and made it into the above re-entry.

Then a couple months later, I couldn’t shake this tenacity to finish this project.  I had a deep-down belief that this was something good, possibly even great, to be shared and could benefit other ‘rustic cooks’ like myself.  The publisher/editor said call her anytime, so well . . . should I, I asked myself?  I also had many moments, particularly one night, I’d wake up and hear that voice in my head reminding myself to give her a call, today.  It was so heavy on my heart to call, that I just picked up my phone and called.

In the immediate moments of our phone conversation, I saw God’s hand.  We were initially introduced and met as acquaintances, but this changed immediately and transformed into a kindred God-honored friendship.  We talked for almost two hours, as if I had known her all my life, and she gave me direct, weighted, and out of my comfort zone guidance.   She prayed with me, she assured me of my professional talents, and her faithful confidence was the layer of foundation that I needed, and I knew it was God speaking through her and because of her Faith.

Fast-forward two years, because of those moments, God is weaving one of His beautiful tapestries in our life.  I ran with her professional and God-given guidance which led to a contract with a national publisher for my recently released cookbook, The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook-Local Ingredients and Rustic Recipes; Arcadia Publishing and The History Press, AND because she is who she is she shared about another opportunity through social media last year called #Faithpitch, which I participated in and received another contract for my upcoming children’s book being released in November, called Kind Soup, published by Little Lamb Books.  When I look back I see all the amazing God moments in so many ways for these workings.

God also definitively presented a very evident moment recently, when I was on the phone with my friend who had said, “You’re going to this conference.”  The Fed Ex man showed up at my door, unknown to me, and he handed me my first author’s copy of my published cookbook.  From across South Carolina to Montana, along all its stops and ‘in-routes,’ it was delivered at ‘exactly’ this moment of what began as a quick phone call.  I couldn’t have been more thrilled and truly so grateful to God in His perfect timing, and that I was talking and sharing with my dear friend as I paged through in awe of the ‘real’ cookbook I was holding. We both outwardly witnessed the fruition of her obedience and getting me to that conference, my meeting with my publisher/editor and her heart in professional Christian guidance, and in that gently weaved minute it was a gift wrapped present for the fruits of labor in perseverance and faith that the good Lord laid in my hands, and said, “Here you are, love . . . all you had to do is trust.”

Jean is Colorado State University-Journalism alumni, and has been a freelance writer and weekly columnist for 12 years with Western Ag Reporter covering a host of topics. Her weekly children’s column is called Life on the Ranch with Banjo. You can also find her feature articles published in Distinctly Montana magazine and Raised in the West Magazine. Jean lives near the Beartooth Mountains in scenic southern Montana on her small farm with her husband, four children, three mice-chasing Corgi’s, two horses, a bottle calf named Beatrice-who likes to go on adventures, a crippled lamb-who’s best friend is Beatrice, a handful of ducks and chickens, and four very lazy cats, along with any other critter who comes knocking at the door. They all give her lots of fuel for all her writing. You can connect with her at her website: https://www.jeanpetersen.com/.

From mountain streams in the west to rolling prairies in the east, Montana’s habitats and natural resources offer an abundance of culinary possibilities. The mountains provide the necessities for a delightful elk tenderloin with huckleberry demi-glace, while the prairie contributes to rattlesnake cakes with roasted red pepper remoulade. And gardens and farms statewide produce the makings of Aunt Lois O’Toole’s rhubarb strawberry pie. Chef Barrie Boulds and author Jean Petersen present locally sourced epicurean dishes that exude Montanan charm. Historical context enhances seventy-five easy yet sophisticated recipes celebrating unique flavors and heritage–with forewords from Chef Eric Trager and Western Ag Reporter editor Linda Grosskopf.

The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook is available on Amazon and other retailers now! Thank you, Jean, for being my guest today. I just love it how God works out all the details, big or small, of His plans for us. All we have to do is trust Him and follow where He leads.

Readers, I’ll see you back next week with author Linda Matchett. Thanks for being here! Don’t these recipes sound delicious?