Heed Instruction

Text: Proverbs 16:20

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” – Proverbs 16:20 New International Version of the Bible

As Christian writers, our witness is as important as the stories or poems we write. If our private lives don’t match our public lives, our writing suffers. More importantly, we have people who tune out the message of Jesus Christ because of our witness. They label us as just another religious hypocrite.

One of the most significant and miraculous things in life is to heed the direction of God’s voice to us. It is when we fully trust and follow in His ways.

I know what you are thinking, how can you know the ways and instruction of God? First, you ask God through prayer. Second, you spend time in His word, the Bible, by reading and memorizing Scripture. Third, you listen to God’s herald … this would be listening to sermons as you attend church.

You might be thinking, but you don’t know me. I have really failed. I have broken so many of God’s teachings … how can He ever use me. God is a forgiving God. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV teaches, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God has a plan for your life. Never forget that God knows your heart. He even knows your most secret thoughts and feelings. God knows the number of hairs on your head. God knows everything!

Maybe you think you have everything under control. If you think that, you are wrong. Only God has everything under control.

Maybe you are feeling confused and just need direction in your life. Maybe the struggles of daily living and just meeting life’s expenses have you down. One thing we can do in times of brokenness and confusion is look and pray for our needs … and don’t forget to thank and praise God when He meets your needs!

An example of provision from my life was recently finding a large package with twenty rolls of toilet paper in the middle of the highway. I stopped, picked it up, and took it home. My wife shared she hadn’t purchased any when she bought groceries, but had been looking for some on sale. God met this everyday need in our life. Another example could be a friend who calls and speaks words of reassurance or encouragement when you were depressed or feeling hopelessness.

As Christian writers, we are God’s provision for others. We are the ones who meet the need in someone’s life. We need to heed God’s instructions where other will listen to what God is saying through us. When we fail to walk with God, our witness doesn’t point others to Christ, but can actually lead them astray.

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“Trust God and Write”

Title: Trust God and Write!
Text: 2 Samuel 9:13

“Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.” — Crossway Bibles (2011-02-09). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (p. 261). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

“Why can’t I be a writer or author?” Those were words I spoke as I mustered all the manhood I had as an eleventh grader to keep from crying as my high school guidance counselor told me that becoming a writer or author wasn’t an acceptable vocational option for a man.

The school counselor answers, “Jimmie, you’re a guy. You’ll need a trade or college degree in engineering, accounting, or teaching to support your future wife and children. You need to forget that silly notion that a man could ever support a family writing. It’s okay to have writing as a hobby, but you’ll never earn a living doing it. You’ll need a real job.”

The words broke my heart. My parents had raised me to believe I could do anything. My Sunday school teacher and youth pastor had taught me God had an amazing plan for my life. Up to this point, I believed it. After the counselor’s words, I wasn’t so sure.

Several years later, I was a seminary student. One day in chapel, I heard a sermon about a man with an unusual name, Mephibosheth. He was lame in both feet. He had a disability, an affliction. I learned he faced many challenges, sorrows, and problems. In spite of this, he didn’t know the king of Israel was about to bless his life. The most powerful man in all of Israel, King David went out of his way to bless someone others viewed as unworthy. Our King of kings, our great Lord Almighty desires to do the same for us.

Have you been told your dream of writing is just that a dream? Maybe you’ve been told you haven’t experienced life enough to write, that you’re too young to write, or that the competition is too great? You may be dealing with feelings of doubt, think if only you had a MFA or if your family or spouse supported you more, or maybe you think it’s too late – you’re just too old. If only … Let’s face it, at times we all face challenges and difficulties in our lives that make us feel unworthy to serve the Lord. As Christian writers, we serve the Lord with our writing.

We may feel there is no way God could use us. We dwell on negative thoughts. We focus on why we can’t. We feel it’s too hard or the chances of getting published are stacked against us. I want you to stop those I cannot do it thoughts. Think about the things you and God can do.

Remember, God doesn’t look at our exteriors, our limitations, or our failures. He looks at His flawless creation – that’s you! God says, “I can use you; I want to use you.”
We should live in this truth. Don’t let anyone or anything including self-doubt stand in your way of serving our great King of Kings and Lord of Lords! If he has called you to write, He will provide the platform, publisher and audience/readers. He’s also a big enough God to take care of your financial and emotional needs.

My name is not a household name as a writer. I do not support myself writing. Thirty years ago last month my first magazine article was published. I was paid 2½ cents a word. Since I sold the first article in 1981, I have had 47 articles and poems published. I have had hundreds rejected. I have had a nonfiction book initially accepted and then killed when an editor changed. I have a historical fiction book that’s been rejected a couple of times and yet I am rewriting to changed the point of view at an editor’s request without any promise they’ll buy the work. I am a regular contributing book reviewer for a national magazine.

What can I say? I love to write and read. I writing is your thing, ignore the negative thinkers, and trust God and write!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

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Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference – Day One Reflections

Few places I have visited are as pretty as the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Center. It is at Estes Park, Colorado. Nestled in the Rocky Mountains near the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park the scenery, wildlife and weather are spectacular.

Over the next four days I will work on my writing craft, spending time in prayer and worship as well as resting and relaxing. I hope to write a short daily weblog on my adventure.

The conference center was easy to find. Having never been here and not having any instructions on the registration process I looked for a building that said registration or administration. I found registration was divided into two parts. The easy part was checking into my room. The staff of the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Center has their act together. Boom, I was in and out in under five minutes. I am in room 3407 in Mt. Ypisoln Hall. I am one of the few attendees that has a private room – thank you God for presentation mode  my day job that allows me to earn enough income to afford such a luxury – several men I talked with are staying four people to a room.

Next it was time to unload my car and get setup in my accommodations. I found get email and can surf the web. my cell phone has poor reception. I have WiFi in my room and all over the campus so I get Facebook, Twitter, and email without issue.

Conference registration check-in was next. I’ll be nice. It is staffed by volunteers. They were running late in getting things setup. The conference registration materials with my paid critiques, appointments with agents and publishers/editors were not off the press. They were still being printed. I was able to get my conference badge.

I went to the first time attendee orientation. Many people arrived late, some very late. The teacher did a lot of small talk for the first half of the scheduled time. The man beside me got up and left as he felt it was a waste of his time. He should have stayed. The teacher was Liz Cowman Furman. When the last of  the stragglers arrived she shifted into presentation mode. She was wonderful. She explained how things worked, where things are, and what to expect. We had a big warning about altitude sickness and were given advice on avoiding it.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 was the scripture for the session. We were reminded God is in control. We were reminded to be in right fellowship with God. We were also reminded that if we are going to write about God, don’t write or bring the focus to yourself.

After the session I went back to registration and my packet was ready. I walked back to my room and had one of the woman editors catch up with me. She initiated the conversation. We walked up the big hill to her car which was on the pathway to my room. We small talked and got to know each other. She thanked me for not trying to pitch something to her and I thanked her for being here. She will remember me in two days when I have an appointment and in the proper setting pitch my book to her.

I am going to rest and relax now. It is 45 minutes until the evening meal. After it we have a time of worship where the focus is on the ministry of writing. After that I will attend a half hour prayer session before retiring to my room.

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May 1, 2013

A week has passed since my last update. That is one week, seven days, 168 hours… well you get the picture. It has been a while.

For me a week is an eternity. What have I been doing in the last week? I’ve been busy. I am writing and editing like crazy as I prepare to attend the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference.

I have learned so much about writing a book once I got to the edit and rewrite phase. No, I’m not taken a manuscript to stick in an editor’s face. You don’t do it that way. I want to be ready when they say yes to my pitch where I can email them the book. I have appointments with five editors/publishers. That is right – five!

I took a vacation day last Friday. I was going to attend the Round-top Poetry Festival near Austin, Texas. Instead I edited and rewrote for two days.

I had a break of a few hours in the middle on Friday. I went to the dentist at my wife’s insistence.

She said, “You are off work so make good use of your time by calling the dentist to see if they can work you in today.” They could. I wasted 3 hours, but kept the wife happy. It also kept me from missing any work.

I’ve been writing hundreds of words a day, or rewriting, and I’ve been having fun. I haven’t disappeared. Yes, I’ll get back to The Martian Chronicles chapter summaries. The draft is written on each.

Well, it is my bed time.

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Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan

I received this book from my son Kristopher for Christmas way back in 2004. The book is a lot like Bob Dylan … different and genius. We start in 1961. We witness some history in him signing his first record contract.

It is an odd memoir that is as inspired, impulsive, and to a degree as eccentric as Dylan’s greatest music. He never tells us what he is about.

Biography lovers will find it wanting. You get near, but not close to Dylan. He chases “rabbits”. It reminds me of someone talking in to a tape recorder and then having it transcribed – word for word.

With a title of “Chronicles, Volume One”, when will we see Volume Two? Save your money. Borrow the book from the library, unless you are a big Bob Dylan fan. Read in January 2005.

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Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

First published in 1995, Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott is as relevant today as the day it was published. The book has become the definitive how-to guide for new and aspiring writers. I am currently rereading the book. I have read it at least five times.

Bird by Bird has been a national best seller and continues to have excellent sales. As of today (April 11, 2013 – I am writing this at 9:00 PM to be published April 12, 2013 at 00:01 hours), eighteen years after publication it still ranks high on the Amazon Best Sellers Rank at #716 in Books. More amazingly it ranks:

#1 in Books > Education & Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Speech
#1 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Journalism & Nonfiction
#5 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Writing Skills

Below is a review I wrote about one year ago. The think the above stats are amazing and prove how impactful the book is..

An entertaining and helpful guidebook that covers every step of the writing process, the reading of Bird By Bird has become something of an initiation for hopeful writers. Anne drives home the point of the need for regular writing and facing the fact that getting published will almost certainly not make you more contented, wealthier or good-looking.

Her book’s genesis comes from the notes of the lectures Lamott delivers to her writing classes. The book begins the way all writing classes do – sit down and write. Write, write, and write and the revise and rewrite before you worry about agents, book titles, etc. She reminds us to sit at our computer, bring up our word processing program, stare at the screen and write. She gives practical advice of not looking at the size of the task, but viewing it as a series of small assignments.

Lamott investigates the depths of both the formal elements of writing such as plot, character development, dialogue, setting, point of view and the less concrete but infinitely more injurious obstacles facing a writer, that is acceptance the “shitty first draft” and killing the perfectionist inside you standing between you and your shitty first draft. She talks in practical terms about defeating writer’s block and what to do when you have crises of faith. She talks about finding a sturdy soul to read your “shitty” draft and not being devastated when the reader has more than a few suggestions. She also touches on the subject of learning to deal with professional jealousy, a bound to happen fate “because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to happen for some of the most awful, angry, undeserving writers you know — people, who are, in other words, not you.”

Bird By Bird isn’t all that ground-breaking a book. I have read similar works providing insights on the writing life by authors Annie Dillard and Natalie Goldberg. Yet, ask anyone in the position to make a comparison and more likely than not they’ll say Bird By Bird surpasses all. “What, then, is it about Bird By Bird that strikes a chord with so many readers and writers?” to quote a question asked by reviewer Sarah Brennan.

Anne Lamott’s advice is all harvested from personal experience. Her guidance is so caring and keen and so good-naturedly explained it’s easily employable. I agree again with Sarah Brennan that “ultimately, it’s her uncanny and self-effacing humor, natural, unaffected tone and anecdote-as-life-lesson adeptness that make Bird By Bird such an effective teaching device. Hers is a refreshingly conversational, approachable, enjoyable didacticism that leaves you with the feeling that 1) if you were to meet Lamott, you’re pretty sure you would be instantaneous best friends 2) however far you descend into the pits of frustration, self-loathing and despair, the writing life is worth it.”

Anne Lamott gives us all hope as she shares, “Even if you only show the people in your writing group your memoirs or stories or novels, even if you only wrote your story so that one day your children would know what life was like when you were a child and you knew the name of every dog in town — still, to have written your version is an honorable thing.” It would be fun to sit down for a day and talk and laugh with Anne Lamott.

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Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury is not a single volume on writing. Rather, it is a collection of essays written over his long career. Each of the essays has a real nugget of insight for the reader.

Bradbury teaches us about writing. He tells us to write about what we love, and what we hate and to always stay drunk on writing, because it saves us from the world of reality.

The book’s title is a little misleading. While Bradbury makes some statements that sound like a “Zen Master”, that is the closest I could come to finding anything “Zen” about the book. I find the title a “hip” title some marketer probably dreamed up.

Bradbury devotes a chapter on the mechanics of writing, the way he learned it. To achieve success as a writer according to Bradbury, one must write at least a thousand words a day. The thousand words a day minimum must continue until the process becomes automatic.

It is simply fascinating to get into the mind of one of the greatest science fiction writers on how the craft is done. This chapter alone is worth buying the book which is very economical. It is a wonderful book for the beginning writer and very inspirational for the advanced writer.

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I Am a Writer

I belong to the Dallas Writing Practice Group. A recent assignment was to write why “I am a writer”. Here’s what I wrote …

I’m a writer because I enjoy writing.

I get my ideas from the world around me as well as the fantasies within me.

I try to write for a regular period each day.

I believe in using adjectives and adverbs frugally.

I structure my work-in-progress by writing according to how the story seems to be telling itself instead of writing to a prepared plot outline though I know my major plot points.

I realize writing self-discipline by making myself work whether I’m in the mood or not.

I handle the difficult, ‘writer’s block’ or ‘dry’ times by working on something else to keep good writing habits.

I attempt to make my work as good as it can be by editing, rewriting and polishing.

In seeking an agent or publisher I research the market thoroughly and learn how to make a professional submission. I also read books by writer’s the potential agent represent or by the publisher where I believe I’m a good fit.

I receive rejection slips with a twinge, and then move to the next submission. It’s not personal.

I see myself in the future finding satisfaction in writing novels and narrative nonfiction my readers enjoy.

I want to write because I have characters and stories bursting to come to life. I have voices in my head that need to escape to paper or keyboard.

If you a writer how would you explain why you are a writer?

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I Love Rain

I love rain. Most people hate it. I love it. Why should I love rain? It’s not easy for people to understand, but I will try to explain.

Rain is a precious gift from God. It falls from the sky. Sometimes it falls in large amounts. Sometimes it comes from the sky in small amounts. Sometimes it doesn’t visit us for weeks or months at a time. When it does visit it always brings its friend the clouds. Rain can also bring its noisy friend thunder and an its illuminating friend lightning.

Rain is like a guest in your home. At first you’re glad to see the rain, but if it stays around too long, it can out stay its welcome.

Rain can be refreshing. It gives the air and the countryside a shower. It washes the pollen from the air. It washes the pollen off the cars, sidewalks, and driveways. Rain removes the dust from the leaves of the flowers, bushes and trees.

The temperature drops when the rains come. Rain transforms the hot world into a cool, air conditioned environment in the summer and a chilly one in the winter. It helps you appreciate a warm, dry house. It is a muse for Ray Bradbury as he writes short stories about it in “The Illustrated Man” in his short story “The Long Rain”.

Rain also helps a person forget their troubles. You worry less about how you look. After all, the water from the mud puddle may have splashed on you. You enjoy freedom from irritations. Only those people who truly want to see you will come see you in the rain. Most gripers and complainers stay away when it’s wet outside. They wait for a less rainy day.

It is fun walking outside when it rains, especially with an umbrella. “Just singing in the rain” … You can hold an umbrella in one hand, letting it prop on your shoulder. When the rain falls the propped up umbrella can be popped open keeping you from getting soaking wet. It’s fun to take a wet umbrella, hold it at a forty-five degree angle to the ground and spin it around and around. When you spin it around and around something magical happens. The drops of rain the umbrella has collected go flying off in a direction away from the umbrella holder. You can aim the umbrella where the drops spray someone or you can splatter the drops on the ground as you spin the umbrella ‘round and ‘round.

Even if you don’t own an umbrella you can still have fun in the rain. Shopping malls miraculously have parking spaces available closer to the door when it’s raining. The crowds are noticeably smaller. The joy of the mall is intensified as you experience less hustle and bustle. At church, better seats are available.

A sad note about rain is it sometimes cancels baseball games. While this is sad, though not to all wives, it does hold the potential of prolonging our great national pastime’s season and giving the baseball fan the rare double-header (two games on the same day – twice the fun!).

Without rain, there wouldn’t be real green grass on the baseball fields, rain checks from baseball games, manageable crowds at the mall, or great seats easily available at church. Rain makes the world a nice place. Why not enjoy the rain? Without rain the flowers would not grow. Without rain there would be no Fillet of Fish at McDonald’s Restaurants. Without rain there would be no people living.

I love rain!

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I Hate Relearning the Same Lessons

No, I don’t want to learn that again! I’ve been through that before – once is enough!  Why me Lord?

Have you ever felt that way? I have. In fact, I made the incorrect assumption that once I had been through a problem, a temptation or other occurrence in my life and said, “God, I understand” or “Message received” or “Okay, I finally got it” that I could move on to something new and not have to redress these lessons.

Wrong!

Over the last ten or twelve years I have faced several traumatic problems. I’ve asked God, “Why do I have to deal with this?” Or “What do I need to learn?”

I have a simple faith and know He is in charge. I usually accept my fate without too much complaining.

Ready for a laundry list of some of the things I have experienced? Here it is.

1. Being a man and having a mammogram before having a benign lump removed in 2000 was scary.
2. I found having a TIA (mini-stroke) in 2000 and again in 2002 was life altering.
3. Fighting cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides for fifteen years has worn me down.
4. Being in coronary care in December 2004 got my attention.
5. In 2005 my mother in law had a major stroke. It took her life in early 2006. I preached her funeral.
6. Later that same year I found out I had an irregular heartbeat, a heart rate twice normal, and three valves with issues.
7. About the same time I find out my mother required a kidney transplant.
8. I made some bad life and work choices in 2008 – 2010. I went to working nights which caused me to rarely see my wife. I juggled between days and nights where I found myself totally worn out. I spent most weekends checking on my aging parents worried about mother’s kidney issues. She had the kidney transplant in March 2011.
9. My wife has had abdominal issues for the last 18 months that the doctors cannot resolve.

You are starting to get the picture …

Last year I quit my day job of twelve plus years. In honesty, I was just burned out. My goal was to semi-retire and write. Write I did. I placed 18 pieces in 9 months. My former day job asked me to come back and I rejoined them the end of October.

The week before rejoining them my wife is carried from work to the hospital via ambulance. They never conclusively determined the cause though the doctor did say probable TIA (mini-stroke) to me.

On November 5 I was in a major car wreck. It was the type of wreck where the ambulance carries you to the emergency room. Just when I am getting over it I have a bad fall on ice the day after Christmas. I still am recovering from it. I still have back pain.

Now I am having ongoing numbness and tingling in my left foot. It is terrible.

Add to that I have a large tax burden this year because of a stock sale.

I have been in bed and cried out why God?

Okay God, why hasn’t everything been perfect?

The word surrender comes to mind. I realized I slowly had taken back over control of my life.

Sometimes, when our troubles go on and ON, it is alluring to runaway from whatever storm we’re in, harden our heart, throw up barriers and say I don’t care anymore. I’m going to just runaway and live for me.

Other times that little devil on our shoulder or our well-meaning friends whisper in our ears or mind “You deserve to be happy.” “It’s pointless.” “Things will never change.” “This is impossible.” “You are worthy of better.”

Think about why bars are so full. Why drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers are so crowded. Why one-night stands are so common. Why credit cards are charged to the maximum credit limit and closets are full of clothes that don’t fit anymore. We substitute for Jesus and overdo and indulge either physically, mentally or emotionally to distract. To quench. To numb. To forget. To avoid. To hurt others not realizing we are hurting ourselves.

By the way, the voices are not Godly.

Should you give up and quit? NO.

There is only so much I can do. The most important thing I can do is believe in and trust God. Through the last dozen plus years that is the hard lesson I have had to learn over and over.

I need to let go of the life I have given to Christ and totally surrender to His control. That is the life lesson I have been learning most recently … God, I can’t, but you can. God, I’ll make the wrong choice, even when I know better. I even make the wrong choice when I can hear God saying don’t, but he other voices say do.

My prayer is to surrender to God’s Lordship for my life. It is to trust Him more that I trust myself. Here I am God, I surrender all. … and yes, please help me relearn this lesson if I try to take control again.

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