InScribe Writers Online

REST

2012-02-03T06:00:00.003-07:00

REST - Jan Cox

I have a plate that says, "Stop and Smell the Roses".

The plate was a gift and at the time I saw it as a “cute plate”. My life was in high gear – supermom, always on the go. No time to smell the roses.

Of course, eventually I burned out. My body couldn’t take the pace. All the stress and tension with no time or outlet for release put my body into a physical wreck.

Jesus tells his disciples:

“Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” (The Message 4-6)

Jesus knew that taking time for restoration was essential for us.

“Certainly work is not always required of a man. There is such a thing as sacred idleness – the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.” (G MacDonald)

Release

Everything

Stop

Thinking

Finally forced into REST – I Iearned that rest is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

Release

Everything

Sit

Tight.

My first time sitting still lasted five minutes. No great accomplishment but a start. Being in high gear meant it would take time for me to put myself into a lower gear. I needed to be patient and practice.

Gradually in those times of solitude (no interruptions, no TV and no radio) I heard my own heartbeat. I knew I lived. I started to understand me.

And into this solitude God came. My intentional slowing down led me to know myself as God made me. I began to enjoy these times of refreshment. I learned more about me.

REST is not an easy thing to accomplish. It takes perseverance, discipline and time.

When was the last time you found REST?

Prayer:

Into our busy lives I ask for time to REST – to restore our bodies and minds. And in that REST I know You will be there, Lord. Come and restore us to knowing You. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Discovering Fresh Mercy - M. Laycock

2012-02-02T01:00:00.001-07:00

I’ve been doing the Joy Dare with Ann Voskamp and many others for the past month. Ann has provided a list for us to follow, spurring us to notice three things each day that make us grateful for God’s grace and mercy. Some days it’s easy. Some days not so much. But even on those days the effort is worth it. Looking for gratitude. Looking for grace and mercy. How could you go wrong?

Well, we’re all human and we all do go wrong. I discovered even this process can take me off track in a subtle way. It was day eleven. We were to find three yellow things that struck us as “fresh mercy.” I hunted around my daughter’s small house, where I’m spending my days lately as I undergo radiation treatments. The first pick was sitting on the living room couch - a yellow afghan crocheted by my mother-in-law. The second was just as clear - a yellow turban I use to keep my bald head warm. It was the third item that gave me pause, not because it was hard to find - it was in the living room too - a retro chair my daughter covered herself - but it gave me pause because I realized I was focusing on the items, rather than the mercy or the One who dispensed it.

I found three things that were obvious, things that did bless me. But did I really recognize them as “fresh mercy?” That was the point of the exercise but I realized as I photographed my last pick, that wasn’t where my mind or heart was focused. I was focused on the finding, not on seeing how and why they were gifts from God.

So I took a few moments to ponder each one again. And I found the mercy was there, as easy to find as the objects themselves. I just had to take a few extra moments to recognize it. And the Joy Dare is working. The joy was there too, bubbling up as I recognized how much my God loves me. Enough to provide things like yellow afghans, turbans and retro chairs and then to show me that they are indeed fresh mercies dispensed to one who does not deserve them.

“If I say, “my foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.” Psalm 94:18

Writing Goals - Susan Barclay

2012-01-30T08:04:00.046-07:00

I have about a dozen writing goals for 2012, but my top three are:

participating in 12 x 12, the challenge issued by blogger Julie Hedlund to write 12 picture book drafts in 12 months,
completing my adult novel, and
writing a new Christmas-themed short story for adult readers

Why these three? Well, they're all possible, for one thing. Twelve picture books may sound like a lot (or perhaps not so many, if you're among those who think writing such books is a snap), but we're talking drafts here, not fully polished beauties :) As for the novel, I'm in the home stretch, and started it about eight years ago, so it's definitely time to wrap it up. I wonder, if as Ernest Hemingway postulated, I'm so close to the end that it's almost scary to write it. But write it I must. I don't feel I can start any of the new novels that are churning in my brain until this one is complete. The Christmas-themed short story already has a publisher, involves characters I already know and that readers have asked for more of, so it would be stupid not to do it.

I've found a new tool, too, for goal-setting and tracking. It's called Pick Four and is an updated, simplified version of Zig Ziglar's Performance Planner. I've done the preliminary work now, and had planned to start tracking my goals today, but I've come down with a cold that's sidelining me for the time being. Once I get my health and energy back - which hopefully will be soon - I'll let you know how it's working for me.

In the meantime, I hope all of you are tackling your goals with great success, and are popping your vitamin C with regularity!

[For more of my writing, check out my website and my writing/general interest blog.]

10 Reasons I Write - Ruth L. Snyder

2012-01-29T05:00:00.164-07:00

Every once in a while it is healthy for us to stop and evaluate why we are doing what we do. Some people hate New Year's resolutions. I appreciate the opportunity to review the past year, evaluate what I have been doing, and make goals for the next year. Writing the goals in a notebook helps me track progress and challenges me to be serious about my writing. However, if I don't know WHY I'm writing, it is hard to set goals. Here are ten reasons I write:

I enjoy writing. Some people enjoy sports, others gardening or cooking. I enjoy the challenge of clearly communicating thoughts using words.
Writing forces me to learn new things. In order to share information, I need to process it and understand it myself. In order to share my writing I have learned how to use Twitter, Blogger, and Wordpress. I am currently learning about inbound marketing.
Writing allows me to encourage people. When I was in high school I had a teacher who never smiled. I made it my goal to put a smile on his face every time I saw him. There are many people who need something to smile about. Writing is a tool I can use to encourage others.
Writing is good therapy. Some people find it therapeutic to talk through their problems. I would rather write out my thoughts and process my struggles personally.
I have a unique perspective. I know I'm not the only writer in the world, or necessarily the best writer in the world. However, I have experienced many things others have not experienced and may never be able to experience. I can share my unique perspective through writing to encourage, inspire, and motivate others.
Poor writing frustrates me. Most writers are avid readers. I am no exception. Sometimes when I read material that is poorly written, it motivates me to write well.
Writing is a gift that must be polished. People are born with varying abilities. Those of us who have the ability to communicate through words need to hone and polish our God-given gift. We can read examples of great writing, take classes, listen to webinars, join a critique group, and join groups like Inscribe Christian Writers' Fellowship, but most of all WRITE!
Writing helps me communicate information. One of my tasks as a school board trustee is to communicate with the people who live in the Bonnyville area of Alberta. Writing is one way I can pass information on to them. Technology allows people access to this information 24/7.
Writing helps me remember. I learn best by writing while I'm listening. Taking notes also allows me to review what I heard months or years later and remember.
I have to write. People who do not write may not understand this point. However, I write because I have to write. If I don't write, I find myself frustrated and antsy.

These are reasons I write. How about you? I look forward to hearing why you write.

WORDPERFECT AND THE PERFECT WORD--Bruce Atchison

2012-01-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

Acquaintances periodically ask, "How can you write when you can't see well?" This question is easily answered, though it does take a bit of explaining.

I use a screen reader, a program that converts the text on the computer monitor, as well as the keystrokes the user types, into synthetic speech. Thirty years ago, various developers made voice synthesizer hardware that either plugged into a serial port on the computer or fitted into one of its expansion slots. Modern screen reader programs use the computer's sound card and speakers to inform the user of what is happening on the screen.

I was introduced to the world of synthetic speech and screen readers in January of 1993. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), paid for three-quarters of the expensive hardware/software package, allowing me to use a computer for writing my articles and music reviews.

WordPerfect 5.1, difficult though it was to learn, opened the way to my future writing career. With it, I could write, edit, and overcome my chronic spelling problem. This MS DOS program gave me the additional ability to format my writing in an acceptable way for editors and readers alike.

I still use WordPerfect 5.1 today because it works reliably . With obsolete computers (which I choose to use), I wrote a variety of freelance articles, beginning in 1996, as well as two books. I have written a third one but it's only in manuscript form. By the grace of God, I hope to have it published this year.

Though I have done a fair amount of secular writing, my heart's desire is to glorify our heavenly Father through my craft. Having always had the desire to tell stories, I believe the Lord gave me the talent for communicating ideas. With his help, I hope to bring him glory through my upcoming How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity memoir. I also post excerpts of my books and relevant stories about them on my blog. My books can also be purchased there.

Pathway of Faith - Denise M. Ford

2012-01-27T03:39:00.003-07:00

I just completed an exercise for my current Bible study course. I had to create a timeline of a period in my life depicting my journey with Christ. I had to particularly note how faithful and intentional God has been toward me.

I decided to have a look over the 53 years of my life from as far back as I can recall. Now someone with a different personality probably would have taken out a ruler, drawn a straight line, marked off carefully measured spots to indicate the number of years that passed between each significant event. I admire anyone who might have decided to portray a lifeline like this. However, when I immersed myself in this activity I found my drawing became a winding, curving, descending, rising stroke of my pen. Happily I look at it now and see that it naturally followed a lovely loop upwards to show where I am at present. There, that’s me sort of wobbling back and forth on top of a high point, contemplating the future, pondering the past.

Perhaps some of you remember playing a game called Mr. Tip It. I assume it would be considered an antique by now since it’s well over 40 some years since I played it. At that time, I rated games by whether or not I could play them by myself if a friend or family member wasn’t around to keep me company. Mr. Tip It ranked as one of my favourites as I easily set up an imaginary group of players to join me. I moved those discs carefully from stack to stack, watching as the figure of Mr. Tip It swayed above on his precarious point. Would he or wouldn’t he tip over? How could I keep him balanced and continue to play?

As I review my journey with Christ over the years I am so thankful for the ways in which He met me even as I made mistakes, even as I toppled, even as I didn’t think it was the right time to try a writing plan.

As I set forth a plan for writing goals for this year, I’m feeling a bit like Mr. Tip It, waiting for the next turn to find out if I will be able to balance everything I want to do, or believe I am supposed to do. Will each item on my list slide carefully into place or will I find myself reconsidering whether or not I should attempt to add another challenge to my life.

Gotta love Mr. Tip It. He just swings around up there oblivious to his plight, letting those rings pull him one-way or the other. He has no idea when he’s going to fall or if he’s going to be picked up and given another chance to gain a steady position. Thankfully I do.

In the new updated 2012 version of my Mrs. Tip It game, I’m up there sitting on a solid rock, looking over my choices of what to do next. As I close my eyes I remind myself that on my travels I have gained strength and courage to continue by relying on the way prayer, trust and faith have always slid constantly into place throughout my life. As I consider which pathway to follow I know it won’t matter if I tumble down a dead-end, or crumble into a curve. I know I will be met with a loving hand that reaches out to me with a firm grasp, places me upright, waits for me to find my balance, and nods for me to take another turn.

Just as God has done to me, it is now time for me to meet Him on that Pathway of Faith, intentionally honoring Him with the talents and skills He has granted me. May I find my way on a trail that loops around and about, ever moving forward.

To read Denise's personal blog and writing website go to: www.walkingwithDustyandDee.com

A Plan in Place - Karen Toews

2012-01-26T14:55:00.030-07:00

Five months ago I launched my blog.

That was following months of picking my way along a steep technical challenge and building up the courage to commit to a long term journey. Surprise, surprise - that was one of my best writing decisions ever. I have:

a self-directed weekly deadline
a readership
readers' comments to encourage me to develop content pertinent to them and to my blog's theme.
a writing process that's giving me clarity and confidence for the online, and person-to-person, aspect of building my business.

Can you sense my satisfaction-thanksgiving?

I thank God for:

helping me make a difference
the anticipation of things to come

My heart's desire is to expand the whole-life, nutrition message (online and in person) to Christian women: to en-courage them in being the complete, whole-hearted person God has meant them to be, that:

we have influence over healthy food and exercise choices for our families and circles beyond
it's okay (crucial) to take time for your soul-care
the rewards of having courage to "swim upstream" can bring new life and energy - for you and others

How can this next step take shape?

continue writing blog posts - for the readership that's already there and growing
seek out/connect with other Christian health and fitness blog writers
contact Christian "markets" e.g. local womens' church groups

And in the day-to-day practicality - how am I going to make enough computer-working time available?

organization=less paperwork on my desk: more sort and file, less shuffle
less emails out=less emails received (that's what I've heard!)
saying "no" to requests and options, so I can say "yes" to what I want to do, that contributes to reaching my goals (I'm not referring to "me and my selfish agenda" - you get my drift...)

Oh yes, there are days when:

my brain can't wrap around one more technical thing
my creativity meter has bottomed out
this work I love to do has stacked up to the tipping point

Where does my help come from?

prayer and meditation on Scripture and other inspirational reading, current book: Simply Jesus by N. T. Wright
my daughter (whom you've probably already "met" in my posts). She continues to be my mentor and inspiration, most recently through her open letter to young Moms .

It feels great to have a plan.

It's wonderful to be well - body, soul and spirit - to make it work.

Ponder, Print and Pass It On — Lynda Schultz

2012-01-24T06:00:00.003-07:00

It's an obscure passage. Most people couldn't find Habakkuk in their Bibles if their lives depended on it. I'm not even sure how I ran across it though it could have been while I was hunting online for Christian wallpaper to use on the desktop of my computer. In any case, there it was, Habakkuk 2:2. It was an "aha" moment.

I've tried my hand at several genres but I always end up going back to the kind of writing that will never make me rich or famous—not that either of those is high on my priority list. The verse from Habakkuk summed things up rather nicely.

"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it" (NIV).

Write the Word down, explain it so that people understand, and make it useable so that someone else can share it.

It's that simple and that complicated. I love the hunt, the research, the wrestling with ways to explain the meaning of Scripture. I look for the dots that need connecting, the "aha" moments when something I've read a hundred times finally comes to life as it has never lived for me before. I need to write it down, first of all for myself because I have such a poor memory, and then for others. Nothing gets me more excited than to share God's Word in a classroom with others. And there is no greater satisfaction than handing what I've learned to them in a sheaf of papers—their memories are probably just as short as mine. And maybe, just maybe, they'll pass on some of the knowledge they've gained to someone else.

That's it. That's all. That's lots.

Staying on Track - Dorothy Bentley

2012-01-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's one thing to have a well-thought out plan. It's quiet another to hit a road block, only to discover later that God put it there.

God gives; God takes away.

I mentioned over the last couple of months how I lost my column when a new editor wanted to mix things up and cancel the columns of conservative family-friendly writers. Though it was a painful 'taking away' time, I hadn't gone more than about a month before the opportunity to begin a church newsletter fell into my lap. At first, it seemed like I was going back twenty years to the start of my public writing career, when I used to write for church newsletters. I reluctantly went ahead.

I didn't do much besides pray and wait to see who God would bring to help me. I spoke with each person God laid on my heart. Each one contributed something-- a story, a column, a photo, many hours of editing, and many-many hours of graphic design.

What I could have produced on my own would have been something that looked like I'd produced it twenty years ago! What we ended up with instead, is a wonderful, quite professional looking magazine.

There is no way I could have done it alone!

And the best part gradually began happening at our meetings, as we informally discussed writing in general, ideas, and encouraged each other to keep at it. I now, most surprisingly, have a writing group. And more than one editor to help me refine my writing. I feel blessed beyond measure.

The other wonderful thing that has happened, is a sense that I need prayer support, and then doing something about it.

I've read in more than one book for writers that we all need that sort of spiritual support and cover. So because I'm not Francine Rivers, I decided the best way to get prayer support was to ask friends to pray for me, and I would, in return, support them in prayer daily, too. In addition, I offered to send them a weekly update on what is happening in my writing life, as well as a few personal items for prayer.

Since then, I have not felt like I am trying to walk through quick-sand in mukluks.

What a blessing God has brought about in my life!

Losing that column, which kept me busy writing each week, allowed me to write new things, with a new focus, for a new audience. It's now all about God, for God's people. I still don't know where all this is headed, but I am simply going to obey God and allow Him to lead the way.

His work is laying out the track for me.

My work is to stay on His track.

Here's the magazine, in case you'd like to have a look. It's in printing layout, so the pages are a little confusing.

I'm amazed by God's work in this!

Body Builder

Early Entries of My Writer's Journal-Sulo Moorthy

2012-01-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

“ I want to go on living after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me.”

----Anne Frank

When thirteen –year –old Anne sat in her dark and damp hiding place and wrote in her red-checkered diary the daily events in 1942, she never envisioned her entries to turn out into a book published in countless languages and editions or be adapted for the stage and screen years later around the world. She simply wrote to pass the time and to keep her sanity in that tension stricken surroundings.

Many of us have our old journals stacked up in some shelf in the corner of a room or stuffed inside bottom drawers or a box under the bed. Though rarely we dream of something great turning out of our daily entries like Anne Frank’s , we can take pride in knowing that some of what we’ve written in our journals had somehow found their way to appear in publications with our names on them. From time to time, I like to amuse myself by going through some of my old journals.

Just last week, I flipped through the pages of my journal titled Writer’s Journal, and found my first entry to be "My First Christian Writers’ Conference." Dated 29/09/2000 and covered in ten full pages, the entry gave a detail account of the ICWF Fall conference 2000 I attended.

Starting with my 6:00 am Greyhound bus ride from Saskatoon to Edmonton, it went onto say how appalled I was to meet with writers for the first time, and to learn from great authors like Janet Oke, Linda Hall, Maxine Hancock and Phil Callaway.

The following pages which went on to describe my state of mind on seeing Our Family magazine with my poem, "Am I A Christian?" on the display table, signing up for poetry reading and fidgeting about it minutes later, the nerve-wrecking experience of reading out my poems in front of 200-300 established writers at the Peanut Butter and Jam Session, and then hearing Linda Hall compliment me from the podium at the next day session made me to retrace and relive those unforgettable moments.

On 20/03/2001, I wrote, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!!! ……I couldn’t believe what I saw when I tore open the yellow manila envelope with the Inscribe stamp. Under the heading, Special Assignment Winner, my name flashed back in bright black letters. Never, never did I dream of winning the assignment, and when I finally did, I couldn't find enough words to express my thanks to my Lord. It’s another milestone in my writing path and God in His mercy has helped me to achieve it. I desperately needed that $30 and now God has granted my wish to get it.” -A Page From My Journal gave me the win, and got published in Fellowscript in early 2001.

On 06/06/2001 I wrote, “ Never expected to see an e-mail in my inbox when I clicked on the laptop today. I didn’t even have my glasses on when I punched the keys. So, when I saw an e-mail in my inbox addressed, “ Dear Sulochana,” I had no clue what that was about because the writing on the screen looked so blurry. So, I dashed upstairs in a few steps and ran back and looked up again, now with my glasses on.

I could hear my heart going thodum-thudum; my hands were getting sweaty and shaky. Finally when I found out what was the e-mail about I couldn’t breathe for a second or two. It was as if I’ve won a lottery ticket. To get my article accepted by the Edmonton Journal for the page, "Offering," was a great leap for me. More than getting published, I was overjoyed by the thought that my message was getting out into the world. Becoming too busy for the Lord, even in the church is very sad and that’s what my article was about. Well, I’ve reached another milestone in my writing path at a moment when I’ was getting doubtful about my writing skill."
My article was published in Edmonton Journal on June 23, 2001 with the title Frantic pace Prevents a Closer Walk with God.

On July 21, 2004 around 6:00, I wrote, “When I saw Elsie’s e-mail on the listserv on May 5th,stating that Martha Anderson had decided to take a break from writing the devotional columns and Inscribe is on the look-out for another Devotional Columnist for Fellowscript, something started to stir within me. A deep yearning from somewhere gripped me with an iron fist and wouldn’t let go of my heart until I decided to apply for the assignment. Elsie has beautifully ended her e-mail saying that she knows that someone out there is Lord’s choice for the posting and as such to consider it prayerfully and to submit a couple of sample writings.”
Despite my inner critic’s hissing of the fact. I could never fill the shoes of a veteran Inscriber like Martha Anderson, I submitted my sample devotional on June 6th and awaited impatiently. Three weeks later, I received a congratulating note from Elsie to say that Inscribe had chosen me to be the columnist.

It surprises me today, why I had omitted recording any of my rejections. Probably the sting of rejection may have been too disheartening that I chose not to revisit them again. I found a page with written goals instead. Because I’m not good at either goal setting or goal keeping, I rarely put down my goals on black and white. Seeing my goals neatly written down on a page in 2000, put a smile on my face. The page read as follows:

22/10/2000 “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Main goal:     To be a great author using my talents for His glory.

Small goals:   Writing an article per month; writing fillers-poems, greeting card; At least
                        6-7 publications before the next Fall conference
Future goals:   Five years from now: One book publication.

10 yrs from now:     Four to five books publication-

Twelve years had swift by since I wrote down my first entry in my Writer's Journal, and its pages give me a glimpse of my growth spurt in writing skill and the opportunities ICWF had given me to gain confidence and to fledge my wings. Goal keeping may not be my strength, but obeying God is. So, I keep writing.

SIN HIDES by Bryan Norford

2012-01-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

She had two. One was strong, the other weak. She kickedthe weak one away when it tried to feed, and it died. She mothered the strongone and it lived.

Another had three. They were all small, one was weak. She mothered all three andthey survived. Three healthy lambs.

Aresheep so like humans? Some callous, some compassionate? Or are we like them, losingour way by making up our own rules of life? So clearly said: “We all, likesheep, have gone astray.”

Humanity’s goodness masks humanity’s innate sinfulness, ourtendency to go astray. As we observe the waywardness of sheep, so God sees oursin. In quiet moments He reveals it to us.

In those quiet moments, will we acknowledge our waywardnessand be restored to the shepherd of our souls? Or will we hide, losing thosemoments of fellowship with Him.

The offer is His, the choice ours. What will it be?

A Light for the Narrow Path - Janice Keats

2012-01-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Jesus himself offered the message of hope and light when He commanded the demon possessed man to go home to tell his family what the Lord had done. (Mark 5:19). Sharing the light to the dark world is high on God’s wish list. It ought to be our aim to share what the Lord has done for us to those in our homes and neighbourhoods.

The Gospel message is clear to the believer, but to the unbeliever, the Word of God has yet to be heeded, understood or known. The Bible clearly states that the message of God is foolishness to those who are perishing as it is written in, 1 Corinthians 1:18, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.” How foolish God’s plan of abundant life must seem to the blinded eye. The believer has the power to demonstrate God’s love in a way that is attractive and sound.

We can seek wise counsel from the Master. Time spent with God will help set the pace for the journey. We may not always know the path in which God will lead us but as we trust in Him we know that our steps are His directions. As long as we follow our true guide, the true light will lead us. Jesus declared in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

As examples of Christ’s followers, we can demonstrate God’s love by living as God commands us. Not only do we have the light to lead the way, we have God’s promises of assurance. The Holy Spirit is our guide and is available to enable any dark alley to shine.

As we spread the light from home to home, or place to place, we can leave behind a spray of love of God knowing that we have pleased the Lord. When our land is fully illuminated we can declare a job well done for the Lord. May we heed Paul’s instructions in Colossians 4:7, “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.” As we enter into this new year with goals and aspirations may we remember to continue to share the Good News!

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

Janice Keats

Living Life On Purpose - Tracy Krauss

2012-01-15T05:00:00.001-07:00

'One word' seems to be all the rage this year, as people all over the web choose a word that exemplifies their goals for the year. Not to be left behind, I chose the word PURPOSE as my signature word for 2012. Here are some reasons why:

1. I'm tired of life's time wasters. You know what I'm talking about: TV, FB, sleeping in, too much time surfing the web ... unless these activities serve a purpose, I'm trying to avoid them.

2. I spend a lot of time marketing, promoting and trying to build my author's platform. I want to take stock of my activities and see what activities are actually yielding results. (Book sales, increased followers etc.) If it isn't serving a purpose, it's time to go!

3. I've asked myself about the purpose of my writing. Who is my audience? Am I trying to entertain or minister to people? Why do I write in the first place? I believe there is a purpose for this obsession and I want to be more purposeful in pursuing it. :)

4. What is the greater purpose for my life? I'm re-reading Rick Warren's classic THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE and trying to refocus on the bigger picture. We all have a God given purpose, which is first and foremost to glorify Him.

5. Perhaps the fact that I will be reaching a milestone birthday this year has made me more introspective. I'm beginning to feel the acceleration of time with increasing intensity. I want to look back at 2012 and say, "This year had purpose!"

I hope that you will also find the coming year to be one of purpose and promise as you pursue Him.

She is my Sister

2012-01-14T21:17:00.008-07:00

When I lay down at night I'm thankful for a quiet, peaceful neighborhood. I don't have to worry about whether or not our house will be bombed overnight. I pray for a girl like me who might be in a warzone. I don't know her name, but God does.

by Pam Mytroen

I fall asleep to the petty whine
of a full refrigerator
while my sister’s heart hammers
to the relentless rhythm
of staccato gun-fire and crescendo sirens
Screaming closer.

She draws her knees to her chest
beneath fear-soaked cotton

while her babies cry for a lullaby.

Oh Singer! She is my sister.

Would you wrap your melody-shawl
around her shoulders
and rock her gently in the poem of your love?
And when at last her lashes brush her cheeks in sleep
would you chase the dirge from her darkness;
breathe quiet into her night?
And peace?

She is my sister, though I don’t know her name.

May her dreams hum with harmony until at last her ancient troubles
Drum the new day, and then as despair meets dawn,
even then, would you trace the phrase of her stretch-yawn-stretch
with your smile?
and would your hope-kissed lyrics linger the morn
on her lips?

For she is my sister,
and You know her name.

Pamela Mytroen

Telling Your Story - T.L. Wiens

2012-01-13T07:28:00.002-07:00

I'm part of His Imprint Christian Writer's Group. Every year we host a conference. It's the only Christian writers conference I know of in Saskatchewan. We decided to add a writing contest to coincide with the day. This year, the submissions are essays to theme and our theme is "Telling Your Story."

It's got me thinking about where I began this journey with Jesus Christ. I don't get to share my story often. It's dramatic and for many, unbelievable. But I lived it and I know it happened. The people who knew me before and after know it happened.

It makes me sad that I can't share some of these very special and God glorifying events with fellow believers. It makes me wonder how many others can't tell the world how incredible and amazing God is!

I hope we get a lot of stories--in all different shapes and sizes. I wish we had time to read each one aloud at the conference to share the work God has done in lives. Maybe some of the entrants will allow us to publish their stories in our newsletter. That would be nice but most of all, I hope we will all share the good things God has done and praise Him even when the story might defy our logic.

If you're interested in entering the His Imprint Contest, you can see details at http://hisimprint.wordpress.com/writing-contest/

The tale of a tale - Violet Nesdoly

2012-01-12T06:00:00.034-07:00

2012 will see me doing one of the most challenging and exciting things I've done since setting out on my writing journey. You see, in November of 2011 I signed a contract with Word Alive Press to publish a novel. And so this year I'll be entering the self-published writer's strategizing-networking-publicizing-marketing fray—a place I promised myself I'd never be in.

That my first book (not counting poetry) would be fiction is another surprise. I have never thought of myself as a fiction writer. I don't daydream in stories. I never invented imaginary friends. I didn't entertain my school buddies with stories of Jim and Ann, like my best friend did, or invent imaginary animal tales to tell my kids.

And yet over the years certain characters have come to life for me. It seems to happen most often with historical figures. When I researched the life of John Bunyan, for example, I was charmed by his shy but plucky wife Elizabeth. Similarly I have written short stories about biblical characters like the little girl who was Naaman's maid, Rahab, Achan, and the shepherds that visited baby Jesus.

Another Bible character who has fascinated me for years is Bezalel, that craftsman of whom Moses said, "See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel ... and He has filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze..." (Exodus 35:30-34). Bezalel ended up being in charge of constructing the tabernacle and its furniture.

Who was this young man whom God filled with His Spirit for the arts, I wondered? What was his youth like? Did he train under Pharaoh's craftsmen? Did he have any sense that he was special? I'd like to write about him and find out, I often thought, as his back-story began to form in my imagination. Only, I knew that his tale would be more than a few thousand words.

Over the years when I would come to the end of a project and pray, God, what next? I would often think about that story. I knew I wanted to write it, should write it. Yet the project seemed too big, the research too overwhelming. And so I kept shoving it aside. Until November of 2009.

That year, I decided to take the plunge and make the writing of Bezalel's story my NaNoWriMo project. With the help of Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method, I did some pre-planning. Once the month began the writing flowed and I reached the end of my narrative (and passed my 50,000-word goal) several days before the end of November.

Then—nothing. The manuscript mouldered in my files for the next year or so, even though my prayers for other writing assignments repeatedly brought me face to face with this one, still unfinished. Early last year I finally realized I would have no peace until I completed it.

The Word Alive Publishing Contest deadline of June 30, 2011 gave me a concrete date to work toward. And so most weekdays of March to May last year I set my timer for 99 minutes, 59 seconds (the max it would register) and worked at the sucker.

I declared it finished two weeks before the contest deadline and on June 15th gleefully drove my stack of papers to the neighborhood UPS depot (we were in the middle of a mail strike right then), and sent my baby into the world.

No one was more surprised than I to find, in late September, that Destiny's Hands had made the list of contest finalists. Thanks to the support and encouragement of the people at Word Alive Press I am now in the process of tweaking it one more time before sending it off to them for more editing and all the other things they will do to make it into a book.

If there is anything about this lengthy process that gives me courage for the daunting job ahead, it is the sense that God has been with me this whole time, helping me put this story together, keeping me interested, bugging me to finish it. I just hope my efforts won't have let Him down.

© 2011 by Violet Nesdoly

Website: www.violetnesdoly.com

Personal blog promptings
Writerly blog Line upon line
Daily devotions for children Bible Drive-Thru
Daily devotions for adults: Other Food: daily devos
A poem portfolio

Comparative Literature - Bonnie Way

2012-01-10T10:25:00.001-07:00

Classes started for me last week and I had my first short story due yesterday. As I sat at my computer trying to work on it, I found myself struggling. Not because I didn't have any ideas; I did have an idea that I'd been mulling over for most of our Christmas holidays. Rather, I found myself struggling because I had seen all the work submitted by my classmates last semester. I'd read the first stories three of them had submitted this year. And I found myself comparing my work to theirs.

My plot isn't as good as hers. My characters aren't as interesting as his. My descriptions don't leap off the page like his. These little whispers crept around inside my head, telling me I was just a mediocre writer. I didn't belong in this class, with these students who were clearly far more gifted than I was. Why did I think I could write literary fiction? They would all laugh at this story when I handed it in!

Finally, I stopped those whispers, telling myself that I am not in a comparative literature class but rather a creative writing class. I know these students and they know me. I can't write like Mallory or Vincent, but they can't write like I can either. Each of us has stories to tell that only we can tell. Each of us has unique life experiences, unique ways of looking at the world, unique relationships with other people, that affect our writing. I need to tell the stories that God has given me to tell and not compare my stories to those He's given to other writers.

One of the first stories in the Bible is the story of a man comparing his work to that of his brother. You probably know the story: "Some time later, Cain presented an offering to the LORD from the land’s crops while Abel presented his flock’s oldest offspring with their fat. The LORD looked favorably on Abel and his sacrifice but didn’t look favorably on Cain and his sacrifice. Cain became very angry and looked resentful" (Genesis 4:3-5 CEB). Instead of looking at his own offering, Cain compared it to Abel's and grew angry. Both had given to God from their talents; Cain worked the land, Abel worked with sheep. For whatever reason, Abel's was more favourable to God than Cain's, but instead of seeking God's will about his work, Cain choose to get rid of the competition.

One of the things I love about Inscribe is the way we support each other. Among us, there are published writers and others just starting out; there are novelists, playwrights, devotional writers, short story writers, journalists, poets, children's story writers. We all have a place in God's plan, a story that He wants us to tell. As a writer, I can learn from other writers, absorbing from them tips and techniques that will make my writing better, but I cannot compare myself to them. And so I silence the voices in my head that tell me to stop writing, and I keep on because I know God has given me this desire to write and I must write the stories He's given me to write.

"If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. Each person will have to carry their own load." Galatians 6:3-5 CEB

~ Bonnie Way (http://thekoalabearwriter.blogspot.com)

The Flowing Ink - Shirley S. Tye

2012-01-09T08:35:00.004-07:00

Sometimes the words flow easily onto the paper, recreating the mini movie that dances through my mind. Changing a word is like focusing a lens; slowly the image becomes sharper and the characters take on a life of their own. It's exciting when others read the words I've written and see the same image. Even more exciting is when a reader or a listener responds with the emotion I hoped the words would invoke. But then add that excitement to the exhilaration of a published story that is paid...wow! I'm soaring above the clouds. What a feeling! What a high! It's that feeling that keeps me addicted to writing.

Do I get weary or discouraged with writing? No. However, I do get frustrated when I have difficulty formulating my thoughts onto paper. But I've had enough highs to keep me captivated and determined to reach that high again; to learn more; and to write a better story, a better devotional, a better article, a better whatever. I simply must write. And I must stay connected with other writers to hear about their successes and their dreams. They too keep me motivated.

Do I have writing goals for this year? Of, course! Are they realistic reachable goals? Who knows until I try? And try I will! I'll put my best pen forward so-to-speak and write a play for amateur theatre and ask a director, who I know, to read it and give me feedback. I enjoy live theatre. In 2011, I acted in a play and it helped me see what works and what doesn't work for amateur theatre. I'll finish writing the first draft of my adult novel and finish the last little bit of tweaking on my children's novel before sending it out to publishing houses. Somewhere there's a publisher interested in the story.

There are many other plans but for a few months most things are on hold while I finish writing a thesis for a BA in Christian Education/Counseling.

I'm excited about where God is leading me with the writing and this new career.

May you be blessed as you let the ink flow for the Lord.

January 7, 2022 – Ramona Heikel

2012-01-07T14:30:00.003-07:00

Calgary Herald Entertainment Section

“Children Meet Favorite Writer”

“We stopped by Fish Creek Library today and found a crowd of children gathered. When we asked one of them why they were there, she said, ‘To see one of my favorite authors, Ramona Heikel.’ We asked nine-year-old Laurie what she liked so much about the author’s books, and she smiled and said, ‘She makes me laugh, and I feel like she’s my close friend.’

‘When everything gets tough at school or my friend is mad at me, I pick up her book and I smile and everything is okay,’ eight-year-old Jacob said. ‘Christopher [a character in the book] is just like me, and he learned about faith. Now I know for sure that no matter what my friends say, God is real and he loves me. My future will be good.’

Jacob’s mother added, ‘In 2012 I was terrified because people said the Mayan calendar proved that the world was going to end, but I read an article she wrote that gave me a different perspective, so I started reading her books. Her books always made me feel good about myself, and good about life. Now I give her books to my kids to read. They are timeless, cheerful, realistic and optimistic, which is hard to do these days without being PollyAnna-ish. They helped me understand what Christianity really is.’

Ms. Heikel explained that throughout her life, books have been one of her biggest joys, inspirations and comforts, and she wanted to make others’ lives better in the same way. She says it was hard to keep going in such a competitive field after so many rejections, but she figured she’d just keep writing as long as she had things to say that might help people know God, understand themselves and other people, and bring peace and direction in a world of trouble. She loves kids, and loves to have fun, so writing children’s books was natural.

‘She seems to be able to read our minds,’ another boy said. ‘She understands how we think and knows how to help us live our lives. I can’t wait to read her new book because I know it’ll be fun and exciting. She writes about some serious things but you don’t get depressed.’ Twelve-year-old Blake added, ‘Her stories have changed me. I used to be nervous about all the things going on in my family and in the world. But I’m not now.’

Ramona Heikel used to live in Calgary, and will be speaking all this week at Calgary’s public libraries before continuing on her tour and returning home to San Diego, California.”

[Ramona’s note: This was inspired by our pastor who suggested that we clarify our goals by writing our eulogy. I decided I’d rather write a future news article!]

Posted by Ramona

www.happilywriting.com

Why Do I Write?

2012-01-05T19:22:00.008-07:00

by Glynis M. Belec

1. Why do I get up each morning?

Some days are diamonds some days are stone

Some time the hard times won’t leave me alone...The wonderful part about daybreak is that I know not what awaits me once I poke my head out of the covers. Most mornings my wonderful hubby wakes me up with a steaming cup of Tetley's. I then mentally review my to-do list and then remind myself that my day depends on my attitude - I can make it or break it. I get up each morning because I haven't finished yet...

2. Why do I write?

I always loved composition in school. I wrote songs with my sisters when we lived in Scotland. My teacher told me I should always do my very best in English. It would help me in everything. Thanks Mrs. McLeod.

3. What motivates me?

My hubby has worked hard all his life. He often took on extra jobs to help cover the cost of being who we were. We homeschooled our wonderful kiddos and laughed more than we cried. We had more than a few challenges and hiccups but God was with us every dance step of the way. I told my happy hubby that one day he could retire and I will follow my dream to write...write...write...fulltime [and make some money, too.]

4. Why do I write?

Words are like gossamer silk. Every thread delicately intertwines to create a web of words. As I write from my heart, I pray I will touch the hearts of others and my desire is that my soul words please the heart of God.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Phillipians 4:8

5. What is life? Life might very well be defined as the absence of death. But it is so much more. When I see my little grandbabies discover their world; when I hear the infectious laughter of an infant; when I realize the gifts God has bestowed upon His people and then see His people use those gifts for His glory; when I see medical miracles; learn that we are having another grandchild; hear the laughter of children; hear the laughter of adults; see the compassion of individuals; see and experience family; watch a frustrated student have an 'aha' moment; when I feel a hug; hear a kind word; have an opportunity to share what I have; realize the responsibility of being a parent, a grandparent, a wife, a friend...then I start to know what life is!

6. Why do I write?

When I write what I know the words flow. The obsession to fill a page with words consumes my mind and soul. When writing opportunities are absent, my mind stays on God trusting Him to guide me into perfect timing to share my heart.

7. What discourages me?
     Watching televised news exemplifies the sinful, fallen world. I wonder why we do to each other that which denegrates, maligns, defames and destroys? Rejection; amber alerts for stolen children; cruel words; misuse of power; greed for that which we are not entitled; carelessness of heart. Thankfully, the tiny Babe was sent to remind us of why we exist; to deliver; to offer hope; to save.

8. Why do I write?
     My idea file overflows. There are ideas for articles, books, devotions, stories floating around in my mind constantly. I am overwhelmed with what to do with these words. So I write.
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

9. What is my favourite Scripture?
      Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

10. Why do I write?
       The act of writing causes my brain to settle and focus. If my writing is all task and focussed solely on deadline, I can tell. If my writing flows because I have acknowledged God as the giver of all gifts and then taken the time to be still, I sense a better connection and a calmness in my soul.

11. Why am I thankful?

      All I need do is look around. All I need do is remind myself Who is beautifully in control. All I need do is think back to times of turmoil and distress; joy and celebration...and then I remember.

12. Why do I write?

I always believed in God. The God of my past was there for my convenience, though - when I was sad, troubled, upset. Then my heart became hungry for something greater than my own words. God led me to a place and showed me the Light. My soul was stirred. I found ways to express myself via the written word.

13. What will I do with the rest of my life?

What is the rest of my life? There's a country song "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw. I'm not too sure about the skydiving, the rocky mountain climbing or going two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chew. But I do like the part about loving deeper, speaking sweeter and giving forgiveness I'd been denyin'...

We might think we have the inside scoop on our days but I never felt those tumours growing.

14. Why do I write?
There's nothing like walking a mile in someone's sandals, they say. When I extract both the toxins and the precious jewels from my life I find people who say they understand why I write. They can relate; they want to hear my stories; I want to hear theirs.

15. What scares me?

What if I lose my way? What if I lose my mind? What if I lose my salvation?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

16. Why do I write?
There is something particularly calming and thrilling when I get to spend significant hours partaking in the art of writing. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I get to dig out my ancient ledger and enter - by hand - the latest project. I tried keeping track of my submissions on the computer and everyone tells me that that is the correct thing to do. I do have a program or two that I can use but for some silly reason I keep going back to my oversize forest green ledger. It feels like a reward when I write by hand in this great book.

17. How do I measure success?

Sure I want to be a successful writer. I guess the key is defining successful? Perhaps credibility will be determined if I make x number of dollars or sell x number of copies. But true success for me will be measured by a degree of satisfaction gleaned from knowing someone has been encouraged, educated, confronted, consoled, motivated, entertained, challenged, inspired, comforted, cheered, stirred by my stories.

18. Why do I write?
       Every time I teach the alphabet to my students, my mind boggles. How can 26 little letters come together to create over 600,000 words? We are quick to teach the alphabet to our charges but are we equally as quick to teach them how to love and respect words?
       Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

19.   Should I dance like no one is watching?

Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen? ~Friedrich Nietzsche

20. Why do I write?

Just as my heart beats in perfect harmony within the rhythm section of God's orchestra, my passion for the craft pulsates perfectly as I wait upon the Lord for inspiration.

Love, is why I write...

Losing Hope for our own Solutions - Jan Cox

2012-01-03T06:00:00.008-07:00

Have you ever felt that the path you were on suddenly got muddy, then almost like quick sand and finally came to an end? This past month that has been my journey. I had walked along this beautiful tree-lined sunny street; clouds appeared on the horizon and a big storm came rolling in.

I couldn’t see any path; my feet kept sliding off from one side to the other. Instead of stopping to get my bearings, I groped along in the dark. I bumped into trees, and fell down. I crawled with very little energy barely able to make any progress.

Then a LIGHT shone through and I focused on it. Slowly I got to my feet and let the LIGHT lead me gently and firmly in the way It wanted to go.

This is an analogy of my spiritual journey this past month. On the outside I looked the same but inside I was in turmoil. World circumstances had thrown me off my regular spiritual “routine” and I floundered. I followed my emotions and my flesh. I became stressed.

Even though I prayed and asked for prayer I couldn’t find the peace that I craved. I kept praying and did not stop. A glimmer of Light appeared as I remembered to thank God in all circumstances. I started to take little moments to rest in Him.

I felt the peace of the prayers of friends. I started to live in each moment.

Then a pastor friend reminded me of the people of Israel who had to work for many years with no change in their circumstances. But God was grooming them to move forward and to learn to trust in Him for the solutions.

Ah ha – that is what God is doing. Teaching me to trust when I cannot see the answer. Teaching me to give over my solutions and trust in His. Ah ha – that is what God is doing. Teaching me to trust when I cannot see the answer.

May we all be able to follow His Light this year through whatever the world throws at us. May we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2).

Happy New Year to everyone.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for leading me through these times. I know now they are making me stronger and more obedient to Your voice. Continue to lead me and guide me and I will try to follow. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

I love this song King of Kings - Prince of Peace.

I particularly love these words:

You are holy (you are holy)
You are mighty (you are mighty)
You are worthy (you are worthy)
Worthy of praise (worthy of praise)
I will follow (I will follow)
I will listen (I will listen)
I will love you (I will love You)
All of my days (all of my days)

To Resolve or not To Resolve by Marcia Lee Laycock

2012-01-02T12:25:00.002-07:00

I was delivering Christmas cards last week and stopped in to the small gym where I have been noticeable only by my absence lately. I admit I felt a little guilty going in the door. The owner greeted me with a wide smile and we wished one another a Merry Christmas. Then I said, “One of my New Year’s resolutions will be to get here more often.” My friend shook her head. “Oh don’t do that, don’t make yourself feel guilty about it!” Then she stammered a bit. “But …. I don’t mean …. Do come back!”

We laughed and I assured her I would.

I’ve been thinking about what she said ever since. I’ve been thinking about guilt. It does seem to be a big part of what we do at this time of year. We feel guilty for all the things we didn’t do in the past year - like finish that novel or write that article that’s still in draft form in the computer -and most of us resolve to do better. So guilt isn’t such a bad thing, if, and that’s a big if, we make the changes necessary in our lives. If guilt is unresolved it becomes an unhealthy thing and can lead to bitterness and anger that will only make us miserable. But guilt that leads to change, that’s healthy guilt.

So I have decided to make that New Year’s resolution, and a few others – like finish that novel and write that article - and I’ve gone a step further. I have a plan for carrying it out. Often that’s the key. If we just dwell on our guilty feelings and set no goals or plans for how to change, nothing constructive will happen. Unhealthy guilt will result.

I’ve heard many people scoff and say that all religion does is make you feel guilty. They are absolutely right. But Jesus has gone a step further. He has set out a plan that wipes away the guilt. All we have to do is move from religion to relationship. Accept Him as our brother, our friend, our saviour, and no amount of guilt can hold us down.

The word guilt appears a few times in the Bible. My favourite is in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 22 – “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

I like those words, “assurance”, “cleanse” and “washed with pure water.” Though the guilt of our sin may bear us down, there is forgiveness. No matter what we have done, or what has been done to us, God forgives, and we are set free “by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…” (Hebrews 10:20).

The best resolution any of us can make as we move into the next year is to get to know Him more. I pray we will all resolve to do so. It’s the only way to get rid of all that guilt.

He's Still Working on Me - Susan Barclay

2011-12-30T06:37:00.173-07:00

Remember the little ditty, "He's still working on me?" If not - or if you'd just like to hear it again - here's the clip. (I tried to insert the video, but Blogger wasn't cooperating).

Anyway, it's true. He's still working on me. As this year ends, and I look back over the last 364 days, the basic message I've received from the Holy Spirit is this: "Girl, you've got too much clutter in your life, and it's getting in the way of all that I have for you. It's getting in the way of us.We need to deal with that." Deal with it we have, though I have a long way to go.

I'm one of those people who was raised by someone who grew up during the Great Depression. Many such individuals have a mindset that says not only "Waste not, want not" (which can be at the essence of good stewardship), but "Never throw anything away; you don't know when you might need it" (which can be at the heart of hoarding). In addition to these proverbs, I heard sayings like, "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "Clean your plate - there are children in India who'd be happy to get that." The story of the naughty kittens who lost their mittens was a parental favourite whose meaning was all too clear - lose something and there's big trouble ahead!

My dear mother is also a very sentimental person who attaches meaning and significance to objects, even though the items may have little value otherwise. For example, if my husband is fixing something at her house and uses one of her father's hammers, heaven help him if he doesn't return it to its original location. She'll think he's lost it. Or if she gives us her parents' plastic measuring cups, we'd better not leave one of them too close to a hot burner or pot on the stove! We're "careless."

She means no harm, I know. She's a product of her upbringing and temperament. Is it any wonder, though, that today I have too much stuff - either on display or in storage - in my little bungalow? Is it any wonder that I struggle to divest myself of it? I've made some progress, giving away clothing and small household items through my church's "Sharing Days" program. I've offered a few things to a local "reuse" group. I've even sold a few things. But my biggest problem is paper clutter and books (which, of course, are not clutter to an avid reader, writer, and librarian!). My six filing cabinet drawers are filled to capacity, and there are piles of paper waiting to be filed. Every once in a while I go through and weed out papers I no longer need. And finding a paper I do need can be a nightmare!

There are books to help people like me. I've borrowed some. I bought one. As always, the best instruction in the world can only help those who apply the information. And there never seem to be enough hours in a day to tackle it all. I'm caught in a vicious cycle - leave the clutter and the writing will never get done, try to write and the clutter is a constant distraction. Help!

Well, you know the only help for someone like me comes from Scripture (Psalm 121:1-2). As I recognize the scope and source of my problem and understand what needs to be done, I look to God's Word for wisdom. There I find:

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven... A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6, NLT)

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. (Proverbs 4:25, NLT)

And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. (1 John 2:17, NLT)

These will be my 'life verses' for 2012. I will post them on my computer, my fridge, and my bathroom mirror. And they will keep me going in the right direction as God continues the good work He started in me this year.
May He continue working in you as well. Happy New Year, everyone!

[For more of my writing, check out my website and my writing/general interest blog.]

Jesus Understands - Ruth L. Snyder

2011-12-29T05:00:00.010-07:00

For many years I have been conscious of people who are hurting at Christmas. This awareness was built in to me at a young age by parents who served as missionaries. Now that I have a family of my own, my husband and I often invite people over for Christmas dinner, donate money to the less fortunate, and spend time with the elderly.

In previous years, I heard about people who were grieving at Christmas. I tried to imagine what it would be like to celebrate Christmas knowing I would never see that special someone again. This Christmas I understand much better than I ever have before; this summer we said goodbye to my father-in-law who lost his battle with liver cancer. I am grateful for the many wonderful memories and godly influence of my father-in-law. I am still enjoying Christmas this year, but I'm focusing on different things.

Philippians 2:5-8 reminds us that although Jesus is God, he took on the form of man and became like us. Imagine! The King of the Universe humbled himself to be born in a dirty, stinky stable as a helpless baby. Hebrews 4:14,15 expresses similar thoughts. As the God-man Jesus was intimately acquainted with our weaknesses and temptations, our trials and hardships - yet without sin. He put on the clothes of humanity to demonstrate His love for us. Today Jesus is our High Priest, representing our needs to God.

This world causes us to groan and weep, but Jesus understands. And He not only understands, but He also walks with us, interceding for us before God the Father. This Christmas I am grieving, but not without hope. My father-in-law is celebrating his first Christmas in Heaven. Some day we will celebrate together again, and together we will worship Jesus. Until then, I will hold onto Jesus and rest in the fact He understands.


Ruth L. Snyder

Check out Ruth's blog on education matters at www.trusteesnyder.blogspot.com. Follow Ruth on Twitter @wwjdr

Christmas Puzzling-Denise M. Ford

2011-12-27T10:43:00.004-07:00

Each Christmas our family sets up the card table in our family room, eager to begin building the traditional Christmas puzzle. Usually I’ve found one that matches something in our family life at the present time. This year as our family has begun to interact with the families of our future daughter-in-laws, it seemed appropriate to select a puzzle featuring an attic filled with treasured items from varied people’s past. The picture on top of the puzzle box shows discarded dolls laying sleepily in one corner, a flying pirate’s flag draped from the rafters in another, a stuffed bear braced against the handle of a baby carriage, team photos leaning against the trophy of a favored team. Now a couple days after Christmas the puzzle sits undisturbed, with a few bare spots left to complete, the pieces waiting to be found, to be fitted, and to be formed into the perfect picture.

Over the years it became apparent to me that different people put puzzles together differently!! Puzzling over how to find pieces that will interlock quickly and slide into place never seemed so technical in my childhood! However, I marvel at the puzzle personalities that pop up during the process: the box cover hoverer who determines to match each piece to its exact location according to the prescribed illustration, the color coordinator who confiscates every piece that should fit together because it looks like they would, the frustrated fitter who tries eagerly at first but quickly fumes when the shapes refuse to finely form together, the sight selector who scans the selections for certain unique angles and rounded points, the swoop-and-seize who scans the puzzle board from afar and on a passing rendezvous snags a prize to push into place.

Ah Christmas fun… I always like the days after Christmas when I can reflect on the moments shared. This morning as I look across the family room to our puzzle table, I pause for a bit of prayer puzzling over my own life. I too have a few bare spots left to complete, I know there are pieces waiting to be found, to be fitted and to be formed into the perfect picture that God has painted on my cover box. I look forward to letting Him guide me through the many ways that I can help to put my puzzle together. Oh there may be a few pieces tumbling to the floor, but I trust that sooner or later they will be restored.

Ephesians 4:16

He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Happy Birthday Wonderful Saviour!! - Hazel Johnson

2011-12-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

A Merry and blessed Christmas to everyone; I hope your spirits are on fire with love, and that you have some of your family and friends with you this day!!

If you do not, remember we are still 'incredibly blessed' on this the most wonderful day in human history!!

I would just like to share with you some of my Christmas memories of the past, and also part of a song that I wrote (to the tune of "Amazing Grace").

FOREVER YOURS

Verse One
You came to earth through Mary mild,
Her strength, her fears relieved,
By God’s own choice for motherhood,
Your tiny Son was born!

Chorus
Forever yours, your blood was shed,
For each and every one.
How precious was that gift from God,
The night that you were born!

Verse Two
Baptized by John in river Jordan,
Led by Spirit forty days.
When it was time, you heard His call,
Became our only Saviour.

Chorus
Forever yours, your blood was shed,
For each and every one.
How precious was that gift from God,
The night that you were born!

When I was a teenager every month of December, there were hundreds of freshly cut Christmas trees in our backyard!

My parents were the original founders of a wonderful organization for young boys and girls in Southern Alberta called the Junior Forest Wardens. Our yard was transformed and filled to the brim with trees to sell for their organization.

It meant every supper meal was interrupted several times, when one of the four of us in my family very happily would get up from the table and go outside (usually 20 or 30 below), and sell a Xmas tree to an individual or a family. The very best part of it was seeing the smiles and delight on little faces!!

I know that it certainly made my Christmases very happy, and I was grateful to God.

The funny part of it was that despite all those trees outside in our backyard, every year my Mom would instead go into the forest nearby (and with the forest warden’s permission), we would cut down our family tree for that Christmas. She always picked the ugliest, barest, scrawniest, saddest-looking tree that she could find!!

I think this spoke volumes about her loving character!! And even when I grew up, left home, and then got married – every Christmas Eve that CHARLIE BROWN Xmas tree looked absolutely radiant!!!!

Adorned with antique ornaments, and those old-fashioned icicle lights, and underneath its trunk were always a dozen or more little inexpensive gifts to me from: “the dirty dish-rag owner”, the “milk man”, the “tooth fairy”, “Santa’s elf #2”, “Rudolph”, etc., etc.!

God bless everyone this day, and every day in 2012!

A WALK WITH DAD — Lynda Schultz

2011-12-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, Christmas Eve in my hometown was C.O.L.D. The first breath taken once I was out the front door just about produced lung-sicles. It was painful. The snow crunched underfoot and almost always there were a few flakes of the white stuff gently falling. My dad and I always walked the four and a half blocks between our place and the church together. He put his car up on blocks in the garage during the winter, which probably explains why a second-hand ’54 Ford lasted twenty years! But I digress.

My father wasn’t a talkative man so the walk to the Christmas Eve service was a quiet one. But that was part of its charm. The snow crunched underfoot. The air was cold and crisp. The snow was gentle and sparkled under the streetlights. Cars passed almost silently. In those days the city didn’t spread a lot of sand and salt around and turn the snow in noisy, messy slush. Then the streets were packed snow that created a great noise buffer. A lot of people put up lights on their houses and an equal number had wood stoves and I could smell the scent of wood burning and see the smoke hanging in the cold air—something I love to this day. Chimes ringing out Christmas music could be heard coming from several churches. And Dad and I would crunch along in companionable silence. I loved to walk to church with him on Christmas Eve.

I spent a lot of Christmases away from my family while I was overseas, a lot of green and hot Christmases. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if Dad and I had been crunching along snowy streets listening to church bells and smelling wood smoke, or if we had been shuffling through sand on a beach listening to waves rushing in and smelling night-blooming flowers. I have a feeling that with or without the winter wonderland, the walk to church with Dad would have always been special. There’s nothing like the quiet companionship of the father you love, and who loves you, whatever the circumstances.

There are lots of Biblical characters about whom we know very little. One of those is a man named Enoch. We know he lived a long time and had lots of kids. But those circumstances aren’t what made Enoch significant in God’s story as recorded for us in the Bible. Genesis 5:24 (NIV) says: “Enoch walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him away.”

“Enoch walked with God.”

Can you picture it? God is Spirit but His presence to Enoch was so palpable that it seemed as though they were companions together as Enoch walked through life. The idea of walking with God in quiet companionship is not so improbable. Now that I am living in my hometown again, and despite the fact that my father has gone on to glory, I can still feel him crunching along beside me on the way to church on Christmas Eve.

I have a prayer for 2012. I pray that I will be more conscious of the quiet companionship of God walking beside me in this coming year than I have ever been before. Someday, someone might say of me: “Lynda walked with God, then she was no more, because God took her away.”

Now wouldn’t that be a great epitaph? And isn’t that a great aspiration?

It's all about Him - Dorothy Bentley

2011-12-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

This is going to sound strange, but I have been focusing so much on Jesus lately that I don't have time to be caught up in Christmas.

In my last post, I told you about this crazy journey God initiated in my life. He's taken away my column writing and my involvement in youth. I wasn't sure where God would lead, but some wonderful things have happened.

To begin with, I was allowed to start a church newsletter which quickly developed into a magazine with the help of young, talented contributors. At first I was a little scornful of going back to newsletter production, since that's where I began as a fledgling writer. However, I discovered that the exercise isn't for me, but for all the other writers and creative people at my church to have an outlet.

As well, perhaps even more importantly, the magazine will serve (at least partly) as catalyst for communication among members and unity of purpose. It's exciting to see it take shape. Our first issue is due out at the beginning of January.

Besides the magazine, God has been speaking to me more, in a way I can understand. I have prayed for years to hear His leading more clearly. The main method I've discovered, through my study of leaders in the Bible, is fasting along with prayer.

Through denying self and seeking God, I was able to ask Him a specific question and actually get a response.

Our God is a Living God!

He is interactive through His Holy Spirit!

This Christmas season, as I focus intently on worshipping the King of kings, I won't let the things of this world absorb my attention. Rather, the tree, the food, the gifts are mere adornments and reminders of the Holy and Alive Person of Christ who is vitally interested in us, the objects of His affection.

Merry Christmas!

The Good News of Great Joy, the Angel Brought...-Sulo Moorthy

2011-12-21T16:41:00.002-07:00

"What...you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet?" my co-worker asked rolling her eyes heavenward. Fearing she might gasp to death, I didn't dare to tell her that I hadn't even put the Christmas tree up or done any kind baking for the season.

Usually by this time, a week before Christmas, a fir tree donned with twinkling lights and dangling ornaments would stand elegantly at the corner of our living room with beautifully wrapped up packages skirting its base. I would have also baked the traditional Sri Lankan Christmas cake-the moist black fruit cake a month ahead, cut into pieces and wrapped them up in silvery paper and stored away somewhere in the cupboard. This time somehow, I had put off all things till the last minute, including the blog I needed to post four days prior to Christmas on Inscribe Writers online.

So, when I went home that day, I hurried to my computer to complete the blog which needed to be posted on the 21st. Since I've already given a title and written half-way through,I thought I could finish it in no time. But to my annoyance, words refused to come down my brain and I was in no mood to sit and glare at the screen. Neither was I in a mind to decorate the tree or bake cookies. So, I did what I always did when I'm upset or bored. I turned on the television and scanned the movies on NetFlix to find something new and interesting to watch.

A documentary titled Mama Heidi soon caught my attention. It's the story of Heidi Baker who went with her husband Rolland to Mozambique in 1995 to take care of a horribly dilapidated orphanage with eighty children,when the country was ravaged by civil war and famine. Heidi,lovingly called Mama by the orphans looked fearless and angelic in her mid forties. She walks down dusty streets to rescue dirt crusted unloved and unloveable children from starvation, prostitution and diseases like cholera, malaria, tuberculosis and scabies. She even takes five to six kids from the orphanage to her house every week to give them shower, food and bed and made them feel at home.

"If God doesn't show up, we are dead." said Heidi in one of her interviews. The government tried to close down their center, refused to give the licence to operate the medical clinic,banned them from singing and praying, God showed up in a big way to provide, protect and lead. Bakers' house was robbed and shot at many times. Heidi says, whenever she felt overwhelmed with what she was doing, she heard God saying to her. "Just love the one in front of you, " and He would do the rest.

So,after soaking in God's presence for long hours, Heidi gets back on her feet to seek and minister to the poor, sick and unloveable. Sometimes, the road leads her to the dumpsites where the children live and work amidst swarming flies, smoldering garbage and indescrbable stench.

In such an area, where no foreigner dare to tread, Mama Heidi stands like one of them, singing, preaching and praying in the children's native language. "God has done wonders at the dump,"she says as she lovingly hugs a young man who had once threatened to kill her. Heidi has become the Good News to those abandoned children and unloveable teenagers in Mozambique. They see, touch and experience Christ through her. This is truly the Good News of great joy the angel declared to the shepherds two thousand years ago.

By 1999,the number of orphanaged children has grown from eighty to thousands and Bakers had built two hundred bush churches and trained local pastors.

Watching Mama Heidi made me not to fret any more about Christmas shopping, baking and wrapping done on time. Instead, it shifted my focus to change the title of my posting for Inscribe Writers online and write something different. After all, Christmas is never about me or mine. It's more about Him and His.

Silent Night, Holy Night - Karen Toews

2011-12-19T07:54:00.032-07:00

Every December members from our church go carolling to seniors: "shut-ins" who either live in their own homes or in assisted living facilities. The carollers meet at the church where they divide into groups, are given a list of 4 or 5 stops, then fan out into the community.

Most years I join in and I had this year's date marked in my daytimer well in advance.

But on that particular Wednesday, the afternoon's agenda went off the rails. My Christmas baking project took much longer than anticipated, I couldn't get into the flow for a work proposal, and a couple necessary phone calls all disrupted my rhythm and production.

Maybe you should forget about carolling tonight and get caught up on your work.

I tossed the thought to and fro; decided I needed those hours at home and emailed one of the organizers to express my regrets.

You can't give a small gift of your time to share the music of this season...to share Me?

The pointed question pricked me through. What was I thinking, beyond my own selfishness? I needed to go.

Our group was a Mom and her 9-year-old son, our driver and her friend, and myself. Our hosts were delighted and generous with their thanks and their sweet treats. Two of the ladies, pretty much house-bound with health issues, sang along with their carol request: Silent Night. I think (older) women, especially, have an intrinsic affinity for this simple sacred melody of the first Christmas night. It was my Mom's favourite too. Now, six years since her last Christmas, I couldn't stop the tears from welling up, so aware of the gulf between us and our perspectives of "Son of God, love's pure light."

Almost all of the people we sang for were senior women. They were sitting waiting for us to come and they were sitting when they left. Those in senior homes didn't have baking or decorating or cleaning yet to do that night - with a full agenda planned for the next day too. It's safe to guess that at one point in their life that was so - and that they'd now say, "where did the years go?"

All the carollers met up back at the church for cocoa and cookies and this particular caroller went home to a kitchen spilling over with dirty dishes. No elves or fairies had showed up to sweep through the house with their magic. But a miracle of sorts had materialized.

My sense of peace in spite of a list with too few tasks ticked off. Surprise for how much I'd received in exchange for my small effort. The contentment knowing the priority projects would get done.

Christmas has come, we have celebrated "Christ the Saviour is born." And because of this "....dawn of redeeming grace", I can experience "all is calm, all is bright."

JESUS: HUMILILTY OR POWER by Bryan Norford

2011-12-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

She gave birth to herfirstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, becausethere was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7.

People of every age make life’s biggest mistake by imaginingGod in every guise but His reality. Really, the stable is ridiculous; the Rulerof the entire universe would come in power to a palace and take up His rightfulplace as King of the earth. In fact, God’s people of that time fully expectedtheir Messiah to come as a liberating hero and kick the occupying Romans out.

Both convenience and fear dictate our caricatures of God.Our Father-God should want everyone to have a good time; He must be agrandfatherly figure, who pats us all on the head. A God of love has no choicebut to provide a haven where He overlooks our sin, so we’ll all enjoy a heavenof our own making—some heaven!

We may imagine Him as an erratic father who needs to beappeased at every turn; perhaps a stern and disinterested judge who bringsadversity to punish us for our sins. He probably waits to pounce on everydeviance from his will like a tyrannical dictator.

Alternatively, He simply wound up the universe like a clock,and, with no further interest in it, left us to our own devices. Just as likely,He doesn’t even exist, so we’re accountable to no-one!

But, the stable, a significant symbol of Christianity,destroys all our foolish imaginings. Seeing God in a cattle trough can onlyattest to one overriding characteristic: humility. When God gave Moses the Lawin Exodus 34:6–7, he described Himself by characteristics we possess andrecognize: compassion, graciousness, patience, love, faithfulness, andforgiveness—all components of humility; above all, expressing the values bywhich He would administer the law.

However, that doesn’t ignore His omnipotence. In the samepassage He also described Himself as just. When His humble approach tohumankind reaps no response, He will take the only course left, that ofjudgment. He was constrained to the manger by His love, not weakness. Don’t letus mistake “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” for a weak, ineffectual Ruler who willnever bring justice to the world.

So this Christmas season, we rejoice that God reached out tous in a way we can comprehend—by becoming like us, feeling our pain, showing ushow to live, dying to redeem us back to Himself, and finally rising from thegrave to confirm his authority, power and truth. But, the fulfilment of thepromise of His first coming is the guarantee of His return with power andjustice.

Tracy Krauss - God's Time Line

2011-12-15T05:00:00.002-07:00

I wrote my first post here at 'Inscribe Writers Online' fourteen months ago in October of 2010. My how time flies! I am grateful to be part of such a vibrant and varied group of writers, not just here at this blog, but also as part of the Inscribe organization. It amazes me how, in such a short time, I have come to feel like 'part of the family'. Thanks to Brenda Leyland, our blog-land leader, and all those who regularly contribute. I'm getting to know each voice and look forward to hearing from you each month.

Like most of you, this has been a very productive, although sometimes hectic, year for me, especially in terms of my writing activities. My third novel PLAY IT AGAIN released, I signed a contract with a publisher for a second stage play, and I found an agent who is busy pitching my fourth book. Yet, sometimes, I feel as if my writing goals aren't moving forward fast enough, or as if my aspirations aren't really being realized. This is when I need to stop and take stock; when I need to remember who is supposed to be driving this ship anyway, and let go of the wheel.

It is easy to give lip service to God and say, "He's in charge of my life, including my writing," but it is another thing altogether to actually allow Him to BE in charge. As I look back over the last few years since crossing that line into the world of 'the published', I clearly see God's sovereign hand and I am amazed at how far I've come. I also know that if this had happened any sooner in my life, I might not have been able to handle it. It's easy to feel just an eeny-weeny bit jealous of those younger writers who seem to be making it early when I feel as if it's been a long time coming. Then again, I am grateful for the time I had to focus on family and other ministry opportunities and know that this would not have been possible had I been focused on my writing.

God knows each and every one of us. He knows what is the best timeline for our lives. It is up to us to accept that and allow Him to do the work in and through us that He desires to do. With this thought in mind, I would like to wish each and every one of you a most joyous Christmas season and a blessed New year.

Christmas Song

2011-12-13T11:29:00.003-07:00

Christmas has become a difficult time for many. Even within Christian circles, the debate rages of whether or not we should celebrate.

I know all the reasons against December 25th but I also know the world stops and considers a little baby born in a manger every year on this day. It would be sad for Christians to be the ones to stop that from happening.

Every year, I take this time to reflect in song about what Jesus Christ's birth means to me. I hope you enjoy this years.

A Long Long Road

T. L. Wiens

Verse 1

Looking down from the glory of heaven above

He looked at the people with love

Father, I know, I know your will for me

Seeing Mary's innocent face

Knowing her future fate

She would be part of the Father's will for me

And it's a long , long road

Chorus

Coming down from the glory of heaven

Giving of Himself from wisdom to innocence

Trapped in the frailties of human weakness

Knowing the end before the beginning

And it's a long, long road

Verse 2

Joseph will be my father

He'll need strength to stand beside her

Husband of Mary in the Father's will for me

Shepherds will worship and bow

Wise men will come from afar

Declaring to the world the Father's will for me

And it's a long, long road

Chorus

Verse 3

People will yell and say

Crucify Jesus today

Carry my cross in the Father's will for me

I must suffer and die

Bring the new covenant life

Salvation through Christ is the Father's will for me

And it's a long, long road

Chorus

Coming down from the glory of heaven

Giving of Himself from wisdom to innocence

Trapped in the frailties of human weakness

Knowing the end before the beginning

And it's a long, long road

And Jesus walked that road for you and I

Guided - Nesdoly

2011-12-12T07:00:00.002-07:00

Guided

When confluence in the heavens

shone brighter than any illuminated text

they high-fived, then headed

to the mall for myrrh and frankincense

stopped by the bank for gold.

Whenever, on that dusty trek

needles of sand attacked

camels were crabby

thighs chafed, tailbones ached

eyes rose again to blue-white beam

that drew them like a magnet.

In Jerusalem when no one knew

about an infant king

heaven’s eye winked seeming to say

“Carry on boys.

There is a reason you’ve come all this way.”

The single-file Bethlehem street

led to a crescent of modest bungalows

but even here

their confidence never wavered

for their star hovered

over one.

And so they double-parked

jumped off those dusty camels

rummaged through sandy saddle bags for gifts

knocked on that humble door

with trembling anticipation.

Despite the unkingliness

of the whole business

faith never faltered

for God’s spotlight

had guided every step.

Website: www.violetnesdoly.com

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Advent-ageous–Stephen T Berg

2011-12-11T10:48:00.001-07:00

It's early and dark. In the south-east there is a place were the sun will come up, should it choose. Indications are good. So I wait for the first signs of brightening behind the city-scape. I wait.

Winter waits. The soil of summer-fallow waits, bulbs wait, bamboo is excellent at waiting, geese wait until the time is right. Beavers don't abide waiting, but orb weavers don't seem to mind. They spin and wait as long as it takes. The earth spins too, waiting its equinox.

But light bulbs, street lights, clocks, little chips in computers, never wait and will never care to wait. And we use them and anything else we can think of to train the waiting out of our lives.

The world of industry is bringing waiting to an end. Industry and commerce keep company with the future. Corporations race each other to see how far they can project themselves into the future, or how much of it they can drag into the present, which destroys both.

There is madness here that we've normalized. Because life, our second womb, is about waiting. Waiting, not like Estrogon and Vladimir (remember?), but waiting without excessive effort in acceptance of a serial now. Impatience has nothing to do with waiting.

Advent is the season of specific expectation. It’s a rendezvous and tea with a knowing midwife. A time for rekindled waiting—should we see to turn this to our soul’s advancement.

And in Advent, we wait in a commemorative way, for the birth of Jesus. As people of the paschal mystery we are always anticipating some kind of birth and some kind of resurrection, in the knowledge that there was a birth and that the son has risen. We wait as one waits for dawn.

I can't see it yet but soon east will grow orange. Behind the berm of buildings across the North Saskatchewan high on the bank, the trees will turn skeletal as light strengthens behind them.

www.growmercy.org

Ponder Your Stories - Bonnie Way

2011-12-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote a short story about the weekend I spent in Canberra during my summer in Australia. It was an interesting weekend involving a new traveling companion, meeting a guy who promptly fell head over heels in love with me, and almost getting stranded downtown at midnight before a bus driver offered to give us a ride back to the hostel at the end of his regular route. Canberra stands out among my memories of Australia, but when my workshop group read my submission, they asked, "What's the story?"

All the events that I mentioned are interesting and even amusing, but they aren't enough for a story in themselves. I realized that just relating those events aren't enough. I also had to think deeply about what those events meant to me—why exactly those memories stand out in my mind, even six years after the event. And then, when I could put into words those abstract feelings about the weekend, I had to somehow convey them to my reader and show exactly how that weekend changed me.

As I thought about that experience, a verse from Luke's version of the Christmas story popped into my head. After everything that happens to Mary and Joseph—the trip to Bethlehem, the birth in a stable, the shepherd's arrival, the wise men's gifts—Luke tells us, "Mary committed these to memory and considered them carefully" (Luke 2:19 CEB). At the time they happened, they were probably exciting and interesting events. But she'd have to wait until Jesus grew up and had completed his ministry and work here on earth to really understand all the significance.

Some stories need time to grow before we can really see their effects. As writers, we need to not only remember and retell stories from our lives, but to also consider them carefully to ensure that we're really capturing the meaning of the story for our readers. That might mean waiting to tell a story until the right time—until we can truly understand it ourselves. That might mean multiple rewrites as we dig deeper into our memories and what they mean. As Christian writers, we can ask God for guidance as we write, that he will help us to resurrect these memories and to share them with those who need to hear them.

"I pray that God will allow me to speak knowledgeably and to ponder well what God has taught me. God himself is the guide even of Wisdom, and God keeps those who already possess wisdom on the right course." (Wisdom 7:15 CEB)

~ © Bonnie Way (http://thekoalabearwriter.blogspot.com)

Jockeying for Position - Shirley S. Tye

2011-12-09T07:37:00.004-07:00

And they're off! Yes, it's Christmas and drivers are jockeying for parking spots. Right there in front of the coffee shop. It was like watching two rams lock horns. Okay, they weren't rams but a 4X4 truck - a mean looking thing at that - and a mini van.

The 4X4 driver raced to a spot next to the building just outside the window where I was sitting; a spot where later he'd have to back out into busy plaza traffic. Now with his bird's eye view from his high cab you'd think he'd have noticed the two convenient drive-through parking spots just a few yards over. It would have been easy to drive the truck straight into the spot and later drive straight out; no backing up required; one simple move.

The driver had just gotten the truck nose turned and aimed at the spot when he realized a mini van was already backing into the same spot. Obviously he saw the spot but not the back-up lights of the van. The irritated truck driver leaned hard on the horn. The van driver was oblivious to the sound and continued backing. I could almost hear him singing 'Da dump, da dump, da, da, da, da, dump' or did I hear him singing that silly little Christmas song 'Grandma Got Run Over by the Reindeer'. Now there's a song to capture the Christmas spirit. Soon they came to logger heads - okay, more precisely nose to butt. Gross, you say? Exactly! Peace and goodwill were non-existent. Crazy, you say? Well, maybe just narrow visioned; the 'me syndrome' showed up again.

Oh, you want to know who won the coveted spot? Funny thing, the aggressive 4X4 driver lost because the van driver was persistent or perhaps just blind to the fact that there are others in the world.

Someday there will be peace on earth but not today.

May peace reign at least in your corner of the world.

Merry Christmas!

Non-Shop Stopping – Ramona Heikel

2011-12-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

It is not natural for me to focus. I tend to have a divergent personality, which can be both a positive and a negative trait. However, something has been frustrating me for years.

One cause of my divergent tendencies is boredom: boredom with seeing the same old four walls, with eating the same old foods, with routines and ruts. This boredom leads me to go “out” more, and by that I don’t mean out to the theatre, out to dinner or out for a weekend in Banff, because those all have significant costs. My practice of going-out-more consists of browsing around book stores, thrift stores, grocery stores and health food stores, in which I find many new, colorful, interesting (and often inexpensive) items that I want.

This kind of shopping shouldn’t be a problem, should it? The products are usually necessities, or the prices are too low to show up on my guilt-radar. It’s not as if I’m impulsively buying five more pairs of shoes, expensive jewelry or a whole new set of living room furniture.

However, it is a problem. First, I really don’t need most of what I see, yet many items jump into my cart anyway. Worse than that, though, it uses up valuable time, which I never seem to have enough of.

At the end of a shopping day, I am usually frustrated that I haven’t read more of the books on my shelves or the ones from the library (ah, the library—another bad “browsing” habit). By then, it’s too late to connect with my loved ones in a phone call, email, snail mail, or Facebook. Pray? Sometimes I only have time for a short, rushed prayer before I sleep.

Throughout this year, I have been trying to simplify my life and my focus. I believe that this is something that God has not only been urging me to do, but also something in which he is training me, step by step. In fact, I think the frustration with myself is the first part of the training. Now I am finding that when I can direct my attention, a sense of peace fills my day.

I am trying to resist the number of trips I make browsing aimlessly at the library and the stores, and remind myself of other enjoyments I have at home. I have a park to walk in, an elliptical machine set up to watch videos while exercising (which was supposed to be enticing), books galore, word puzzles, and my cat who is always happy to see me. And for the first time in ages, I’m making some Christmas gifts.

To paraphrase the saying about contemplating in our last days how we’ve spent our lives, I don’t think I’ve ever looked back and wished I’d spent more time in the store.

Posted by Ramona

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Angels by Glynis M. Belec

2011-12-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently when Miss. J was going with Mommy to Grandma's the other day she told her big brother that she saw Baby Jesus on the way! When Amanda told me that, I smiled and wondered what she meant and then I wondered about how Jesus communicates with His little ones.

As I think about children and their innocence I concentrate on their faith and how I can take a lesson. They believe without seeing. They pray with purpose and don't fluff up prayers. They show complete trust and they have an innate sense of mercy and grace, even though they don't know what it is.

I consider the tremendous responsibility I have to teach my children and now my grandchildren about Jesus. Oh how I messed up at times with my own beautiful babies. How I wish I knew then what I know now. What an honour and a gift children are. I wasn't always consistent. I wasn't always right. I didn't always make the right decision. But thanks be to God, He saw fit to send us the best Gift - Jesus. And then He saw fit to forgive and make good things out of my mess-ups. I praise God every day for my beautiful children and then I thank God for giving me a second chance with my grandbabies.

My Miss J, transfixed by Mr. Mouse! Thanks, Amanda for taking such a beautiful picture and for blessing Grandma with such a beautiful granddaughter!

I am really looking forward to Christmas. I am really looking forward to focussing on the true meaning of this special time of the year and the celebration of the anniversary of Christ's imminent arrival so many years ago. My heart is thankful. My spirit is calm and I look forward to sharing some special times with some special little people. I may not know how children really communicate with His little ones (I just know He does,) but I am hoping that the next time Miss J visits, she will not only see Jesus on the way to Grandma's house, but she will see Jesus in Grandma. Lord make me a vessel.

May the true Spirit bring you Joy, Peace, Love & Happiness this Christmas.

Christmas Reflections

2011-12-03T06:00:00.009-07:00

Christmas Refections - Jan Cox

I love the way we count the days until Christmas especially the Advent Sundays. This past week has been God our Hope. Isn’t that wonderful. We can hope because God gives us that HOPE in Jesus.

As we put up our manger scene this year I thought about the babe in the manger. As I gently placed him on His bed – I thought how awesome God that You placed Yourself in such a vulnerable position; how this shows us HOPE – because we are so vulnerable as well. I can know hope because of what You have done for us. Hallelujah!

In the second Sunday we see God as God our LOVE. We know how much You love us as we acknowledge that You sent Your Son to us. Your love abounds. We see it in the faces of people we love; in the music that is played; in the Scriptures that we read. Hallelujah!

Next comes God our JOY. Yes, anticipation of a family gathering – watching the grandchildren interact. The kisses and the hugs. Laughter and chatting. Being with each other. But I also see joy in the faces of the clerks in the stores when I say, “Merry Christmas”. I see joy as I thank God for each little gift during the day. What blessings. Hallelujah!

And finally God our PEACE. This babe that is born in a stable becomes the Light of the world. He becomes our peace. He is the King of Kings. I know Him and I can feel that peace at all times. Praise God for sending Jesus to us. Hallelujuah!

As we celebrate Jesus’ birth let us remember what really is Christmas – God giving us His Son. Let us not forget this – for this is what is important and a reason to celebrate.

Merry Christmas.

Jan Cox

Jan, a former school teacher and small business owner, found a new passion in writing for Christ in her retirement. She has published two devotionals and a number of articles for magazines and a Bible study. She is owner of Under the Cover of Prayer and moderates the site. She also writes at A Better Way. Jan is working on children's books in which she is also the watercolour illustrator.

The Day God Laughed By Marcia Lee Laycock

2011-12-02T01:00:00.001-07:00

“See what you have to look forward to now?” the whisper in my ear came from a friend in the pew behind us and it made my smile widen. It was Dec. 10th and we were on our first outing with our new baby. She was only 10 days old, but we braved the frigid Yukon winter to attend the Christmas pageant at a small mission church.

I knew the service wouldn’t be a grand production. The church was just a hall, tiny and dilapidated. The Carols were sung a cappella, without a pianist to help keep us in tune. The pageant consisted of six or seven children dressed in bathrobes, their heads in kitchen-towel wraps. The backdrop was made of cardboard stars covered in tinfoil.

But I was seeing everything attached to Christmas in a new way. The tinfoil stars glittered more brightly than a chandelier. The carols were as harmonious as though sung by angels. And the children... ah, the children made the story live! I was bursting with thankfulness. I had just been given the desire of my heart, the precious gift of a child of my own.

We had been told it wouldn’t happen, and after five years without conceiving a child, my husband and I tried to resign ourselves to that reality. I took great pains to hide the deep sadness I found almost unbearable. No one knew how much I wanted a baby, but the clues were there. I was angry much of the time. Convinced God was punishing me, I hated Him. The bitterness poured into all aspects of my life.

Until the day God laughed.

It was on the road to Mayo, Yukon. I was going to visit a friend, determined not to think about God or religion or any of the baffling questions my husband kept bringing up. But no matter what I tried, my mind would not rest. The question of God’s existence and what he had to do with me would not go away. In desperation, I pulled my vehicle into a lookout point above the Stewart River. The beautiful river valley stretched out below, but I barely saw it. In turmoil, I challenged God to do something to prove He was there. Then I realized how foolish I was, talking to a God I did not really believe existed. At that point something happened which I have never been able to describe adequately. I “heard” laughter, like a grandfather chuckling, and the words, “Yes, but I love you anyway.”

None of this was audible, yet it was real. I thought I was going insane. The turmoil had finally pushed me over the edge and now I was hearing voices. I stomped on the gas pedal of my truck, turned the radio up as loud as it would go, and fled.

My visit with my friend turned out to be more discussion of spiritual things, but by the time I returned home I was determined not to pursue Christianity. Besides, I had something else on my mind. I had been suffering from a strange flu. On about the seventh day of this “flu”, the realization I was in fact pregnant flooded over me like warm rain. With it came a thunderbolt of truth.

This was the “something” I had challenged God to do. The child growing in my womb was His answer, the proof of His love. He gave me the desire of my heart. She was born Nov. 30, 1982.

“See what you have to look forward to now?” Oh yes, I saw. I saw a future filled with the knowledge there is peace without measure, grace without limit and love without conditions. I saw a future suddenly bright because I believe the Christmas story. A tiny baby, whose sole purpose was to die for me and all others, was born in Bethlehem. I saw the reality that the Christ is still intimately involved in our lives here on earth. Though the church may be just a hall, the music less than perfect, and the costumes homemade, the story is exquisite. The story is true!

****

Visit Marcia's website.

The Working Writer's Daily Planner - Susan Barclay

2011-11-30T08:00:00.005-07:00

I imagine December will be a blur as our family prepares for the Christmas holidays. It will be challenging to find time to write, but I still hope to get some writing done. A tool that will hopefully help is one that I discovered last year around this time: The Working Writer's Daily Planner published by Small Beer Press.

Self-described as a "calendar made by writers for writers", this is a potentially "powerful motivational tool and concrete proof of [one's] commitment to write." I add the word "potentially", since it definitely helps if your planner doesn't get lost in a pile of papers! (ahem)

For several months of this year, this planner was indeed helpful. It would have been helpful the whole year, but for its disappearance from July through October. (I know, I have a clutter problem). Each week has a "double-page spread with a handy list of upcoming deadlines. Every month has a planning page." There's also a simple but effective Submission Tracker; lots of information about upcoming contests, opportunities to apply for grants and residencies; writing prompts; reading lists; etc.

Last year this was on my Christmas wish list and purchased for me by my ever-loving husband. He doesn't like to buy me clothes (anyone out there relate?), I'm not big on jewellery or perfume, and my lips might like chocolate, but my hips won't. This is one gift my husband could be sure met both my needs and wants. I just learned that the Trade edition of this was cancelled this year and scheduled to be released as a Lulu.com black-and-white print and ebook only, so I guess I'll be getting it for myself instead of asking for it as a gift. My husband will have to come up with another idea. Or maybe I'll ask him for Pick Four, the updated version of Zig Ziglar's Performance Planner, or The Writer's Digest Weekly Planner. Anyone tried either of those?

What's on your writer's wish list, and/or what tool have you found most helpful in the process of writing?

[For more of my writing, check out my website at www.susan-barclay.ca and my writing and general interest blog at www.notesfrominnisfree.blogspot.com]

Introducing NetGalley - Ruth L. Snyder

2011-11-29T05:00:00.039-07:00

One of the best ways to improve our own writing is to read excellent writing. Writing book reviews and posting them on our blogs or websites is a great way to get more traffic and ultimately more followers. In the past few months I have been enjoying doing all of the above - reading excellent writing, improving my own writing, posting book reviews, and getting more visits to my blog. NetGalley is my newest writing resource.

When you open a NetGalley account you are able to enter your personal profile including information about the type of books you enjoy reading, interests/skills you have, the blog or website where you will be posting reviews, and your Twitter account. After you enter your profile you are able to access the NetGalley catalogue of books. They have many of the newest books being released by a variety of publishers. You can search the catalogue by date of release, genre, or publisher. (There are several publishers who specify they will only accept Canadian reviewers.) If you find a book that looks interesting, you send a request to the publisher. Usually within a day or so you will receive email notification regarding whether the publisher is willing to allow you access to the book or not. If access is granted, you can download the book in one of several different ebook formats. (If you don't have an e-reader, you can download the PDF version and read the book on your computer.)

Once you have read the book, you can decide whether or not you will provide a review. (Obviously, you will want to write reviews for most of the books you read, otherwise publishers may not give you access to any more books. However, if the review is negative, you may want to send it directly to the publisher instead of posting it on the internet for the whole world to read.) If you decide to do a review, you notify the publisher on NetGalley. Once you have written the review you can post it on your website or blog and then also post a copy directly on NetGalley with a link to your blog or website.

Check out NetGalley today. "Try it; You'll like it!"


Ruth L. Snyder

Check out Ruth's blog on education matters at www.trusteesnyder.blogspot.com. Follow Ruth on Twitter @wwjdr

PUNCTUATION MATTERS - Bruce Atchison.

2011-11-28T04:11:00.000-07:00

What difference does proper punctuation make? If you want your work published more often, then it does matter. This is no guarantee of publication but using correct punctuation is a big step in the right direction.

I've been taking a course called Punctuation Review from Creative Writing Institute since the end of September. For the first time in my life, I'm grasping rules which remained impenetrable throughout my junior high and high school years.

Additionally, I'm now beginning to understand all those English terms that my Language Arts teacher fired at me forty-plus years ago. Why? My adult perspective, my desire to master these writing tools, the fact that I'm able to learn at my own speed - these factors are what assist me in understanding the details of writing well.

I cringe whenever I re-read articles that I submitted in the past, even as recently as last spring. This is because I used to base my understanding of punctuation rules on conjecture and half-remembered lessons. No wonder most of my articles were rejected.

Editors may seem like cruel ogres when they reject our labours of love but these folks usually have good reasons for their decisions. Because of the steady avalanche of submissions, they need a literary smelting method to divide the gold from the slag. Proper punctuation, especially if it conforms to the publication's style manual, shows that the writer is serious about easing the editor's workload. This also shows that considerable effort went into the piece.

Though this course is tough enough to make my brain whimper, I persist in beating these punctuation and sentence structure concepts through my skull. The glamour of story or poetry writing is missing from this course but I know it will improve whatever work I tackle in the future.

In addition to being a member of InScribe, I've self-published When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) and Deliverance from Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School). I hope to have How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity in print some time in 2012.

Read more about them here. You're also welcome to contact me directly for more information.

Swooping with Hope - Denise M. Ford

2011-11-27T03:00:00.002-07:00

Today I welcome Advent, the season of waiting for the celebration; I join in the tradition of lighting the first candle on my Advent wreath and I embrace HOPE.

Emily Dickinson, one of my favourite poets, described hope beautifully when she wrote:

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all.

Picturing a ruffling of feathers stirring up energy and enthusiasm in my soul is like a deep breath surging through every fibre of my being. It’s as if I can sense tiny wings forming within, lifting on the current of my intake of breath. Hello Hope, you feel so grand!

Like so many of my friends and family members, I want hope this Christmas season. But I don’t want soft simple flutters; I want a frenzy of motion that swoops in like the flock of waxwings that visited our backyard the other week.

One moment I contemplated in silence, the next I countered in shock. I witnessed whirring wings with practiced precision pushing their body into perfect position. Waxwings descended from every direction to delight in the delicacies of the shriveled crabapples. I thought I had stumbled upon a crisply choreographed routine as I watched them take turns, soaring from precarious perches on nearby branches, then contorting and stretching to surround a prized morsel and bring it within reach.

Joyful chatter arose from the waxwings as they merrily encouraged each other to join the feast. As if they had booked the backyard as their banquet site, they boldly boasted to each other as they stripped the crabapple tree to bare branches. Unlike any musical performance I had attended, this one inspired me with its rising crescendo. A rising of wings, as if the conductor had signaled the strings of the orchestra, as if the momentum alone would transport all to another level. A rising, a moment of hope.

Then as quickly as they came, they flew away. Later, my dog, Dusty and I walked outside to inspect the tree. Over to my right I heard the similar song from before, but offered in a quieter, gentler tone. Looking up I saw a bird grasped firmly to a swaying branch. I noticed the yellow tip of its tail feathers, the brush stroke of red on its head; I welcomed the waxwing with a wondering nod. It stayed there as Dusty and I headed inside. It’s singing accompanied us like a hopeful refrain repeating its rhythmic message.

It reminded me of the simple song I like to sing to myself as I start my day. My paraphrased version is from a song I learned while teaching Bible school one summer. I try to remember to sing it daily, to focus my thoughts, to continually hold hope within my soul:

Good morning Lord, it’s a beautiful day!

Good morning Lord, I’m going your way!

This Advent I’m welcoming hope’s enduring presence by reinforcing this hopeful refrain with the image of the lone waxwing singing merrily on its perch. Like the waxwings that wait for the celebration of the feast to come, I want to embrace both ways to honour hope within me. Sometimes I want it to slowly rise like soft feathers unfurling on a gentle breeze, but other days I want it to shake with anticipation as it purposely positions its feathers to align them for a powerful swoop. Then the celebration will begin!

Good morning Lord, it’s a beautiful day!

Good morning Lord, I’m going your way!

To read Denise's personal blog and writing website go to: www.walkingwithDustyandDee.com

My Writing Life Reviewed - Karen Toews

2011-11-26T11:05:00.037-07:00

Looking back.

I've never been a prolific writer, but some seasons my efforts have been more consistent than others. One of those "others" has been the last five, six years - a space where my writing life has been an on-again, off-again practise. I wasn't happy that it had come to that wobbly flow of stops and spurts. Topic ideas wasn't the problem - they just seldom landed on the page. The desire and discipline to develop them into something worth reading didn't often happen.

That pattern took a small, but important, shift in 2010 when I started contributing monthly on this Inscribe Writers Online. Sometimes my post has been late or published in spite of my not being completely satisfied with the piece. But having an assignment, a deadline, a readership - that's what I needed to get the groove going.

Coming into 2011, my plan was to support that small momentum. In conjunction with developing my new business in natural nutrition, my goal was to launch a blog: a mission accomplished - with many thanks to my patient and blog-savvy daughter and son-in-law.

The present.

So the "blog-baby" is birthed. Content is "key" so posts have to be written but that's just part of sustaining this needy "child". The small writing momentum I was prepared to nurture has become a pushing and shoving match - manoeuvring through a foreign technical landscape and stretching my creativity for design and formating.

As fellow bloggers know, visiting and commenting on other blogsites helps build your own site and a network of online connections. This is good. What doesn't help is the sense of intimidation I feel, looking at "how professional" these other blogs look and "how come I didn't think to set up my site that way?" Or the most discouraging: "I have no clue how to make my side bar blocks (...or something else) look like that!"

I am gratified - readers are visiting, they're submitting comments. The discipline and challenge are giving me a sense of writing purpose, inspiring me to continue, helping shape other business ideas.

Looking ahead.

In Do the Work, author Steven Pressfield states, "A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor the genius or the madman. It's only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and over think and hesitate." This summer, with three of our grandkids living with us, I was able to observe this "having an idea to do something and just running with it." Whether it was physical play or for designing everything from doll clothes to cardboard castles to painting pictures.

Am I going to be able to "run with the dream" I have for this "child"? Is it really worthwhile, making a difference for someone? What about other writing desires - maybe a longer piece of work, maybe a (whisper) book?

Today I read Philippians 4:6,7. "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

I'm not privy to the full picture of my 2012 writing life, but I have an idea. My heart is open to the bigness of God's creative power and design. My resolve is not to compare myself with others. My prayer is that I will know His leading - and His peace - as I do the work and move ahead.

The "Figures" Take Precedence — Lynda Schultz

2011-11-24T06:00:00.007-07:00

History books tend to emphasize facts and figures. Although I am a history buff, particularly if it has to do with submarines, warships and airplanes, my next history book is going to focus more on the "figures" of the story than on the cold, hard facts.

Several years ago I was challenged to take on a writing project for the mission with which I have worked for the better part of thirty years. Fellowship International will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year and the senior staff thought it would be good idea to tell our story.

Rose and Mario Bruno, Italy

It's not that the story hasn't been told before—in bits and pieces. Our beginnings have been documented in This Dominion His Dominion, by Leslie K. Tarr (1968), in The Fellowship Story: Our First 25 Years, by Dr. J. H. Watt (1978) and most recently in A Glorious Fellowship of Churches, edited by Michael A.G. Haykin and Robert B. Lockey (2003). But this will be the first time that our story as a mission will stand on its own.

By next spring, the writing of the book needs to be finished so that it will be ready for release in time for our national convention, Fellowship 48, in November 2012. It wouldn't be such a daunting task if the facts and figures of history were all I needed to record. But my vision for this book is a much more personal one. I want people to experience the joys, sense the pain, work through the challenges, acknowledge the losses, and feel the heartbeat of the people who have been part of Fellowship International for the last fifty years. To do that depends, not so much on my writing skills, but on the willingness of our missionaries and alumni to be transparent and willing to share their journeys in print.

Kathryn and Rob Fleming, Japan

I've contacted every missionary and alumnus that I can find. Slowly the stories are coming in. My Thursdays and Fridays, days regularly dedicated to the work of the Communications Department of The Fellowship, will be heavily bent toward the book over these next months. There will be midnight oil to be burned I am sure.

My biggest fear? I do not want to fail my colleagues or the Lord by telling the story poorly so I pray that God will be my skill, be my words.

My greatest joy? I praise God for the opportunity to tell the story behind the movement, the story of the men, women, and children used by God to give Fellowship International faces behind the those cold, hard facts.

New Journey - Dorothy Bentley

2011-11-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

I've had the craziest adventure since the end of September. That is when I attended a Willow Creek Leadership Summit (by recorded simulcast). After the first day, I lost my column (I'd been writing for over seven years in a general market newspaper). On the second day, we were given a pottery shard to write something on while we dedicated ourselves to God's service.

Shortly after, I became extremely uncomfortable serving in Youth and had to quit.

God had taken me up on my offer.

I've had to lay my novel writing on an altar, just like an Isaac. And I am mainly blogging about my walk with Him.

He's been purifying my heart. I haven't got a clue where He's taking me or the next step on this crazy journey, but I am trusting Him to lead.

He is teaching me to hear His voice.

I somehow found an incredibly useful book to help in this process:

Finding Divine Inspiration - Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity, by J. Scott McElroy.

He teaches how the process works, hindrances, the importance of operating within Christian community, and he includes some helpful insights from creative people, such as Jars of Clay and News Boys lead singers, a writer, a painter, and others.

Well worth it.

Anyone can write.

It takes a calling and purification to write for the King of Kings. It's difficult, and frightening, and painful, but nothing else matters.

http://potscrubbersjournal.blogspot.com

The Unwrapped Gift- Sulo Moorthy

2011-11-21T22:39:00.001-07:00

Writing is surely a God-given cherishable gift, and what we make out of it is our gift to God. Whether we write to sell or write for mere pleasure, the words we put on the paper or onto the computer screen have the vigor and longivity to last beyond our time and expectation.

Imagine a world without writers and the thought itself would turn us, the avid readers to function like zombies. A night sky without stars, a garden void of flowers and butterflies, telephones without dial tone would equal such a world. Writers bring inspiration, enthrallment and enthusiasm that invigorate the soul to expand and explore the unknown. To realize that as a writer I play a part, however small or big that may be, in the grand orchestra of creativity, make me want to weep with joy and take my call seriously.

As writers, we are called to write first. Getting published and selling come later with effort and persistance. Sometimes, the fear of rejections, and failure in promotion prevent us from putting the pen onto the paper. Competition in the Writers' Market and elevation of some published authors to the celebrity level make unpublished and wanna-be -writers to easily give up on their dream of becoming authors.

King David, nor his son Solomon wouldn't have imagined to have their prayers, psalms or proverbs to be in print or for them to last till this century and beyond. They sought no agent nor researched any markets to get their work published. Neither did Oswald Chamber, the author of My Utmost for His Highest spend his time on promotional tours and book signing. He lived only for a short period of 43 years, but his book has endured far beyond the author's death in 1917. With God, anything can become possible.

I've experienced both the joy of seeing my work published and the frustration of seeing my work returned in the mail in my handwritten self-addressed manila envelopes in the past. There were days I sat glaring at the computer screen with words refusing to be released from my creative brain. And then there were days I had rolled out of my bed at dawn to note down the words that were rushing down from the same side of the brain. Weeks of no writing, but all reading had occurred at times when inspiration seemed like estranged spouse living distance away. Acceptance from editors and deadlines for submissions only coaxed me to sit and write in the past. But not any more.

In the past five years, I haven't submitted my work for any publications other than the devotional column for Fellowscript until 2010. However, the written pages of my journals testify that the writer in me is still alive, even if it chooses to hibernate for days from time to time. In the recent months, I've got into the habit of amusing myself by writing out my reflection on scriptures into poems. I doubt anyone with a poetical eye would consider them as real poems. Yet, that wouldn't stop me from writing for my pleasure and God's.

It has been an year since I started a writers' group for the women at our church. The short span of my writing life makes me no expert to lead the group with admirable writing talents. Yet, with God's strength and guidance from the book, An Introduction to Christian Writing, I, as a fellow rider on the writing path, try to lend a hand to pat, motivate and to share what I've learned from my writing experiences.

The women in the group love to write, but lack the time to write like any other busy moms working full-time outside home. Motivation to write rather than critiquing their work is all they need at this time and I try to do that in the best way I could. Their writing more than mine becomes my priority in this season of my writing life, and when I do that, I find myself motivated to write more and write better. It's truly a double edged blessing.

It took awhile for me to admit to myself I'm a writer. Now that I'm convinced that as a writer I play a part in the vast arena of creative world, I can't quit, but keep on writing whether my work sell or not.

Life In A Suitcase by Bryan Norford

2011-11-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

Remember opening a suitcase at your destination? Contents packed too tightly for recognition? Socks stuffed in shoes, screwables poked in loose corners, last minute dumps screwing up the rest! Worse jumble still, if two people pack the same case! Or, heaven forbid, you find it’s someone else’s.

You try to set out garments so they are recognizable. It’s almost as bad as missing luggage—at least then you can buy new clothes! They look good. But cheaply bought, they soon look shabby. You retrieve lost luggage with relief. So good to unpack, iron and hang the real clothing attractive and orderly.

The Bible is like a suitcase. Contents often packed too tightly to be easily understood. Goodies packed in unsuspecting corners. Numerous writers pack differently. Some place their contents in methodical fashion, others lay it in as it comes. Some cram their stuff in panic or stress, others lay it in more leisurely.

Today’s writers are, or should be, the unpackers. Like good teachers, they sort and present biblical truths with clarity. They untangle difficult material, iron out apparent discrepancies, bring together similar materials, and provide access to what we need.

Without this, many find the Bible's contents a dense, impenetrable muddle once the covers open. Many will open the wrong suitcase. There they find cultural garments that fit poorly, fall apart after use, or are too revealing! Some will find these materials convenient, fitting their lifestyle or agenda. These garments supplant interest in longer lasting spiritual clothing.

There is one further move necessary to show off the Biblical content. Clothes show best when worn. They sell best when adorning models or advertisements. Writers must exhibit the truths they espouse.

Christianity will always be a counter culture, at odds with its social environment. It’s appeal is not in strutting laws and rules, all cultures do that; but in wearing the garments of salvation: compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness and forgiveness.

This dress stands out in a crowd more concerned with self-serving status than servanthood. For “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Writing Goals - Tracy Krauss

2011-11-15T06:00:00.112-07:00

This month we were encouraged to blog about our current writing goals. I'm all for goal setting, but I think one has to be realistic about this 'writing gig'. My overarching goal is to write full time. Whether this takes place sooner (as in the next year or two) or later (when I retire from teaching) depends on a lot of different factors. I've heard from some very reliable sources that it isn't easy to make a living as a writer. In fact, even some authors that have managed to gain a fair bit of notoriety and success in terms of book sales still need to continue to 'work' at something else. It doesn't mean it can't be done, but a realist isn't going to quit their day job to pursue their writing career.

Fortunately, I do have some other options. As a teacher, I can always supplement my writing income as a TOC (Teacher on call a.k.a substitute) if I ever choose to spend more time writing and less time teaching. As well, my children are grown and my husband has a good job, so in a few years time we might consider the possibility of downsizing so that I could spend more time on my writing. These are big 'what ifs' however, and only time will tell if these options become a reality.

In the mean time, I have several other writing goals that are easier to attain and that have results that can actually be monitored.At the beginning of 2011 I set a few goals for myself that I am happy to say I have reached. One was to acquire an agent. Up to that point I had been 'agentless', and although I have two books in print and one more coming out at the end of this month, there is still a certain negative stigma attached to a writer without an agent. After pursuing several leads and sending out queries, I gained the interest of agent Steve Hutson of 'Wordwise Media' and signed a contract in September for my manuscript WIND OVER MARSHDALE. Hooray!

Another goal for the year was to increase my blog following to 200 by end of the year. (I started the year with about 60.) Again, I'm pleased that I reached that goal a few months ago. Perhaps I'll try to double it again by the end of next year. Of course there have been lots of other general 'promotional' goals, like increasing my Facebook fanpage likes, and trying to utilize other social networking better, but one person can only do so much, right?

Another goal which I am rather excited about was finishing a series of paintings for an illustrated children's book that I want to get published. This is a personal project based on a song my mother used to sing. I started the paintings about three years ago, but then stalled out on finishing them. (I had about half of them done and then lost my enthusiasm for the project ...) I took up brush and paints again this summer and finished the rest. I now have seventeen 16"x20" acrylic paintings to use as the illustrations for the book, ready and waiting for whenever I get the money to complete the project. (Or find an outside publisher who is interested.)

Finally, I joined the NaNoWriMo challenge again this year, with the goal of writing a 50,000 word manuscript from scratch during the month of November. So far I'm on track. I'm about half way there and this is the halfway mark in the month, but I've got a long way to go.

I think it's a good idea to have some very specific goals (finding an agent; increase blog following to a certain number) with an actual timeline attached. These kept me on track for this year when I might have given up. On the other hand, broader goals are also necessary. They are the stuff of dreams, and as writers, I think we all have a bit of the dreamer in us ...

What are your goals and how have you attained them?

Remembrance Day Thoughts - T.L. Wiens

2011-11-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

I watched my friend, a WWII vet live on the battlefield years after the war was over. The too real nightmares never left him and his life never got beyond the horrors of the battlefield. He was a mechanic and worked on the tanks. He told me that usually when a problem arose, it was bodies stuck in the tracks jamming things up. He had to pull them out to get the thing working again. This time of the year, we're told to remember those who gave their lives. My friend me aware there are many living dead--men and women that never moved beyond the war and what they experienced.

How sad to have done the job and won the freedom for your country and never truly experience the joy.

I'll write the appies - Violet Nesdoly

2011-11-12T09:13:00.007-07:00

I'll write the appies

Though I have laboured long

over the hot stove of fiction

slow-roasted the plot

peeled and cooked the characters

tossed point-of-view and dialogue

whisked lumps out of theme and motivation

and at last presented my creation

garnished to be page-turning

I prefer to work

on the poetry course

try to make each hors d’oeuvres

a playful experiment

every bite-sized creation

so surprising and intriguing

the reader can never stop at one.

Then I get to leave the kitchen early

because I’m done.

*************

With much of the writing world involved in NaNoWriMo, I decided to join in the writing frenzy, but in a different way. I have challenged myself to write one poem a day each day of November.

To help me do that, I refer often to the various poetry prompt sites I have bookmarked. The inspiration for "I'll write the appies" (my poem for November 4th) came from this prompt on poet Adele Kenny's blog The Music In It.

I'm posting an assortment of my November efforts here—so come on by, if you like, to sample some more canapés.

- By Violet Nesdoly

Writing and incarnational discovery–Stephen T Berg

2011-11-11T17:54:00.001-07:00

We live in a violent world. That's hardly a secret. We have been formed by a culture of war and violence, the nature of which we often keep wilfully hidden from ourselves. But today, we intentionally remember war, so that we can in some way dispel it, so that at least violence of a global scale, can be named and thwarted. And we hope that in the naming, in the remembering, something like grace and peace may appear.

And yet, as Flannery O'Connor has said, "Our age not only does not have a very sharp eye for the almost imperceptible intrusions of grace, it no longer has much feeling for the nature of the violences which precede and follow them." And so in O'Connor's fiction, violence and the grotesque act as the cudgel to awaken the sleeping (that's us) to the reality of something like an intrusion of grace.

Of course violence is never the cause of grace, but it can, in its great distortions of social solidarity and communal life, reflect back to us our own propensity toward envy and rivalry, and in this uncovering, perhaps allow us the grace of seeing ourselves as we truly are—which is, if it happens, an occasion of mercy.

A writerly goal I repeatedly come short of, which is never less a goal, is to stay awake to those intrusions of grace and occasions of mercy, and so perhaps to seize them. For as long as there is language, as Bonny Way and Kathleen Gibson have outlined below, there is a desire to get at that meaning through honest reflection and a need to communicate it clearly. And the closer we can come to the nub and nut of things through true communication, the more set in relief grace becomes. And the closer the personal reflection, the more universal the meaning. For that, after all, is the nature of our Incarnate world, which the nature of violence attempts to usurp.

I have a notion that as Christian writers, writing for this kind of—if I can call it—Incarnational discovery, is at the bottom of most of our goals. For if it isn't, I suppose we're simply adding to the heap of informative tracts and very little to the meaning of things.

Of course as lofty or flighty as this sounds, it's only through the "habit of art," (Maritain) that we come to apprehend and then relay these meanings. For as we writers sit down to write out some vague and fleeting idea, we are immediately thrown into the practical question of form. And its through the daily habit of wrestling with this most basic aspect of writing where a discovery is made, a true thing found.

And as O'Connor has said somewhere, writers ought to be able to discover something from their writing, if not, there's little chance the reader will.

www.growmercy.org

Communication is Key - Bonnie Way

2011-11-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

In university, I took a biology course to fulfill the science requirements for my Arts degree. It was not a course I looked forward to. Biology was my best science in high school, but my marks were just good enough to get me into university. Fortunately, I had an excellent professor and a friend to study with, but what got me through the course was my writing skills.

The exams had two parts: a multiple choice section and a written part. The multiple choice questions were specific. More specific than I knew. I couldn’t keep the Krebs’ cycle in my head long enough to get to the exam. What I could do was write. As an Arts major, most of my exams were written. I could write a whole essay on something I had only the foggiest idea about. And because I could write, I passed the course.

Communication is key in our world today. If we cannot communicate the information we know, it doesn’t matter what we know. Miscommunication or unclear communication can result in huge blunders or great confusion. As an editor, my job is to make sure that concepts and information are clearly communicated to the intended audience. As a writer, communication is my job.

So how can we make sure we are communicating clearly—as mothers, as writers, as employees? Written communication gives us the opportunity to check for clarity. Even a quick email should be double-checked before the SEND button is hit. Here are a few hints for checking your writing (whether email, articles, or other documents) before it goes to its audience.

1. Read it aloud to yourself. You may want to make sure the room is empty before you do this (though your two-year-old may not care), but it allows you to hear awkward constructions, errors, run-on sentences, and other problems you may miss by just reading the document. Read carefully. Pause at commas and periods. Run out of breath? Your sentence is too long. Does a pause feel awkward? Maybe it is incorrectly punctuated.

2. Give it some time. If the document isn’t urgent, put it aside for an hour or a day or two and look at it later. This will let you “forget it” and see it with fresh eyes. You may catch mistakes that you did see as you were writing.

3. Have another person read it (critique groups are great for this!). If they are confused or uncertain, fix it. Perhaps in explaining it to them, you’ll discover a better way to express it. They may also be able to catch spelling or punctuation errors that you missed.

Communication requires constant work but improves with practice. Pay attention to how those around you communicate (especially if you write fiction and need dialogue ideas!). Just remember that even if you don’t know everything, you can communicate clearly what you do know.

~ © Bonnie Way, http://thekoalabearwriter.blogspot.com

Writing On A Slant - Shirley S. Tye

2011-11-09T07:38:00.002-07:00

You've probably heard it said that when a person's handwriting slants downward it's a sign they are sad, tired, or ill. If the writing slants upward, the person is feeling happy, energetic and well.

Lately, my writing has been slanting downwards despite two writing successes this year. My children's middle-grade novel was short-listed in a contest. My friend's novel which I ghost wrote was self-published by my friend. Many who have read her book have enjoyed it; in fact, some have said they couldn't put it down. Both achievements should have been celebrated. But for a year, I've been in a slump; everything I've tried has fallen apart. I'm feeling discouraged and these two "accomplishments" only added to my list of failures. Through my sad eyes, I viewed being short-listed to mean "close but no cigar" and "here's the big looser". And hearing all the compliments about my friend's book made me jealous that my name wasn't on the cover. God forgive me.

Sure I'm feeling discouraged now but I'll be up soon. I still have plans and there are other paths I'd like to explore.

First of all, I'm making corrections and improvements to the novel that was short-listed. Next time it's submitted, it'll be a winner and be published.

Second thing I'm working on is a play. That's a totally new genre for me but I'm learning about playwriting and will boldly try it. This past spring, I had an acting part in a comedy play and was told by many that I did a very good job. That experience taught me what works and what doesn't work for amateur theatre. The director, who I worked under, is also the President of the Executive at the amateur theatre in town. Since he was pleased with my acting, I feel confident that he'll at least read my play. That'll be a big step forward on the learning curve.

This summer, I began work on a romance novel. It's another unfamiliar genre for me but I thought I'd give it a go and see what happens. I like new adventures.

Yes, I'm beginning to feel hopeful. My writing is developing an upward slant again. Praise the Lord!

The Truth About Personal Essays

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

By Kathleen Gibson

A few times (countable on my fingers, thank God!) over my decades as primarily a personal essayist, someone who may share a memory I’ve written about has accused me of either telling half-truths, misleading truth, or an outright lie.

Delving deeper, what I hear is, “That’s not the way I remember it!” Siblings with shared memories encounter this frequently. I call it the sibling-story-squabble. As the Synoptic Gospels demonstrate, no two people—even no two disciples—tell the same story the same way.

Nevertheless, comments like that always cause me to stop and check both my motives and my memory. Sometimes (and this has happened more often than I can count on my fingers!) I need my memory adjusted regarding unimportant details—colours, numbers, comments, times, etc. Things that don’t change the thrust of the story, but may make at least one reader feel the work is more accurate. I’ve gone back and adjusted plenty of details like that over the years.

But the strongest objections to my personal essays have come not because I forgot the true colour of the carpet, or didn’t include a name, or called evening, morning, or 1993, 1994. They come primarily because, though our memories may be almost identical, our interpretations are vastly different.

"That's not the way I see it!" is usually how those discussions start. Oh, dear.

I have never changed a word where interpretation is involved. “Thank you,” I say. “Your perspective is valid. But it’s YOURS, not mine, and I need to be true to the thoughts and memories that have camped in my soul.”

Personal essay writing is vastly different from straight journalism, where the driving motivation is (or should be!) objective, unbiased and fair reporting, with opinions garnered from as many points of view as possible. Things get a little fuzzy sometimes, but though it may include quotes and references, the primary medium of the personal essay is subjectivity: the experience of the essay writer and their interpretation of that experience.

If you’re a published personal essayist, you should know (if you don’t already) that at some point, someone will object to you publishing an experience involving them, even to the point of trying to stop you. But regardless of who else they involve, the files stored in your heart and memory belong solely to you. They are yours to recall, yours to discuss, and yours to convey to others as you please. But so too, are the consequences for doing so wisely or unwisely—and that may include accusations of slander or libel.

Choose to publish sensitive essays with care and prayer, considering others’ hearts and the motives of your own. Always ask, “Would I want my worst enemy to read this?” Because sure as dandies have lions, that enemy will find it, and know how to use it against you.

Aside from making it a constant practice to study genuinely good writing, the most foundational tool of the personal essayist is truth. Staying true to one’s beliefs, memories, perspectives, and opinions reveals to your readers a developing, live, personality. In this genre, the maxim “to thine own self be true” must be followed.

That’s not ego, by the way. Publishing something that, while truthful, is unnecessarily hurtful to someone else, is. (Don’t ask me how I know that.) Change names and unimportant details, if you must. I sometimes write under a pseudonym, for those reasons.

The intentional personal essay (as opposed to the spill-your-guts social media genre of lazy writing) always serves more than a desire to “let it all out.” It has an agenda, artfully disguised, to move its readers in some way—towards new ideas, opinions, even beliefs. The effective personal essay is always ultimately not about its writer, but its reader.

The more experienced the personal essayist, the more their writing resonates with their readers’ stories. Consider authors like Erma Bombeck, E.B. White, Anne Lamott, Robert Fulghum and Phil Callaway, for starters. Their lives, revealed through the medium of honest reflection, help us see our own in new ways. We spy the truth of our stories through lens of theirs.

Some of my essays, to my surprise, have stumbled into the spotlight of a few major media outlets, some national, some international. I’ve addressed the issues of gay marriage, spousal abuse, lack of integrity in the church, fallen leaders, conservation and politics, for starters. My words have incensed some, and sent others scurrying for pen, phone, or computer to protest or agree, or simply spill out a little heart. I’ve had responses to my articles, books and blog entries from around the world. Even my newspaper faith columns, and 90 second radio spots (very short personal essays) bring some of the same results. The responses I value most are always those that come in the shape of a readers’ own personal story.

Ultimately, even when the details may be a little skewed—the tree a cedar, not a spruce—the medium of the personal essay is all about truth—your readers’ as much as your own.

So tell it already.

Find author, columnist, and broadcaster Kathleen Gibson at www.kathleengibson.ca

Out There with Blogs and Book Reviews – Ramona Heikel

2011-11-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

This past year of writing has definitely been an experiment and an education. To ease my problems at work with tendonitis brought on by non-stop computer work all day, I started taking 2 days a week off in January of this year. Then I dug out my pen and paper and pursued two of the writing projects I’d dreamed of doing for years.

I’ve been curious about making a webpage, but put off by the belief that I had to learn HTML. And I’d been wondering if I had enough to say to consistently write posts for a blog. So I finally took the plunge and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and inexpensive it was to create a website.

WordPress guided me through each step and their built-in formatting and graphics made me look like a pro. I haven’t succeeding in writing as many blogs as I’d intended, though, partly because I’m trying to keep my topics focused on only a few areas. But I am “out there” and that is a success for me.

For almost twenty years whenever books excite me, I’ve been writing my own personal book reviews, and most of the time it’s a novel that stirs up my emotions. I think it’s my way of preserving the experience of meeting fascinating characters, entering into their world, living through their trials and reaping their inner rewards of revelation and transformation. Sometimes an extraordinary non-fiction book may inspire me to take notes, and I’ll record some valuable insights and perspectives on the Christian faith or various other topics in a review.

I’ve wanted to share that excitement with others, especially because I don’t normally read what everyone else is reviewing. When I find a great book I want to say, “Hey, everybody, look at this gem I just dug up! It’s worth reading!” So when I started my own blog in February, I started posting my reviews of favorite books. I call them “book responses” because they are literally my reactions and aren’t necessarily in the proper format of a review. Sharing these has been a thrill for me.

Then, because I finally had a blog, I signed up to be a reviewer for two publishers and a website. Now I am actually reading hot-off-the-press books and children’s books. One of the genres I am focusing on writing at this time is children’s stories and articles, and reviewing children’s books not only helps get the word out about my favorites, but it also keeps me up to date on what is being published. I have even been sent a book by a children’s author who saw my reviews and asked me to review his new book!

Since I am attempting to write an educational “learning is fun” fiction story for middle grades, I am also reading other books of that type, and I don’t know when I’ve had so much fun. Can I just recommend one? If you are at all inclined toward science or history, pick up Benjamin Franklinstein Lives by Matthew McElligott. It’s a delight from start to finish.

Blogging and reviewing have made this writing year a successful one. My audience has expanded as well as my enjoyment!

Posted by Ramona
Happilywriting.com