Well, my friends, here we are, 1 week into the public life of my first book, “BECOMING LOUD & BRAVE” and I must tell you that I have been bowled over by the enthusiastic and encouraging responses from so many of you who have bought and read or are now reading it. Being a first-time author, I really had no idea what to expect. I spent over two years writing and editing the book, and I knew that one possibility was that I would publish it and no one would care. As it turns out, that was not the case.  In just the first few days, I have already received messages from many who are having the exact reaction to the book that I hoped people would have. They are being encouraged. Finding hope. Feeling inspired and seen. Some have written that they can relate to so much of what I write about in BECOMING LOUD & BRAVE because it mirrors many experiences they have lived through. One person told me that they wanted their whole family to read the book. Another wrote that the book has motivated them to seek out a community of faith, even though they had given up trying to find one that would embrace them.  And, of course, many of the people who have reached out to me have told me how much they enjoyed reading about my experiences in the music industry, including record labels, touring, and all the aspects that come with that part of the story. 

Now I want to confess something to you. In the weeks leading up to the release of BECOMING LOUD & BRAVE, I was scared. I had spent so much time pouring my heart and soul into the book that I hadn't spent much time thinking about the fact that once it was out in the public, many people who were complete strangers to me, and even some who might not like me, would have access to these parts of my life and story that are written about in the book. It was honestly a terrifying thought in those moments. I wrestled with myself, wondering if this was the best decision, to be this open and public with so much of my life. I have already experienced how misunderstanding and outright prejudice can be painful and, honestly, depressing. I knew that I was risking that kind of response from some people by giving this book to the world.  

Then I began to remember why I wanted to write the book in the first place. There were many reasons, but one of the primary reasons was that I wanted to give something to the world that was what I needed at different times in my life when I felt unseen, alone, or not good enough. I wanted to give people hope that you can overcome opinions, failure, misunderstanding, and you can start again. You can do it as many times as you need to. I wanted to assure people that God loves them, in spite of what other people might have told them.  I knew the risks of trying to do those things by sharing my story, and in the final analysis, I concluded that it is worth it. It was worth doing something that scared the heck out of me if I could be for others what I needed people to be for me at different times in my life. 

I hope that you will choose to do things that scare you but can make the world a better place. I heard someone say once that nothing worth doing is easy. Easy is not scary. Easy won't make much of a difference in the world. Do the hard thing. Take the risk. Challenge yourself. Make the world better than it was before you came along, even when and especially when it scares you.

BE BRAVE! I love you!

Charlie