Monday, April 2, 2018

Encourage One Another by Barbara J. Scott


Encourage One Another
by Barbara Scott



Writers sometimes forget that we need time to daydream and time to rest and seek the Lord’s will. It’s easy to lose our hope when we drive ourselves day and night to succeed. We are told to be active on social media, participate in blog tours, write and send out newsletters to our followers, solicit reviewers and endorsements, put together and manage a street team to promote us—promote ourselves. I confess, marketing and promotion stress me out until I feel like a hamster running on a wheel going nowhere.

Caught up in the business of “writing,” it’s easy to forget why we write and for whom and say yes to opportunities we shouldn’t—opportunities we take because they pay well. But our hearts aren’t in it…and neither is God.

When I allow my mind to rest and shut out all the noise, that’s when I hear God’s still, small voice in His word. There’s a Scripture in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 that centers me: 

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, 
your labor prompted by love, 
and your endurance inspired by hope 
in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord called us to write to glorify Him and through our words offer hope to a dark and dying world. By faith, we follow Him and labor in his vineyard prompted by His love. Our endurance is inspired by our hope in Jesus Christ. So, if we lose hope in our calling, how can we reach out and spark hope in our readers? How can we encourage and uplift their spirits? How can we show them the way to eternal life?

The other day I took a break. The house was quiet. I laid my head back in a lounger and closed my eyes. Soon I saw the earth covered in a pitch-black cloth, but all over the globe, pinpoints of light pierced that darkness.

Since I’m a word person, one of my favorite Scriptures is John 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God.  

God inhabits our words if we let Him guide us in what to write. Not all our promotional fervor is fruitful. If we listen, the Lord will tell us how to reach our readers. Our words are not about us. They are meant to reach those people God has ordained to read them.

As Christian writers, let’s encourage one another so that we might encourage those in the world who feel hopeless and lost.

How might you encourage another writer and help light their way?

~~~~~
Dreams of My Heart


Feisty Irish bride Kate O’Brien McKean asks her Texas cattleman husband Buck for an annulment in Dreams of My Heart, book one of The Reluctant Brides series, setting off a chain reaction of events that endangers them both. The historical romance, set in 1875 Montana Territory, releases April 1 from Mountain Brook Ink. The e-book is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.


~~~~~


After a career spent acquiring and editing books by numerous bestselling Christian authors, Barbara Scott has returned to her true love—writing. Barbara and her husband Mike live in the Nashville area, with their two Chihuahuas, Riley and Sissy, both rescued from puppy mills. Reading, writing, and research are her passions. Want to know more? Connect with Barbara at www.BarbaraJScott.com.