Any Time, Anywhere

I once used a book for my morning worship called, When I'm Seeking God's Will (Windows of Worship). It's a spiral-bound
devotional journal by Greg Allen, Rick Rusaw, and Dan Stuecher. One morning's devotion was Be of Value. In it, Rusaw writes that when he was beginning his first job in a local church, he was very ambitious with lots of dreams and ideas for the future. When he shared those with an elderly minister on staff, Dr. Lester Ford, he was given some sage advice.

Ford told Rusaw that his dreams were good and he should continue to dream. But he also reminded him that he needed to learn to be of value where he was, "[b]ecause if you don't learn to do that, you won't have much of a future. And you can't be of value somewhere you're not."

I know when God gives me a vision of the future (not a literal vision, but a dream of how we can be used by God), it's so difficult to stay where I am. I feel like I'm stuck in limbo, itching to reach out and grab that next goal. But ...

(There's always a "but," isn't there!) But God has placed me where I am for a reason. I haven't published my book because it's not ready. My friend hasn't found a job or a home because the time is not right. My children aren't happy and perfect and well because ... this isn't heaven.

I told someone yesterday that God is not only anywhere, but He's also anywhen. Readers of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series may recognize that term. The concept in those novels meant that the hero or heroine could ride their dragon back in time to any point in their life. Kinda like the Quantum Leap premise. (Yes, I went through a sci-fi phase. Actually, I'm not completely out of it.)

But I like to think of God as being every time at once. The Bible tells us of God's amazing power and wisdom. He's not only God of our past, but also the God of our future. He knows what's going to happen to us. He's read the end of the book! There are no mysteries for him.

As writers, we oftentimes find ourselves in that limbo phase – with a book half-written, or an unpublished book, being un-agented, etc. But we have to find God’s will for us in every phase of our lives, don’t we?

So that's where I place my trust. God loves and cares for each of His children. His plans for us may not include prosperity or wealth, but our only concern should be to remain in the center of His perfect will. It's only then that we accomplish our purpose.

Don't get me wrong: in the mind of those in a personal relationship with Christ, hopes and dreams are a gift from God. But we should also remember that He is in control of our present. We are where we are because of His will.

~Angie

Father, help us always to remember to be grateful for what you've given us. Help us to be aware of Your purpose for us, no matter our circumstances. Help us always to look for your job "assignments" in every situation. And remind us that You are in control of our future and that you will bring it to pass in Your time. Thank you for loving us. Amen.

Writing through Grief

Did you watch any of the 9/11 anniversary memorials, Sunday? I watched as much as I could handle: little children reading off names of the fathers they’d never met, men and women crying unashamedly as they spoke the names of the loved ones they lost that horrible day. It was even heartbreaking to see the black holes of the reflecting pools marking the places where the twin towers once stood.

On one program, a commentator interviewed a reporter at who had been at Ground Zero the days following the attack. As she reported, she found herself surrounded by people who wanted to show photographs of their missing loved ones. She knew these people couldn’t have survived the collapse of the towers, but she couldn’t bear to tell their survivors the horrible news. Yet she still did her job, though sometimes through tears and with a quivering lip.

Although 9/11 affected all of us in so many ways, disaster sometimes hits close to home. We used to say that death comes in threes in our little town (one square mile, population 400) until one eighteen month period when we lost five citizens: two to suicide, one to homicide, one to a motorcycle accident and one to illness. The oldest was my husband’s best friend who was shot when his gas station was robbed. The youngest was my three-year old godson who had the sniffles Saturday night and died Monday morning. It was a devastating time.

It’s hard to continue on when the world goes crazy. It’s even harder to be creative during stressful times. Artwork, words, music – all seem to flow when our life is easy and times are good. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t create our best work when life is at its worst.

Listen to the poignant words of Eva Marie Everson, Christian speaker and author, as she wrote in her journal of 9.11.01: 

"Everywhere we went, the words were the same. Everyone we saw, the expression was the same. Rich man in a suit speaking into a cell phone. Poor man resting on a curb. The conversation was the same. Jew and Gentile, Christian and Muslim. It was all the same. Before our eyes were downcast, we saw what we saw. Before our ears were deafened, we heard what we heard. Before our hearts were broken, we face what we now know. We are a part of history. We are at war."

(For more on healing and grief, check out Eva Marie's blog, 1 Writer, 1 Day.)


Another national tragedy, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, sent everyone reeling. Yet months after her husband was killed, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded interviews and recollections of her married life. (The transcripts from these tapes have been put into book form and are being released this month.) Can you imagine doing this after watching your husband die beside you? Yet, somehow, Jacqueline found the inner strength to make those recordings for her family and for history.

And of course, our best example of inspiration comes from the Bible. When the Philistines seized David, I’m sure they didn’t realize they’d inspired a psalm that would provide comfort for thousands of years. At the beginning of Psalm 56, verses 2 & 3 it says 

“I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”¹ 

Later in verse 8, we’re reminded, 

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”²

It’s hard to go on when tragedy strikes. It’s hard to push ourselves to write when we don’t feel like it. But we have to remind ourselves just Who is in control. We have to remember why we were put here on this earth. If we were put here to write, then we won’t find any peace at all until we do just that.

----------------------

¹ Tyndale House Publishers Inc (2004-01-09). The One Year Bible, New Living Translation (One Year Bible: New Living Translation-2) (Kindle Locations 33228-33229). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

² Ibid

Your Calling

Your Calling
New Commitment Series
Net's Notations Tuesdays

During church on Sunday, God highlighted people’s callings. If you’re here, reading Seriously Write, I’m going to take a risk and guess you’re called to write. *grin* That morning, as God highlighted callings, He spoke through prophecy to our congregation. See if you can relate with these messages.

Has the dream died? Sometimes when we don't see the results we thought we'd see in a certain time frame, we lay the dreams aside. If we go long enough, they die. It's time to bring them back to life—to speak life over them and into them and watch God move in fresh ways as we recommit.

Have you held back because of the responsibility? You know your dreams require sacrifice. Callings are costly. But is that a reason to put off doing what you were created to do? Don’t let it be.

God rekindled my dreams the other day in the drug store, of all places. I saw a rack of books in an unusual place—just paperbacks by one or more authors. I want that—my books, out there. I have lots of manuscripts written and I’m sure several more in my heart waiting to be written. And one of my dreams is just to have them out there. Of course, I’d love to be a best-selling author one day, too. *grin*

What about you? Has God make your calling clear? Write it down. What are your dreams? Write them out. Then, recommit to pursuing them, no matter the cost. Ask for wisdom, dive in and be steadfast. You and your destiny are about to collide.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor. 15:58, NKJV)

Assemble the Orchestra!

Assemble the Orchestra
Worshipful Writers Series
Net's Notations Tuesdays

Round up an orchestra to play for God,
Add on a hundred-voice choir.
(Psalm 98:5, MSG)

We’re all different instruments in God’s worship team. Same call: "Write!" But, we all have different roles.

M.L. Tyndall writes historical romance. But she includes a touch of spiritual warfare in her stories through symbolism. This makes her stand out.

Julie Lessman writes passionate romances out of a zeal for Jesus in her own heart. She also fiercely believes in passion in marriage. Her writing stands out.

Karen Kingsbury writes emotionally touching stories every time. You have to keep a tissue at the ready! If you’ve interacted with her, you know she loves big. She is a caring woman. Her writing glorifies God and uses her skills and heart at an exquisite level.

God will use you to touch specific people. In fact, I believe that as you’re writing your book (fiction or non-fiction) God is excited about the readers who will see what you’ve written and be helped by your words.

We think of it as voice. That element we bring to our books which represents us every time. It’s more than tone. It’s you, your writing essence.

In the same way that no two writing voices are alike (how many of you know you cannot successfully imitate another author’s voice?), the ways God has designed to use each of us is unique as well.

Name a famous author. Just pick one off the top of your head. Lets say . . . Jane Austen. Now, we can study her work and learn to write like she did. We can write in her genre, even quote her prose. But there will never be another Jane Austen. And rightly so.

You have a specific position in God’s orchestra of writers. (Forgive me for blending two metaphors here in our Worshipful Writers Series.) Though someone else writes the same genre (also plays the trombone, for example), they will not sound like you. Learning craft hones your tone. Practicing helps you produce a good sound. You’re responsible for your own instrument, to know how to play it, to put in the practice hours, to be on time for rehearsals and performances. Can you see the parallels? BIC—behind in chair. Log words everyday. No skimping. Be excellent.

And most of all, take your rightful position in God’s orchestra of writers. You belong here. There is no competition. We're all called. Welcome. Play!

Honor God with your talents, with your obedience to your calling, and with your creativity. Glorify the Conductor as a worshipful writer.

Annette