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Thank you, listeners, for over nine years of sharing your writing journey with Write from the Deep! We’ve found such joy in bringing you God’s encouragement and in hearing from you. Join us in this final podcast as we share final truths and insights to help you along your writing journey. And God bless each of you!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! And in particular, thank you to ALL of our 2024 sponsors of the month: Christy Bass Adams, Wendy L. Macdonald, Tammy Partlow, Priscilla Sharrow, and Kimberley Woodhouse! You’ve been such a blessing to us and to all our listeners!

An Important AnnouncementErin Taylor Young: Welcome, listeners, to the Deep. We have some important news to share with you.

Karen Ball: And here it is: the podcast you’re listening to in this very moment is our final episode from Write from the Deep. You see, Erin asked me a while ago if I thought it was maybe time to step away from the podcast because of health issues and other reasons.

At first I was like, no, no, let’s keep going. But as the days went by and I thought and prayed about it, God showed me that I really did need to step back, because of my––and Don’s––increasing health issues. As I came to that decision, I felt such peace wash over me that I knew it was the right thing.

Erin Taylor Young: I asked Karen because I’ve been having a few health issues of my own. And also, I’ve been feeling the need to prune, but I didn’t know which things should go. I took a sabbatical from editing over the summer, which was great. But I learned that I needed to keep praying about the pruning that God wanted to do in my life, and I needed to keep seeking Him about the disciplined pursuit of less.

We talked about this idea back in episode 223 in “Three Essentials for a Christian Writer’s Life.”

So as I sought guidance for pruning and refocusing, God showed me it is time to let go of this podcast. I want you all to know I am not missing the irony there that an episode that I researched and recorded for the show is one of the things that contributed to me understanding that I need to let go of it.

Our Final Gifts for YouKaren Ball: Love the way God works to guide us! How we can make this decision with joy because we know it’s what God is guiding us to do. Now, as you listeners know, we often end our interviews with guests by asking them for final words of wisdom or encouragement. So we thought it would be a fitting end to ask ourselves the same question.

So what wisdom and encouragement do we most want to leave with you to return some of the joy you’ve brought us?

Ground Everything in God’s WordErin Taylor Young: Well, the first thing that I want to share is from Psalm 1:1-3.

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law. He meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

You guys, ground everything you do in God’s Word. But more than that, make God’s word your delight. Your greatest joy. It says, our delight should be in the law of the Lord and we’ll yield fruit in its season.

Not before its season, by the way. So be patient. Spend your time soaking in God’s word and loving it and meditating on it. This is how we guarantee that our lives will be fruitful.

Not Overdue a Single Day!Karen Ball: I’ve mentioned a couple times on the podcast that Habakkuk 2:3 is my life verse:

“Slowly, steadily. surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient. They will not be overdue a single day.”

Not overdue a single day. I love that so much. As you go through your writing journey, remember, it’s all in God’s hands and in his timing. He knows what you need and He will provide, even if it seems like it’s taking forever. Take this verse to heart, so when you start feeling that way, you can remember with a soul-deep joy that God’s plans for you will surely come to pass. They won’t be overdue a single day. Just trust and rest in Him and keep doing what He’s asking you to do.

Wait on GodErin Taylor Young: My next verse fits right in with Karen’s. It’s Isaiah 64:4.

“Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”

Remember I said earlier that patience is important? This is why. When we wait for God, He acts. I’m not talking about just any old kind of waiting here. I’m talking about expecting. I’m talking about looking to God to hope in Him and believe in him. Think about how astounding it is that the God of the universe acts on our behalf to accomplish His purposes.

This is how God is different from all the other so-called gods of this world. The true God works on our behalf to show Himself great and mighty.

He delights in doing this, He purposes to do this. If only we could all walk every minute of our writing journey fully convinced that God is on our side and that He is always working on our behalf for our good and His glory.

This is the WayKaren Ball: I love that. I love Isaiah. It holds so much wisdom. For example, Isaiah 30:21 has this powerful message for all of us:.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way walk in it.”

God is so present in your life and in your writing journey, but you’ve got to listen. You’ve got to keep your heart attuned to Him and to His voice. He won’t let you go astray if you do that.

But you know what? Even if you do make a misstep, just take it to Him and He will guide you back to the path He has for you.

Strong SupportErin Taylor Young: Amen. My next verse is 2 Chronicles 16:9. Just the first half says:

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

I’ve had this first section memorized for a long time because it says God will not only guide us, but “strongly support” us.

And this verse also reminds me we have a part to play. We need hearts that are completely God’s. Thankfully, though, we don’t accomplish that on our own because one of the things God has done for us when we chose to follow Him is He gave us a new heart, a heart of flesh, and not a heart of stone. A heart that can resonate with His joy because of all He’s done for us.

No Divided Hearts!But even though we know this truth, other desires can come in and divide our hearts. And steal our joy. This world is full of things that just call to us. It may not be our cares and our concerns, but maybe it’s entertainment, money, status, sales, contracts. And let’s not forget stuff like toys and trinkets and all those things.

There is a reason Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart [or the undivided in heart] for they shall see God.” It’s hard to see God with a divided heart.

But look at how this verse talks about God looking. For us. He’s searching the world for people who will look to Him who trust Him and hope in him. God’s not up there grudgingly giving out help if we beg hard enough. It brings Him joy to bless us! He has a master plan for the world and every person on this planet, and we get to be a part of it.

We get to bring His truth to this dark world, and we get to be part of God’s kingdom on earth. So go into every day and know God is there waiting to strongly support you.

Remember to RestKaren Ball: Hebrews 4:9-11is a reminder we all need, and it says this:

“There is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest, have rested from their labors. Just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”

As Ecclesiastes points out, there’s a God-appointed time for everything in our lives, which means there’s a God-appointed time for us to rest. We do need to work hard to push ourselves toward excellence in God’s name, but friends, we also need to take time to rest on our writing journey and in life.

I’m not talking about just resting when you’re discouraged or exhausted, but taking regular time to rest your soul and heart and mind as a part of your process in the day, to prepare yourself to receive God’s joy. You’re not being weak or lazy when you rest. You’re being wise and obedient.

Let God Fill YouErin Taylor Young: Rest is productive. It really is.

Another verse I want to give to you guys is Psalm 81:10: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.”

It’s too easy to forget to ask God to supply all our needs. He wants us to depend on Him. Think about God bringing the Israelites, who are a nation of slaves, out of Egypt, which at the time was the most powerful nation.

Consider how unprecedented this display of God’s sovereign might was when He made Pharaoh release the Israelites! Then Pharaoh changes his mind and comes back after them with the entire army. That was scary. But God showed His might and His power. And the Israelites went from fear to joy!

All of God’s power and provision and miracle working brings to our minds now that He is our protector and provider. He says to us, as He did to the Israelites, “Open wide your mouth ‘cause I’m going to bring all My power and resources to fill it.” Friends, there is nothing you need that God can’t provide.

There’s no situation too hopeless, no problem too impossible. God is simply asking you and me to open wide our mouths and receive all He has for us. Let’s purpose to go through all day, every day, with that posture of open mouths, open heart, open hands. Let God fill you.

The Honor of Sharing God’s WordKaren Ball: Amen. And then there are the next two verses of Hebrews from what I read before, and that’s verses 12 and 13.

“For the word of the Lord is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.”

You know, words are vital to God. We see that in His Bible, and we see it in the way that He speaks to us and draws us. It’s vital to who He is and to what He wants from us, that He has invited us to use words for His sake and His glory to bring His truth to a weary, lost world. That is such an honor.

Don’t ever look down on where you are in the task He’s given you. It doesn’t matter where you are. It only matters that you’re obedient to the task He’s asked you to take on. Whether you write 90 books or one article or one letter, the wonder of your words is infused with Him and it will reach hearts and minds in ways you never imagined.

Forget about bestseller lists, about sales numbers, fame, earthly rewards. Instead, keep in mind that you are accountable to Him and only Him for being obedient and doing what He’s given you to do.

If you do that, the rewards you receive will come from Him, and they will spark more joy than you’ve ever known.

Learn from the Turkeys!Erin Taylor Young: The last thing I want to leave you with guys is a story. We’re writers. I gotta leave you with a story! And it’s a true story, by the way. So one day I am looking out my back windows and I see wild turkeys in my yard. I’ve never seen that before!

They’re just walking across the yard, poking around in the grass looking for stuff to eat. Well, once they get across my yard, suddenly they’re completely stymied by my fence. We have this four-foot-high wrought-iron fence. And these turkeys have no idea what to do!

So they start trotting back and forth along the fence. There’s no gate to let them through. So then they’re like, “Hey, we wanna get to the green grass on the other side.” We all know the grass is always greener, right?

They’re trying to get to the other side by squeezing through the rails of the fence! Some of these turkeys are too big to fit through the spaces between the rails.

And I’m watching, fascinated, because they’re so stymied by the fence. They could just fly over, but this doesn’t seem to occur to any of them. Finally, the biggest, older ones flap once and do this giant leap and land on the top of the fence, then sort of jump over.

The younger, smaller turkeys are like, “No problem. We’ll just squeeze through.” And they do. But there’s the medium-sized ones left in my yard. Now they’re panicking because they see most of the flock has made it to the other yard––and they’re even starting to move on!

At this point I’m talking through the window: “ Guys, duh! You can fly. Just fly.” But they continue running up and down the fence, even more panicked. One of them gets stuck trying to squeeze through and I’m wondering if I need to go out and rescue this dumb turkey!

But finally, finally, they do all make it through and they’re all in the next yard, meandering across that yard, and they’re happy again. And then this coyote bursts out of the woods behind the yard and goes after ‘em.

Guess what they did? They all fly! Right up into the trees, thanks to pure God-given instinct. Now this coyote is just left standing all alone in the yard. He’s looking around, like, “What do I do now?”

You Can Fly!So here’s what I want you guys to take away from this story.

You can fly.

Sometimes we forget. We forget that we have God-given talent and creativity and instincts. And sometimes we panic when we see a fence or when we’re confronted by a difficult edit or a book or an article or blog post. It feels too hard to write and we don’t know what to do. We’re stymied. The problem seems insurmountable.

But friends, you. can. fly. God has made you able. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.”

Don’t forget. You can fly.

You’ve Been A Joy!Karen Ball: Sharing this podcast with all of you has been a wonder and an honor. You’ve brought us such joy and blessings. We’re grateful for you who have listened and delighted that God has used us to share His truth and encouragement with you. That’s really what we wanted to do from the very beginning. Please know that Erin and I will keep you in our prayers, that we’ll always be grateful you chose to spend time with us.

And as we close this final podcast from Write from the Deep, please take these words from Philippians 1 to heart:

“Every time we think of you, we give thanks to our God. Whenever we pray, we make our requests for all of you with joy. For you have been our partners in spreading the good news about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

“And we are certain that the God who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it’s finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that we should feel as we do about all of you, for you have a special place in our hearts. You share with us the special favor of God…in defending and confirming the truth of the good news.

“God knows how much we love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Jesus Christ. We pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. We want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

“May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation: the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ. For this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Erin Taylor Young: Amen. And thank you all.

Karen Ball: Yes. Thanks for joining us today, and may God bless you His powerful peace and unending joy.

We at Write from the Deep have found such joy in bringing you God’s encouragement. In this final episode, we share our most important truths and insights for your writing journey. #amwriting #ChristianWriter
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The post 226 – You Brought Us Joy! appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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It’s so easy, when we are getting hit by one difficult thing after another, to wonder where God is. To cry out to Him, “Why aren’t You stopping it all?” Join us as guest Jean Wilund shares amazing and freeing insights and wisdom, discovered from her study of the book of Habakkuk, for anyone in the midst of these struggles. Get ready to embrace joy!

About Jean Wilund

Jean Wilund is fully convinced that we’ll never truly know and love the God of the Word apart from the Word of God. This conviction fuels her passion for everything she does, including writing, speaking, and serving her family and the body of Christ—particularly her husband, children, and grandtwins. Jean and Larry live in Lexington, SC and are members of Grace Bible Church.

Jean’s Bible study, Embracing Joy: An 8-Week Transformational Bible Study of Habakkuk helps us discover how, during one of the darkest periods in history for God’s people, God moved His prophet Habakkuk from confused to confident and from panic to praise. God will do the same in us if we do what Habakkuk did. Jean’s latest book, Ease into the Bible: How to Wade into the Water of God’s Word with Confidencereleases in Augustto help relive the intimidation factor out of understanding the pieces and parts of the Bible. For more information or to connect with Jean, visit her website, JeanWilund.com and subscribe to her podcast, It’s All About Him!

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Karen: Welcome to the deep, everyone. Today’s podcast is going to be a lot of fun. Our guest, Jean Wilund, is going to dig deep into an amazing book of the Bible, Habakkuk, and share her insights. Erin, tell us all about the amazing Jean Wilund!

Erin: Jean and I met several years ago at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, and I got to visit with her again this year. We had a great conversation about the transforming power of God’s Word which is wisdom we need on our writing journey. So welcome, Jean.

Jean Wilund: Thank you so much. I’m so thrilled to be here with y’all.

What Does the Deep Mean? Erin: So Jean, what does the deep mean to you?

Jean Wilund: It means the deep things of God, which basically is the Word of God. I need the deep things of God, whether I’m gonna go deep into my circumstances or deep into understanding. My daughter, my youngest daughter, loves to free dive, not scuba dive, but free dive. But the thought of going deep into the water without scuba equipment is unnerving to me.

But she said it is so peaceful, and I had a word picture of the deeper we go into God’s Word, the more peace it brings, no matter what we’re going through, no matter what’s going on up on the surface. The deep means to be grounded deep in God, grounded in His Word, and to embrace joy regardless of circumstances.

Erin: I love that. So, you did a Bible study on Habakkuk during the Covid pandemic. What got you interested in writing a study about this very short book in very difficult times in our country?

Unexpected DetoursJean Wilund: Well, I never anticipated doing a Bible study at all. But when Covid hit and everybody was sheltering in place, I was talking with one of my friends, and she said she’d just read the book of Habakkuk and how perfect it was for those times.

So I read Habakkuk with the current situation in mind, and I was blown away. My next-door neighbor and I sat outside, distanced from each other, and talked about this book.

And then our pastor said, “I want the women’s ministry to do a four-week Bible study.” My neighbor and I discussed what, in those crazy times where we couldn’t get together in person as much, would help us the most? And we agreed we needed to know how to study the Bible for ourselves.

A Perfect Fit!Jean Wilund: And hey, Habakkuk is only three chapters! So with a four-week Bible study, we’d study three weeks then have a whole extra week to discuss it all. So I did it. I used my transformational Bible study method and taught Habakkuk.

I was talking with a friend about it, and she said, “Okay, that’s what we want at our church. A four-week study on just the book of Habakkuk.”

So that’s how I wrote it as a study. And my friend’s agent was looking for a Bible study and my friend said, “Well, Jean just taught one on Habakkuk and it was fantastic.” So that’s how the study came about. It was not intentional, but it was so encouraging.

Habakkuk and WritersErin: So, Jean, as you think about the book of Habakkuk, what truth do you feel applies to our writing lives?

Jean Wilund: Well, Judah got into the mess that they were in because they said they’d do everything Moses told them, but before long they just did everything that was right in their own eyes.

As Christian writers, we say that everything that we write is going to be for God’s glory, but then we get into it and it’s too easy to veer off track. To do what’s right in our eyes to get the numbers or the platform or whatever. Soon we’ve lost track of the reason that we felt called to write.

Like Judah, we let our eyes get off of God and focus instead on success and living the way we think we want to live.

But if we keep our eyes on the glory of God above all things, we’re going to love our writing journey. And we’ll be successful in God’s eyes and that’s all that matters.

Karen: It’ll also have an incredible impact on everyday life. Don and I have been dealing with one hit after another lately with health issues and unexpected major expenses. It’s tempting, when you’re in those kinds of situations, to focus on those problems and wondering what’s next.

But if we keep our focus on God, on the fact that He loves us and none of this is a surprise to Him, then we don’t have to worry. We don’t have to have sleepless nights. We don’t have to be anxious about anything.

Jean Wilund: Right.

Remember God’s CharacterErin: I also love, Jean, how your Habakkuk study encourages us to embrace joy. So how do we do that when hard trials come, maybe God is even is bringing hard trials into our lives… What do we do?

Jean Wilund: You know, it’s okay to go to God and ask, “How long, O Lord?” We all wrestle with God’s plans for us at times. The difference is when we wrestle with His character. What we see in Habakkuk is he goes to God because he doesn’t understand why God has allowed Judah to be so evil to their own people.

So he is frustrated. It’s clear he’s been praying for a while, but God has been silent. Even so, Habakkuk has continued to pray. Then, when God does speak, the prophet doesn’t get the message he hoped for. God gave him a message that took him from saying, “God, why are you not doing anything?” to “Back up, God, You’ve gone too far now!”

Habakkuk’s Transformational ActionsJean Wilund: But I love what Habakkuk did, and it’s something that has been transformational in my life. In Habakkuk 2:1, he says, “I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what He will say to me and what I’ll answer concerning my complaint.”

Habakkuk is pouring out his heart to God and now he wants to hear from Him. He’s telling God, “I want you to correct me.” So that’s one thing he did that we can do, too.

Another example from Habakkuk’s actions is how, earlier on in Habakkuk 1:12, he immediately started going through God’s character. In fact, that’s the first thing he says, “Are you not from Everlasting? Oh Lord, my God, my holy one.”

Habakkuk roots himself in who God is before he tries to process what God has just told him. He calls God Yahweh, the God who wants to be in relationship. He calls him Elohim, the God, the sovereign God who created all things and is supreme over all things. And The Holy One.

The Holy OneJean Wilund: Now, to be the holy one, God can’t even have the hint of doing anything wrong. So Habakkuk is saying, “God, this feels so wrong. Ah, but You can do no wrong. And so I’m deep breathing my trembling knees.” He says later on that it’s like death has entered his bones. He’s not being like, “Okay, so Babylon’s gonna come and destroy us, but it’s all good.”

Habakkuk understands that it’s going to be awful, but God is so good and He would not ordain this if it wasn’t for their ultimate good. And Habakkuk 1:12, “We shall not die.” Because if Judah were to die, what would that do to God’s promise, right? How can a savior come through if not, as God promised, through Judah?

A Promise to Sustain UsJean Wilund: The promise that we have as Christians is the Holy Spirit, who gives us everything for life. The Spirit embodies us. There’s nothing that we lack to accomplish God purposes for us in our writing. And with the Spirit, we can embrace joy no matter what.

But we have to go to him continually and say, “Am I understanding Your call?” Because when we write a proposal and get great feedback on it, and then we send it out and everybody says no, that feels contradictory. Yet, like Habakkuk, we know that God doesn’t do wrong. So have we misheard him? Maybe.

This may not be the time, or maybe this isn’t the book. Maybe this isn’t the audience or the publisher. It could be we needed to go through that to understand He’s still doing a work in us and in our writing, or He’s still putting the pieces and parts together.

Remember God’s PresenceErin: We’ve been doing a study at our church where we are studying God’s presence through the entire Bible. From the Garden of Eden to Abraham, His promises that He’s gonna bless all the nations. But when God promises that, they’re in the middle of history. They don’t see the fulfillment. Even today, Jesus came all those years ago, but there still hasn’t been the total restoration of everything. The day of judgment hasn’t actually arrived yet. It’s a long time coming!

Sometimes I think as writers we forget that. For centuries and centuries and centuries, God has been working out and unfolding His promise. And here we are, after just days and weeks and months and even years, and we’re moaning, “How long, Lord?”

We have remember that God is an eternal God. These are eternal promises. The fruit we think is going to happen tomorrow might be fulfilled centuries from now. We just don’t know. We’ve got to trust, as you pointed out, Jean, in God and His character. Our God is never in a hurry. Sometimes that’s a blessing. Sometimes it is so stinking frustrating. But we can trust it’s always right.

In God’s TimeJean Wilund: Yes. Each lesson in the Bible study has a transformational truth, and one of them––one that I have to remind myself of all the time––is that God has appointed all things in their time for their time on time.

Karen: Right. So we can slow down and trust his timing.

Erin: What does it look like to really believe that? How does that transform us? How does God’s Word do that?

Jean Wilund: Well, as we come to know Him, we rest more in Him. As we abide in Him, the fruits of the Spirit are going to come out and we’ll learn to dwell in that beautiful balance of patience and faithfulness. If God has called us to write, then we need to do that with excellence. So how do we do it with excellence? We study the craft. How do we study the craft? We buy the books that people tell us. We listen, we read articles, we go to conferences, and we pray.

REmember Prayer!Jean Wilund: Prayer is vital, beginning to end. We pray and we search God’s Word. Because anything that we have to say of value comes from God’s Word. It doesn’t mean that we can only quote God’s Word if we want to be helpful, but as I heard a pastor say one time, if you don’t have a verse, you only have an opinion.

We need that balance of studying God’s Word and prayer. Ask the Lord for guidance. As Him, “Do you want me to have a website where I send out blog posts? Do you want me to write for ministry? If so, which one?”

Go where God leads you and faithfully do the work. As you do that, you’ll find it more and more natural to embrace the joy He brings you in the process. Even if everything doesn’t go the way you want.

Obedience and Prayer are the KeysKaren: Exactly. It’s being obedient to God, and studying His Word and to find His wisdom and his guidance. To help us know what the steps are in the midst of our obedience.

When Erin and I first started this podcast, we spent a lot of time praying and thinking and asking God what He wanted it to be and what He wanted us to do with it. And I think the reason that it’s reached as many people as it has is that we followed those steps and the wisdom He gave us.

Erin: I love when you said to cling to God and hold all else lightly. That’s perfect for the writing life because we don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring.

We were talking to Deborah Raney last month and she said, “I’m writing as long as God tells me to write, and when He tells me to do something else, I’ll do something else.”

When God Changes Your FocusJean Wilund: Well, that quote about clinging to God and holding everything else lightly was my journey, is my journey. I got in to writing to write for children. I was working at a day school and I had this passion to take over the chapel.

Long ago, one of my dear friends, Julia, said to me, “Jean, we’re gonna write a book. You’re gonna write it and I’m gonna illustrate it, and we’re going to show children how Jesus is in the whole Bible. He doesn’t just show up in the New Testament. He’s not waiting in the wings for His turn. He was there from the beginning.”

So that was always our plan, but we were so busy raising our children that we never got around to it. Then she passed away from cancer. Right after that that, I was invited to teach at this day school. I thought, “Okay, this is what I wanna do. I wanna write that book, but I’m gonna teach the children.”

I discovered early on that I had no idea how to write for children, but the children kept asking if I’d finished the book yet.

My best friend was the director of the school, and she would sit in the back of the room and giggle and I would be giggling too. Because we figured I’d just go home and work on another way to tell stories to children. So that’s how I got to my first writer’s conference––out of desperation. So that I could teach the children well.

A Sweet ConfirmationJean Wilund: I had to step down from teaching when my son and his wife had twins, but I spent so much time working on these lessons for the kids and I really wanted them to be there for them. One of the greatest confirmations that I was following where God was leading is that in that last year, one kid ran up to me and grabbed me, and said, “You’re the best teacher ever.” And I knew that was because the Lord helped me through these wonderful instructors on how to write for children.

Here’s the thing. The kids at school were loving my teaching and my stories. They were really, really leaning in. But every time I would pitch to publishers, they said, “We love your book, but you don’t know anybody. You don’t have a platform. So why don’t you focus on the mamas? Teach them what you want to teach their children. Why don’t you write for women?”

I drove home from that conference going, “Lord, I teach children. I don’t know how to teach women.”

When I got home, my husband said a woman from a Women to Women Bible study called, and her number was on the counter.

I thought she called because I was writing an article about them for a friend of mine. So I called her and she said, “We read an article that you wrote about teaching children the Bible, and we want you to come and teach us.”

I was like, “Well, I’m not gonna say no right away because of what I just heard at the conference!”

Never Say NeverJean Wilund: So I prayed, and that was when I started teaching women, and how God pivoted me away from the children’s writing. But the one thing I did know was that, even though I taught Bible studies, I would never write a Bible study.

Never. Do you know why? Because it’s in black and white. You can’t get those books back. I said, “I’ll write anything but a Bible study.”

But all of that happened with Habakkuk and I was like, “Lord, You know, I don’t want to do this. I’m really afraid.” But I had two pastors who helped vet the book. Our Daily Bread publishing is careful about checking the theology. So I just had to go where I was trembling to go, because I felt the order was so clear.

God Teaches Us With Love and PatienceKaren: I love that and that’s God. God is so good. He’s like we are when we deal with our kids and they want something that’s unreasonable. We say okay, let’s explore that, and then we guide them in a completely different direction. God’s looking at you and saying, okay, okay, writing for children. Now here’s a little detour,

Jean Wilund: Right? He got me in the door I needed to go through using children’s books as a carrot.

Karen: I want to share the last portion of Habakkuk three, which is a great way to sum up this time that we’ve had with you. It’s a reminder that we can’t keep our eyes on our circumstances. That we have to have our eyes on God.

This is Habakkuk 3:16-19:

“So I wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms and there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crops fail and the fields lie empty and barren, even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

“I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes me as surefooted as a dear, able to tread upon the heights.”

That’s from the new Living Translation, and Habakkuk reminds us that no matter what’s going on, no matter if you have to fork out $20,000 to put a new roof on your home, or if you are sick, or if you’re having to face surgery or whatever the crises are that come to us, the sovereign Lord is our strength.

We will rejoice in the Lord. We will be joyful in the God of our salvation. He is sovereign. He is in His kingdom on His throne, and He has it all in His hands.

Erin: Amen.

Jean Wilund: Amen.

When life gets difficult, we can get discouraged. Guest @JeanWilund shares wisdom from Habakkuk to help us embrace joy no matter what! #ChristianWriter #amwriting
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Books by JEAN WILUNDEase Into the Bible by Jean Wilund

Embracing Joy: An 8-Week Transformational Bible Study of Habakkuk by Jean Wilund

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Publishing is getting harder all the time. The author has to do so much that it can become utterly exhausting. And discouraging. Guest Deborah Raney shares what it takes now to have longevity in a publishing career.

About Deborah Raney

Deborah Raney’s first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Thirty years, forty-plus books, and numerous awards later, she’s still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her books have garnered multiple industry awards including the RITA® Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers’ Choice Award, Carol Award, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. Deb served on the executive board of the 2500-member American Christian Fiction Writers for eighteen years and teaches at writers conferences around the country. Deb’s latest release is Playing for Keeps. Find out more about Deborah Raney at her website.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin: Welcome, listeners. We’re so glad you’re here in the deep with us. We’re especially excited because we have a guest with us! It’s Deborah Raney, and Karen gets to introduce her!

Karen: I don’t even remember when Deb and I met. It feels as though I’ve known her from my beginning in publishing, low over 40 years ago.

We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’ve always been impressed by how everything that Deb does is so steeped in her faith in God. She always has a smile and always a sense of humor, and for somebody who’s been in publishing as long as she has, that either means she’s got a good grounding in faith or she’s nuts!

Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the Worldwide Pictures film of the same title, and it launched Deb’s writing career. Now thirty years, forty-plus books, and numerous awards later, she’s still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. She, in fact, was given the 2024 ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award just a month or so ago for everything that she has done and has contributed to in publishing.

She has been on the executive board of the 2,500 member American Christian Fiction Writers, and she teaches at writers’ conferences all around the country. She’s a Missouri transplant having moved with her husband, Ken, from their native Kansas. They love road trips and they take all kinds of fun trips and share pictures on Facebook.

They also have Friday garage sale dates, which I love to watch on Facebook to see the goodies that they picked up. They love to spend time with their family and share breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard. Deb, thank you so much for joining us!

Deb: Thank you, Karen and Erin. It is so fun to be talking with you again.

Erin: It is fun! And I kind of wish we were on your screened porch overlooking your wooded backyard.

Karen: I know! That’s what I was just saying!

Deb: I wish so, too, except the birds make so much noise I don’t know if we could do a recording out here. But we love listening to them.

Karen, I think maybe we met in New Orleans at a writers’ retreat about twenty-five years ago.

Karen: Holy cow!

Deb: Yeah, it’s been a while.

Karen: Well, I know it’s been a long time. You’ve been a part of my life forever, and I’ve been grateful for that.

Deb: Same here.

Erin: Deb, let’s start off with what does the deep mean to you?

Deb: When I think of the deep, I think of God. The deepest place that I go is my faith.

I will never live long enough—I’ve been in this business thirty years and I’ve been on this earth sixty-nine years, but I will never live long enough to understand and even imagine everything that God is. All that he has meant to me in my life in my relationships, in my career, he is the deep.

Karen: I think that’s wonderful.

Deb: It is. There are other things, and again, it all ties back to him. For example, just this past weekend I was with some longtime writer friends. We had a retreat and our conversations went deep. I love that kind of deep, too, where you know each other so well. You love each other so well that you can say what’s on your heart, what’s truly the good things and the hard things, and you know that that won’t change how those people feel about you because your roots with each other go deep.

Erin: Yeah.

Deb: Lots of different ways to interpret that.

Erin: Wow. Yes. I love that. God has this way of binding us together in a deeper way than we could otherwise be because of his spirit. I think it just reaches out to others and we just, we are a body. That’s the thing, and it just, it shows. So yeah. That’s very cool.

One of the things that we wanted to talk about with you was: what do you do as a writer to deal with discouragement? We wanted to discuss that with you because you’ve had a long career. I can’t imagine that you didn’t run into some discouragement along the way. Yet here you still are winning the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Deb: That felt really good, given those thirty tough years.

Karen: Right!

Erin: Tell us a little bit about your journey. What kind of discouragements have you faced and what did you do about them?

Deb: I would have to say that right away in my writing career, I encountered discouragement. First of all, trying to submit that first manuscript and getting, I think, seventeen rejections before I was finally published.

Even then, I know that I did not work as hard or write as long as a lot of my writer friends who stuck with it years and years and years before they were published. Comparison is not a good thing usually, but if you’re comparing yourself to the right people, you understand how fortunate you are and you can kind of put things in perspective and realize that while that was hard waiting those five months, or however long it might have been, some people waited twenty years. So be grateful for those things.

Erin: Right.

Deb: But then even after I had a lovely contract for three books with Bethany House, there came a roadblock. I submitted a book to them, and I had not finished the book yet. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, and I didn’t know how that book would end.

They said, “We don’t see how it could possibly end well. You can submit it again once you’ve finished the book, but we’re going to reject it for now.”

Erin: Ouch.

Deb: Yes, that hurt. It hurts to get rejected, especially by a publishing house that had now become my home. You know, this was my first publisher, and I loved everybody there. But God had other plans for that manuscript, and it ended up with another publisher.

Another thing that’s happened—and my husband can tease me about it now—he says that I have shut down just about every publisher in the Christian publishing world.

That’s not literally true, but I have very often, I don’t know why, but very often in my career I have been on the very tail end of a publisher’s fiction program. Or a certain line.

I had the last book in the portrait series for Bethany House. I had the last book in Summerside Press before they shut down. I had the last book in Steeple Hill before they decided not to publish full length Christian fiction anymore. I had a wonderful five book contract with Abingdon Press, and after I had written three of the five books, they decided not to publish fiction any longer.

That has just kind of been the story of my life. Of my writing life anyway, I will say. And that’s hard. It’s hard not to think that it’s all because you’re such a terrible writer, that that’s why they decided to close their fiction program. I know in my heart that isn’t really true, but it feels that way sometimes.

Erin: Well, not only that, but I can see why that would be extremely discouraging because when they shut down that line, I mean, are they gonna promote that?

Deb: Exactly.

Erin: You feel like you’ve birthed this baby and nobody is going to even know about it. That can be career killer, because publishers ask, “Why didn’t that book sell?”

Deb: Yes, exactly. And that really is what happened. They did go ahead and publish all five books, but of course, their heart wasn’t in promoting fiction because they were on to other things. And that’s just the way. If I’ve learned anything, it’s just that that is the way that this business works.

Things are constantly changing. You get an editor you love and she moves to a different publisher. You get a contract you love and that publisher shuts down. I mean, that’s just the way of things are. But the longer I have written, the more I’m able to see that every time something like that happens, God has something else in waiting in the wings for me. There was always a reason for it.

Now, I may not know on this side of heaven what that reason is every single time, but when you walk with the Lord for as long as I have, you learn that whatever he’s doing is for my good and for his glory. That’s what I have always prayed that my writing world and life would be: to bring him glory.

There comes a point where I don’t have to know the answers, because I trust him. I know that whatever it is, there’s a reason for it, whether I ever know that or not.

Karen: That’s the biggest thing, Deb, that you know you can trust him and you can rely on him. I’ve seen a lot of conversations online, had some conversations in person lately, with writers who are just so discouraged because things haven’t happened the way that they’d hoped they would. They’ve been around for a long time and they’re just feeling like they’re struggling.

I was trying to find a support group of women on Facebook to recommend to some of my friends who’ve been struggling with discouragement, and yet the one group that I found, all of those women are incredibly discouraged and depressed. I don’t think we truly, and tell me if I’m wrong on this, but I don’t think we truly understand who God is, and who we are in him, and what it means to follow Jesus and to walk every step of the way with Jesus.

To become discouraged and depressed when we have Almighty God beside us? I mean, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around that.

Deb: I agree. The other thing is that just because God gifted me as a writer doesn’t mean that God’s going to have me writing for the rest of my life.

Karen: Right.

Deb: I will write as long as God tells me to write. If he puts something else in my life and says that season is over, then it will be over. I might mourn it. I might be sad about it when that happens, but if he tells me, then how can I do anything else?

Karen: Amen.

Erin: First, I want our listeners to be encouraged because they’ve heard it from Deb: God has a reason. I mean, you have come to that understanding through these years of walking and seeing and having something taken away from you over and over again, only to be handed something different from God. I hope our listeners can see from your experience that God is going to do that.

But take us back to your earlier journey. Before you had those years under your belt, were there maybe some practical things you did, or thought, to help you pick yourself up…or not? Or lean on God, or whatever you did to keep moving forward?

Deb: Well, first of all, please don’t think that I always handled it perfectly because I didn’t. And it’s okay to cry and weep and mourn and say, “God, why?”

He can handle that. It’s okay for us to ask him and plead with him, even, if it’s something we feel strongly about. Sometimes I think that he lets us long for something so that we appreciate it more when it does finally happen.

But no, sometimes my attitude in my younger years, well actually even in my older years, sometimes my attitude is not very God honoring. I’m ashamed of those times because every disappointment that I have had in this life is a first-world problem.

I’m here to tell you, I am very, very blessed. When I finally, you know, suck it up and say, “Okay, Lord, whatever you have,” I realize how very, very blessed I am. Sometimes the discouragement or the disappointment leads to something better. But sometimes it doesn’t.

Sometimes it leads to something a little less than what I thought I deserved and a little less than what I wanted. But even in that, there have been lessons to learn, and there have been reasons for that.

As a sixty-nine-year-old writer, one thing that I have seen is a whole new crop of young writers, just like I was when I first started out, coming in to take the place of the writers my age. The old guard that we have kind of become, and that’s fine. That’s okay. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt sometimes. It doesn’t mean that I don’t feel a little jealous sometimes that those younger writers are coming up, but they are following God’s call just exactly the way I was.

When I was a young writer, there was probably an older writer who felt a little jealous of me and the position that I was in. Again, this is just the way life is.

When my attitude is right, and I am following God and seeking his will and walking in his truth and staying in his word, and when my perspective is right, and I understand this is the way it is, this is the way life is and it’s good—when I’m doing all that, then life IS good. It’s not the way it was supposed to be in the garden, but we live in a fallen world, and when we walk with Jesus in a fallen world, it’s still a pretty wonderful world.

Karen: Yeah. I like those steps. Those are steps to take that can help you endure. Because the longer you walk with the Lord, the closer you become to him and the more you come to understand that, it’s like when you were with your group of friends, you can be honest. You can express every emotion.

When I go through one health issue after another, I’m not sitting there and saying, “Oh, this is so great. Jesus, thank you for this new health challenge and all this physical pain!”

I’ve been known to actually use obscenities from time to time. I always apologize to God and I apologize to whoever happened to hear me when I was going through that, but God is so gracious. He knows our limitations and he knows what we can endure, and everything that we face is meant to get us a step further in what we can endure, to strengthen us more and to refine us.

It’s like tempered steel or tempered glass. It will not shatter the way that untested steel and glass can shatter.

Deb: The other thing that I have come to recognize is that sometimes I think God allows me to walk through a certain type of disappointment so that I can walk along beside someone else in a few years who is going through that same thing.

When I was walking through that, there was nothing more comforting than having somebody else who had been through that very type of thing come alongside me and say, “It’ll be okay. I thought it was the end of the world when it happened to me, but God had something else in mind. It’ll be okay.”

Karen: Right.

Erin: You’ve touched on this idea of just crying. I think that sometimes as Christians we forget that lament is okay. It’s not just okay, it’s good and it’s healthy. Look at David’s lament when Saul and Jonathan died. Look at the book Lamentations. Lament is important.

I love what you’re saying, that somebody is walking with you and you can walk through things with others. I think one of the most powerful things we can say is, “It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to lament the loss of that contract or the loss of those sales that you thought you were gonna get and instead something awful happened and the whole world did something different” or whatever.

Lament is just that we can grieve and we can pour out our sorrow. Jesus cried. It’s okay and good. It’s important, I think, to also remember that lament is not despair. Despair is a different story altogether.

But lament is grieving with hope. Grieving at what’s happened, but understanding that we aren’t people who have no hope. In some way, shape, or form, we still have hope for whatever God wants to do. And we know he wants to do things with us because that’s what he does. That’s why we’re here.

Karen: Yeah. The biggest difference is that there are people who fall into lament and that leads them into despair, and then they live there. They live there with that expectation of something terrible happening, or the other shoe dropping, or that God must not love them as much as X, Y, Z, or whatever lie the enemy is going to visit upon their minds and their hearts and spirits, and they stay in that place.

That’s why it’s so vital to be able to do as you said: to lament, but do it with hope because we know that we have hope in God no matter what happens to us. We have hope.

Deb: Yes. And sometimes, because God is a loving father and he disciplines the children he loves, sometimes he says to me, “Get over yourself.”

I mean, yes, it’s okay to lament and cry and whine and complain and go to the Psalms and all of that, but sometimes it’s time to be done lamenting and get on with the next thing.

Erin: Yes!

Deb: I always have to learn that the hard way, it seems like.

Erin: I love that idea, too, because that’s humility. As writers, what better thing can we share with the world than humility? Because that’s where we’re learners. That’s where we’re growers. That’s what this world needs is a little bit more humility and a little less human pride.

Karen: I’ll never forget Robin Lee Hatcher, who we’ve had on the show a couple times, and she was talking about when she went through her divorces and she was just struggling and she was saying to the Lord, “Why me, Lord, why me?”

God spoke to her and said, “Why not you beloved?”

You know, it’s like, “Oh. Yeah. Okay. That’s true.”

Erin: It’s that cursed world we live in. It’s filled with futility until the whole restoration of the kingdom. That’s just where we live. But how wonderful and how good of God to allow us joy and peace, and the honor of working in a way that we love, and creativity, and the way that he chooses to use these words. It’s just, there’s nothing better out there, you guys.

Deb: Yes. You know, even if no one ever read the books that I have written, that wouldn’t change God’s goodness. That wouldn’t change the fact that he gave me a gift.

Now sure, I’m happier when a whole bunch of people read them. The more that do, the happier I am. But some of my books, I think I wrote for me. They were written for me to pour out something that was going on in my life, or to teach me a lesson, or that type of thing. That’s okay, too.

Erin: I love that.

Deb: Another—I’ll call it a gift in quotes—that God has given me is that I play the piano by ear. Nobody else needs to hear that. That is a gift that he has given me purely for my own enjoyment, and maybe to play with my grandchildren sitting on the piano bench beside me and just having fun.

I am not going to be playing in any concert hall or even in any church anytime soon. So not always are the gifts that we are given meant to be used to do great and mighty things out in the world.

Karen: Right.

Erin: I love that you said that because so many writers struggle with, “Am I called to write, or is it okay for me to write, or should I be writing?”

My answer is always yes. You’re a creative person. You don’t need some kind of a gift card from God that says you need to write. But they think it’s a waste and they only want to write if it’s going to be read by hundreds of people because otherwise, why? That’s the wrong way to look at it. It’s the wrong question.

Deb: Right. If God wills, then the story will get out there. Every time I get a wonderful reader letter from somebody who I didn’t even know was reading my book, which usually you don’t, that’s a wonderful blessing. I can remind myself that for every person who does write and tell me what my story meant, there’s probably another hundred people who didn’t write.

That’s okay. I don’t need to know what happened to my story once it got out in the world. That’s between God and that person. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still thrilled when I do get to hear, every so often, and get that little bit of encouragement.

Erin: We’re coming to the end of our time already. Do you have any last words of wisdom you would want to leave our listeners with?

Deb: I guess if I could say anything to my younger self, I would say don’t worry about the little things. God will take care of them. Learn to trust him and to know that if something that is out of your control happens, just roll with the punches and wait.

God, he may show you. He may make it very clear to you later on what the reason was for that happening. But if he doesn’t, that doesn’t mean he’s not working in your life. He’s still working in your life. Trust him. Two words.

Just learn to trust him.

I think that’s kind of what this life on this earth is all about—just learning that our father loves us and he wants to give us good things. He also sometimes needs to discipline us because we’re naughty children sometimes. You know, we need a spanking. I know I do sometimes. But let him have his way with you and work in your life.

Erin: I love that.

Karen: What I really like is recognizing that in light of eternity and in light of God’s purpose, it’s all small stuff. Even the things that feel like they’re going to end our careers, or ruin our lives, or whatever. In light of God, it’s all small stuff, so don’t worry about it, don’t fret about it. Feel your emotions and share those with God and with believers who’ll speak truth to you.

But in the long run, God’s got this. He’s got you. You’ve proven that, Deb, with what you’ve talked about today. You’ve reminded us of the fact that we don’t need to worry. We don’t need to be afraid. We don’t need to be discouraged. We can just rely on God and trust him. Like you said, those two words: Trust him.

Erin: Yes!

Deb: I think one of the best things about getting older is that the longer you live, the more you see, you can look back and trace, God’s work in your life. I love that part of being old.

Erin: Amen.

Karen: Amen.

Guest @AuthorDebRaney shares two powerful words to help you have longevity in a publishing career. #amwriting #ChristianWriter
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Writing is not an easy profession. Being a Christian writer can be even more difficult. These three essentials for a Christian writer’s life will ground you in your faith, enabling you to write and build a career with peace and confidence.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Recently I listened to a couple of books that got me thinking about today’s topic. What is essential for a Christian writer’s life? We live in a busy world with a thousand things demanding our time and attention every day. I don’t think that’s overstating it. We’ve only got one life. How are we going to choose what to do with the time God gives us? What is our priority?

Even if we were to weed out obvious things to say no to, like sin or clear distractions, that still leaves a multitude of demands, ideas, activities, and so on, to consider. Many of which you can make a good case for. The choices we make matter, because what you give your time and attention to is what shapes your life.

That’s where those books inspired me. The first one is titled Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.

The subtitle was a revelation: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. It seems like today’s world is all about the urgent, unending pursuit of more—doing it all and having it all. This book is about deliberately, ruthlessly choosing to do less so you can focus on what matters most to you.

Today we want to step back from the myriad details of our lives. We want to step back from complicated plans and programs, endless to-do lists, and a plethora of shoulda woulda couldas. Instead, we’ll pare down to 3 essentials, or guiding principles, to help shape and guide your life as a Christian and a writer. God gave us our creative gifts for good purposes, so we want to ensure that we’re willing vessels, available anytime, anywhere, for the tasks God gives us.

We’ve used the term essentials, or guiding principles, but you can also call them core precepts, or a “rule of life.” By rule, we don’t mean legal regulations but rather a way of organizing your life toward a purpose.

Essential 1 – Abide in Christ John 15:4-5 (ESV) says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Abiding in Christ means we WILL bear fruit. Not abiding in Christ means we won’t bear fruit. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. This is so simple, yet too often we fail to realize and carry out the dire necessity of this. Maybe in part because it’s hard to quantify what abiding in Christ looks like, or what it means in a practical sense. Abiding in Christ (or some translations use the word “remaining” in Christ) is more than just believing in Christ. As an article on Crossway.org puts it, it’s “staying vitally connected” to Christ.

An article on DesiringGod.org describes abiding in Christ as being “…attached to the vine in such a way that it is receiving all that the branch has to give…” The article goes on to say, “…abiding is believing, trusting, savoring, resting, receiving.”

What does that look like in a practical, daily sense? The Crossway.org article says, “It is the lifelong extension of encountering Jesus.”

That’s still probably going to look different for everyone, but I think one universal principle is to make encountering Jesus your daily mindset.

Make Encountering Jesus Your Daily Mindset

This is the essential. The rule of the day is to live in such a way as to believe and trust his promises, to savor and rest in his presence, to be constantly and expectantly open-handed to receive everything we need from him moment by moment. It’s to keep in the forefront of our mind that we’re working and living and resting in communion and in union with him.

When we’re writing, when we’re plotting, when we’re doing a day job that might not be writing; when we get up in the morning, when we go to bed at night; when we brush our teeth, mow the lawn, run errands, fix dinner—all of this is done with a constant awareness of, and reliance on, our connection with the Vine.

But mindfulness of this—or anything else for that matter—is a very real struggle in our culture today. Our brains are being assaulted with distractions, and being rewired to need them. That’s why this essential is also a practice. It’s something we have to choose to continually do, and it isn’t easy. Thankfully we don’t have to do this in our own power.

The Crossway.org article has this to say, “…Jesus does not leave us to ourselves. Even though he commands us to abide in him—and we are responsible to abide there, and guilty if we don’t abide—nevertheless he himself keeps us there. And we would not abide there without his crucial keeping.”

So,don’t forget to ask for God’s help and know you’ll receive it.

Do Frequent Checks

We should also be frequently checking ourselves to make sure we aren’t neglecting or straying from the true Vine. Y’all know that we’re prone to do this. The Crossway.org article puts it like this: “…we are often tempted to find our life-giving sap from another plant.”

We’re prone to disobedience, apathy, forgetfulness, or just plain drifting. The good gifts and desires God has given us—like creativity and writing—have a tendency to become distorted. That’s the very last thing we want if we’re going to have something of value to share with the world.

Making abiding in Christ an essential, a life rule, rather than just a good idea or a random desire will help us fight those tendencies and truly bear fruit both in our lives and in our writing.

This essential also does the most important thing of all: it helps us love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-38 that this is the first and greatest commandment.

Essential 2 – Build & Nurture RelationshipsOur next essential is to build and nurture relationships. This is in keeping with our design. We were created for relationship by a relational God. We can’t flourish if we’re not living according to our design.

That said, we want to stress that how this plays out in each person’s life will be very different. Some of us thrive in the midst of a large community of friendships and networks. Some of us do better with fewer relationships. Too many people becomes overwhelming.

No matter what this looks like for you, the point is that you make relationships an essential in your life. We get strength from our community of friends.

• We carry each others’ burdens (Galatians 6:28).
• We learn in 1 thes 5:11 that We encourage each other and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
• We teach each other (Colossians 3:16).
• We help each other and have each other’s backs (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
• We sharpen each other (Proverbs 27:17).
• We pray for each other (James 5:16)
• We comfort each other (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

We simply can’t live a “Lone Ranger” life and expect to thrive. We need all the things relationships offer, and other people need those same things from us in return. In our busy lives today, relationships suffer. They take time and energy, two very precious commodities, so we must make relationships an essential if they’re to flourish.

As writers, we need to be writing out of our deep love for people, our connection with them, and our understanding of them. That comes from our journey of doing life with people. Of being vulnerable and walking with others in their vulnerabilities. Hanging in there through the glory, and mess, and triumphs, and failures. We earn the right to speak to others when we’re in the trenches with them. That’s also where we learn to shift our writing from being writer focused—as in “I just want to tell my story”—to being reader focused—as in, “How can I best serve readers?”

Loving God with all our hearts is the greatest commandment, but Matthew 22:39 tells us that loving others is the second. We simply can’t do that if we have no relationship with them.

However, please don’t hear us saying you have to spend every minute of your life with people. Many writers are introverts who need down time and alone-time. What we’re saying is that building and nurturing relationships should be a guiding principle in how you’re spending your life and what you’re doing with your time. Ask yourself: Is what I’m doing right now ultimately going to help or hinder my relationships with others? Will I be investing or isolating? That hour you take for solitude may be exactly what you need in order to recharge and be ready to engage others with the best version of you.

Essential 3 – Eliminate HurryOur last essential is to eliminate hurry from your life. This might seem like a strange thing for us to pick as an essential, but a book called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer makes a profound case for this idea. I highly recommend all Christians read it. It’s paradigm-shifting.

It’s near impossible to effectively carry out the first two essentials we mentioned if we’re always in a hurry.

How can we abide when we’re in a rush? How can we build and nurture relationships when we’re always on the go? We’ve probably all been on the receiving end of an appointment or conversation with someone who’s in too much of a hurry to listen. Whether it’s a doctor or a good friend, the result is the same. We don’t feel heard or seen, which leaves us feeling uncared for.

Think of this third principle—to eliminate hurry—as a practical way to carry out the first two. It’s a way to make space in our lives for what matters most. Also, think of it as a way to love yourself. We want to love God, and we want to love our neighbors, but Matthew 22:39 says that we’re to love others as we love ourselves. That means we don’t neglect self-care!

A hurried life is a stressful life not a peaceful life. Hurry creates angst and a feeling that we’re never good enough, fast enough, strong enough, smart enough, safe enough. Hurry is the enemy of abiding, the enemy of knowing deeply and being known, and the enemy of time and attention. We can’t listen to ourselves, let alone others, when we’re in a hurry.

What about our writing life? Writing that’s hurried suffers from inauthenticity and superficiality. It lacks insight and resonance. We’ve all read superficial writing. It’s out there, and at the end of the day, it’s ineffective. Don’t add to it.

What does the elimination of hurry look like in our lives? Again that’s probably different for everyone, but two key ideas to put this into practice are to create margin and to slow down.

Create Margin in Your Life

• This means not just that you don’t over book, but it means that you do “under book.” Allow more time than you think you need for each appointment or activity. Put white space in between appointments—and book deadlines!—so you can reset, refocus, and rest. Don’t schedule anything back to back.
• Work to pare down your schedule, to pursue less, as the book Essentialism suggests. Do few things and do them well.
• Fair warning: Creating margin will require you to be disciplined and ruthless in your choices!

Slow Down

The second way we eliminate hurry is to slow down By this we mean actively work to set a slower pace. This will be hard. Our culture is zooming along at a frantic pace, and we’ve been caught up and swept along. We have to dig our heels in if we’re going to stop the madness.

The goal of this essential is to experience your life. To savor it rather than be exhausted by it. Stop and think about how that sounds. What could that feel like to be free from rushing? I think that’s why so many people love Amish and historical fiction. It’s the lure of a slower life that feels impossible today.

How would your stress level change if you regularly drove the speed limit because you weren’t in a hurry to get where you were going? Or if you could saunter through the grocery store, and play lazy games of Candyland with your kids? If you had time to savor a cup of coffee with a friend or an impromptu conversation with a neighbor. You can do this if you create margin and actively work to set a slower pace.

Eliminating hurry fosters creativity, patience, peace, mindfulness, rest, delight, and love. It makes your life and writing fertile ground for bearing fruit.

God’s DesignAbide in Christ, build and nurture relationships, and eliminate hurry from your life. Following these principles will help you live out God’s design for your writing and life as you love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself.

3 essentials for a Christian writer’s life to ground you in your faith so you can write and build a career with peace and confidence. #christianwriter #amwriting
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Books mentioned in the podcastEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What do you count as essential in your life?

CHECK OUT THE FLORIDA CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE!Erin will be at theFlorida Christian Writers Conference, in Leesburg, FL, October 16-20, 2024. Hope to see you there!

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our October sponsor of the month, Kimberley Woodhouse! She’s an award-winning and bestselling author whose books have received the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Reader’s Choice Award, Selah Award, Spur Award, Christian Market Book Award, Golden Scroll Award among others. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared with over 1,000,000 people at more than twenty-five hundred venues across the country. Her fortieth book, 70 North, releases this month. You can also connect with Kim at kimberleywoodhouse.com

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 223 – 3 Essentials for a Christian Writer’s Life appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Attending a writers’ conference can be intimidating, even overwhelming. If you want to make the most of your time at a writers’ conference, guest Grace Fox has some specific strategies to help you do exactly that. And some of them are even about your writing.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Grace Fox

Grace Fox is a popular speaker at women’s events internationally. She inspires hope, courage, and transformation through God’s Word. She has served as a career missionary for more than 30 years. Grace has written fourteen books and published hundreds of articles in magazines. She’s a member of the First 5 Bible Study writing team for P31 Ministries and is a co-host for a podcast called Your Daily Bible Verse. Her book, Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos, won the Golden Scroll Devotional Book of the Year Award in 2021. Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm won the same award in 2022. Her newest devotional is titled Names of God: Living Unafraid. You can learn all about her at GraceFox.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast

Erin Taylor Young: Welcome listeners into the Deep. Today is part two of our interview on writers’ conferences with Grace Fox, and we are discussing specific strategies for making conferences work for you.

Karen Ball: So when writers attend conferences, what is helpful and what isn’t?

Well, many writers wonder why they should spend the money to attend a writers’ conference if they don’t get a contract from it. How do they justify the expense to a spouse? Or maybe you think, “I’m ready to be published. I’ve got this,” but what if the professionals at the conference don’t agree?

Haven’t they just wasted all that money for nothing?

Grace Fox: Absolutely not, because attending conferences is about growing relationships with those very professionals.It’s about laying a strong foundation for your career. You go to conferences to learn as much as you possibly can about the craft of writing. Which means you have to go in with a teachable spirit. To say, “I’m here to learn,” and take in as much as you can. That’s the first strategy.

But conferences––all those workshops––can feel like information overload at times, so the next strategy is to tell yourself it’s okay to skip out on a workshop if you need to decompress. It’s so helpful to take time to get your notes in order and to get your thoughts put together again, or to just go to your room and have a quiet time and pray.

With that in mind, it’s always a good idea to have friends praying for you as attend the conference. Because you don’t know what God’s purpose is for having you go there.

Karen Ball: Exactly! Sometimes He calls you to go to a writer’s conference and it has nothing to do with your writing career. It has to do with you meeting people who get you on the right track as far as your perspective, understanding that God may be calling you to write something for one person, and if you write something and only one person reads it and it changes that person’s life, it’s worth it. The expense is worth it. The investment is worth it. It’s all worth it because you’re doing what God has asked you to do.

Grace Fox: That’s beautiful. It really is about obedience. And in my career with writing, I’ve met so many people who think that end all is writing a book—gotta write a book. Gotta write a book. But one thing I learned at a conference is that that there is a huge audience out there with magazines.

Think about it. Your book may only sell 2000 copies in its lifetime. But one magazine article can reach a quarter of a million people. You don’t know those things unless you start going to conferences and learning from those people that are in the know.

Karen Ball: That’s why it’s so important to get your expectations straight, to go in with an open mind and an open-hearted spirit and say, “What is it you want from me, Lord?” Not, “What are You going to give me, Lord?,” but “What do You want from me?”

Grace Fox: Because His plan may be to put you on the bridge to something entirely different.

Erin Taylor Young: You know, I love, Grace, how supportive your husband was. He justified the expense because God told you to go. And I love what you said about it being an education. I mean, people go back to school all the time and nobody questions that expense to pay for a class or whatever. This is the same thing. You’re paying for a lot of classes. And believe me, it’s cheaper than college tuition!

Grace Fox: Amen. And again, the relationships that you make at conferences can last for years. I am still friends with some of the women that I met in 1999. We still communicate and [00:08:00] support each other in our writing.

Erin Taylor Young: Well, I met Karen at a writing conference.

Karen Ball: Exactly. And so much came out of that, even beyond publishing Erin’s book, Surviving Henry. It’s amazing what God can accomplish if we’re open to letting Him do his will and bring about His plans instead of ours.

And Grace, I loved what you said in part one of this interview about not stopping until God tells you to.

Grace Fox: That was a quote from Matt Anderson.

Karen Ball: We all need to remember that, especially when we experience what you did, Grace. Where you told us in the first part of this podcast that you were so sure when you went to that first conference that you had everything down, that you were ready to be published, and you weren’t. Or when we’re’re told that we need to learn how to do this or this or this better…

That that can be just devastating.

But from the editor’s side of the desk at writer’s conferences, I can say met a lot of wonderful writers, but not very many who were ready, at that moment, to be published. Writers have to spend time studying, writing, and learning the craft.

And so if you go to a writer’s conference and they’re telling you that you need to do this and this and this, don’t look at that as something depressing. And don’t let it make you want to give up! Look at that as your orders, your marching orders. Don’t stop writing until God tells you to do so.

Grace Fox: That’s right because we want to do what God’s called us to do with excellence.

Erin Taylor Young: So, Grace, you were digging in and learning everything you could, and when you learned about articles, you explored that as a way to hone your craft. And to learn how to write to deadline. And you were building a reputation amongst editors.

Karen Ball: One caution though, again from the editor’s side of the desk. We’re talking about making professional connections, and that’s great. But it was obvious to me when someone came to talk to me or sit at my table during a meal, and it was just to make a connection with an editor. It wasn’t because they cared anything about me as a person, or they were looking at me as an individual, or that God had asked them to sit next to me. It was that they thought talking to me was a strategic connection.

It’s not about “connections” so much as relationship. The people that I met at these conferences, who shared passions for the things that I had passions for, who came to me with a teachable spirit like you’re talking about…

Those are the people who are still in my life because they know me so well and they know God so well and we can speak truth to each other and encourage and challenge each other. So focus more on building relationships. Just ask God who He wants you to meet. He’s got His reasons for directing you where He does.

Erin Taylor Young: Yeah, I love that. Especially because there are some conferences editors can’t always control who their appointments might be with. But it’s lovely to just have someone come along and just chat with you, to just to talk about what’s happening in the writing world or even just to visit.

Grace Fox: So another wise strategy is to watch your attitude when you approach the editors. Always remember, they are people as well who may be dealing with hard things, who may have just had a tragedy in their family, but here they are back at work. We just don’t know. So be careful, if an editor looks disinterested, that it may have nothing to do with you or your writing. Maybe they’re a little preoccupied because they’ve got something personal going on.

There are all kinds of dynamics that happen at a conference, so purpose to be sensitive to those dynamics, whether with editors or the other attendees. Some are discouraged. Oh my goodness! I’ve been at conferences where a writer gets a rejections and that person is in tears. So go in as someone who’s willing to minister as well as be ministered to.

Erin Taylor Young: Just know that God might send you to a writing conference for something that you can offer to someone else––some thought, some prayer, some who knows what, and word of encouragement––and you might be there for that.

And that’s still being obedient and still being used by God and still contributing. To the overall words of truth going forth in, in this world. We can contribute even if we don’t write a word. What if we encouraged somebody who then wrote something that that just took off? Changed people’s lives? God is so much bigger than we realize.

Karen Ball: So let me recap some strategies or going to writer’s conferences that we’ve hit on here. First of all, make sure you go to conferences because God is calling you to do so. If you need to justify the expense, you can honestly say that God is calling you to this, that this is an investment in what He’s asking you to do.

The next strategy is to check your expectations at the door. We talked about false expectations, why not go with no expectations beyond asking God what He wants to show you?

Erin Taylor Young: Right. Go in with an open heart and mind and spirit.

Grace Fox: And ask him for those divine appointments.

Erin Taylor Young: Those are so much fun when they happen!

Karen Ball: Next, check your ego at the door. Be teachable. Don’t feel as though people are rejecting you when they say you’re not ready. What they’re really saying is you can do better. That actually is a form of belief in you, and so take it as such and let it nurture you and nourish you and move forward in what you’ve been shown and taught.

Erin Taylor Young: That brings up an important point. It’s difficult sometimes for a new writer to get that meeting she wanted, or have a critique done, and see red pen all over. But the deal is this: published writers, career writers, still get red pen all over their work!

As an editor, Karen has put red pen all over manuscripts. I have too. There are multi-published authors who’ve had a 30-page revision letter from me! That doesn’t mean you don’t know what you’re doing and it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad writer and it doesn’t mean that you should be discouraged. It’s just a normal part of the process.

Karen Ball: We writers all need editors. When I’m functioning as a writer, I love getting those letters from my editor. I don’t always agree with everything that they suggest, but I know that what they are saying is, this is good, but you can do better. And it’s because of their belief in who I am as a writer.

So when editors at these conferences say this isn’t quite what we need, but have you considered, and then they give you guidance, that’s because they believe in you.

Grace Fox: When I went to that first writer’s conference. I should have checked my ego at the door. I wrote three sample devotions to be critiqued by an editor of a beautiful women’s devotional magazine. I sat at her table one meal and she recognized my name. She said, “Oh, I read some of your stuff.” And I’m thinking, oh yeah, here we go. And then she said, “They were okay, but they’re just too long for our publication.”

My devotionals were 800 words, and she was looking for something more like 350 to 400. But she said, “I know you can cut them down and get them down to 350 or 400 words.”

I had the gall to say, “I don’t think so.” She said again that I could, and I just said no. That I couldn’t do that and maintain the integrity of the piece.

Needless to say, I’ve never written for her. And why would she want me to? Talk about ego!

But I ended up at the airport with a different editor whose flight was at the same time as mine. I told her about that meeting, and she said, “Show me what you submitted.” So I pulled out that first devotion and slid it across the table to her. She butchered it with red ink. She took the second one and did it again. And when she got to the third one and started in with her red pen, I was just dying by that point.

But I went home with those devotions all marked up in red pen, and I did what she said. She showed me how to cut things down from 800 words to 350. And the integrity of the piece was still there!

Now? I have a hard time going bigger because I know how to write tight.

Erin Taylor Young: That’s grace right there. That is a God-gift that this editor, after you wouldn’t listen, did that for you. One of the neat things about all this? We have all made mistakes, mistakes, mistakes, mistakes, and guess what? Our careers did not die. One mistake is not going to ruin your career.

So be okay with direction. With correction. We’re gonna learn, we’re gonna make mistakes, and we’re gonna be humble about it and, and then follow advice.

Karen Ball: Grace, do you have any final words of wisdom for our listeners about writer’s conferences?

Grace Fox: Absolutely, GO. Have a teachable heart. Know that what you think you’re going for may not be at all what God has in mind. It might be about ministering to somebody in the airport on your way or the person in the plane beside you. God’s purposes are so much bigger than ours, so go with a wide open heart.

Karen Ball: Yes, amen. Thanks for joining us today. You can find previous episodes and more resources at right from the deep.com, and I bet you know someone who needs this podcast will please share it with them.

So until next time, embrace the deep, your writing and your life will never be the same.

Don't stop until God tells you to.
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Which of these strategies do you think will work best for you next time you attend a writers’ conference?

CHECK OUT THE FLORIDA CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE!Erin will be at theFlorida Christian Writers Conference, in Leesburg, FL, October 16-20, 2024. Hope to see you there!

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our August sponsor of the month,Tammy Partlow! She’s a speaker at women’s retreats, and her debut novel Blood Beneath the Pines, a suspense set in the deep South, is now available. She’s hard at work on the next book in the series!

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

Book mentioned in the podcastNames of God: Living Unafraid by Grace Fox

The post 222 – Strategies for Writers’ Conferences with Guest Grace Fox appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Writers’ conferences cost time and money, so are they really worth it? Absolutely! But not necessarily for the reasons you think. Guest Grace Fox shares how God moved her to attend a writers’ conference, how many mistakes she made there, and how God miraculously provided for her and used it all to bless her far more than she ever imagined.

About Grace Fox

Grace Fox is a popular speaker at women’s events internationally. She inspires hope, courage, and transformation through God’s Word. She has served as a career missionary for more than 30 years. Grace has written fourteen books and published hundreds of articles in magazines. She’s a member of the First 5 Bible Study writing team for P31 Ministries and is a co-host for a podcast called Your Daily Bible Verse. Her book, Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos, won the Golden Scroll Devotional Book of the Year Award in 2021. Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm won the same award in 2022. Her newest devotional is titled Names of God: Living Unafraid. You can learn all about her at GraceFox.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin: Welcome, listeners. We’re so excited that you’re here for another day, another show! We have a guest, which is also exciting.

Karen: Our guest is someone that you all know. She’s been here before, and we’re so excited that she’s here with us again now.

Her name is Grace Fox. She’s the writer who lives on a boat. She speaks at women’s events internationally and inspires hope, courage, and transformation through God’s word. She’s written fourteen books and published hundreds of articles in magazines. She’s a member of the First 5 Bible study writing team for P31 Ministries and a co-host for the podcast Your Daily Bible Verse. She is just so smart you guys, and she’s here to share with us about conferences and other things. Welcome, Grace.

Grace: Thank you so much for having me back.

Erin: Yes, we’re excited about it. So let’s start with our same lovely question that we just love digging into. Grace, what does the deep mean to you?

Grace: Well, that word reminds me of my childhood, standing on the diving board at the swimming pool. At the end of swimming classes, the teacher would say, “Okay, everybody, you get to jump off the diving board.”

I would just die inside because the thought scared me half to death. Getting up those stairs and standing on the diving board with a lineup of people waiting patiently behind me while I worked up the courage to jump into the deep end, that’s what I think of. In my faith journey, it’s scary sometimes when God calls me to a place where he says, “Okay, Grace, I want you to jump.”

The good thing to know is that he’s always there to catch me. Like the lifeguard, in the goodness of his heart, he’d be down there with his arms straight up going, “It’s okay, Grace, you can jump. I’ll catch you.”

Karen: That’s great.

Erin: Conference season is kind of rolling along here in the fall. I would love to hear, Grace, about your very first conference because we were talking a little bit earlier and I know you’ve got some good stories about your first conference.

Grace: Yeah, so I started my writing career thinking I was going to develop a line of greeting cards. I found a woman who could draw, because I can’t draw to save my life. I came up with the concepts and we put together ten sample cards.

Then we thought, “Now what do we do with them?”

She really wasn’t interested in doing any more than drawing. She had a little hobby farm she was busy with, and so I said, “Okay, I’ll figure out the marketing. I haven’t got a clue, but I’ll figure it out.”

I remember sitting down at my computer and Googling, like for the first time, Christian greeting card publisher. Up came the Florida Christian Writers Conference. I didn’t even know that such a thing existed. I thought, “Wow, that looks interesting.”

I scrolled through it and looked to see what faculty members were going to be there. Lo and behold, Dayspring was going to be there!

Karen: Wow.

Grace: My first thought was, “That looks so good. I should go. Oh, but that’s way beyond my reach. That’s so far. I can’t do this, I can’t afford it.”

You know. I came up with all the reasons why not. That was in August.

Erin: Where were you living at the time that it was far?

Grace: I was living on a little island off the coast of British Columbia, working at a Christian camp, and we were living on paid support, so the thought of coming up with the money to do this was just beyond me. Then the thought of getting there was another issue.

Erin: Wait a minute. That really was far. I mean, let’s just point that out for our listeners. You were far, okay, and you were financially challenged. Those were both true.

Grace: Yep. As far as distance goes, it would take me two ferries just to get to the mainland, and then I would have to fly from either Vancouver or Seattle.

If I were to go to Seattle to fly, it would be about a twelve hour trip, ten or twelve hours with two ferries.

Erin: Wow.

Grace: So it was a big deal. It was a very big deal. I remember thinking, and arguing about that, and then just kind of shutting it down and thinking, “That’s impossible.”

But the thought never really left the back of my mind. In October I went back and looked at the site again, and it was like somebody just gripped me and said, “You need to be there.”

I shared that with my husband and he just said, “If God is wanting you to go, then I will support you with that. We will make it work.”

Karen: Yeah.

Grace: God actually did make it work in an amazing way, because a couple weeks later I went to a teeny tiny missions conference at a teeny tiny church. Literally walked across the cow pastor to get there.

It was on a Friday evening. The pastor opened the service by saying, “Everybody stand up, turn around and say hi to somebody around you.”

I did that, and lo and behold, the woman behind me was there because her husband was one of the speakers for that weekend. But I’d graduated from Bible college with her more than twenty years before, and I hadn’t seen her since. I’d had no contact with her.

I went, “Lynn, so great to see you! What have you been doing with yourself?”

She told me that she was a travel agent working out of her own home. I remember saying, “Hey, give me your information because I’ll keep you in mind if I ever need to go somewhere.”

When it just seemed like God was saying, “You are going to Florida,” I phoned her up and I said, “Lynn, here’s the deal. I need to get to Florida on this day, and I need to get back on this day and you know, I need you to get me there as inexpensively as possible out of Vancouver or out of Seattle. “

She said, “Let me see what I can do.”

She called me back and said, “Grace, I have never seen anything like this before, ever, so give me your credit card right now.”

I did and she booked me a flight on the days that I needed it. It was about $150 round trip.

Erin: No!

Grace: That was a miracle. And let me tell you, I didn’t know the whole story until I met her at a women’s retreat years later. She goes, “Grace, by the way, did I ever tell you what happened after I booked your ticket? A disclaimer came up on the screen that said that price was a mistake. They’d honor every ticket purchased on that price, but that was a mistake.”

Erin: That’s God.

Grace: And that’s how I got to my first writer’s conference.

Erin: That is amazing. Look at how God provided. You stepped forward in faith each time and God gave you that encouragement along the way and that prompting, and then he made it work. Miraculously.

Grace: He did more even because we had a house that had been on the market for two years in Washington state. When we moved to Canada, we’d put our house on the market. It sold just before Christmas that year. But I was still several hundred dollars shy of what I needed to go to the conference.

About a week before the conference, I remember sitting at the kitchen table, literally crying because I felt like this was way bigger than me. I was thinking, “I’m on a white water rafting trip, and I’m hanging on for dear life, and this is way bigger than me.”

Into our mailbox came a letter from escrow that said they’d made a mistake in figuring out how much they owed us after the house sold. The amount of money they said they owed us was, almost to the penny, what was left that I needed to get to Florida.

Karen: Don’t you love how God does that? I mean, that’s amazing. I guess it’s pretty clear God wanted you there.

Grace: I think that’s another reason why I cried. I thought, “He’s in charge of this and this is bigger than me. Let’s just hang on for dear life and see where this goes.”

I went to the conference because I knew I was supposed to go.

Erin: Yes, it’s very clear.

Karen: How did that conference go for you?

Grace: My greeting cards were nicely rejected by the Dayspring editor, and they’ve never gone anywhere to this day. That would’ve been like 1999, and they’ve never gone anywhere. But it was, like I say, the carrot before a little donkey’s nose. I just followed that carrot and it led me to the Florida Christian Writers Conference.

While I was there, I went to every workshop I could possibly go to because I wanted to get my money’s worth out of the thing!

Erin: Yeah.

Grace: I went to the sessions especially about writing for magazines. That was where I ultimately broke into writing. I was just doing what the editors said. I played by the rules, and I got the Christian Writers Market Guide, and I studied it like a Bible. I did all the right things, and I was able to break in, but that doesn’t mean that I did it all correctly.

Erin: First, though, let’s go back to the fact that you got rejected by Dayspring. Like what happened to you when that happened? Obviously you said, “Well, too bad, I’m still gonna learn everything I can.” But did you also go, “God, uh, did you make a mistake?”

What did you think when that happened?

Grace: I got rejected there, but I thought, “I’m not gonna give up that easy.”

I think I went back home and I sent the samples to… I must have sent them in to Dayspring again. At that point, there was an artist named Matt Anderson, and he had a line of greeting cards called Heaven’s Unofficial Greetings, like there were little characters like Ziggy, the little cartoon character.

They were one of my favorite lines of cards. So I sent some samples in, and I got a letter back. It was kind of a form rejection, you know, “Your cards do not meet what we’re looking for at this time. Thanks, but no thanks.”

I saw the name on the letter when I got it, and I thought, “That’s not Matt Anderson. That’s not who I wanted to look at the cards”

So I got on the phone. There was a phone number on that thing. I phoned and I asked for that person. It was a name that could be either a male or a female, so I really didn’t even know who I was calling, but I called up, and it turned out to be a man.

I said, “I wanna know why these cards were rejected.”

He said, “Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t even see them. I was not the one who looked at them. Matt Anderson did. Why don’t I have him call you? He’s a really nice guy and he will do that.”

I thought, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” But I thanked him and hung up.

Thirty minutes later my phone rang and it was Matt Anderson himself!

Erin: Wow.

Grace: He went through each card and what he thought about them gave me his opinion. Then he said this, ” Grace, if God is in this, then don’t stop until he says so.”

Karen: Very good.

Grace: I thought that was the best piece of advice, and I’ve passed that on to a lot of newer writers too, because it really kept me going. I didn’t realize you probably shouldn’t get on the phone and call and say, “Tell me, explain to me…”

But these people were gracious with me and gave me the answers I was looking for, and that’s what I needed.

As for Matt Anderson, later I was able to interview him for a Power for Living Sunday School paper article. Then we met years later at a Mount Herman Christian Writers Conference. It was great fun.

Erin: Wow. What I love is these connections that you were building, you know? Let’s go back to the conference. You get rejected by Dayspring, but you’re still, you know, moving along. Did you get rejected at the conference with Dayspring, or did that happen later?

Grace: No, that happened right at the conference.

Erin: Okay. Yeah.

Grace: I had sent them in earlier to be looked at, and so when I got the envelope back there was the nice rejection letter.

Erin: How did you feel?

Grace: I was disappointed because that’s why I went. I went thinking, “Oh, these are so cute and for sure somebody’s gonna want them.”

I had actually done a little bit of a test drive with some Christian bookstores on Vancouver Island, I had taken them in, and also had taken them to a friend of mine who owned a Christian bookstore in Tacoma, Washington.

All of them were favorable reviews, so I went to that conference thinking, “I’ve got this thing in the bag.” But it didn’t turn out that way at all!

Erin: You wouldn’t be the first person to think, “I’ve got this thing in the bag,” at a conference.

Karen: Not by a long shot.

Erin: What else happened at the conference? You learned a lot, it sounds like.

Grace: I learned a ton. Really that was the best thing I ever could have done, to invest in a conference. I know it’s costly, but it’s an investment. People invest in their education if they’re going to become a teacher or a dentist or any other career. So you know, we need to, as writers, invest as well and know that that money is well spent.

Erin: Right!

Grace: I went wanting to learn. Especially when I got my rejection, I knew that I had to pivot. That’s the big word, right? To pivot and to be flexible. I thought, “Okay, well if the cards aren’t gonna fly, I’m not gonna waste this opportunity. What else can I learn?”

And, yeah, I learned. I remember catching an editor on the sidewalk and pitching an idea on the way to the dining room and that type of thing. He actually said to me, “Yeah, go ahead. Why don’t you write up the story?”

And I did. And I got published. So that was a win for me.

Erin: You know what I love about all this is that you’re very tenacious. You were willing to not roll over and die at the first sign of trouble. You just kept moving forward.

Now, I know you and I were talking at one point about your interaction with Andy Sheer. Was that a result of this conference?

Grace: Yes.

Andy had said yes to an idea that I pitched to him as well. I went home, wrote up the article, typed it up, and I sent it in. That was in the days where they weren’t doing so much by email. It was hard copy.

I sent it in and a little while later I got a rejection letter back. I was appalled to see that when I sent this thing in, I’d sent it on recycled paper, so there was something typed on the back! It wasn’t even clean paper that I sent the article in on. I was so appalled. I just wanted to go crawl into a hole and never come back out.

I did get their form rejection letter back. Although I think it did say something like, “Try again.” It wasn’t a, “Don’t ever do this again!”

I did get a comment like that from another editor. I can tell you about that one. But this one, I don’t think I ever submitted again to that magazine because I was so embarrassed. So embarrassed.

Erin: Let that be a lesson to everyone out there. Try to use clean paper. Or in these days, hey, everything’s electronic, so that helps. But don’t send it “to whom it may concern…”

Grace: That’s right. Play by the rules. Get that Christian Writer’s Market Guide and play by the rules.

Erin: There you go. Obviously, though, you’ve had a very prolific career. Did you go to other conferences or did you just make the most of this one so much that afterwords you were mostly developing connections by submitting and getting rejections and submitting again?

Grace: I probably went to one or two conferences a year for the first seven or eight years.

Erin: Wow.

Grace: Yeah. Oh, I did the whole thing. I prepared meals for my family, and I marked on the freezer container, you know, 350 degrees for forty-five minutes. I did all of that. Just prepared, prepared, prepared so that my family wouldn’t feel like I was stepping out on them because I’d be gone for a week at a time. I still had three kids at home at the time. They weren’t little anymore. They were junior high and high school, but still.

I did that and then I think I took a bit of a break, if I remember correctly, because I felt like things were really starting to move along and it was okay to take a break for a couple years, three years.

Then my husband and I moved from the island down to Abbottsford, British Columbia, which is about an hour from Vancouver. But the ministry that we began leading at that time meant that I had to be overseas for about five or six weeks every summer and also in the spring.

I had loved going to the Mount Herman Christian Writers Conference partly because it wasn’t as far as the Florida Christian Writers Conference. It wasn’t clear across the continent for me. It was also in the same time zone, so I didn’t have to deal with jet lag. That was quite handy. Just less expensive all around for me. But they always did it in the springtime, right around Palm Sunday, and that’s when our missions staff conference was held overseas. So I missed it for many years.

But yeah, my writing career was really taking off at that point, so it didn’t hurt it so much since I had a lot of established connections.

Erin: Right.

Grace: But for those who are thinking about it, or just fairly new kids on the block with this, it is good to get your foot in the door and keep that door open by growing those relationships at conferences.

Erin: Right. I think that’s a misconception that a lot of new writers have. I know I did when I was a new writer. I was like, “Well I have to go to a writer’s conference.” But then you go and there’s so much pressure on that one because it’s expensive and you’re like, “I’ve gotta make my money back. I’ve gotta do this now, and this might be my only chance.”

But it doesn’t work that way very often. The best thing is exactly what you did, Grace: to go to as many conferences as you can year after year to meet the same people, to develop relationships.

Ultimately that’s what I ended up doing as well. That’s how I got to know people. That’s how I grew in my writing craft. That’s what happens.

Then after you’ve been going to conferences for 5, 6, 7 years, you know so many more people and those connections and relationships are far more developed, and then when the time is right, God takes you, if he has publication in the path for you, and he opens those doors and makes it happen and all of a sudden you’re like an overnight success after seven years.

Karen: After a lot more than that. There are people who’ve been overnight successes after twenty years.

Erin: Yeah.

Karen: Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I really enjoyed this whole conversation and we’ve got even better information and ideas for you about attending writers conferences in the next podcast. So be sure to listen.

Are writers’ conferences worth it? Guest Grace Fox says YES! #ChristianWriter #amwriting
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The Latest Release by Grace FoxNames of God: Living Unafraid by Grace Fox

Upcoming ConferenceErin will be at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, in Leesburg, FL, October 16-20, 2024.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Have you been to a writers’ conference? What did you you think about your experience?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our September sponsor of the month, Christy Bass Adams. She’s the author of a devotional titled Learning As I Go: Big Lessons from Little People, and a middle grades novel, The Adventures of Cricket and Kyle: Imagination Checkers. She’s also a speaker and leads women’s conferences and Bible studies, and she’s a monthly contributor to Inspire-a-fire and a newspaper columnist for Greene Publishing.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

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The post 221 – Are Writers’ Conferences Worth It? with Guest Grace Fox appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Guest Grace Fox shares how God moved her to attend a writers’ conference, how many mistakes she made there, and how God used it all to bless her far more than she ever imagined. For more information and the full show notes visit writefromthedeep.com.

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There is no escaping our humanity. But we can address those elements in our hearts, minds, and spirits that make us, as people and writers, vulnerable to attacks from the enemy of our souls. Attacks that seem, nowadays, to happen more and more often. Come explore the solutions to those vulnerabilities so you are ready

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

The Bad News: We’re ALL VulnerableNo one likes to be vulnerable. Heck, we don’t even like to admit we’re vulnerable, especially to the enemy of our souls. But as fallible humans––yes, even someone as wise as we are––our strong emotions that can lead us astray, giving the enemy a foothold to launch attacks against us and tear apart our faith and trust in God.

The Good News: You’re NormalAll of the emotions we’ll talk about today are a normal part of life. They aren’t wrong or dangerous in and of themselves. But when we don’t take them to God, seeking His guidance and peace, His resolution, things can go very bad very fast.

So let’s dive in.

Vulnerability #1: AngerScripture makes it clear God gets angry, but His anger is always righteous. Since we’re created in His image, we, too, have the potential for anger. Unfortunately, our anger often isn’t righteous, but self-focused. We perceive some slight, some insult, some betrayal––and they all may be real––and we get angry.

A reader writes us a letter taking us to task for something we’ve written. Our book receives a one-star review for reasons that have nothing to do with the book itself. Publishers decide to cancel or not renew contracts.

Anger is often understandable. But when we nurse that anger, when we let it coax us into bitterness and a desire for retribution, when we continue to visit it and feed it, we have opened a door to the enemy’s attacks.

Satan loves our angerAnd satan loves it when we nurse our anger, when we recount it to others and do everything but surrender it to the Father.

The longer anger dwells in your heart, the more likely satan is to fuel it. To increase your frustration, to compound the negative feelings and thoughts with any issue that arises, whether it’s connected to the source of your anger or not. And before you know it, you are under attack, and more focused on serving your anger than serving your Lord.

Solutions for the vulnerability of AngerRemember Ephesians 4:26-27: “Don’t sin by letting anger control you…for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” If you’re angry, be sure you are controlling that emotion and not the other way around.

Seek resolution. Address the problem rather than the person who attacks you. Stick to the facts of the situation, where you felt wronged. Seek to communicate in a calm, reasoned tone. Don’t fall into the trap of yelling or letting your emotions take control. Instead, let God lead you as you try to talk the issue out.

Know when to let it go. Some situations cannot be resolved. If your anger is taking up too much of your time and energy, if it’s leading you into resentfulness or bitterness, you need to surrender it to God. Holding on to anger hurts you far more than anyone else.

Vulnerability #2: PainPhysical pain, emotional pain, spiritual pain. It all strikes at the heart of what we believe, at the heart of our trust in our loving Father. Too often, our response to such pain is to pull back, to separate ourselves from others. Or to think God has forgotten us or is ignoring our suffering. That He doesn’t care.

Or, even worse, that we must not have heard Him right when He tasked us to write for Him, otherwise He wouldn’t let us go through this pain. But those reactions only make things worse.

Pain married with isolation and doubt is dangerous and becomes an open door to satan’s attacks. Instead, lean into the pain and try the following:

Solutions for the vulnerability of PainKnow what Scripture says about pain. For example:

1 Peter 5:10

“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you”

See how it says AFTER you’ve suffered, and not IF?

2 Cor 4:16-18
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Isaiah 43:2

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Revelation 21:4

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Let God in to your pain. Justin Jahanshir, on Jamesriver.church, shares this wisdom:

• Bring your pain to God, don’t run from him…
• Fill your life with God’s Word and God’s people…
• Don’t be filled with worry, overflow with worship…
• Believe that God will turn your sorrow into great joy…

Vulnerability #2: InjusticeInjustice is so hard to deal with. Whether it’s false accusations (“She stole my story!”), or untrue attacks on our reputation (“If he was a real Christian he’d never write something like that!”), or flat-out lies told about us (“Did you hear? She’s turned her back on God!”), everything inside of us wants to defend ourselves. But God calls on us to leave these attacks to Him.

NEVER??Oh, I can hear you now: “Never? Never defend ourselves in the face of injustice?” It’s a hard admonition, isn’t it? I struggle with it too. When someone treats me or those I love unjustly, everything in my flesh wants to rear up and defend against those false accusers. It’s a normal, human reaction.

But our behavior isn’t based on normal human reactions, is it? It’s based on following our Lord. And His instructions are clear.

God’s Instructions for handling injusticeIf you’re not sure about that, read Romans 12 in its entirety, giving special attention to the following verses:

14: “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.”

17-21: “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the LORD. Instead, if your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.

“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

And God gives us even more instructions in 1 Peter 2: 19-25:

“ God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

“He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.”

No retaliation!1 Peter goes on: “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.”

Let God Defend!So when injustice hits, don’t open yourself up to even more attacks by trying to defend yourself. Let Almighty God defend us and grant us justice. Easy to say, but How do we do that?

Solutions for the vulnerability of InjusticeRemember, we live in a fallen world. Again, the enemy isn’t those who treat us unjustly, but satan. He moves those without God to do terrible things, especially against God’s children. He moves them to lie and deceive, to attack and spread injustice.

Social media is a veritable playground for the enemy’s lies and evil. We’ve all faced attacks there. But make no mistake, it is satan’s lies and evil. He is the enemy, not the people attacking us. So speak God’s Scriptures right to satan. Trust me on this, he will flee.

Prepare your heart and spirit ahead of time. Knowing that we live in a fallen world with fallen people, and knowing that it’s only a matter of time until someone––by the enemy’s prodding or from their own brokenness––treats us unjustly, fortify your heart and spirit with God’s word.

Let Scripture protect youLet Scripture such as the following verses sink deep into your heart and spirit to protect you and keep your focus on God:

“Take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord…Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you.” (Heb 12:12-14)

“For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” (Psalms 37:28-29)

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

The last vulnerability we’ll look at is a doozy. In fact, it’s the sin that births many other sins:

Vulnerability #3: Self-Focused PrideC.S. Lewis called pride in ourselves “the utmost evil….the complete anti-God state of mind.”

Scripture is equally harsh in regard to this kind of pride:

Proverbs 8:13 “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:5 “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

In Mark 7: 21-23, Jesus says: “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

Listen up!When Jesus says something is vile, that it defiles you, you need to listen up. So…

• when pride rears it’s ugly head, and tells you that you’re better than someone else;
• when it encourages you in your own righteousness to judge another for saying or doing things you don’t think they should;
• when it tells you that you deserve more or better or something other than God has given you;
• when it keeps you from humbling yourself and apologizing when you’ve wronged someone…

Let’s face it, ANY TIME pride comes to play in your heart and spirit, you need to deal with it as God commands. Because it’s not just an open door to the enemy’s attacks, it’s a flat-out invitation.

Solutions for the vulnerability of Self-Focused PrideRomans 3:22-31 gives us God’s steps to deal with pride:

First, remember who you are in God’s eyes. Who we all are: “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Who we are, without Christ, is unrighteous sinners. Period. Deserving of punishment and death.

Second, remember why we have any righteousness at all: “…and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

God and His Son Jesus justify us, and they alone deserve adoration and worship. None of us is worthy in and of ourselves. We are made acceptable to God by Christ’s sacrifice. Period.

Third, realize where pride belongs in a life of faith: “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.”

If it’s not clear to you by now, then let me make it clear. Where does pride belong in a life of faith in Jesus Christ? It doesn’t. At all.

Don’t Get DiscouragedIt’s easy to look at all that we’ve talked about and grow discouraged. Especially when we realize that these vulnerabilities aren’t the only ones we have! We humans are full of sin and foibles and failure.

God is greater!But the truth is God is greater than all of those things. His love, through Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection, has brought us back to Him. And He is there every time we fall, every time we give in to vulnerabilities and end up facing the enemy’s attacks.

We can’t change or deal with these things on our own, but we don’t have to! Jesus is there, ready to shelter us under His wing, to cover us in His righteousness, and to restore us over and over. Because His Holy Father LOVES you, and me, and all of us.

Be Ready, but not afraidYes, we need to be ready for the attacks coming out way. But friends, we don’t need to be afraid of the enemy or his attacks. We have already won the victory through Christ, and He will uphold and sustain us. All we need to do is, as the child’s chorus says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”

Amen

There is no better weapon against satan than Scripture, prayer, and submitting the situation to God.
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Do you struggle with any of these vulnerabilities? What one thing can you do today to address one of them?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our August sponsor of the month,Tammy Partlow! She’s a speaker at women’s retreats, and her debut novel Blood Beneath the Pines, a suspense set in the deep South, is now available. She’s hard at work on the next book in the series!

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The post 220 – Are You Ready for Attacks? Part 3 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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What makes us, as people and as writers, vulnerable to wrong thinking and attacks from the enemy? Come find out, and learn how to ensure you’re prepared in your heart, mind, and soul.

For more information and the full show notes, go to WritefromtheDeep.com

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Recentering your writer’s heart is not just a privilege, but a necessity! In our busy lives, it’s easy to get off kilter. We each need to take a moment and examine our focus, to ensure it’s on the only one deserving of our trust: Almighty God. And Psalm 40 is here to help you do exactly that!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Can you all believe that it’s already the second half of 2024? I don’t know about you guys, but it feels to me like this year is rushing by. If you’re considering a midyear or third quarter review, or you’re taking stock of the things you’ve accomplished, or haven’t yet accomplished, or you’re feeling stuck, or frustrated, or you just want to make sure you’re on the right path, have we got some encouragement for you!

It’s a chance to recenter our hearts and thoughts, and a chance to check our behavior. It’s all conveniently found in Psalm 40. I encourage writers to consider memorizing this psalm—at the least beginning of it—in order to help you dwell on it. Then you can meditate on it even if you don’t have your Bible open or with you. It’s full of life lessons for writers.

WAIT PATIENTLY“I waited patiently for the Lord…” Psalm 40:1a (CSB)

I love how this Psalm opens. If you remember nothing else, or read no farther in Psalm 40, this alone is still so powerful in the application to our lives as Christians and writers. “I waited patiently.” If only we could look back on our writing career and on our life and say we did that—we waited patiently.

But we didn’t wait for just anything, we waited for the Lord. God is the one who is in charge of the universe, in charge of our lives, and in charge of our careers. He opens doors, he closes doors, and he leads us in his timing. God will act on our behalf. No matter what our situation is right now, we’re not forgotten, we’re not an afterthought. We just need to wait patiently, because here’s what the rest of verse 1 says:

“…and he turned to me and heard my cry for help.”

God sees and God hears. He’s looking at you even now. Turned to you. Some translations say “inclined” to you. Your cries for help don’t go unheeded. Whatever you’re facing right now, it’s not unknown to God. But we do have to trust in God’s timing and his sovereign plan. Our job is to ask for help and then wait patiently.

Resist the temptation to FRETNow, we all know this isn’t as easy as it sounds. While we’re trying to wait patiently and trust that God sees, hears, and has a plan, we’re going to be tempted, of course, to fret. To wonder and worry and think about all the things that could go wrong, or all the ways we think God is failing. And that’s exactly what we have to resist.

Think of this midyear recentering as giving you something positive to do: wait patiently for the Lord, and something negative to resist: fretting and worrying.

When we did our series on being ready for attacks, we talked about knowing our vulnerabilities. This is the same idea. If we’re supposed to wait patiently, we know we’re probably going to be vulnerable to attacks of fret and fear.

God ACTS TO HELP USLet’s face it, sometimes our patience is needed through some very difficult situations. Here’s how the next verse in Psalm 40 begins:

“He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay…” Psalm 40:2a (CSB)

A desolate pit? Other translations say things like horrible pit, slimy pit, pit of destruction. Now, we know the Christian publishing industry can be difficult, but a pit of death? It can feel that way. For example, what if you feel your career is dying?

Have you ever felt like the situation you’re facing is hopeless? It might be illness, or a huge publishing nightmare, or a problem you can’t see your way out of. I have great news: God specializes in impossible things.

We might feel like we’re drowning in trials, and it’s okay to acknowledge that life is hard. But don’t forget to catch the first four words of the verse: “He brought me up.” Up from where? From the pit. He always does. You know why? The pit is no match for God’s almighty power.

But God doesn’t just lift us up, he does more. Listen to the whole verse now:

“He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure.” Psalm 40:2 (CSB)

God acts to help us by lifting us up, and then he sets us in a place of safety and security. We have a God who IS a rock, a fortress. When we walk on the sure foundation of God’s truth, we are secure.

Resist the temptation to FORce YOUR OWN WAY OUTEven while we know that God is the one who lifts us up and puts us on a secure path, we face the temptation to short circuit waiting by scrambling to find our own way out, to stubbornly force our way onto some path we think will get us out of whatever pit we’re in, whether it’s the path God has for us or not.

Of course we’re not saying we should never try to help ourselves, only that we should never move ahead of God’s leading in doing so. God has the plan. We need to follow it and resist the temptation to claw our own way out, because our own plan is not placing our feet on the Rock.

God CHANGES OUR PERSPECTIVEHave you ever wondered why life seems to work this way? Why we face trials and struggles and have to wait on God to help us? We could maybe blame it on Adam and Eve, who thought they’d forge their own path to wisdom and ate the fruit God had forbidden them. That certainly highlights our problem with perspective: We tend to think we know best, and that the one who created us doesn’t.

But when we wait patiently for the Lord, and he brings us up from the pit, and he sets us on a secure path, guess what happens next? He changes our perspective to one that reflects the truth of all reality. Here’s how the next verse in Psalm 40 begins:

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:3a (CSB)

First notice that it’s God who puts the song in our mouths, a song of praise to him. He gives us the right perspective on not just our trials, our writing, and our life, but also on humanity’s place in creation. Big news: We are not God. He is. And he is to be praised. He alone deserves praise for who he is and what he does. In God’s plan, God gets the glory, not us.

Second, when we’re praising God, we’re focusing on him. Our focus has moved off of our pain and difficulty. We have something wonderful to sing about—he’s lifted us up from the pit. And we’re left with gratitude and love for the God who saves us.

Resist the temptation to fall back into your old way of thinkingAh, if only that would last! But as humans, we easily slip back into our old ways of thinking. Like the hymn writer of Come Thou Fount says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it…” We need to resist the temptation to hang on to, or drift back into our old patterns of self-sufficiency. That’s hard because it’s ingrained in our culture, this notion that humanity is the savior of itself. That’s a lie. We’re not our savior, God is. We cannot praise God when we’re busy praising ourselves.

OUR SITUATION RESULTS IN A WITNESS TO OTHERSThere is an exciting thing about us waiting patiently, and God hearing, acting, and changing our perspective, resulting in us praising him. It’s told in the rest of verse 3:

“Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3b (CSB)

Our whole experience becomes a witness that can lead others to know and trust in God.

Our trials are never wasted. First, they change us, but also they are a light shining in the darkness for others to see. That’s astounding. We get to participate in a show of God’s glory, in bringing hope to this weary world.

resist the temptation to hideBut as we’ve acknowledged, sometimes the struggles we face are so awful, or it produces such shame that we’d rather no one knew. But this is the very thing we need to resist. We must resist the temptation to hide the reality of our lives.

TRUSTING GOD RESULTS IN HAPPINESSWe need to be transparent so God can show others how he is acting in our lives. Whatever pit we fell into, or whatever ordeal we’ve gone through, that’s all part of who we’ve become and who we’re continuing to become. It’s part of the tapestry that God is weaving of our lives. We need to trust him with that.

Conveniently, Psalm 40 goes on to tell us what the benefit of trusting God is. Here’s verse 4:

“How happy is anyone who has put his trust in the Lord…” Psalm 40:4a (CSB)

Some translations use the word happy, some use the word blessed. But the idea is this: putting our trust in God means we’re putting ourselves in the care of our almighty, sovereign God, the God who hears us, turns to us, lifts us up from the pit, and changes our perspective. Under God’s protection we can rest and find peace. That’s where we find our state of blessedness, of happiness, even in the midst of difficulties.

Resist the temptation to turn to self or humanity as a source of salvationYes, there is still a caution for us, a temptation to resist. Putting our trust in the Lord means we don’t turn to human wisdom, or self sufficiency for rescue. That’s exactly what the rest of verse 4 says:

“How happy is anyone who has put his trust in the Lord and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies!” Psalm 40:4

This can be difficult when our culture is screaming at us to do it all our way, to be “free” of any outside constraint, and trust in ourselves. Or to trust in the current person trying to sell us happiness. We need to resist that if we’re truly going to trust in the Lord.

REMEMBER THE WORKS OF THE LORD Is God deserving of that trust? Why? Check out verse 5 of Psalm 40:

“Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.” Psalm 40:5 (NIV)

The God who deserves our trust is the God who’s done wonder upon wonder not just throughout the course of history, but also in a deeply personal way in our own lives.

We are not walking through life facing random events. God is sovereign, and he makes good plans for his people. He’s been doing this since before time began. Our job is to remember this. Remember the works of the Lord recorded in the Bible, but also to remember the works of the Lord in our own lives. To record them, to meditate on them. To sing about them, tell about them, and write stories about them. Acknowledge that God’s works are indeed too many to declare.

Think about how much God has done for us just today. Our hearts are beating by God’s grace, we’re breathing, oxygen is going to our brains and everywhere else in our bodies. We’re wearing clothes that God provided. Eating food that he gave us. In a shelter he provided. We can hear, see, feel, and think.

Take a few seconds to consider how you got where you’ve gotten to so far on your writing journey. Consider the hurdles you’ve faced, the knowledge you’ve gained, the experiences you’ve had, both good and bad. How about your journey just to discover your desire to write in the first place, or to hear God telling you to write? What about all the things he planned that led you to that point? If you’re like me, you might’ve had a twenty some-odd year journey to that discovery.

Resist the temptation to discount God’s works or his sovereign controlMany are the wonders God has done. But sometimes we forget. Sometimes our memory is just too short. Or perhaps worse, we discount the things God has done.

We’re tempted to think that all those marvels are in the past, and we don’t trust that God has anything else planned. But we have to resist that temptation, because of course he has more plans. He’s God. He has a sovereign plan for everything. You’re not a forgotten secondary character in some other person’s story. God has an arc just for you, and he IS leading you through your own story.

No one can come in and take it over. No one can sabotage or revise God’s plans. He doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t need an editor. Remember that the verse says, “None can compare with God.” That means he’s the best planner, and the best story-maker.

So as we head into the remainder of this year, stop and take some time to do a heart check. To recenter your thoughts and hopes on God’s sovereign plans for you and your writing journey. Speak, write, remember, and praise God for the deeds he has already done in your life, and wait expectantly for the amazing deeds he has planned for your future.

Trust us on this. Not just for the rest of this year, but for the rest of your life, you can trust God with every single thing that you face. In your life, and in your career, he’s got you in his hands.

Writers, let Psalm 40 help you recenter your heart on Almighty God. #amwriting #ChristianWriter
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Upcoming ConferenceErin will be at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, in Leesburg, FL, October 16-20, 2024.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What do you do to recenter your writer’s heart?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our August sponsor of the month, Tammy Partlow! She’s a speaker at women’s retreats, and her debut novel Blood Beneath the Pines, a suspense set in the deep South, is now available. She’s hard at work on the next book in the series!

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

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We each need to take a moment and examine our writer’s focus, to ensure it’s on the only one deserving of our trust: Almighty God. And Psalm 40 is here to help you do exactly that! For more information and the full show notes, visit writefromthedeep.com.

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Do you want to know God more intimately and live unafraid? Come join our guest, Grace Fox, as she delves into the many names of God, all with their own meaning and promise. You will find yourself more drawn to Him than ever!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

We’re told in Scripture that God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, and yet so many of us struggle with that very emotion in our lives. Sometimes even debilitating fear.

Guest Grace Fox is here to share what God has taught her about living unafraid.

About Grace Fox

Grace Fox is a popular speaker at women’s events internationally. She inspires hope, courage, and transformation through God’s word. She has served as a career missionary for more than 30 years. Grace has written 14 books and published hundreds of articles in magazines.

She’s a member of the First Five Bible Study writing team for P 31 Ministries and is a co-host for a podcast called Your Daily Bible Verse.

Her book, Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos, won the Golden Scroll Devotional Book of the Year Award in 2021. Keeping Hope Alive: Devotions for Strength in the Storm won the same award in 2022.

Her newest devotional is titled Names of God: Living Unafraid. You can learn all about her at GraceFox.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Living UnafraidErin: Welcome listeners. We are delighted that you’re here with us today. And you might even hear my smile. We have a guest, Grace Fox, and she’s on a boat somewhere in Canada!

Karen Ball: In fact, Grace and her husband have been living on their boat for six years, and they have discovered all kinds of people to share God’s love with. Welcome, Grace.

Grace Fox: Thank you so much for having me. I am excited to be here with you all.

Erin: Of course, we’re going to start by asking you what ‘the deep’ means to you?

Grace Fox: It means going into a hard place, and yet it’s a rich place. It’s a place I might not necessarily choose for myself because it might hurt and I don’t like pain, but it’s often in the hard places, the painful places of life, that we grow the most.

Karen: It’s true. We don’t want to go there. But so often God forces us there, kicking and screaming. Whenever Erin and I meet together, we read from a devotional called Streams in the Desert.

What I most appreciate about that devotional is it addresses the fact that, by following Christ, we are members of the fellowship of suffering. Living the Christian life is not easy, but we have an almighty God and Savior who help us to get through it.

Know God BetterGrace Fox: And maybe the deep shouldn’t be a place we dread or think of it as a frightening place to be. Maybe we should start thinking of it more as a place of invitation, where God says, “Come with me. You wanna know Me better? Let’s go to the deep.”

Erin: Both are true. It’s hard and it’s great. So, Grace, we mentioned in our intro that you have a new devotional release about living unafraid. What compelled you to focus on the names of God as a means to overcome fear?

Grace Fox: Back during Covid days, I thought about women being in isolation just like I was. And it occurred to me that maybe they were hungry to fellowship with other women, like I was.

Many years prior I wrote a book called Moving From Fear to Freedom, A Woman’s Guide to Peace in every Situation. And then I had done a Bible study to go with that.

So pulled that out and put it out there, asking women if they’d like to do the study with me on Zoom.

Eighty women said yes! I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t know how to do small groups on Zoom. But a woman who had signed up contacted me and she said, “Grace, do you need help with the technological part of this?” And I said, “Absolutely!”

So off we went with a seven- or eight-week study. And as it came to an end, the ladies were asking what we were going to do next? And I went, “I don’t know. What are we gonna do next?”

What’s Next?I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But in my own quiet time reading, the names of God just kept coming up. Not any particular names of God, but the words “name of God” or “God’s name.” Such as “in God’s holy name,” or “We will praise God’s name.”

And I kept thinking, what’s the deal? It just kept coming around. Finally I realized God was trying to get my attention. And so I offered that––to study God’s names together. I wrote the curriculum as we went, week by week.

It was a massive undertaking, but I learned so much and saw how there is tons of material to explore.

When I met my managing editor around that time, she asked me for other book ideas. I pulled up my laptop and went through a list of what I’d been studying.

She listened and when I said, “What about a book on the names of God?” She said, “Yes, Let’s do that.” So that’s how this was born.

A Devotional StudyIt’s actually a devotional study. It’s seven chapters, written in a devotional style, with stories and biblical teaching and a prayer and questions at the end of each chapter. It’s a Bible study for groups or individuals.

I envision somebody sitting across the table having coffee with a friend and doing this, maybe one-on-one as a discipleship tool. And then there’s a QR code at the end of each chapter where you just point your camera and up will come a fifteen-minute video teaching.

Karen: How fun!

Why Study the Names of God?Grace Fox: I’ve learned so much about the names of God and how understanding each one can change our lives. Because understanding God’s character frees us to live unafraid.

Erin: I really like the notion of studying God’s names, because God’s name is who He is, but it’s also what He does. And if we connect those things better we can apply who He is to our situation, and understand how who He is affects who we are and what we need. So I love how it’s all woven together.

Grace Fox: Years and years ago, my husband and I were missionaries back in Nepal. Our son was born there, and then on our second child was born, but she had hydrocephalus––too much water on the brain.

The doctors told us we had to take her back to North America on the first flight available for a surgery to save her life. Well, back then there weren’t a lot of international flights. Maybe one every three days or so.

Then, when the airline found out I had had a C-section to deliver this baby, they refused to take me because I was a medical high risk. They didn’t want me, or my less-than-two-week-old baby on their plane. But my husband and the doctors said our little girl would die if she didn’t get back.

So my husband wrapped our daughter in a big blanket, and took one bottle of breast milk and a diaper bag. That’s all he had. He left, but I had to stay behind for another eight days.

“What do You want me to Learn?”Sitting on that bed, after saying good-bye to my newborn daughter, not knowing if I would see her alive again or not, I cried out to God, asking what He wanted me to learn.

Well, one week prior, we’d interviewed with a career mission agency to stay in Nepal for the rest of our lives. And now…that was not gonna happen. And it was that fast that everything changed.

In that very, very dark moment, the lyrics of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” came to mind. And I got to where I could kind of sing along. Not with my whole heart and mind, but I was hanging on for dear life to God’s faithfulness

I wondered what was going to happen to our family. We were going back to North America with no job, no car, no house. We didn’t even have a health insurance for a North American hospital, and we were gonna have a baby in the NICU ward!

The AHA! MomentThat was the life-changing aha! moment for me, a young woman in my mid-twenties. I either had to believe those lyrics, that God is faithful, or not. And if they weren’t true, then we were in serious trouble.

But if they were true, then everything would be okay. It didn’t mean our daughter would live. It didn’t promise me that she would have a good quality of life. But God would be faithful to see us through, no matter what. And I hung onto that.

Since then, I’ve believed with all my heart that our understanding of who God is, well, that’s the most important understanding we can have. Which means we have to ensure that understanding is based not on our feelings, not on our circumstances, not on what somebody else says, but on truth.

And that’s what gets us through those hard and deep places.

Erin: Exactly. What do we have if not that truth? We have nothing. So, let’s talk about the process of writing and studying all of these things. What kind of affect did that have on your own spiritual journey as a writer?

Yahweh Rohi: The Lord is my shepherdGrace Fox: This book has seven of God’s names, but there are so many more. When I thought about Yahweh Rohi, The Lord is my Shepherd, I realized that every time I write a book, I go into it with a great deal of fear. I think it’s fear of failure, like, Oh no, I landed a contract! What if I fail?

That’s when I remember Yahweh Rohi, The Lord is my Shepherd. I have all I need. My Shepherd will give me what I need to do this job.

I will trust Him to lead me to the right research and the right resources. I might have somebody who I think will be a good interview for a particular chapter, but inevitably Yahweh Rohi flips it upside down and brings in somebody else whose story is a better fit.

What’s more, I have to be open to that––to follow His guidance as my Shepherd, to follow His lead and to know that He’s not gonna lead me down some path with a dead end.

He’s going to lead me down the right path to this pasture that is green and it’s gonna feed not only my soul as I write it, but it’s also gonna feed the souls of the readers.

What If I Fail?Karen: There’s the perfect answer to that question, “What if I fail?” Yahweh Rohi. The Lord is my Shepherd. I can’t fail. He has called me and guided me to write this. I don’t need to worry about failing. I just need to pay attention and to listen.

Grace Fox: Exactly. I mean, think about the cast sheep. That’s the sheep that just flips over on its back and it can’t get up. So it’s in a very vulnerable position.

Sometimes a sheep like that will lie there and kick and flounder and cry out, bleating for the shepherd’s help. Unless the shepherd comes to help, the cast sheep will die.

As a writer, I’ve been that sheep in that cast position. Several years ago I had such high hopes for one book that I’d written. I thought it was going to come out of the gate and be a bestseller and I’d be set for life and all that, yada yada. But it didn’t happen. Not at all.

Two years into it, my agent had to release some clients because of her life and needs at that point. And I was one of those she said good-bye to. Well, that broke my heart. Then I heard that this book that I had all the high hopes for was going to be remaindered. And I thought, Oh, all that work for nothing!

“Is This The End of My Career?”I went into a pit. I was the sheep on my back, lying there with its legs floundering and crying, “Oh God, I don’t get it. I had better hopes for this.” One day, I even thought, Maybe I’m done writing, maybe this is it. This is the end.

I cried out again to my Shepherd. “God, you gotta help me here. Would You show me if I’m done? Because if I’m done writing, I’m okay with that. If I’m not, then You need to tell me, because I’m okay with persevering too, but I just wanna know so I’m not wasting my energy anymore.”

Keep Writing!Five hours later––five hours––my phone rang and it was a woman I didn’t even know. She said, “Grace, for some reason I feel compelled to call you. I’ve never called an author before, but today I can’t get this out of my head. I need to tell you that your book, Moving from Fear to Freedom, changed my life.

“I also feel compelled to tell you this, for whatever this is about, so just take it or leave it. I feel compelled to say, please keep writing.”

I burst into tears. I told her why I was crying, what I had prayed five hours before. And then she started crying and said, “I heard the spirit.”

“You not only heard him, but you did something about it.”

She was afraid what I would think of her if she just called me. But she did it anyway. Wow. And I needed the words she spoke. It was my most amazing God moment ever as a writer.

That was 10 or 12 years ago, and I’ve never looked back. I’ve grown weary, but I’ll never again think it’s over. Not until God makes it that clear that it’s done.

Are You Done?Karen: Over the years, I’ve had authors come to me and ask if I think they’re finished writing. My first response is to ask who gave him or her the task to write in the first place? If their answer is God, then I ask if He’s set them free from that task. The answer is usually no, or the reasons they think they’re done.

But I ask again if God has set them free. More often than not, the answer is no. “Then you’re not done.”

I understand the frustration and weariness, but God doesn’t call us to be bestselling authors. He calls us to write His words and truth for whomever will read it and be blessed by it.

Grace Fox: Yep. So there might be a writer out there listening to this who feels like that little cast sheep and to that dear writer, I would say just call out to the Shepherd and He will come. He will come and put you back on your feet.

Part of a shepherd’s job is to massage the sheep to get that circulation going until that sheep is able to run again. Jesus, our Shepherd, our Yahweh Rohi, knows what we writers need to get back on our feet so that we can run again.

Understand the Shepherd Aspect of God

Erin: Amen. How kind and gentle and loving He is to give us what we need in those moments. Like the shepherd rubbing and massaging the sheep, when Jesus was here, walking on Earth, He was going places, meeting people, touching the leper…

We would have less fear if we understood that Shepherd aspect of Jesus more deeply, that he is going to take care of us. My favorite thing about the shepherd is the place of rest. My Shepherd leads me beside quiet waters and makes me lie down in green pastures.

It’s such a picture of calm.

Publishing is difficult and can be stressful and fraught with problems, but if we’re doing it with God, it’s also a place of rest. And if we would hang on to that, it would make such a difference. And that’s just one of the names you cover!

Yahweh: I Am Who I AmKaren: Another name that you explore is just Yahweh, and the meaning you give is I Am Who I Am. Who else can say that but God? I Am Who I Am. You know, we spend so much time trying to “find” ourselves. God never has to do that. He knows who He is.

So when I pray, if I’m feeling uncertain, I can go to the I Am, Who is the biggest and the best and the most powerful of anyone who has ever existed. And I can rest in Him and in the promise that nothing is going to change Him. He is God.

Yahweh Tzevaot: the Lord of HostsErin: Yeah, that’s very cool. Another name that I really liked was Yahweh Tzevaot. I might not pronounce it right, but it means the Lord of Hosts. Can you talk about that one just a little bit?

Grace Fox: You did well pronouncing that name. That is the name that comes to mind when we think about David fighting Goliath, when David says, “You come to me with with your javelin and with all your armor, but I come to you in the name of the Lord, my God.”

The Israelite army turned around and ran from Goliath’s taunts. The entire army. Twice a day for 40 days, whenever Goliath came out and taunted them.

When David, this little teenage shepherd boy showed up, he says, “What’s the problem here?”

What’s the problem? Goliath is defying the army of the living God, and that’s a problem! So David picks up his five little smooth stones and takes Goliath out with a slingshot!

Fight In Yahweh Tzevaot’s Name!David really got it. He fought that battle in the name of the Lord of hosts, the Lord of heaven’s armies.

If you’re looking at all the challenges with marketing or writing a book, or maybe you’re a newer writer trying to break into publishing, and it feels like a Goliath before you. But if God has called us to do this, then do it in the name of the Lord of hosts!

He goes before us. He’s the one who gives us courage. He’s the one who fights on our behalf. We don’t do this alone.

Karen: When we come to challenges, we need to see through the eyes of eternity, not the eyes of this temporal world.

If you look at where the world is today, it’s easy to be discouraged and to feel as though everything’s out of control. There’s so much hatred and so much violence, and yet if we turn our gaze to God and we see Him in all of these names and that He does, we don’t need to be afraid.

We don’t need to despair. We know that God is all knowing. We know that God is ever present. We know that in all of his names and in all of the things that He does, He is working for our best. He is working to make us into clearer reflections of His son.

So, Grace, as we draw our time to a close, do you have any final words of wisdom for our listeners?

El Elon: God is a CreatorGrace Fox: I would just sign off using the name El Elyon. And that one is God is a Creator, Almighty God. Because he is a creator, he owns it all. So it’s his right to do with it what he wants, right?

And that’s true about our writing career, our endeavors. That’s true about our lives. When we belong to Him, He owns us. He bought us with the blood of Jesus Christ. We need to surrender to that, to be good with that and learn to rest in that.

Also that name denotes the fact that He is the boss, therefore He always has the final say. When we as writers look at what’s before us, look at our dreams, look at our endeavors or whatever, always remember He decides the outcome.

So we can strive and strive and strive, but He gets the final say. And don’t compare with other people’s journey, but rest in contentment knowing that He’s got us. He’s our Shepherd. He holds us close to His heart and He will have the final say.

Karen: Amen!

Erin: Amen to that.

Book mentioned in the podcastNames of God: Living Unafraid by Grace Fox

I cried out to God, asking what He wanted me to learn. #amwriting #Christianwriter
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How can you start today to live unafraid?

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Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! If you want to add your support, visit patreon.com/writefromthedeep. We’d sure appreciate it!

Thanks so much to our July sponsor of the month, Wendy L. Macdonald. She’s a writer, poet, podcaster, photographer, a maker of journals (find her on Etsy to see them!) and nature lover. I know you’d enjoy getting to know her! Check out the treasury of her website at wendyLmacdonald.com.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

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Fasting. We’ve all heard of it, and yet we rarely do it. But this ancient practice is frequently mentioned in the Bible, with Jesus himself leading the way. He did it, he taught about it, and he presumed we’d follow in his footsteps. Join us for a deeper look at this vital aspect of discipleship and why it matters for writers. We’ll even discuss alternatives to try if your medical condition prevents you from practicing typical methods of fasting.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

We’ve been talking about various practices for deepening our relationship with God. Here are links to our past episodes about Rest-211, Prayer 208, Silence-205, Solitude 199, and Fellowship 214 if you missed them. Today we want to cover a practice that isn’t the first choice for most of us. It’s certainly not comfortable, and often put off or not done at all. What is it? Fasting.

Now, hang in there with us, because while fasting typically involves abstaining from food for a period of time, we’re well aware that some folks, Karen included, have medical issues that make it unsafe, even life threatening, to skip meals. So in this episode, we’ll also cover alternatives to traditional fasting.

First, let’s talk about why fasting matters. I mean, who thought of this? And why?

I’ll sum up my research findings in one sentence: I couldn’t find any source that claimed to know exactly when the practice of fasting started. New World Encyclopedia just says, “Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history.”

But it is also found in various ancient written records—including the Old and New Testaments.

How often is fasting mentioned in the Bible? An article on cslewisinstitute.org lists many occasions:

In Deuteronomy chapter 9, Moses recounts how he did not one but two 40-day fasts when he was meeting with God on Mt. Sinai after leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

In Daniel 10:3, in response to an overwhelming, terrifying vision, Daniel talks about his partial fast for 21 days and says, “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.” After this he received the meaning of the vision.

Here’s what it says in Ezra 8:21-23 when Ezra is leading a group of exiles from Babylon back to Jerusalem: “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.’ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.” ESV

In the book of Esther, when Haman succeeded in getting a law published to kill all the Jews, Esther was going to go to the king to plead for mercy, but appearing before him without being summoned was punishable by death unless the king held out his scepter to her. So here’s what she tells her uncle, Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16 ESV

Another fast during a national emergency happens in the time of King Jehoshaphat. A giant army made up of different people groups has come against them, and this is the king’s response in 2 Chronicles 20:3-4: “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” ESV

The result of this fast? God delivered them—they didn’t even need to fight the battle because the opposing armies killed each other off.

Fasting is found in the New Testament, too. Mark chapter 1 tells us Jesus himself fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. And Jesus’ teaching on fasting in Matthew chapters 6 and 9 make it clear that he expects this to be a normal practice for his followers after his crucifixion.

In Acts chapter 9, Saul, later to be called the apostle Paul, fasts for three days after being blinded after his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus.

In Acts 13, God’s instructions to launch the first missionary journey come during the course of prayer and fasting, and Paul and Barnabus are then sent off with another round of prayer and fasting. And it’s clear that fasting was a regular part of their journey. Acts 14:23 says, “And when [Paul and Barnabus] had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

We won’t take the time to give detailed examples of prominent fasting Christians in the centuries after the Bible was written, but we will point out that John Calvin, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and C.S. Lewis were all enthusiastic supporters and practicers of fasting.

One more thing we should make clear. The article on cslewisinstitute.org states that the Bible specifically defines fasting as going without food. Here’s how they put it: “In the Old Testament, the main Hebrew word used is tsom, which means ‘to abstain from food.’ In the New Testament, the Greek word we translate as ‘fast’ is nesteuo, which means ‘to abstain from eating.’ In both testaments, fasting is simply going without food in order to seek God for some special reason.”

The reason they stress this definition is because this is what the actual practice was and is: going without food. This is what the Israelites did, this is what Jesus did, and it’s what he’s teaching about. So, if your health allows, this is the normal way to practice fasting.

But again, we know not everyone can physically do this, so we’ll also discuss alternatives.

First, let’s circle back to the purpose of this practice. The article on cslewisinstitute.org says it’s “to seek God for some special reason.” So, why would fasting help us do that?

How Does Fasting Help Us Seek God?1. Fasting helps us divorce ourselves from the ordinary pleasures and occupations of this world.

Dallas Willard, in his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, which we’ve mentioned in previous episodes, writes this: “[Fasting] teaches us a lot about ourselves very quickly…it reveals to us how much our peace depends upon the pleasures of eating.”

Justin Whitmel Earley, in his book The Common Rule, adds, “Fasting is a way to resist the original sin of trying to eat our way to happiness…”

Earley goes on to describe how he feels during a day of fasting: “It’s midmorning when I become irritable. Not only am I trying to concentrate over a hungry stomach, but I also can’t do what I otherwise do every day: look forward to lunch or snacks as a way to medicate the pain of toilsome work.”

He continues describing the discomfort of his day, then he sums it up with this: “When I fast I see that deep down I’m not actually a very patient person after all. I’m not actually a very content person after all…I’m a weak, impatient, angry person who medicates with food and drink. This is painful to confront. Yet to live without fasting is to live without knowing who I truly am.”

Knowing our weaknesses is humbling, but that’s right where we need to be in order to effectively seek God. Which leads to the second reason fasting helps us seek God.

2. Fasting reminds us that we are humbly dependent on God.

We’re dependent on God for everything. Acts 17:25 (NIV) tells us, “[God] is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”

God supplies our daily bread, our clothes, our homes, our jobs, our stories, our words, our talents and abilities, our book sales, our readers.

Dallas Willard writes, “Persons well used to fasting as a systematic practice will have a clear and constant sense of their resources in God.”

That’s exactly what we need as Christians, a better connection to the reality of God as our constant provider.

But there’s more. Willard goes on to say that this connection and constant sense developed through the systematic practice of fasting will help us “…endure deprivations of all kinds, even to the point of coping with them easily and cheerfully.”

Imagine what coping cheerfully and easily with deprivations could look like if, say, you find you have to type your next book with one hand because you’ve developed carpal tunnel syndrome in the other? Or if the time you thought you had to write gets cut in half because of an unforeseen family emergency? Or if you lose your publishing contract? Or your day job? Or you have to tighten your belt due to the crazy inflation these days? Or whatever else.

3. Fasting helps us feast on God.

But God is more than just the giver of stuff we need. Dallas Willard writes, “Fasting confirms our utter dependence on God by finding in him a source of sustenance beyond food…In fasting we learn how to suffer happily as we feast on God.”

So, fasting helps us see God as more than a provider of resources, but actually as sustenance itself.

Look at Deuteronomy 8:3 where Moses speaks to the Israelites before they head into the Promised Land: “[God] humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Now fast forward to the New Testament and look at what Jesus says about this bread of God in John 6, verses 33 and 51 (ESV): “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

So, fasting helps us seek God by seeking to feast on him. On who he is, on what he’s done, and on what he will keep doing throughout eternity.

Look at what Psalm 36:7-9 says: “…The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.” ESV

Not only can we feast on God, we can also feast on doing God’s will. In John chapter 4, Jesus is talking to the woman at the well in Samaria, while his disciples have gone to the village to buy food. When they come back, they urge him to eat. Here’s what he says, “…I have food to eat that you do not know about” (John 4:32 ESV). So the disciples are trying to figure out if someone brought him food while they were gone. But then: “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’” (John 4:34 ESV)

I love how Dallas Willard sums this up. When we fast, he writes, “We learn that we too have meat to eat that the world does not know about. Fasting unto our Lord is therefore feasting—feasting on him and on doing his will.”

4. Fasting helps remind us to pray and serve.

None of what we’ve said so far means we won’t actually experience the discomfort of hunger. We typically do. But one way those hunger pangs can help us seek God is by being a consistent reminder to pray. As we go about the busyness of life, the habit of praying can be something that becomes superficially brief, or put off until we have more time, or forgotten altogether. But prayer is key in communicating with God, so the reminder to pray that hunger brings can help us foster more constant interaction with God.

And hey, if we don’t have to spend time making dinner and eating it, well, we’ve just freed up more time to spend with God.

Another benefit of the discomfort of fasting is that it can help us tune in to the needs of others. Here’s what Justin Whitmel Earley writes of his own experience returning home from a day at work when he’s been fasting, “I come home [at dinner time] not expecting to eat. I’m simply expecting to serve other people as they eat. The most remarkable part is that I’m actually happier that way, because all along I’ve been thinking that food makes me happy. But now I see that only love does that. When that switch happens, ironically one of my favorite things to do is cook for other people when I’m fasting.”

5. Fasting helps us empathize with the suffering of others.

You all will likely find other benefits of fasting that we didn’t have time to cover, but one last benefit we want to mention is that fasting gives us empathy with those who are suffering. That, in turn, expands our capacity and tenacity in our prayers for the needs of those around us.

Justin Whitmel Earley writes, “When we fast, we become more attuned to the stubborn reality of the world’s suffering…while there is a part of fasting that reveals our own needs, there is a part that reveals the world’s need, too…fasting is a way to lean past our own emptiness and into someone else’s. It’s a practice of empathy, of willingly walking into pain for someone else. It’s an imitation of Christ…”

What if fasting isn’t medically advisable for you?Now, for those of you who can’t fast—either for physical or mental health reasons—remember the goal as you’re looking for a suitable alternative. As Justin Whitmel Earley puts it, you want to “lean into the lack.”

• Simple Meals

One idea, instead of not eating, might be to eat very simple meals.

You can follow what Daniel did, and rather than abstain from all foods, you can choose certain foods to abstain from. Maybe especially those we consume for pleasure rather than healthy sustenance. We need protein everyday, but does it need to come from whatever your favorite source is? What about things like soda? Refined sugar? Chocolate? Potato Chips? These are things we like the taste of, we eat them for pleasure rather than nutritional value.

In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Willard writes, “The desert fathers such as St. Antony often subsided for long periods of time on bread and water…” but he also cautions that “their ‘bread’ was much more substantial than we have today.”

So you might not want to eat just store bought white bread! But what is the simplest meal that can supply the basic nutrients you need? The goal is to experience discomfort, to be humbled, to focus on God as our fullness.

• Abstain from Snacking

Another alternative, and something that can also be done in conjunction with simple meals, is to not eat between meals—if your medical condition makes that possible. I know I have the habit of grazing. My watch tells me it’s time to stand because I’ve been sitting too long, so I get up and walk to my kitchen where I eat a nice little snack. Which, when you analyze that, is probably counterproductive. For the most part, I don’t need those snacks. I just like them.

• Abstain from Entertainment

Kelly Minter, in her Bible study Encountering God: Cultivating Habits of Faith Through the Spiritual Disciplines writes this: “When we fast, we’re practicing the needed discipline of saying no to ourselves and yes to God.”

For alternatives to fasting from food, what other things can we say no to? Well, we can say no to entertainment. No TV, no phone games, no social media scrolling for birds and puppies and other fun videos, no Spotify, Pandora, or Podcasts, no reading for pleasure, going to the movies, sporting events, or whatever you do for fun. Take a whole day off, and rather than seeking distraction, seek only God, his presence, his words, his direction. Learn to delight in God, and only God.

• Abstain from Something Else

What are the things in your life that take up time? Things you look forward to and would miss?

For example, suppose you’re an extroverted person who hates to be alone and spends lots of time getting together with friends. Maybe you can choose to stay home one night a week instead—stay home and have a date with God.

Or, maybe you like to go out and shop. You don’t even necessarily buy things, although maybe sometimes you do. But instead of hitting the mall to look around and see what’s new, you abstain for 40 days. Instead, you use that time to stay home and seek God.

There are probably lots of other alternatives out there we can think of if we give it more personalized time and thought. Ask God to show you. The point is to practice fasting—in whatever way your health allows—and incorporate it into your spiritual life. As Dallas Willard writes, “…[F]asting is one of the more important ways of practicing that self-denial required of everyone who would follow Christ (Matthew 16:24).”

Why do we fast?Kelly Minter sums up her reasoning for fasting this way in her Bible Study Encountering God: “I believe we can and should fast for guidance, healing, direction, intercession, in pursuit of spiritual breakthroughs, and more. But I believe one of the greatest reasons we can fast is simply in pursuit of a deeper experience with Christ.”

Fasting. We’ve all heard of it, and yet we rarely do it. Take a deeper look at this vital aspect of discipleship and why it matters for writers. #amwriting #Christianwriter
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What practice is mentioned often in the Bible as a means of seeking God, but frequently neglected by Christians today? Fasting. Come take a deeper look at this vital aspect of discipleship and why it matters for writers. For more information and the full show notes visit writefromthedeep.com.

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As we discussed last week, there are things happening in our country and around the world that many of us never believed could happen. Riots, protests, increasing terrorist activity, science being ignored and twisted, vitriol becoming the norm toward any who disagree with society’s agendas… all of which we’ll tackle. Along with how to prepare for the enemy’s attacks!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

It seems insane, but in reality, it’s not. It’s warfare. Spiritual warfare. And the “enemy” is not people who have bought into the insanity. It’s not even the people spewing hatred and violence against those with whom they disagree. The enemy, plain and simple, is the creature known as satan. That “father of lies” who seeks to devour and destroy any who believe in God and stand for His truth.

You may have already experienced attacks against your heart and soul, attacks designed to undermine your faith and immobilize you as one who writes or speaks truth.

If you haven’t, know that the time may well come when you will. When you’ll be asked to surrender God’s truth, exchanging it for lies and deception. Such things are already happening to Christian writers. So the question is, are you ready?

How Do We Prepare?So, how do you prepare for whatever the enemy throws your way? First, you must know where you’re vulnerable. Here are some common vulnerabilities along with possible solutions to help you overcome them.

Vulnerability #1: Attacks when we Feel WeakWhether you’re feeling weak physically, emotionally, or spiritually, these are moments that leave us open to attacks. And we’ve all been there…those times we’ve done everything we know to do in our work as writers, and nothing seems to be working out.

When we are dealing with illness or injury, and feel as though we’ll never be strong again. When we’re worn down from trials or battles or just life, so tired of the struggle, so weak, that’s when doubts come knocking at our heart’s door. So let’s consider solutions for those three types of weakness: Physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Solutions for Physical WeaknessIt’s so tempting, when we’re weak physically, to believe we just…can’t. Can’t work, can’t write, can’t deal with people or relationships, can’t do anything we want to do. Which is why it’s so important to take even small steps to refresh and restore yourself. To steal yourself against attacks when you’re weak. Some things you can do:

Get Moving. It may seem counter-intuitive, but exercise can help when you’re feeling weak physically. I know how much I just want to sleep when I’m in this place, but then I remember what my dad always told me: “Talk a walk before you take a nap. You’ll be surprised how much better you feel.” And you know what, he was right.

Rest. Sometimes, though, you really do need to just rest. I (Erin) suffer from bouts of chronic fatigue. When they hit, I can’t do anything BUT rest. I don’t necessarily mean sleeping, although that can be helpful, but by finding a restorative place or activity to rest and relax.

Sometimes I just sit on my deck or on my couch and watch the birds. Sometimes I just lie on the floor in my bedroom—cuz it has cozy carpet—and I shut out everything in my mind and look out the window at the sky and trees and think about one Bible verse and let God’s presence and his Word give me rest. God is the source of our ultimate rest and protection against the enemy’s attacks.

I know we’re talking about physical weakness, but for me, my mind is very much a part of that physicality.

For me (Karen), that’s often my back porch, where I can watch the birds, listen to the wind rustling the trees, and see my flowers growing.

Hydration. Believe it or not, sometimes that weakness is simply dehydration. According to FamilyDoctor.org, “Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly.

“For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints. Good hydration is important for overall good health.”

See Your Doctor. If this weakness goes on for too long, it’s always a good idea to see your doctor. You might have something going on that needs medical intervention.

Solutions for Emotional WeaknessEmotional weakness or exhaustion comes when the stresses in our lives wear us down. If you’re at a place where you think you can’t handle one more bad or hard thing, where you’re at the “end of your rope,” you may be facing emotional exhaustion.

The devastating consequences of this particular weakness is that we often get the sense that we have little to no power over our own lives. That we just have to take the hits, no matter how long they keep on coming. And we all know how it seems impossible to be creative and write in the face of emotional exhaustion!

Find Power in Prayer. Regardless of your feelings, you do have power. Because you have prayer. When you take your emotional exhaustion to the Father, when you lay it at His feet and ask for mercy, He will answer you. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean things will suddenly be better. But it does mean He will uplift and strengthen you. He promises you that in Isaiah 40:29-31:

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Let Friends Help. I know, I know, it’s hard to ask for help. Expecially when you’re emotionally weak. But just make one phone call. Send one email. Reach out to one person who you know will respond. Ask for company, prayer, Scriptures…whatever you need.

You don’t have to go through this alone. Nor should you. Hanging out with people who truly love you, who are as comfortable with your silence as with your talking, who are willing to just be with you can be powerfully restorative.

Journal. Hey, we’re writers, yes? So write what you’re feeling and why. Write out prayers to God. Write down helpful Scripture or quotes. It can help you in so many ways, from getting it out of your head and onto paper to helping you better understand what you’re going through.

Take a break. Get away from everyone and everything. Find a safe place to be with God and seek His restoration and healing.

Solutions for Spiritual WeaknessAh, spiritual weakness. This, above all others, is the most attractive weakness to satan . He is delighted when we fall into this vulnerability, and believe you me, he will attack this weakness with vigor.

As much as we hate to admit it, we are all susceptible to this vulnerability. But why? Well, often because we don’t truly understand the nature of God.

Two of my favorite moments in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia are when:

(1) Lucy asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe. His response? “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

(2) When Mr. Tumnus adds, “He’s wild, you know. Not a tame lion.”

As much as we talk about understanding that God’s ways are not our ways, that His thoughts are not our thoughts, we still often hold expectations that God will be…safe. Tame. That He’ll do what makes sense to us. And when that doesn’t happen, in whatever way it may happen, we’re shocked. Disappointed. And doubts start to creep in.

If God’s all good, then why did He let this happen?

If God loves me, why didn’t He protect me?

Where was God when this happened?

If God can allow innocents to be slaughtered, He must not be good.

And on and on we go, measuring God by our standards, our expectations, and our human thought processes. Which often leads us straight into spiritual weakness.

Some of the signs that you’re feeling spiritually weak. You:

• struggle with anger and hopelessness
• have no desire to be with God’s people
• stop reading the Bible or spending time with God
• feel abandoned by God
• can’t seem to accept the coexistence of God and pain
• start to doubt what you know to be true about God

If you’re in this kind of place, here are some possible solutions:

Seek sound counsel. Go to those who you know will listen to your struggles and questions without condemning you. Be honest with them about your feelings and the reasons for them. Then let them give you biblical counsel and guidance.

Read Hebrews. Why Hebrews, especially? Jon Bloom on desiringGod.org explains: “I love Hebrews for many reasons. I love how it radiates with the transcendent glory of God the Son. I love its magisterial grasp of how the old covenant is fulfilled and surpassed by the new covenant. And I love the beautiful, compelling portrait of the cloud of witnesses, who by their remarkable examples call us to live by faith in the unfailing promises of our faithful God.”

He goes on to say, “I also love Hebrews because it is a letter to weary Christians, some of whom are standing right on the cliff’s edge, tempted to ‘throw away [their] confidence, which has a great reward’ (Hebrews 10:35).”

Be honest with God. Pray and let God know what you’re feeling, why you’re struggling. God can handle all our doubts and frustrations, our anger and despair. In The Message, Matthew 11:28-30 tells us:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Give Yourself Time. Dealing with these soul-deep questions and struggles takes time. Don’t get down on yourself if it takes longer than you want to find peace in the situation. Remember that God is with you, He loves you without reserve, and He will guide you home.

Other VulnerabilitiesSo what are other vulnerabilities we need to watch for? Here’s an interesting one:

Attacks When we feel close to God or other believersI know, at first that doesn’t seem to make sense. But have you ever gone to a Christian writers’ conference or retreat? There’s such a high when we’re surrounded by people who share our beliefs and trust in God. Who share our passion for writing about Him and His truth. It’s exhilarating! And the worship together is profound. God is RIGHT THERE!

But what happens next? You get home, and boom! There are bills to pay, kids to parent, spouses to listen to, chores to be done. All normal life, but you miss that unity of purpose, that gathering with people who really get you. And the contrast is so profound that you start to feel alone. Even when surrounded by those who love you.

These emotional letdowns are perfectly normal, but if we aren’t careful, they can open a door to the prowling lion.

Solutions for these attacksRealize you’re dealing with emotions, which are true to how we feel, but aren’t always reliable in terms of what the Bible says is true. Speak God’s truth into those emotions. Thank God for the time you shared with those of like minds and passions. Savor the time you had together, the lessons you learned.

But recognize that ultimately your relationship with God is between just you and Him. Get to know Him as well as you know your friends and family. Spend as much time alone with Him as you do with others that you love. And remember that while your family and friends may not “get you” like other writers, they love you.

Spend time with other believers. It may not have the same impact as a conference or retreat, but being with other believers in a Bible study or fellowship group may help. Sometimes just being with a Christian friend, even for a short amount of time, can help as well. Go for a walk together, go out to dinner, even just sit and talk.

Remember you’re never really alone. The God who knit you together with other believers is always right there beside you. He is always ready to talk, to listen, and to show you His love. He’s waiting for you. Listen to what the Psalmist says in Psalm 27:8, and I love how the New Living Translation puts it: “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”

Lord, I Am ComingWe’ve got more vulnerabilities to explore, but that’s for a future podcast. For now, friends, let Psalm 27:8 be your response to your loving Father. “Lord, I am coming.” In every vulnerability, in every attack the enemy throws at you, “Lord, I am coming.”

Take it all to Him, lay it in His all-powerful hands, and walk away covered in His promises and grace. He will NEVER abandon you. No matter what circumstances seem to say, the Lord has spoken His truth and promises over you. And nothing the enemy does can erase or stop them.

Amen

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What is one vulnerability you strengthen against attacks?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Special thanks to our June sponsor of the month, June sponsor of the month Kimberley Woodhouse! She’s an award-winning and bestselling author of more than forty books. Her books have been awarded the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Reader’s Choice Award, Selah Award, Spur Award, Christian Market Book Award, Golden Scroll Award among others.

A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared with over 1,000,000 people at more than twenty-five hundred venues across the country. Check out her latest book: Set in Stone available now and we’ll link to it in the show notes!

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

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How should we as writers prepare ourselves for the enemy’s attacks? Know our vulnerabilities! Join us for a look at the most common vulnerabilities––and what to do about them. For more information and the full show notes, go to WritefromtheDeep.com.

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As writers, we need to understand the craziness in the world today. As Believers, we need to know how to prepare ourselves for the enemy's attacks.

For more information and the full show notes, go to WritefromtheDeep.com

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Writing is a solitary occupation, and yet God created human beings with a need for fellowship. This is why it’s crucial for writers to seek—and not neglect—community. Don’t miss being blessed—and blessing others—through this God-designed need for relationships.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Welcome to the deep! In some of our episodes this year, we’ve talked about various spiritual disciplines, by which we mean practices that help us develop a deeper, closer relationship with God. Here are links to our episodes about Rest-211, Prayer 208, Silence-205, and Solitude 199.

The Christian writing life is hard. Knowing God and trusting God is crucial on this journey. Today we want to focus on a practice that we don’t always think of as a discipline, and that we sometimes might even take for granted or feel like it sort of just goes without saying. What is this practice? It’s Christian fellowship.

What is fellowship?Let’s start with what fellowship is. Among Merriam-Webster’s definitions are:

Companionship, company, the state being comradely.

The BibleProject.com defines fellowship as: “shared participation within a community.”

Dalla Willard in his book The Spirit of the Disciplines writes this about fellowship: “In fellowship we engage in common activities of worship, study, prayer, celebration, and service with other disciples.”

Willard categorizes fellowship as a spiritual discipline of engagement. Whereas things like fasting, silence, and solitude are disciplines of abstinence, where we cease doing certain activities for a time, disciplines of engagement, like fellowship, are where we commit to participation, to involvement in activities we are at times likely to neglect. Bible study and prayer are other examples of disciplines of engagement.

So fellowship is something we do, something we participate in, either in a large group of people or just a few.

Why do we need fellowship?But why is fellowship important? What is the basis of it?

1. We were made for fellowship.

Justin Whitmel Earley, in his book The Common Rule, has this to say:

“One of the defining marks of the Christian faith is that God is three persons in one triune God. Among the thousands of radical implications of the Trinity, my favorite is that God is a fellowship. This means we are made in the image of fellowship.”

So we’re made for fellowship and in the image of fellowship.

The BibleProject article we mentioned earlier says:

“God enjoys perfect fellowship within himself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in eternal relationship and always participate in acts of self-giving love toward one another. This fellowship is the essence of heaven.”

Jesus talks about his fellowship with the Father in John 17:5: “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (NIV)

The BibleProject article goes on to say, “[God] created humans in his image so that we could share in his eternal self-giving fellowship and partner with him to share it with all of creation.”

So again, it seems clear that God designed us for fellowship.

Here’s another great quote from the book The Common Rule that talks about the implications of this:

“We came from friendship. Everything in the universe has its roots in friendship. That means the longing to be in right relationship with other people and things is at the heart of every molecule in existence—and most powerfully in our own hearts. We can’t be happy without knowing and being known, because that’s the image of the trinitarian friendship we were made in.”

The bottom line is that fellowship is necessary for human flourishing.

2. We need connections with other believers to help us with our spiritual formation.

The second reason why we need fellowship is that we need connections with other believers to help us with our spiritual formation. We all know how strong the influence of the world around us is. We’re bombarded with messages that undermine the reality and truth God has revealed to us.

Ben Beasley, one of the pastors at my church, was preaching about this a few weeks ago. I loved how he phrased this. He said, “Our spiritual formation must be stronger than our cultural formation.”

We can’t easily achieve that without connection to other believers.

In Dallas Willard’s book, The Spirit of the Disciplines, he talks about how the gifts God gives to the body of Christ are meant to be reciprocal in nature. They’re spread out among the members. Without fellowship, we wouldn’t get the full experience of God’s gifts for his church. We’d only experience a part of what he wants for us.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Because our gifts are to be used for the common good, our responsibility is to be part of the body so we can both give and receive gifts. This is how we grow and develop in our spiritual formation, and help others do the same.

In fellowship, we also help to sustain each other. Willard says, “The members of the body must be in contact if they are to sustain and be sustained by each other. Christian redemption is not devised to be a solitary thing, though each individual, of course, has a unique and direct relationship with God.”

So in fellowship, we help each other cope, endure, and stand against the world that tries to tear us away from God. We help each other “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” like it says in Philippians 4:12.

3. The amplification of God’s presence and power happens within groups.

The third reason why fellowship is important is that there is an amplification of God’s presence and power found within the body of believers.

Dallas Willard says this in The Spirit of the Disciplines:

“Personalities united can contain more of God and sustain the force of his greater presence much better than scattered individuals. The fire of God kindles higher as the brands are heaped together and each is warmed by the other’s flame.”

Jesus makes a point to say in Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV):

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Of course this doesn’t mean God only listens to prayers from groups, and it doesn’t mean that prayer asked for with impure motives will be granted. The point here is that Jesus does, throughout the whole surrounding passage, emphasize the power and responsibility of the body of believers.

Why is fellowship specifically important for writers?We’ve talked a lot about why we as Christians need fellowship, but what about the specific reasons why fellowship is important to writers?

First, as writers, we’re a creative, artistic group, often introverted. Fellowship with other believers who aren’t writers, and who may have a more linear, logical bent helps to round out our perspective on life. The same is true of our relationships with people who are more extroverted. The gifts found in believers who aren’t writers are still necessary and vital to our spiritual and artistic formation.

Second, as writers we also need fellowship with other writers. We share common experiences other “normals” don’t have. We think about ways our characters can kill people, or the designs of storyworlds vastly different from our own. We have coffee with our characters because they’re like real people to us. Amongst other writers, we find support, understanding, acceptance, and encouragement for our unique bent and gifts in God’s overall design.

Practical ways to participate in fellowshipFellowship is important, even vital. But how do we do it? What are some practical ways? Here are some ideas we’ve come up with, and let me say that while we’ll talk about the benefits for you in all these, please remember that what you bring—your gifts and service and participation—is equally vital to others in the opportunities.

Join a prayer group either in person or online where you not only are praying for each other but you get a chance to get to know others, hear their various perspectives and experiences, encourage and support them.

Attend church services to experience a larger group of believers in fellowship as you worship, take communion, pray, and learn from preaching.

Join a worship group, or a worship band. My husband and I moved to Kansas a few years ago, and eventually he started playing in the worship band at church, which has been a wonderful way for him to begin building relationships with people in the church.

Join a Bible study group, again either in person or online. It’s amazing what other people bring to the table in terms of their perspectives and insights. We can’t help but be enriched. And what we have to add matters, too!

Get involved in parachurch organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, InterVaristy Christian Fellowship or The Navigators. When I was in college, my connection to InterVarsity is what led me to Christ and played a huge role in my spiritual formation as a young believer. It also gave me a place to serve, and to grow through my service.

Go on a mission trip. You can not only enjoy fellowship with others in your group, but you’ll also likely have the opportunity to develop cross-cultural relationships and expand your perspective. You’ll also be helping to meet the needs of others.

Participate in celebrations. These might be potlucks, banquets, parties, or all kinds of other possibilities. In our church, there’s a whole special service where they do baptisms. It’s a big day of testimony, encouragement, commitment, and celebration.

Go on a retreat. This might be a marriage retreat, family retreat, writers’ retreat, or a men’s or women’s retreat.

Join an accountability group of some sort. These might be things like Celebrate Recovery, or it might be just a group formed to hold each other accountable for some common spiritual goal. Maybe help with overcoming some specific sin, or maybe encouragement to engage in other spiritual disciplines.

Join a Christian writers’ group either locally or online. For example, check out WordWeavers or American Christian Fiction Writers. My friendships and connections in my local ACFW group have been an incredible blessing. Our group often got together for lunch before our monthly meetings, which was a great way to foster and nurture relationships.

Go to a Christian writing conference. There are always opportunities for fellowship and for engaging with others to begin developing relationships. Many have worship sessions, prayer teams, or group meals you can participate in.

Join (or start) a mastermind group with other Christians. For me, this is one of my favorite forms of fellowship. I’ve been part of a mastermind for quite a few years now. The women in my group are amazing. They all bring their own gifts, perspectives, specialties, knowledge, experiences. We pray for each other, we encourage each other, we help each other. They’ve been a huge blessing.

Invite others to a meal. Maybe you have one meal a week that’s dedicated to fellowship with others. Maybe it’s as simple as inviting folks over for dinner after church. Or meeting at a restaurant. Or hosting visiting missionaries or international students. Maybe you have a regular brunch group or a group from work that does lunch together.

Nurture friendships. We also don’t want to forget fellowship in the form of friendships with others, either one-on-one or friend groups. As Justin Whitmel Earley wrote in his book The Common Rule, we all desire, deep down, to be known. But we also fear it, so it’s not easy.

In true friendship we learn to be vulnerable. We learn to be people who still love each other when all our human messiness is out on the table. We learn to trust, and to be trustworthy, we learn to protect and to protect others. We hold each other accountable. We learn the value of authenticity and the freedom found in it. We tell truth, and we hear truth from others. This is all a vital part of the human experience and God’s design for us, and we need to dedicate ourselves to pursuing it.

Recently my neighborhood was grieving the loss of a man who committed suicide. Neither his friends nor his family had any idea he was in such a desperate state. That makes it twice the tragedy.

It’s important to be intentional in your friendships. Sure, doing fun activities together is great, but it’s also important for conversation to happen. You’ve probably seen people sitting together at a restaurant and everyone is engaged with their phone. That’s not an experience of knowing others and being known. You might even consider “conversation appointments” where you all know the goal is to talk. Maybe you chat at a park while kids are playing, or you meet for coffee, or whatever. The point is that you’re being intentional about conversation and getting to know each other.

Start now!Whatever paths you take to engage in fellowship, the most important thing is that you DO it. That you intentionally take steps to make this happen in your life. God designed us for fellowship, for relationship with him and with others because he knows that this is how we work better. This is how we flourish even in the midst of a broken world. Our friends, our fellow believers, are anchors for us in the midst of the trials and storms. Don’t miss this spiritual discipline. It will make your life so much better!

Books mentioned in the podcastThe Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard

The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley

(Just as a reminder, we use affiliate links for the books we mention. Using one of our links, if you choose to purchase a book, is a wonderful way to help us out, because we’ll get a small commission.)

Writing is a solitary occupation, and yet God created human beings with a need for fellowship. Don’t miss being blessed—and blessing others—through our God-designed need for relationships. #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What are your favorite ways to engage in fellowship?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Special thanks to our May sponsor of the month, Priscilla Sharrow! She’s working on her memoir called Bonked! Life, Love, and Laughter with Traumatic Brain Injury, which will release with Redemption Press. Learn more about Priscilla at her website priscillasharrow.com and follow her blog for the TBI/PTSD community.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

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Writing is a solitary occupation, and yet God created human beings with a need for fellowship. This is why it’s crucial for writers to seek community. Don’t miss being blessed—and blessing others—through our God-designed need for relationships. For more information and the full show notes visit writefromthedeep.com.

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The Bible tells us to be holy, and that without holiness we won’t see God. But what part does holiness play in the face of utter devastation? And how do we write through it? Guest Karen Stiller shares wisdom and encouragement from her difficult journey through grief and pain.

About Karen Stiller

Karen Stiller is an award-winning writer, a senior editor, and host of the Faith Today podcast. She’s written about being a pastor’s wife, and her newest book, Holiness Here, offers practical and inspiring ways to transform your life by helping you see the holiness within your ordinary, everyday life. You can find out more about her at Karenstiller.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin: Welcome, listeners. We’re glad that you’re here in the deep with us. Today we’re continuing our conversation with Karen Stiller.

Now, Karen, you did mention grief. Let’s go there, because you had said before, when we were doing some emails, that you had to complete this book during a season of grief. First, how in the world did you do that? How did that affect you and the book?

Karen Stiller: Yeah, I’ve been thinking so much about that because sometimes I think, over the last year and a bit, I think, I don’t know how I did it either, sometimes. And yet I do.

My husband had a kidney transplant, which should, for most people, be routine. You know, it changes your life, but it’s not a thing that will kill you. But that did happen with my husband.

My husband experienced a very severe and rare side effect of post-transplant lymphoma. He went into the hospital in the end of November, and he was dead by mid-January. He never came home again.

Karen Ball: Oh my gosh.

Karen Stiller: Yeah, it was very unexpected. The way he experienced lymphoma was on his brain, so it was a rocky path. As anybody who has loved anyone into heaven with brain cancer, it’s…well, I guess it’s probably different for lots of people…but it was hard. Very hard.

Karen Ball: Yeah.

Karen Stiller: I had written up till then. When I signed my book contract, I immediately set up a writing schedule. I signed in July, and I was going to do three chapters by the end of July, two by the end of August. One by the end of September, October, November, and December.

The book was due in January and I had built in time for revision. I felt really confident. I’m a big list person. I make lists and I make schedules, and that’s the way I get things done. I love a deadline.

When Brent went into the hospital, I think I was around chapter eight. I just obviously set the book aside. After he died, you know, actually there was a time where I thought, “I’m never gonna write again.”

I just couldn’t imagine…I couldn’t imagine a way forward in many things. But I also thought, “How will I ever find the desire or ability to write again?”

My agent knocked on my door at some point. The timelines are a bit off for me. It’s all a big blur in some ways, but she basically said, “If you can finish the book by a certain date, we can get back on the same timeline. Editing will be shortened. But there’s no pressure.”

My publisher was amazing and said they’d take the book whenever. They were, of course, wonderful during that season. They had sent a bouquet of flowers once, and I remember that theirs was the only one I carried upstairs to my bedroom. I think now that those flowers were like a symbol of hope for me. There is a little dot of light off in the distance if I can keep that alive.

I was off my day job as an editor and podcast stuff and all that for about three months. I just slowly picked up the book again and thought, “Can I?”

I dipped my toes in, and what I found was that writing a few mornings a week gave me a shape to the sort of endless days and weeks I was in.

It kind of woke me up a little bit, and it gave me a sense of purpose, which I had lost, and it changed the book. I would be interested to hear from listeners who maybe made, or would’ve made a different choice, or have thoughts on this, or have gone through this. But my husband was very much part of my writing, obviously in The Minister’s Wife, but again, in Holiness Here.

My husband was very much part of my formation as a follower of Christ. I’d quote him throughout the book, or I’d tell a little story about something that happened in our church that involved him. All of a sudden he died, and I didn’t know how to handle that as a writer in terms of the actual material.

I talked to a few people and I had in my head—I don’t know if people have heard this writing advice—write from your scars, not your wounds.

Karen Ball: Right.

Karen Stiller: I thought, “Well, I’m bleeding. I am deeply wounded, but yet I can’t not write about this huge thing.”

I felt like it would not have been honest to finish those last chapters without telling some, without sketching out a little bit of what had happened. This has been a big knock for me. I’d love to say that I’ve just been a conqueror in Christ through this, but no. I am pulling apart what it means to trust God and realizing that maybe I did think some things that weren’t true.

I never would’ve thought that, because my husband was a very, “Why me, why not me?” kind of man. He had a very robust, sound theology of suffering, which I thought I believed, too.

Then when he died a very hard death, I just…I just couldn’t believe it.

Karen Ball: Right.

Karen Stiller: I felt like I couldn’t finish this book about holiness honestly without tackling that. I wrote a chapter called “Sorrow,” and I wrote it very carefully because I knew I was writing from my wound.

As a beginning writer who would get an assignment from an editor, I would often write the angle on a post-it note and stick it on my computer wall so that I would stick to my assignment. Now I had a post-it note in my mind where I was like, “Your assignment is holiness. Your assignment is not writing a book about grief. Your assignment is holiness. So where is the holy in this horrible mess?”

I kept my lens tightly in on that, and it was good for me. It was good for me to write that. I offered to show it to all my children. Only my eldest son accepted the invitation. I just wanted their blessing. He thought it was honoring to his dad and to what we had gone through, so that made me feel comfortable, and I trust the editors.

Karen Ball: Mm-Hmm.

Karen Stiller: Where would we be without people telling us hard and wonderful things, right?

Karen Ball: Right.

Karen Stiller: I submitted my work to the process. I also knew that it is a privilege to have a book contract. My husband would’ve kicked my butt if he knew I had let it float away and that I couldn’t finish it.

I knew last year when I was doing this work that this year I would be glad I had done it. There was a discipline there, actually, which we have to have as writers, right? We know that a working writer knows how to work, and that woke me up. That woke me up.

I also thought that if I was a chef, I would be cooking. If I was a painter, I’d be painting. If I was a baker, I’d be baking. I’m a writer, and I’m writing.

Erin: Wow. Well that was a lot to have to deal with.

Karen Stiller: It was a long answer.

Erin: No, I mean it was a great answer but a lot for you to wade through in trying to deal with that. I think your process was amazing. Just the notion of using holiness as a lens, because writers go through all kinds of things in their lives as they’re trying to write something.

It isn’t always as awful and traumatic as losing a spouse, but if we were able to realize that there is something to be said for just the discipline and the lens and trying to turn this book in even though this, this, and this is happening, because our lives may always be this, this, and this.

It doesn’t mean that we’re not supposed to write, it just means we’re supposed to be learning how to work through that.

Karen Stiller: I think that’s so important.

Erin: I was curious if, after you had been through this experience, when you went back in revisions and in other places in the book, how did your experience through this grief and this theology of suffering, like how did that maybe change other things in the book?

Karen Stiller: Wow, that is a very perceptive question. I did a lot of work. I went back and in every sentence I asked myself, “Do I still believe this, and if I don’t, is this because I’m just in this terrible situation and I will come back to this and I will recover from this?”

I made a lot of phone calls. My husband being a pastor, we had a lot of pastor friends. I probably need to apologize to a bunch of people for all my questions like, “Hi, do you have twenty minutes to talk to me? Okay, tell me why my husband died. Tell me what heaven is like. Tell me what he’s doing right now. Like, what do you think? What do you think? What do you think?”

I did a lot of those kinds of conversations with people to try to sort through my stuff and my pain, and partly so that I could try to understand what was happening, and then have that help me look at the work and say, “Yeah, I can still say this. I can still stand here.”

I think we all have fences in our writing lives, probably, of things that we won’t do, or won’t write about. For me, again, married to a priest, that was very much part of my calling, too. I always had a very simple way kind of guardrail for my life as a pastor’s wife.

It was: Do no harm. Do no harm. I’ll not harm my husband’s work. I will not always say what I want to say. I will do no harm. That probably has seeped into my writing life, too. I would think like if I had just gone full-wound bleeding on the page, it wouldn’t have helped anyone. It certainly wouldn’t have helped the book.

I knew that I was on a journey of hopefully recovery and healing. You know, you always live with grief. I’ve been told that, and I see that that is true. So I just wanted to be really careful, and so I did interrogate the whole book again.

I did make some changes. There are some statements I changed into questions, but that’s the kind of writer I am anyway. I am not an answer giver. I’m a question asker and so I’m pretty comfortable with that.

Erin: Yeah. What I love is—I know this seems awful—but this was also a gift in terms of how you had to go back and ask yourself those questions.

Karen Stiller: Yeah.

Erin: Not every believer faces that kind of a situation where they’re forced to go back and say, “Do I still believe this? In light of what’s happening in my life, do I still believe this? Do I still believe this?”

I think that is one good thing that came out of that and can come out for other people who are going through these kinds of issues.

Karen Stiller: Yeah. One really big thing I learned…I’d spoken with a spiritual director for writers a couple years ago, and she kind of set me up to think in this way because there was a time, like when I was writing the Minister’s Wife, if I had a little fight with my son in the morning, I’d think, “Oh, there goes my writing day.” Like,”I’m in a bad mood now. I can’t write.”

My spiritual director for writers, she had helped me dig into that a little bit and think about how that kind of compartmentalization cannot help us be writers. Everything does not have to be perfect for me to write. That set me up well for believing, and for the questions we were talking about in the last episode, “Anxiety, what do you have for me? Fear? What are you bringing to the table?”

I had to believe that my grief was then and is now, in there doing something that I will write out of, even if I don’t write about it. I think that’s important for writers.

Karen Ball: It’s a thread. Everything that we’re faced with, everything that we experience, is a thread in the tapestry that God is weaving of our lives. Every single thread adds an element that we may not understand, or see, or appreciate until we see the completed tapestry.

Then we can look at that and say, “Ah. Okay. That’s why that was there, because it needed to be there to compliment this, and to bring this out, and to enhance this, and to clarify things.”

I think when we face these difficult questions, ”Do I still believe this? Is God who he says he is? Is God’s goodness real?” And I’ve heard believers say, “I’m starting to doubt the goodness of God…” I listen to those things, and I think because I don’t have a theological mind, I have a simple mind, a simple faith of trust because I saw such a powerful example of that in both my parents. I was raised with the sure knowledge that God is who he says he is.

But when my husband and I were separated, and I had been emotionally abused and all of those kinds of things, I had to acknowledge that…I’d always thought that when I finally came face to face with God, I would run and leap up into his lap, like a child, just grab him and hug him. One very dark night, I was talking with him and I said, “I don’t think I know you well enough to jump into your lap, and I’m not sure that I trust you well enough to do that, because this was not the cruise I signed on for.”

I’m not at the end of it. Don and I still work through things. We’ve been married for either 45 or 46 years—I’m not a math head. But as I I look at it, I think to myself that I wouldn’t have known God to the depth and the certainty that I know him now, at sixty-six years old, had I not gone through all of that.

All of it, every single thread needed to be there for me to be able to say with absolute certainty that God is who he says he is, and God is good, and all things do work together for our good as followers, because it’s all about him.

It’s not about me. It’s all about him and how I can reflect him. When you’re talking about working toward holiness, that self-examination, that coming to understand ourselves in light of who he is, it’s vital.

Karen Stiller: Yeah.

Erin: We’re coming to the end of our time here. Do you have any final words of wisdom you want to leave with our listeners?

Karen Stiller: I’m struck, from what you just shared, Karen, about the work of finding meaning and that we can find meaning without getting into causation. For example, I can believe that I will find meaning that will show up in my writing out of what we’ve gone through as a family, and that doesn’t mean that’s why it happened. You know what I mean?

Erin: Right.

Karen Stiller: The two things do not have to equal, but we will not waste it.

When my husband was dying, and after he died, throughout that time I kept speaking with my children, who are young adults, because Brent could not communicate what he would’ve wanted to communicate. I knew him so well, I knew what he would’ve wanted said, and I said those things.

One of them was that we have to honor what has happened here, this terrible tragedy and pain, by not letting it go to waste. We have to make this mean something, and that hopefully makes us more beautiful people, and more empathetic, and all of those things, and aware of the suffering of the world, and aware that God is with us in that. He is with us.

That is a big faith thing to say.

Karen Ball: Yes.

Karen Stiller: Even that little thing, it sounds so little, but it’s really big. So I guess I would encourage writers, whatever you are going through…you know, we can be like hungry hounds for material, right? Well, you are your greatest material.

It doesn’t mean you have to write about yourself. Of course, we’re not all going to do that. But you can honor what is happening in your life by allowing it to become part of the garden of your writing. I think that’s a beautiful thing that artists do, whatever kind of artists we are.

Writers are artists and makers, which reflects something of God’s creative nature. Don’t build those walls inside yourself. Tear those walls down and see what grows there. I think that can be a beautiful thing.

Karen Ball: I love the imagery that you mention of it becoming a part of the garden of our lives.

I live in the northern part of Washington state, and right now we’re seeing some blossoms in the garden, but it’s still pretty barren. During the winter with the cold and the snow, it’s easy to believe, to look at it and to think, and I confess, I thought it a few times, “It’ll never be beautiful again.”

A garden has to die in order to come to life. It’s the cycle that God has created. In our own lives, some things have to die before he can bring it to the full, bright, fragrant bloom that he intends for us to be in him. And that he intends us to see him in all that beauty and in all the growth that comes from the death.

Thank you so much for being with us, Karen. You have been a phenomenal blessing, and I pray that God will continue to guide and to touch and be present for you.

Karen Stiller: Thank you Karen and Erin, and thank you on behalf of writers everywhere who listen to this show and the wonderful guests you bring on and the way you minister. And again, that idea what you said at the beginning that you’re chaplains to writers? Writers need chaplains, so I’m really thankful.

Karen Ball: Thank you.

Guest @karenstiller1 shares wisdom and encouragement from her difficult journey toward holiness through grief and pain. #amwriting #christianwriter
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Holiness Here: Searching for God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life by Karen Stiller

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Have you had to write through grief? What helped you move forward?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! If you want to add your support, visit patreon.com/writefromthedeep. We’d sure appreciate it!

Special thanks to our May sponsor of the month, Priscilla Sharrow! She’s working on her memoir called Bonked! Life, Love, and Laughter with Traumatic Brain Injury, which will release with Redemption Press. Learn more about Priscilla at her website priscillasharrow.com and follow her blog for the TBI/PTSD community.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 213 – Holiness and Grief with Guest Karen Stiller appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Holiness. It’s one of those BIG words for Christians. So how do we, as Christian writers, develop holiness and bring it into play in our writing? Guest Karen Stiller shares her journey toward holiness and how God has blessed and challenged her.

About Karen Stiller

Karen Stiller is an award-winning writer, a senior editor, and host of the Faith Today podcast. She’s written about being a pastor’s wife, and her newest book, Holiness Here, offers practical and inspiring ways to transform your life by helping you see the holiness within your ordinary, everyday life. You can find out more about her at Karenstiller.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin Young: Welcome, listeners! We’re delighted that you are here with us today. We have a guest. Yay!

Karen Ball: Yes, we do! Karen Stiller is the author of The Minister’s Wife, A memoir of Faith, doubt, friendships, loneliness, forgiveness, and More. And the co-author of Craft Cost and Call, how to Build a Life as a Christian Writer. She’s an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, the Walrus, Extasis. Christianity Today and many other publications.

She’s a senior editor of the Canadian Magazine, Faith Today, and hosts the Faith Today Podcast, where she has interviewed wonderful thinkers, leaders, and writers like Phillip Yancy and Ann Voskamp.

Karen’s work has taken her to the South Sudan, Uganda, Senegal, Cambodia, and across North America. She’s also moderated the Religion and Society series at the University of Toronto, a debate between leading atheists and theologians. Karen loves to teach writing and coach writers on their journey.

Welcome, Karen Stiller!Karen Stiller: Thank you so much, and I just love the way you two talk and introduce the show. That lilt in your voices, it just lifts a person’s spirit. So I always enjoy that.

Karen Ball: Oh, thank you. Our hope is always to encourage and to, in a way, be chaplains to writers. To let writers know that they’re not alone and that God’s got them.

Karen Stiller: That’s beautiful. Chaplains to writers. Love it.

Erin Young: So, Karen, what does the deep mean to you?

Karen Stiller: That is such a deep and challenging question. My answer today is probably different from the answer I gave a couple of years ago when I was on your podcast for the first time.

When I think about the deep right now, I think about the place from which we experience our deepest longing and yearning, pain and hope, and the place of our deepest honesty and transparency. And hopefully, because of all that, the place we write from.

Erin Young: Amen. How can we write without transparency? One of the cool things that’s happened recently for Karen Stiller is she has a new book out called Holiness Here: Searching for God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life.

This is a quote from the book, “Holiness is a search that marks the life of a Christian.” So, Karen, how might that look specifically our search for holiness as writers?

Karen Stiller: I know and I understand theologically that we are holy because God has made us holy and that our our holiness as believers comes from the fact that God is holy and has said that we are too through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

And we may wonder, what does it mean that I’m holy? I’ve seen this through my years as a minister’s wife. It seems to be common that we actually don’t think we’re holy and we reject that title or that word because it feels awkward. I mean, no one wants to be quote unquote holier than thou.

And also it feels so other from how we know ourselves to be on the inside. So I’ll just preface my answer in that way. As a writer who is perhaps trying to write spiritual things––and not every Christian writer has to be writing Christian fiction or spiritual formation books––we want to make sure that we are writing in honesty, that transparency.

We want to honor God, and be true to ourselves and what we know of God in our lives. For me, it really is about the honesty piece. I feel that my vocation is to write as honestly as possible in the Christian space.

That is very much a part of how we are holy as writers. Of course, there are some individual elements to how we live and what we are called to write about. But yeah. Let’s start there.

Karen Ball: It’s also important for us to recognize that holiness is not something, in essence, we can attain. Holiness comes to us by Christ’s blood covering us. It’s His holiness that the Father sees, not our holiness as individuals.

We can seek to live “holy lives” as we emulate and follow what Christ has told us to do. And again, it’s His holiness. But trying to attain true holiness on our own can become a distraction that the enemy has put in our hearts and minds because we do feel so inadequate. And so we need to rest in the truth that our holiness is really Christ’s holiness.

We need to embrace that and then follow Him and submit to Him in our writing and in our lives and say, “lead me. Help to hear Your voice and see Your guidance because we too often get confused and distracted by what’s working in the market and how do I do deep point of view, and all of these aspects of being a writer that can d interfere with our primary focus, which should be on Christ.

Karen Stiller: Paying attention and being very mindful of what is happening inside of us as we think about these things is important. So I may say out loud, and mean it at the time, that I’m not gonna chase the market or that I’m really truly cheering on another writer, that I’m not jealous or envious of their success, I know that’s right.

But then on the inside, my gut may be feeling something a little different. My heart may be feeling something a little different, and as we pay attention to what’s happening on the inside, that does help our sinking into and living out of the holiness God has given us. Because then we can repent. Say we’re sorry.

A big part of my book is that we grow and change. We grow closer to God through the arc of our life of attempts at faithfulness. And through our spiritual disciplines, our attempts to live out of our holiness, which God has told us to do, and asked us to do, and shown us how to do.

I have a chapter on hospitality and I playfully say that Jesus actually gives instructions for a dinner party. You know, who’s to sit where, and who should you invite. So something is required of us. Yes, it is one hundred percent grace, but in our response we find our sanctification. And that is really important. We are participants of God in our faith journey.

So in the life of a writer, it has all kinds of implications for our posture toward our writing. I have been thinking lately about how our posture impacts our practice. You can’t talk about holiness without humility. And so humility helps our writing because it means that we are open to showing it to other writers.

We’re open to the editing process. We embrace revision because we know it’s not right the first time. We know other people have good things to say to us about our work and that makes our work better.

You know, there are all kinds of implications for that collaboration with other writers. For example, the ways we pour into the writing community. All of the good ways of doing that could be viewed as acts of holiness and it helps in everything.

Erin Young: I love that. I to go back to what you said about running across a lot of people who doubt their holiness. For writers, that could make them doubt their qualifications to be a Christian writer. So both of you are correct: it’s Christ’s holiness, and yet we also have a responsibility to take part in the process.

Our works of faith prove that we are followers of Christ, though we’ll never do them perfectly. But if there are writers out there may be doubting themselves or God’s call, realize that that is one of the lies that we writers are so susceptible to.

Karen Stiller: That reminds me of the scene I have in the book where I had this lovely moment with a younger writer who was going through that phase. At some point, we all go, “Am I a writer? Can I call myself a writer? “

This conversation between us happened in the sanctuary of our church. And I said, “Hannah, I pronounce you writer. You are a writer.” And I could tell because I had been in a bit of a mentor role with her and I was an older sister in Christ, it felt special. And she still refers to that moment as being so important. That she just needed someone bossy to tell her that. To validate.

And in the book I draw a parallel with our sense of our own holiness, our acceptance of our holiness. Because once you start to say, “I’m a writer,” people actually start to expect some writing from you, right? And if you believe what God says about us––how beloved we are and that He has made us holy––then all three of us in this conversation are holy.

It may feel ridiculous to say, even off-putting and “aaahhh!” But when we view ourselves that way, then we can start to act a little different in light of that holiness. And that can be an adventure!

I’m really trying to shift the thought of holiness away from a big, heavy thing and help people just like consider it a warm invitation from God to a life of adventure and and beauty and love.

Erin Young: I love that when you said those words to that person, you were speaking truth. As writers, we should be so aware of the power of words.

Words have truth and we pray our words make things happen via God. You know, He’s the One doing these things, but He gives us words to use to take part. So for you guys out there who are wondering if you’re writers? Yes!

Karen Stiller: Yeah, we pronounce you writers.

Erin Young: That’s right. So you can walk and act accordingly. Now, we may have touched on this a little bit, but what do you think then holiness has to do with money and work as it comes to writing?

Karen Stiller: In the book, when I talk about money, partly I share my own journey with worrying about money and wanting more of it. So in my writing life, I was looking for a job that I could do around the raising of my children. And I was very fortunate, because being a mom helped me become a writer.

My husband was a priest, an Anglo priest, and we were not a high income family. We had just always lived at a certain level from student life into having children. So not being used to two incomes ever, we didn’t have the hard work of shedding things to be able to afford my being at home. And that enabled me to build up my writing life over the years as my kids’ schedules allowed.

But I was trying to make a living, to bring more money into our household to pay for ballet and hockey. And I was ambitious, right? I had what I used to call a ball of fire in my belly. So I really wanted to have a writing life that paid money. Sometimes that probably was not fueled by the right things, but sometimes it was from a desire to care for my family and contribute.

So honest self-examination is important on the path of holiness. Taking time to think, “What’s going on here? What am I actually thinking and feeling and doing? Where is God in this? And where can God be more in it?”

For me, as for many others, money often is where the rubber hits the road.

And I remember the publisher saying, “Money?” Because that was one of my proposed chapters. “What does money have to do with Holiness?” And I was like, “Oh, well for me it had a lot to do with holiness. Because I had to wrestle that monster to the ground.

Erin Young: Yeah.

Karen Stiller: And I have good friends who don’t have any issues around money at all. So I know it’s not universal, but it’s very common that we need to deal with our thinking about money.

Karen Ball: Karen, you mentioned self-examination earlier, which helps with this. We need to look into why we worry about money and why we want to make more.

Of course, there are good, solid, and even holy reasons for doing that, but making that too important often stems out of fear. We fear won’t be enough, or that God really doesn’t supply our needs.

So if we don’t do something to build up our bank account and savings––and as I say savings, I’m laughing to myself. Writers with a savings account?––but if we don’t do everything that we can to build that up, then what will happen to us?

Erin Young: Mm-Hmm.

Karen Ball: We did a podcast on George Mueller and the power of his praying life. Whenever there was a need, he would go to God and pray for that specific need, and then walk away, trusting that God would provide. And He always did. Sometimes in phenomenal ways, sometimes little things trickling in, but always enough to meet the needs .

Erin Young: One of the interesting things about money for me has come from Jeremiah 2:13, which says, “My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

So I try to think, well, am I digging my own cistern here? Which parts of this desire for money are just letting God flow, and which part is me just wanting that cistern, that security. It’s always something to wrestle with.

Karen Stiller: It helps to have a good friend to talk with, to share our struggle. It’s hard to be honest about our feelings around money. It can be scary to be the person to confess that you want more of it, or live without enough of it, or whatever the issue is. I agree with everything you’re saying, and yet I work really hard.

Erin Young: But that’s okay, too.

Karen Ball: Right. Trusting and resting in God doesn’t mean you don’t work hard. It means you don’t make that your primary goal and you don’t worry about it. Anxiety can be a killer for creativity and for trust in God. When we let anxiety creep into our hearts and our spirit, it’ll do harm.

Karen Stiller: But here’s what I do…and this has a little bit to do with that deep place answer…and I am definitely in the middle of trying to figure this stuff out….but if I am experiencing anxiety or sorrow or fear, my temptation before would’ve been to feel badly that I feel badly. So now I try to almost welcome it in and say, “What do you have for me? What is the message you have for me, fear? Anxiety, what are you trying to tell me?”

These feelings add to the experience we’re having in the world. You know, I keep thinking of the word curiosity. Why not be curious about what is happening in our spirit and in our hearts? Not, “I’m disappointed in my disappointment,” or being grieved over our grief. Instead, know it’s all part of being a human and ask what is this teaching me? And how can I write about it?

Karen Ball: Right. They say nothing is ever wasted in a writer’s economy! And there’s a big difference between having the feelings and dwelling in the feelings.

What a great conversation, what a great exploration of holiness. In our next podcast will be going on with Karen Stiller, and there we’ll be talking about holiness in the face of utter devastation. So don’t miss it!

How do we develop holiness and bring it into play in our writing? Guest @KarenStiller1 shares her experiences and wisdom. #ChristianWriter #amwriting
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Holiness Here: Searching for God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life by Karen Stiller

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Do you struggle with the idea of holiness in your life and writing? What steps can you take today to embrace holiness?

THANK YOU!Thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! If you want to add your support, visit patreon.com/writefromthedeep. We’d sure appreciate it!

Special thanks to our April sponsor of the month Christy Bass Adams. She’s the author of a devotional titled Learning As I Go: Big Lessons from Little People, and a middle grades novel, The Adventures of Cricket and Kyle: Imagination Checkers. She’s also a speaker and leads women’s conferences and Bible studies, and she’s a monthly contributor to Inspire-a-fire and a newspaper columnist for Greene Publishing. Find out more about Christy at her website christybassadams.com

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 212 – The Writer’s Path to Holiness with Guest Karen Stiller appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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One of the most profound, and necessary, gifts we can give ourselves is rest. Not only is it a good idea, but God designed us to rest. Yet too often we just keep going. We don’t want to be lazy, after all. Guest Kathleen Denly shares what happens when our misguided ideas about rest become unhealthy, and how we can ensure this gift is the blessing it’s meant it to be.

About Kathleen Denly

Kathleen Denly writes historical romance to entertain, encourage, and inspire readers toward a better understanding of our amazing God and how he sees us. Award winning author of the Chaparral Hearts series, she also shares history tidbits, thoughts on writing, books reviews and more at KathleenDenly.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin: Welcome, listeners, to the deep. We’re glad that you’re joining us today. We’ve been talking with our guest, Kathleen Denly. If you didn’t catch the first half of this interview, go back and listen, because it’s great. Now we’re going to dive right into part two with Kathleen Denly.

Kathleen: I am just as valuable in that position and just as loved in that position as I am today. As I was in my mother’s womb.

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: And that was the biggest thing that pulled me out.

Erin: Wow.

Kathleen: That firm belief that God loved me no matter what.

Erin: I love that. I’m guessing, though, that was a slow journey for you.

Kathleen: Yes.

Erin: With lots of little milestones along the way, things you learned along the way.

What are you doing now? This all happened by you driving yourself, right? You were so driven to do all these things. So how do you let yourself rest now?

Kathleen: I had to change the way that I view rest.

Erin: Mmm.

Kathleen: That came from a couple of things. It came from the physical. The way we were designed, our bodies need rest, and that means more than just sleep. Our brains need rest.

I had been raised with this idea that I need to constantly prove that I wasn’t lazy. And people who rested were lazy. How stupid is that?

But that’s what I believed. Underneath everything, that’s what my actions were saying, that rest was wrong, rest was sinful. But when I actually went back and looked at the scriptures, I realized that even Jesus directed his disciples to rest.

Karen: Right.

Kathleen: God rested on the seventh day. Am I any better than God that I don’t need rest? I mean, come on. It’s just silly.

What I realized is that resting isn’t a symptom of laziness. Instead, it’s just something like eating. You can eat to an extreme. Whether that’s not eating enough or eating too much, you can use that and turn it into sin.

Same thing with rest. If you take it to an extreme, and you’re using it as an excuse to avoid doing things that you’re supposed to be doing, then yeah, it’s probably sinful. But God designed us to need rest.

The truth is that we are the most creative, and we are the most competent, and the most effective when we have taken the time to rest. That’s something that can be really hard to rewire in our brains because our culture rewards busyness.

Erin: Yeah!

Kathleen: I can’t tell you how many times I would have friends be like, “Wow, how do you get all that done? I’m so impressed.”

That’s such a nice thing for them to say, except that in hindsight, they were reinforcing these bad beliefs that I had about myself.

Karen: Yes.

Kathleen: I don’t think I’m the only one who gets that message.

Karen: No, no. Not by a long shot.

Erin: Busyness, yeah. Busyness equates to being “productive,” and we then equate productivity with meaning. And it’s not. If we’re busy doing the wrong things, we’re not creating meaning.

Kathleen: Exactly.

Karen: That’s why I love the story about Jesus and Mary and Martha so much. Martha’s bustling around and doing everything, and Mary’s just sitting at his feet and soaking in his presence and being with him.

Martha’s like, “Tell Mary to come help me. She’s not working.”

Erin: That would be me saying that, too. I’m sorry!

Karen: And I’d be sitting at his feet!

I love it when Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better way. Like he’s saying, “I will not be here forever. And she has chosen the better way, sitting and resting.”

I think,, too, that a part of the key for dealing with all this is that God created our bodies to give us warnings. The pain and the things that you experienced that you just brushed off and didn’t pay any attention to… We like to think that we are super people.

Erin: Yes.

Karen: That we can keep going and keep doing. But when all that is stripped away, as it was for you, and as it was at a point for me, you sit back and you say, “Sometimes the very best things that I can do are just to go outside and watch the birds.”

There is blessing that comes in that, and there is blessing that comes from that. I can then take what I gained from rest and share it with others, and it gives me the energy to do what God wants me to.

Erin: I think this just goes back to our problem way back in the Garden of Eden, wanting to be like God. We don’t like to acknowledge our limitations. We don’t like to have them. We want to be superhuman, as you said Karen, and not acknowledge those limitations. I think that’s another reason why God made us rest.

Karen: Yeah.

Erin: He made us need it so that we would have to acknowledge our limitations. When we don’t, bad things happen. Then we have to look at it. Either way, we’d have to look at it.

Kathleen: The really sneaky thing about the devil is that he will take God’s scripture and try to give it to us with his own spin.

Karen: Twist it.

Kathleen: Yeah. Like, “Oh, I can do anything in God’s strength.”

Weeeeell, but are you supposed to right now? Are you supposed to be doing something in God’s strength? Maybe the thing you’re supposed to be doing in God’s strength is resting. Resting and trusting that he will take care of the things that you’re not working on right now.

Karen: Right!

Erin: Which makes a very good argument for why we not only need to know our Bible, because Satan does too, but we need to understand it. We need to be meditating on it and thinking about its meaning.

It’s not enough to just know what it says. We have to understand what it means, to the best of our ability.

Kathleen: Yeah, and some of us are really good about taking spiritual things and using it to justify what we’re doing.

Like, “Oh, well, yeah, it’s the Sabbath, and I know I’m supposed to rest. But I’m gonna do this ministry, and I’m gonna help this person, and these are all spiritual things, so it’s okay to do that on Sunday, right? I don’t actually have to rest because I’m doing all these spiritual things.”

Karen: Yeah. “I’m going to write on Sunday because it’s really my only free day, and God understands that. So it’s okay for me to do that.”

Kathleen: And, “As a Christian author, my writing is a ministry. So that’s allowed on Sunday.”

There’s a lot of ways that we can trick ourselves into thinking we don’t actually need to rest.

Erin: Yeah. What are some of the ways you’ve incorporated rest, or that you’re working to incorporate rest into your life?

Kathleen: One of the things that I did was I had to make myself a hard and fast stop to the end of the day. Six o’clock, no matter what.

If I haven’t met my word goal. If the kids were crazy and they interrupted my work time and I didn’t do the things that I wanted to get done today, it doesn’t matter. I stop at six o’clock. Period. End of story.

There’s no negotiation, because if I don’t stop, then what happens is I’m working till eight o’clock, nine o’clock, ten o’clock. I’m supposed to be going to sleep at ten o’clock, so then I’m borrowing energy from the next day, because I’m not getting the sleep that I need.

I’ve found that I have to stop at six in order to give my brain time to shut down and to stop being in work mode. I need the shut down time in order to be able to go to sleep at ten o’clock. If I don’t stop working until eight, that means I’m not really getting to sleep till midnight.

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: So a hard, hard stop on work is one of the things I’ve needed to incorporate.

Also a hard bedtime, which has been a struggle for me my entire life. My mom said I was nocturnal in the womb. For my entire life, I was the kind of person who wanted to be up till two AM and sleep till noon. My whole life.

I’ve learned that that just is not going to work. I’ve got kids. I’ve got responsibilities. I need to have a more practical sleep schedule, and so I work really hard at making sure that I have all of my screens turned off by nine o’clock, and I am going to sleep by ten.

Erin: Wow. Good for you!

Kathleen: So those are two things. The other thing is I work really, really, really hard NOT to work on the weekends.

Erin: Mm-Hmm.

Kathleen: If I have to trade a day, say maybe I spent all day Tuesday running the kids to medical appointments, then I have to talk to my husband and get permission from him.

I ask him, “Can I work on Saturday to make up for that?”

He will help me decide if I’m making a healthy decision, or if I’m letting pressures that are not necessarily healthy push me into making a decision that’s not good.

Karen: So you’re not making these decisions in a vacuum. You’re getting trusted allies to help you with it.

Kathleen: Exactly.

Karen: That’s very smart.

Kathleen: Yeah, because as much as I’ve learned all of these truths, I’ve lived forty-plus years with all those lies, and they want to come back. They want to come back all the time.

I’ll be honest, there have still been some days when I’ve been like, “I’ve gotta do this, and I’ve gotta do that, and I can’t do this, and I’m never gonna get all this done!”

My husband’s like, “Breathe. Just breathe. Have you done a grounding exercise? I think you need to do a grounding exercise.”

For those of you who don’t know what this is, one of my favorite grounding exercises is called 5-4-3-2-1. I look around for five things in the room that I can see, four things that I can touch, three things that I can hear, two things I can smell, and one thing I can taste.

What that does is take me out of my brain that is panicking and thinking only about my to-do list. Or when I’m having a flashback that’s trying to take me backwards in time and tell me I’m not actually where I am, this exercise forces me to pay attention to the details of where I am and what’s around me.

There’s something about that that just makes you go, “Yeah. Okay. I can deal with this.”

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: Once I’ve done that, then I go, “Okay, time to pray.”

Erin: I actually like that you have a tool before you pray. You have that grounding tool first, and then it helps you focus so your prayer can be more focused. You’re able to hear God, seek God.

Again, it’s this marriage between wisdom from the field of psychology and counseling, which is okay! It’s knowledge that God has given us. But it’s this marriage between that. It’s this marriage between your physical body and what you’re doing, and it’s this spiritual side. It’s all together. I like how it incorporates everything. That makes a lot of sense.

Kathleen: Yeah. Because without that, my prayers sound a lot like, “God, what am I gonna do? What do I do? God help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me!”

God doesn’t ever get a word in edgewise. Being able to use the grounding techniques helps me to listen better.

Karen: How does it feel now? Now that you have changed the way that you see what you need to do, the way that you see the world, and the way that you see yourself? What’s the difference in how you feel as a person, as a believer, as a writer?

Kathleen: A big difference. The first thing that came to mind when you said that is I feel more relaxed.

Erin: Mmm.

Kathleen: I feel more at peace.

Karen: Yeah.

Kathleen: I feel more trusting. I thought I was trusting God. I really did. But now I FEEL that.

I feel less worried. I feel less anxious. I feel more comfortable in who I am because I see who I am more clearly through him.

That’s the ironic thing. The theme for all of my novels is helping my characters see themselves as God sees them and not how the world sees them. And I’m sitting over here doing what I was doing!

Now I see myself more clearly.

Erin: What’s interesting, though, is that this peace…you’re a non-anxious presence now. It helps you be a non-anxious presence in the world. That is beyond valuable. It’s one of the greatest lights that we can have as a Christian in this world because there’s anxiety everywhere—in people. All over the place.

Just the fact that our body, mind, and soul is more relaxed, it’s one of the best ways that we can witness for Christ.

I look at your whole journey. It’s hard that these trials make us look at these things. They force us.

Kathleen: Right.

Erin: We don’t want to go there, and they force us, very much like we force our characters in our stories. But look at what’s happened now. Look at where you are now. It’s just astounding

Kathleen: It is. And I want to be careful not to give the impression that, “Oh, I’m over it now and I’m fine.”

It’s a daily thing that I use those tools. Like I said, I still have flashbacks. I’m still going to therapy for my PTSD, and it’s something I will struggle with.

But God has been good in showing me a lot and helping me change a lot.

Erin: Yeah. Our time is about up here. Do you have any final words of wisdom or encouragement that you would want to leave with our listeners?

Kathleen: Yeah, I do want to share something that I think a lot of us are nervous about. If we see somebody who is struggling with mental health issues, there are three things that I have found very helpful, because it can be hard to know how to respond, how to help.

The first thing that I would say is validate their feelings.

A lot of people go, “Oh, I don’t wanna agree with them.”

Because if you hear somebody say, “I’m a terrible person,” and you care about them, the first thing you want to do is say, “No, you’re not a terrible person.” But what you’re actually doing by saying that is arguing with them.

We don’t want to agree because we don’t think they’re a terrible person, but we also don’t want to argue with them. Because even if that lie they’re believing isn’t true, the feelings that they’re getting from it are true. They’re real. They feel them.

A better thing to say in response is, “Wow, it must be really painful to feel like you’re a terrible person.”

It’s a very subtle difference, but it’s something that allows them to hear you.

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: The second thing that I have found helpful is to gently share the truth with them when they’re ready to hear it. You can’t shove truth in their face. You can’t approach it like an argument, but you can gently say something like, “I want you to know that I don’t think you are a terrible person.”

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: You can even add on to that and say, “I think you are a responsible, caring, loving person, and I’m blessed to have you as my friend.”

You can say things like that because it’s your opinion. You’re not arguing with them. You’re not telling them their feelings aren’t real, because again, even if the lie is false, the feelings are there.

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: The last thing I would say is don’t underestimate the value of just being present. If you don’t know what to say, just stay. Just sit there and listen. Because one of the tricks the devil likes to play is to convince the suffering person to be silent and alone.

Erin: Yeah.

Kathleen: The devil will tell them, “Nobody cares about your suffering. If they knew what you were thinking, they would think you were a terrible person.”

If all you do is sit there and listen in compassion, then you’ve already broken that lie.

Erin: I love that.

Karen: Well, I’ve got tell you, this has been an amazing show, and your story is terrifying and inspiring all at the same time. That we can do these things to ourselves and so damage ourselves without even realizing we’re doing it, with thinking that we’re doing the right thing.

Kathleen: Mm-Hmm.

Karen: God help us. Seriously, God help us all. Give us eyes to see when we are mistreating the child that he created, the child that is us.

I’m so glad that he put the right people in place for you to help you. That he put the right voices to offset and replace the voices of the enemy. I firmly believe that he will do that for anyone who reaches out and asks for help, whether they’re asking for help from him or from anybody else.

Mental illness is not something you deal with by yourself. Follow Kathleen’s wisdom. Have people that you can rely on, have people who will speak truth to you.

Remember, just because the clouds are there, just because you can’t see or hear him, doesn’t mean God’s not there. He is. He has you, and he loves you no matter what. Just because he created you, he loves you. And for that, we could all be grateful.

Kathleen: Absolutely.

Do you think resting is just being lazy? You couldn’t be more wrong! Guest Kathleen Denly shares how this God-given gift has been instrumental in bringing her back to mental health! #christianwriter #amwriting
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Do you find it easy or difficult to truly rest? Why?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Special thanks to our April sponsor of the month Christy Bass Adams. She’s the author of a devotional titled Learning As I Go: Big Lessons from Little People, and a middle grades novel, The Adventures of Cricket and Kyle: Imagination Checkers. She’s also a speaker and leads women’s conferences and Bible studies, and she’s a monthly contributor to Inspire-a-fire and a newspaper columnist for Greene Publishing.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 211 – The Gift of Rest with Guest Kathleen Denly appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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We don’t like to talk about it. We’re afraid to admit to it. But the fact is that being a firm believer doesn’t keep mental illness from striking. How do we, as believers and writers, deal with the reality of mental illness? Guest Kathleen Denly joins us to share how God met her in her own struggle and continues to guide her to soundness of body and mind.

About Kathleen Denly

Kathleen Denly writes historical romance to entertain, encourage, and inspire readers toward a better understanding of our amazing God and how He sees us. Award winning author of the Chaparral Hearts series, she also shares history tidbits, thoughts on writing, books reviews and more at KathleenDenly.com.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Karen: Hi guys, and welcome to the deep. We are delighted you are here because we have an outstanding guest to share her experiences, knowledge, and wisdom with you.

Erin: We do. Her name is Kathleen Denley, and I get to introduce her. Karen and I both got to know Kathleen through her writing. We both edited her work and it’s been great.

Welcome, Kathleen DenlyKathleen is the award-winning author of the Chaparral Hearts series. She writes historical romance to entertain, encourage, and inspire readers toward a better understanding of our amazing God and how He sees us. Kathleen enjoys finding the lesser known pockets of history and bringing them to life through the joys and struggles of her characters.

California, a favorite setting to her stories, is also her home, and she lives there with her loving husband, four young children, two dogs, and yes everybody, 10 cats. As the member of the adoption and foster community, children in need are a cause dear to her heart, and she finds they make frequent appearances in her stories.

So Kathleen, welcome. We’re glad to have you here.

Kathleen: Thank you so much. I’m glad to be here.

Take Courage in God’s StrengthErin: Let’s just jump right in. Kathleen, we love to ask people, what does the deep mean to you?

Kathleen: I’ve been listening to your podcast for so long. I thought about this for quite a while, and I feel like it changes depending on the season of life I’m in. Writing from the deep is about taking courage in God’s strength and wisdom, being able to go into those raw, dark, honest places that make you nervous. But again, leaning on God’s courage and strength to share the lessons he’s taught you from those dark and hard places with others.

Erin: I love that because we do, we have to go to the places where we’re nervous. That’s where it gets real.

A Scary TruthToday we wanted to talk about something more real than Christians sometimes want to admit, but we need to admit it. We need to talk about it, and it’s mental illness. We asked Kathleen to share her story with us. But first, Kathleen, why do you think that Christians sometimes struggle to admit the reality of mental illness?

Kathleen: Well, first, I think it’s scary. We don’t want to think about the fact that this could happen to us. We wanna think, “Well, no. I’m a good Christian. I do all the right things, therefore I am impervious to this.” But that’s not actually what Scripture plays out.

Karen: Right.

Kathleen: Several people in the Bible struggled with mental illness. If you look for the signs, you can see them easily. And there are even people who showed signs, and expressed the words, of suicidal thoughts, where they were despairing of life and they thought God had abandoned them. They had real struggles just like we do today.

Mental Illness Taboo in the church?Kathleen: But our culture has made it somewhat taboo. There is a history in the church of misunderstanding back in the 1700s, 1800s, and even farther back, of what mental illness actually was. They thought it was strictly a spiritual thing, or it was a sign of moral depravity or immaturity. And so a lot of taboo and stigma developed. It’s not as scary if we can say, “Oh, well, not me. I don’t struggle with that.” I don’t think people intentionally think, “Oh, I’m better than them, because they have that.” I think it’s more of a fear-based reaction.

Erin: And some Christians seem to think, “Hey, we have God so nothing can be wrong with our minds. We’ll just pray it away.” You know, as if you could pray away a broken leg.

Karen: It’s like they’re trying to cover God’s backside. “Oh, he would never let you go into that. That can’t affect you because you have Jesus.”

It’s A Brain ProblemErin: But there are very real struggles with the way our brains function. A friend of mine knows that I battle chronic fatigue and she just sent me an article about a recent study where they took MRIs and there’s a real dysfunction that they can see in the brain. It’s not like, “Oh, you’re lazy. Oh, you’re tired for no reason.” It’s a brain problem.

Karen: And people don’t recognize that about mental illness. There is often a physiological component to it.

Kathleen: I heard a quote on another show that I was watching and they said science is finally catching up with the Bible. The Bible has shown us that these things are real and they have not just a spiritual component, but also a physical component. I’m so grateful that we are at the point now where science is starting to help us understand that physical part of it.

Erin: Yeah, exactly.

Situational ComponentsKaren: There’s also a situational component that comes into play. My father-in-law’s alcoholism, and the abuse that stemmed from that, resulted, for Don and his siblings, in some issues. The defenses they developed as children against what was happening to them tend to carry over into adulthood.

At one point Don and I were in a counseling session, because our marriage almost didn’t survive what had happened to him, and the counselor said to Don, “The defense mechanisms that kept you alive as a kid are destroying you as an adult.” So often we need to learn how to live without defenses we no longer need and, as believers, to know that we’re safe because God’s got us.

Erin: So, Kathleen, you’ve had your own journey with this situation. How did you first know something wasn’t right?

Not MyselfKathleen: Basically I started acting very not myself. I had experienced postpartum depression after delivering one of my children several years ago. I mean, he’s 13 now. But when I started struggling this time my thoughts were going to places that were darker than normal for me.

I even had, in the beginning, fleeting thoughts of, “I don’t wanna be alive anymore.” As soon as I had that thought go through my head, I went, “Wait, what? No, that’s not me. That’s not okay. That’s not normal.” I learned later that what I was going through was a side-effect of some pain medication that the doctor put me on.

I had incurred––and it sounds so silly to say it this way––a repetitive strain injury. That just sounds so simple, so much less than what it actually was for me. There came a point at which I was in so much pain that I started screaming and I couldn’t stop.

Karen: Wow.

Losing My Grip on RealityKathleen: It became so bad that, as my husband was trying to get me to medical care, I was beginning to lose my grip on reality. I was so consumed with pain that all of my other senses just shut off. I wasn’t seeing anything. I wasn’t hearing anything. It was almost like I was out of my body and the only thing that existed was pain.

I would float in and out of being able to see what was going on around me, just completely consumed by pain. The whole time I was screaming and screaming and screaming. I was convinced I was going to die. I thought, “There’s no way I can live through this. This is beyond anything. If I don’t die, I’m gonna lose my mind. I’m gonna go insane from just the sheer level of pain.”

Erin: Wow.

Kathleen: Finally I got medical help and they were able to help me grab onto reality long enough to tell them what was going on, as much as I could understand, because we were still waiting for all these tests and to see specialists.

“I did it to myself”Kathleen: Finally the doctors gave me pain medication that brought me back into reality permanently. But that particular day, when it was so bad, is something I still have flashbacks to. And now I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. And the really, really frustrating thing is that I did it to myself.

I didn’t know I was doing it to myself, but I did. I worked myself into that injury. I had pain off and on every time I wrote a first draft because I would do marathon writing sessions. The first time I did this, I started getting pain in my shoulder and my arm and my elbow and my wrist. But I just took an ibuprofen and keep working.

Then, when the ibuprofen wasn’t enough, I would take a day off. And by “a day off” I mean I would type with my left hand instead of my right hand.

Erin: Wow.

Kathleen: And then, when taking a day off wasn’t enough, I would take a week off. By my third book, it got to the point where nothing helped. The pain just kept getting worse and I wasn’t able to type at all. The pain interferied with my ability to even think about my stories, let alone type them out.

So I finally went and saw a doctor. Because it was interfering with my work. It had nothing to do with the pain other than I needed it to go away so I could get my work done.

Listen to the Warning Bells!Erin: Well, that’s a warning bell right there.

Kathleen: Yeah, but I didn’t think about it that way at the time. I thought, “This is what good responsible people do. They get stuff done and they don’t let pain get in the way.” This is how I was raised.

In hindsight, I learned that what I had going on underneath was fear of what other people would think about me if I didn’t get stuff done––if I missed a deadline, if I wasn’t as successful as I could be on social media, if I didn’t have enough subscribers to my newsletter, if I didn’t have my platform strong enough, if I didn’t write enough guest posts…

I was even planning my to start my own podcast at the time. But I thought I was just doing all the things that you were supposed to do.

Karen: You could have started the Scream podcast: “Okay. Scream with me folks.” I bet there are a lot of people who would join you.

Kathleen: Actually, I bet there are days when people would log on.

You Can’t Do It All!Kathleen: Basically, I took all the advice from writer’s conferences, but I didn’t take it as suggestions or guidelines or things to think about. I made it all my life. Because I assumed––and again, this was not a conscious thought, this is something I figured out in retrospect––I assumed, “Well, my husband knows who I am. My kids know who I am. My mom, my friends, they all know who I am. They don’t need me to prove to them that I’m a good person.”

But all these other people––my new publisher, the other writers that I don’t know, the readers––they’re just getting to know me and need to have a good impression of me. And if I’m gonna give them a good impression, I need to do all these things and do them right now. And I need to do them perfectly.

Karen: Man!

Kathleen: ‘Cause I can’t give a bad impression and I can’t offend anybody and I can’t disappoint anybody.

Do You Hear Yourself?Erin: Wait, just stop there for one second. Listeners, did you hear that? Do you hear yourself in there? Just a little bit? I think almost every beginning writer or intermediate writer, even experienced writer, sometimes hears that.

So then what? What happened from there, Kathleen?

Kathleen: The sad result is that my family took second place to my work. Everything took second place to my work. Even my Bible study started taking second place. And I started thinking, “Oh, I’ve spent an hour and a half on Bible study this morning. I should have been writing. I should cut that down to 20 minutes. And how backwards is that? That’s totally backwards.

Writers Need Bible Study Time!Karen: That’s insane, is what that is.

Kathleen: Right? I’ve since learned that I need my Bible study to do good work. I need my Bible study to guide me in making the right decisions.

Instead, I got focused on being perfect. I got focused on getting everything done and I became a workaholic. And worked myself into injury.

Erin: Which, for a lot of people, is not an unusual story. And there might be people out there who are heading that direction right now. If so, this is a cautionary tale for you.

Kathleen: I hope so.

Erin: What happened then?

The Body Always KnowsKathleen: Well, one thing I want to share is that before all this, I had done everything to make sure my setup was ergonomic. I had a chair that was completely customized. I had my screen elevated, my keyboard at the right level…everything was exactly how it should be. So I actually thought I’d protected myself from this kind of an injury.

Except nobody told me that you can’t just keep working. You have to take breaks. Your muscles wear out even if you’re doing everything the right way. After the injury, my physical therapist taught me to set an alarm every hour. To get up, move around, do stretches, move my body so that it’s doing something different than sitting and writing.

And I learned how vital it is to eat healthy and drink well to stay hydrated. To take care of your body because if you don’t, it doesn’t matter what your mind’s doing…

Karen: Yeah.

Kathleen: …the body will eventually overrule you.

Erin: The body always knows. I had a conversation with a counseling psychologist and she said the body always tells the story. So this injury forced you to stop trying to do it all, perfect or otherwise.But then you were on painkillers and they were messing with your mind.

The Process of HealingKathleen: Yes. I focused on healing physically, but eventually my brain started going, “Okay, now that we’re not in physical survival mode, here’s all this stuff I’ve been holding back on you.”

That’s when the PTSD symptoms started kicking in––the panic attacks and the anxiety and the flashbacks. I didn’t have a flashback until almost a year after the injury. When I say flashback, for me it’s audible, visual, physical––the whole thing.

It’s like somebody places a film over my eyes and I’m seeing where I was then laid over the faded image of where I actually am. And I feel the pain that I felt that day, and hear the sounds that I heard that day. It can be triggered by a noise, a smell, a specific environment. Anything.

I had to change my bedroom around because I spent six weeks stuck in bed, unable to do anything. I needed help to shower, to eat––with everything. So once I was better, we had to rearrange my bedroom so it wouldn’t remind me of when I was stuck there.

Erin: Wow. Okay. That’s hard.

Coming Back from the DarkKathleen: I needed therapy and a researching of the scriptures to get myself back from the dark place I had fallen into. One day I looked at my author bio, because I was trying to get work done, and every single thing in that bio––the one that you read at the beginning of this podcast––I wasn’t any of that anymore.

I couldn’t hike. I couldn’t craft, I couldn’t write, I couldn’t mother, I couldn’t wife, I couldn’t do anything. I still lived in California and I was still married. Those were about the only things that still applied

It felt like my entire identity had been stripped away from me, and my world had been turned upside down and I didn’t understand anything. So I clung to who God was. I knew His character and I clung to that like I was holding on with my fingernails to a rock ledge over a thousand-foot drop.

Why Me, God?Kathleen: I didn’t know why He was letting me go through this. I didn’t know where this was gonna take me. All I knew was God. God is good. God is unchanging. God loves me. God has a good purpose for my suffering. That was what I clung to. I had nothing else in the darkest of times.

But the thing is, God knew there were so many lies being poured into my head at that time. Things like, I was worthless. I was helpless. I was a burden. I wasn’t helping anybody and they were all having to help me.

I didn’t realize I had this underlying belief that I was only as valuable as my accomplishments. I was only as valuable as much as I could help somebody else. And I didn’t know that until that was taken away from me.

Karen: Mm.

A Deep, Dark PlaceKathleen: When I found myself in that dark, dark place, I had legitimate thoughts of ending my life. But God knew I would get to this dark place, and He prepared in advance the things that I would need. He gave me a husband who would not give up on me, who would not leave me alone, who would get me to the help that I needed.

And God also prepared the therapist and the psychiatrist that I would need to diagnose me, to treat me, and to provide me with the medication that I needed, all of which helped my brain work in a way that allowed me to battle the lies Satan was pouring into my head.

A Three-Tiered ApproachErin: Wow. So you had a three-tiered approach there.

Kathleen: Yeah. I really needed mental help, physical help, and spiritual help. God is so good and in His infinite wisdom, He gave me the shovels I needed to dig my way out from under that mountain of lies.

And He never left me. That was the one thing I knew, even when I was thinking about ending my life. It wasn’t because I thought God had abandoned me. It was because, in that moment, in that few minutes where I went that dark and that deep, I lost sight of the light.

He was there. I just wasn’t looking at Him. But He was there.

The Light is Still ThereKaren: The enemy makes a concerted effort to pull the curtains so that you can’t look at God. To make it feel as though you can’t see Him. I think anybody who’s been in that place, whether it’s mental illness or whether it’s just a place of despair, and is considering suicide––which, I’ve been there––we need help to find the light again.

I went to the Psalms and found them comforting because David was so immersed in, “How long, O Lord, will you forget me?” And yet in the next Psalm it’s, “Praise the Lord! He is faithful and glorious! And He is the only one worthy to be praised.” That reminded me that yes, we go into those dark places, but the Light is still there.

Look Past the FogWhen I was a kid, we used to go up into the mountains to get Christmas trees and the first time we were going up, there was fog that coated the valley. We eventually climbed higher than the fog, and there was sunshine there and blue skies! It had never registered with my brain that just because there’s fog or clouds doesn’t mean the sun is gone and that the skies aren’t blue.

They’re just being veiled.

And that’s often what depression and mental illness can do to us, even when we’re not aware of it.

God Loves You No Matter What!Kathleen: The Scripture that had the biggest impact on me was about God knitting us together in our mother’s womb and loving us before we were born. It struck me so much harder than it ever had in my life. He loved me before I was born.

What does that mean? That means I hadn’t done a stinking thing to deserve to be loved, to be cared for, to have any kind of value of my own.

I just was existing, and even that only because of Him. So why did He love me? Because He created me! Period. End of story. I did nothing. I can do nothing to earn or deserve His love. So if tomorrow I have a terrible accident and the only thing I can do was lay in bed while somebody else feeds me and clothes me, I am just as valuable and just as loved as I am today. As I was in my mother’s womb.

And that was the biggest thing that pulled me out. That firm belief God loved me no matter what.

Karen: Amen.

Erin: Amen.

Do Christians Suffer from Mental Illness with guest Kathleen Denly #amwriting #Christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Have you or someone you’ve known suffered from mental illness? How did God help you through it?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Thanks so much to our March sponsor of the month, Tammy Partlow! She’s a speaker at women’s retreats, and her debut novel Blood Beneath the Pines, a suspense set in the deep South, is now available. She’s hard at work on the next book in the series!

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Anyone who has ever attended church has heard about God’s glory. We’ve sung about it, we’ve read about it in the Bible. But do we really understand it? And do we realize that we, both as believers and writers, are tasked with displaying God’s glory to the world? But how can we, in all our humanity and weaknesses, do something so grand and important? It’s easier than you think!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

In our last podcast, we discussed George Muller and his amazing life of prayer. I want to take a minute to treat Muller like a character in a novel with goals, motivations, and conflict.

So, George Muller had goals, he had ministries he wanted to start, like an orphan house. And he certainly had conflict—he had no money, no building, and no people to work with orphans. But what I love most is his motivation: He wanted people to see the mighty works that God did—how God provided, how trustworthy God is, and how deserving of praise God is.

In other words, he wanted to glorify God. That’s a great motivation! And it’s right in line with God’s goal in creating us.

Why Did God Create Us?God created us, and everything else, to glorify him. Here’s what Isaiah 43:7 says, “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.”

And Isaiah 43:21 says, “The people who I formed for myself will declare my praise.”

Psalm 19:1 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

An article on DesiringGod.org puts it this way: “The supreme goal of God in history from beginning to end is the manifestation of his great glory. Accordingly our duty is to bring our thoughts, affections, and actions into line with this goal.”

What is God’s Glory?But what is God’s glory? What do you think of when you hear that word?

We might think about what glory looks like—maybe what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6:1, when he saw the Lord high and exalted on a throne, with the train of his robe filling the temple.

Or we might think of what Ezekiel saw. He describes a whirlwind, and living creatures, and wheels, and then he says,

“…what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown…” Ezekiel 1:26-28 NIV

Or we might just think of light or fire so pure, bright, and holy that we can’t even look at it—we’d be consumed. Like in Hebrews 12:29 where it says, “For our God is a consuming fire.”

Or, We might think about a dictionary definition like honor, renown, magnificence, splendor, majesty, power.

An article on DesiringGod.org defines it like this: “The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of his manifold perfections.”

An article on Christianity.com says, “God’s glory is an indicator of his value”

So, God’s glory is God’s splendor, his worth, his value, his acts, his greatness, his brilliance, his power, his overwhelming nature, his majesty, his utterly beyond-ness.

HOW do we glorify God?Yet here we are, little puny humans, who exist to help display all that. How do we do that?

First, let’s realize that God has done the heavy lifting. We don’t have to do it all. He causes his own glory to be shown through his righteous acts and through his creation. Look at the proof in the following verses:

“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.” Isaiah 44:22-23 NIV

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’” Luke 2:8-14 NIV

“I [Jesus] have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” John 17:4 NIV

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:18 NIV

But, we still have a part to play. As the DesiringGod article said, it’s “our duty…to bring our thoughts, affections, and actions into line with” God’s goal of displaying his glory. We can do that by ascribing glory to God, revering his glory, and declaring his glory.

Ascribe Glory to GodWhen we ascribe glory to God, we’re recognizing it, we’re realizing it, we’re naming it. We’re attributing this characteristic to God, just like it says in these verses:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 NIV

“…Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”Revelation 15:3-4 NIV

“Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalm 29:1-2 NIV

We also ascribe glory to him when we acknowledge that his actions are ultimately for his glory, as it says in Psalm 79:9: “Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” Psalm 79:9 NIV

Revere God’s gloryWhen we revere God’s glory, we’re acknowledging the seriousness of it, the awe it should inspire. God’s glory is never to be taken lightly. Isaiah 59:19 says, “From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.”

Revering God’s glory means we’re careful not take God’s glory. Here’s what Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

Revering God’s glory also means we never, ever deny the truth of it, because we will face God’s wrath if we do. Romans 1:18-25 (NIV) has this to say:

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”

Paul goes on in that passage to talk about all the ways we will continue to devolve into evil if we refuse to recognize and value the truth about God and his glory. It’s not pretty.

Declare God’s gloryIn addition to ascribing God glory and revering God’s glory, we also are to declare it. We’re to tell it, to make it known as it says in these verse:

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.” 1 Chronicles 16:23-25 NIV

“All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.” Psalm 145:10-12 NIV

“They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: ‘Glory to the Righteous One.’” Isaiah 24:14-16 NIV

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Psalm 63:3 NIV

As writers, another way we declare God’s glory is through our words on the page. Those words tell of God’s truth and his worth, his actions and his attributes, his creation, his sovereignty, and his love. While it’s great if people read your words, don’t forget that just writing words is an act of declaration, and that is reason enough to write them.

Bearing Witness to God’s Glory through trustOur trust in God is another way we bear witness to his glory. We can show our trust by believing his promises, like Abraham. Here’s what Romans 4:18-21 (NIV) has to say:

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV) tells us, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” Our amen is our agreement, it’s our acknowledgement that we agree God will fulfill all his promises, and that glorifies God.

Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Again, our belief is a mark of our agreement, our trust that God has and will save us.

Bearing witness to God’s glory though our actionsAnother way we bring glory to God is through our actions. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

We need to think about this and take it seriously. Everything we do should demonstrate that God is our supreme value. That God is who and what we hold most dear. This should be reflected in how we spend our time, how we spend our money, how we talk, how we write, how we treat others, how we handle disagreement, how we behave on social media, or at church, or at the grocery store, or during an interview, or driving down the highway during rush hour.

You might be thinking—as I am—well that’s a tall order. But God doesn’t leave us to do this on our own. He helps us. He gives us his strength, his Holy Spirit, his promises, his living word in the Bible. And he gives us the right to come before his throne and—to the best of our fallen ability in this fallen world—behold God’s glory. These glimpses change us. The more we ascribe, revere, declare, and behold God’s glory, the more we are changed.

Here’s what 2 Corinthians 3:18 (RSV) tells us: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

As we’re changed, we’re better and better able to be a reflection of God’s glory, which brings God glory. But there’s more. As we shine, we also display God’s Kingdom to those around us. We shine in a dark, broken world that so desperately needs light.

I was discussing this in my mastermind group and here’s how one woman put it: “We’re walking trophy cases to display God’s glory.” God does that. He makes us his delight, his display, his joy.

God also makes us his fruit-bearers. Here’s what it says in John 15:7-8: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

God’s glory. It’s more grand, more amazing, more indescribable than we can imagine. Yet he gives us glimpses of it every day in so many ways. How can we not share it with others? Especially when he helps us do so? As we end today, let’s join together in glorifying God, in sharing his Glory with those around us. Let’s let Psalm 57:9-11 be our guide:

“I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

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There is nothing more intimate, nor powerful, than our conversations with the Creator of the universe, with the God who sees us and loves us and provides for us. And yet so often we treat prayer as though it’s a fall-back position, not a position of God’s power. Come learn from one man the keys to powerful prayers.

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Welcome

Over the last ten years or so, I’ve grown aware of something that has troubled my heart and spirit. But when I decided to make this situation a topic of a podcast, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Every word seemed a struggle. I wrote and rewrote. Researched. Deleted and started over. Not because I didn’t know what I wanted to say, but because I feel so ill-equipped to say it.

Then, in my research, I discovered a voice and life I’d never really heard about before, and it is this voice and life that I want to share today. Because this man didn’t just address the issue so many struggle with, he lived a life steeped in, as he called it, “the reality of the things of God.”

A Man of PrayerThis man is George Muller. Now, some of you may be well acquainted with him, but I was not. Nor was I familiar with his extraordinary life of prayer. And that, friends, is the topic of this podcast. Though we often gear our podcasts to the task of writing or our journeys as writers, for this episode we’re talking about prayer in every aspect of our lives.

Before we jump in, I want to let you know that the primary source of my information on George Muller is the remarkable book, George Muller: Delighted in God by Roger Steer. And I want to encourage you to pick up a copy and read for yourself the many wonders and details we don’t have the time to share here.

I also encourage you to pick up Release the Power of Prayer by George Muller. Or any of Muller’s other books. And I encourage you to find pictures of him online. What you’ll see is the face of a man filled with peace and the sure confidence in an Almighty, prayer-answering God. Seldom have I been so impacted by a man’s faith and life. May we all learn to live our lives as he did, steeped in prayer.

The Least I can Do…As believers in Christ, we take on the mantle of the blood of Christ, sacrificed for us, which covers our sins and weaknesses and grants us entrance into the very throne room of Almighty God. In fact, it doesn’t just grant us entrance, it welcomes us. Into God‘s presence. To talk with him. Whenever we want.

There is nothing more intimate, nor powerful, than our conversations with the Creator of the universe, with the God who sees us and loves us and provides for us.

And yet I’ve heard believers say things like, “Well, at least I can pray.” Or, “I can’t do anything but pray.” Of course, there are times when “I can’t do anything but pray” is an acknowledgement of our limitations and God’s power, but what I’m talking about is the creeping attitude among believers that prayer is somehow our “fall back.” The attitude is, “Well, if there’s nothing practical I can do, I can pray.”

Or, when people ask for prayer, believers say they will pray, but do so almost in an attitude of patting a child’s head and muttering, “There, there. It will be okay.” Then on they go with their day. They may shoot a quick prayer heavenward, almost as an afterthought. But we should never treat prayer, or prayer requests, in this way.

The MOST We Can Do!Friends, prayer is never the least we can do. It is the MOST we can do. No matter what else we are able to do in our lives, or to help others, we can pray. We. Can. PRAY!

Stop and think about that. Do we understand what an awesome privilege that is? And what a powerful responsibility it is? To go to God with not just our concerns, but with the concerns and fears of others. To seek His will and intervention, believing He will answer.

Consider what Scripture says about prayer.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

Have faith in God…. whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:22, 24)

Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. (Luke 22:46)

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:22)

Jesus told his disciples the parable of the persistent woman and the judge to show them that “…they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1)

There is no equivocation in Scripture. Always pray. Ask and it will be given. Not it may be given. Pray and don’t give up. When you pray, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

What About…?“Hang on,” you say. “Not every prayer is answered. I’ve prayed for xyz for years, and it still hasn’t been answered.”

Maybe this is where today’s believers started to lose their belief in the absolute power of prayer. Maybe, because we haven’t yet seen answer to our prayers, especially those that we’ve taken to God over and over, our certainty that God will answer has slid a bit. Because, well, He hasn’t answered.

Or so we think.

A Life of Answered PrayersGeorge Mueller lived a life steeped in prayer. As a result, he, by God’s answers and provision, accomplished amazing things in his 93 years of life. Born in 1805, a troublemaker when young, imprisoned for a brief time for theft when he was 16, he encountered Christ at the ripe old age of 20.

For the next 10 years he studied to become a missionary (and was disowned by his father for it), through God’s leading became a pastor instead, founded the Scripture Knowledge Institute, got married.

In 1834 he felt led to form an institution established for spreading the Gospel at home and abroad. And so he prayed that God would show him if this was His will. By June of 1835, Muller had opened five day schools that taught over 400 children and distributed nearly 800 bibles and 750 New Testaments. In addition, they’d sent missionaries around the world financial and prayer support. All from donations that came to them by God’s hand.

Why An Orphan House?Then, in December of 1835, God moved George to pray about establishing a house for orphans. At that time in the UK, there were accommodations for no more than 3600 orphans. So most orphans were sent to homes for foundlings or the work houses. Think Oliver Twist.

But Muller’s reasons for opening an Orphan house weren’t what we might expect. His most important reason was to glorify God. You see, when people saw God’s provision in answer to prayer, it would prove the reality of total trust in God, thus strengthening believers in their faith. Second, he wanted to take care of the spiritual welfare of the orphans. Third, he wanted to see to the orphans’ physical needs.

The Big AskAs he was praying whether he should do this, if it was God’s will for him, something happened. George recorded it in his journal:

“On December 5th, however, the subject of my prayer all at once became different. I was reading Psalm 81 and was particularly struck, more than at any time before, with verse 10: ‘Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.’

“I thought a few moments about these words, and then was led to apply them to the case of the Orphan-House. It struck me that I had never asked the Lord for anything concerning it, except to know His will respecting its being established or not; and I then fell on my knees and opened my mouth wide, asking Him for much.

“I asked in submission to His will, and without fixing a time when He should answer my petition. I prayed that He would give me a house­­­­––either as a loan, or that someone might be led to pay the rent for one, or that one might be given permanently for this object. Further, I asked Him for £1000 [approx. $150k pounds today]; and likewise for suitable individuals to take care of the children.

“Besides this, I have been since led to ask the Lord, to put into the hearts of His people to send me articles of furniture for the house, and some clothes for the children.

“When I was asking the petition, I was fully aware what I was doing, i. e., that I was asking for something which I had no natural prospect of obtaining from the brethren whom I know, but which was not too much for the Lord to grant.”

The Big AnswerHe was right. Five days later he received a letter from a brother and sister who said they wanted to come work in his orphan house for no salaries because “God will supply all our needs.” This brother and sister also gave all their furniture for use in the house.

Three days after that, a man said he’d been convicted by God to give weekly support to the house. And two more believers offered to work for no salaries, and give all their furniture to the house. And so it went.

George had all of 2 shillings, roughly $16 dollars, when he started praying. But again, he opened his mouth, presenting his needs to God and believing God would provide in His own way and in His timing. And God did. Sometimes with just enough to meet the need, sometimes with large amounts.

In fact, it’s said that Muller received so much in donations that over his life he was able to give away $80,000 pounds (nearly 3 million pounds, or 4.5 million US, in today’s money). Even more amazing is that Muller didn’t use any of the donations for the Orphan house for his or his family’s care. Instead, he trusted God for their daily bread, submitting his request and then waiting, waiting for God to act.

His Life Wasn’t EasyNow, in case you’re thinking it was in any way easy for Muller to live this way or that his life was easy, here are some facts:

His father disowned him when he decided to become a missionary

His mother died while he was studying to be a missionary

He and his wife lost two children, one in stillbirth, one when a year old to an illness

Numerous serious health challenges plagued Muller throughout his life

And what about the prayers that God didn’t answer right away? Muller said this:

“We ought to love God, even though we have not answers to our prayers; but all this will greatly increase our love; and it is not only once, but if we mark the hand of God, we shall soon find that we have scores and hundreds of answers to prayer. And thus we shall be led to love Him more and more for all he has done.”

But I’m Not George MullerAnd just in case you’re thinking, “Yeah, well, that’s George Muller. I could never have a prayer life like that. No one could but him. God chose him special for this prayer life,” George addressed that in his writings. He made it clear that his faith wasn’t the “gift” of faith mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9. Rather, he said he was able to trust God because of the “grace” of faith.

Muller himself dispelled this when he wrote, “Think not, dear reader, that I have the gift of faith, that is, that gift of which we read in 1 Corinthians 12:9, and which is mentioned along with the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy,” and that on that account I am able to trust in the Lord.

“It is true that the faith, which I am enabled to exercise, is altogether God’s own gift; it is true that He alone supports it, and that He alone can increase it; it is true that, moment by moment, I depend upon Him for it, and that, if I were only one moment left to myself, my faith would utterly fail; but it is not true that my faith is that gift of faith which is spoken of in 1 Corinthians.”

George Muller’s GoalWhy did Muller talk about this prayer life with God? To encourage believers in their faith. That’s why he made such a point of the fact that his faith––as is true of all believers’ faith––was given to him and sustained by God, but it wasn’t some special ability. It was, quite simply, the result of his determination to take God at His word. Something we all are expected to do.

In his journal, Muller went on to write, “All believers are called upon, in the simple confidence of faith, to cast all their burdens upon him, to trust in him for everything, and not only to make everything a subject of prayer, but to expect answers to their petitions which they have asked according to his will, and in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

In all, George Muller cared for over 10,000 orphans during his lifetime, giving them educational opportunities. He established 117 schools which offered Christian education to more than 120,000 people. According to an article in The Times, Muller received approximately 1.5 million pounds (equaling 2.6 million dollars) through faithful prayer and established orphanages in five locations.

He spoke in countless countries, preaching and teaching about faith and trust in God, reaching hundreds of thousands with the Gospel. He is known to have had 50,000 prayers answered during his life. His was a life well lived, not because he was someone special, but because He believed in and trusted God to be all He said He was.

Keys to Praying Like George MullerSo if George Muller was no one special, meaning each of us can attain a faith like his, how do we go about it? First we must ask ourselves one question:

Do I Believe?

Go ahead. Ask yourself. Do you believe God is all He says He is? Do you believe He will do what He says He will do? That He will answer your prayers. Because you must if you expect an answer from Him. The Bible is clear on that in James 1:6-7:

“But [you] must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Soul-Deep BeliefThere could be no doubt that George Muller believed with every ounce of his being. Just one example happened in 1877, when, while crossing the Atlantic, a dense fog descended. The captain of the ship slowed their progress to be safe. George went to the captain and said he had to be in Quebec by the following afternoon. The captain said there was no way they’d make it in time.

What did George do? He asked the captain to pray with him. They went to a room below decks, with the captain muttering what a waste of time it all was, and Muller prayed. The captain started to follow suit, but George stopped him. In part, he said, because the captain didn’t believe. But mostly because the prayer had already been answered.

Had Muller seen the fog lift? No, but he believed! He told the captain “I have known my Lord for more than fifty years and there is not one instance that I have failed to have an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, for you will find that the fog has gone.” They went back up on the bridge, and the fog was, indeed, gone.

Are You Certain?How do we pray like George Muller? First, we believe like him. We pray with the utter certainty that God will answer, in His way, in His time. Do we believe God is able to do infinitely and exceedingly beyond anything we can ask for? Do we believe that God has the power to provide and that he is not only willing to do so but delights in doing so?

If you’re not sure you believe like that, then follow Muller’s lead and go to Scripture. Ask God to show you why you can believe this way. Here are a few verses to get you started:

Don’t be afraid! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act…Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough….The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. (Psalms 37:7, 18-19, 39-40 NLT)

Therefore, I say unto you, whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. (Mark 11:24, )

Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood up straight again, and began glorifying God. (Luke 13:10-13 NASB)

How Long, O Lord?Eighteen years! Have you prayed for 18 years with no apparent answer? For longer? Are you will to wait for God to act, even if you don’t see it happen in your lifetime? Will you still believe that He will do as He promised? Remember, just because God hasn’t answered a prayer yet doesn’t mean He’ll never answer it. It can’t mean that. If it does, then God isn’t who He says He is.

There were six people whom Muller asked God to bring to faith. Every day he prayed for those people. One came to faith not long after Muller began praying. One several years. Two more over a larger number of years. Only one was still unsaved when Muller died.

So does that mean God didn’t answer that prayer? Not at all. The man came to faith a year after Muller’s death. There is no such thing as “taking too long” for God. He will answer when He knows the time is right. We don’t need to see the answers. We simply need to trust the Provider.

Are You Ready?When you can say you believe with certainty that God is who He says He is, that He will do what He promised, then follow George Muller’s lead into Scripture. Yes, back into the Word of God. Why? Because Muller had been praying every day for years, but then God revolutionized his prayer life with a revelation. As he wrote in his journal:

“It pleased the Lord to teach me a truth…I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

Soul HappinessHow about you? Is your soul happy in the Lord? Are you content in Him? Resting in Him? Why did Muller think this was so important? Because if our souls aren’t happy in the Lord, then everything we do for him runs the risk of being done in the wrong spirit. So how do we achieve this soul happiness? Muller tells us:

“The most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into … communion with the Lord.”

So early every morning after that, he went to God’s Word. He asked the Lord’s blessing on His Word, then meditated on the Scripture, “searching as it were into every verse to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul.”

When Your Soul Is Happy in the LordThe result? Muller found his soul led to confession or thanksgiving or intercession or supplication… in other words, to prayer! And he would continue his reading and meditating, which turned the Scripture into prayer for himself and others.

And, as he said, “My inner man almost invariably is … nourished and strengthened, and by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart.”

So if we want to learn how to live a prayer-steeped life as George Muller did, start in God’s Word. Maybe even start by studying and meditating on the verse that so impacted Muller: “I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10 NASB)

Muller’s Conditions for Successful PrayerStarting in God’s Word, letting it become prayer, will accomplish something else. Muller taught that there were conditions required for successful prayer, the first of which was that our requests must be according to God’s will. If we’re stepped in God’s holy Word, if we’re meditating and praying it, then we can be sure God will set our hearts and spirits right with Him. And He will show us what is in accordance to His will.

George Muller’s second condition for successful prayer was that we “mustn’t ask on account of our own goodness or merit, but ‘in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ’ (John 14-13-14.)” He supported this condition with Psalm 66:18, which says “if I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” In other words, Muller said, “if I live in sin and go on in a course hateful to God, I may not expect my prayers to be answered.”

The third condition we’ve talked about already, and that is to exercise faith in the power and willingness of God to answer our prayers. And the fourth condition is to “continue patiently waiting on God till the blessing we seek is granted.”

As Muller stressed, there’s nothing in Scripture about when God will answer, only that He will. “Therefore,” Muller wrote, “beloved brethren and sisters, go on waiting upon God, go on praying; only be sure you ask for things that are according to the mind of God.”

What Happens When You Take These Steps?Friends, if we take these steps, being mindful of these conditions, how can our prayers not be changed? How can we not be changed? Even as George Muller was changed. And how can we not be used? Even as Muller was used, or more?

Charles Spurgeon says this about prayer: “Prayer is the natural outgushing of a soul in communion with Jesus. Just as the leaf and the fruit will come out of the vine-branch without any conscious effort on the part of the branch, but simply because of its living union with the stem, so prayer buds, and blossoms, and fruits out of souls abiding in Jesus. As stars shine, so do abiders pray. It is their … second nature.”

Abide in God. Trust in His promises. Believe He is Who He says He is and will do as He promised.

Don’t Let Yourself Be DerailedOne final thought:

Don’t let your feelings derail you. Because they can. If we’ve prayed and prayed and no answer seems forthcoming, we can become discouraged. Or we can feel that doing the things we’ve discussed just aren’t accomplishing anything. Muller warns us about this:

“It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer.

“The truth is that, in order to enjoy the Word we ought to continue to read it and the way obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.”

Don’t let yourself be derailed.

Practice, Practice, Practice!William Arthur Arthur Rubinstein, the great pianist, once said, “If I neglect practicing one day, I notice; two days, my friends notice; three days, the public notices.”

That applies to us as well, friends. Keep on keeping on. Because though it may take time, it’s the same as with any other thing we do. The more we do it, the more familiar it becomes. The more we learn and grow, and the more we are moved to do it. And ever and always, wait on God to act.

As George Muller said, “I have found invariably…that if I only believed I was sure to get, in God’s time, the thing I asked for…To see that He is able, you have only to look at the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, for to raise him from the dead, He must have almighty power…assuredly if we believe, we shall receive––we shall obtain.”

Hello, Powerful PrayerThe least we can do? Hardly. Prayer is, in fact, a believer’s most powerful weapon. With prayer we can call on God to unleash the armies of heaven that He may be glorified on the earth. We can lift those we care about to the most powerful King in creation and seek mercy or healing or whatever is needed. Prayer is not our fall back. It’s our first and best act in any situation.

As C.S. Lewis once said, “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”

And as Max Lucado wrote, ”Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”

Amen

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What inspires you most about George Muller’s prayer life?

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How would it change the way you pray if you realized God is greater––make that far greater––than anything we can imagine, think, or dream of? That His work within us and for us is beyond our greatest imaginings? That our human minds can’t even begin to understand or imagine all He is able to do? Come explore what this means to you and your prayers!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

I’m (Karen) part of a brainstorming group of roughly 10 women that has been meeting for 20 years or more. As you can imagine, we are all good friends. As believers, we spend a lot of time talking about the Lord and praying together.

In this spirit, we pray and ask God to give us a word to focus on for each year. He’s been so faithful to do this for each of us, and to confirm our individual words with Scripture and quotes and other things.

One of the women in my brainstorming group, Gayle deSalles, shared what God had shown her for her word. I was so moved and impressed that I asked her if I could use it as a basis for this podcast. She graciously agreed.

Pay Attention!A part of what impacted me so much was that God had been stirring similar thoughts and questions in me over the past few weeks. I always love it when God whispers the same truths to different believers! And when that happens I often feel a holy “Pay attention!”, that there’s something important there not just for the person sharing, or for me, but for others.

Gayle’s word for 2024 comes from one of the most familiar passages in the entire Bible. She said she wasn’t even thinking about this Scripture or word when it came to her. She’d been uncertain what her word was, so she decided to do something that we all need to do when we’re seeking God’s guidance:

Meditate on His word, listen only to Him, and explore Scriptures as He directs.

Decisions to Make?Do you have a decision you need to make? An issue where you’re seeking God’s guidance? Has some opportunity come to you but you’re not sure if it’s right?

Are you considering writing something different, something you’ve never written before, but can’t shake a niggling concern about doing it?

Or are you feeling that maybe you didn’t hear God right, and you’re somehow off-track with what He wants from you as a writer?

The first, wisest step to take when you’re in a situation such as this is to do as Gayle did: Meditate on God’s word, listen only to Him, and explore Scriptures as He directs.

A Guided Tour of God’s WordYou may be amazed how immersed you become in the Word as God leads you through it. Verses you’ve known all your life are suddenly alive with a new meaning or importance. Chapters you’ve read again and again suddenly seem to have sections you’ve never seen.

It’s not that you haven’t read them before. It’s just that God is highlighting them in your mind and spirit, telling you to pay attention, go deeper, take time to understand.

Remember what Hebrews 4:12 says, “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Embrace Freedom!Gayle described this process well when she told the group, “I’ve been enjoying myself so much that I keep getting the kind of dopamine rush I used to get when I took off on my bicycle for a long ride on a sunny spring day. A day not too hot or cold. When I headed down a path or wove through neighborhoods I’d never explored before.”

Do you remember doing that? That sense of freedom and exploration, of excitement and anticipation?

When we come to the Word of God seeking only to hear Him, to be guided by Him, it’s the same exhilarating sensation.

Time to dig deeperAt this point in her email, Gayle shared her word: IMAGINE.

One of the confirming Scriptures God gave her was Ephesians 3:20. Some versions of the Bible render “imagine” as “think.” But the concept is one we all can embrace.

The New International Version has the verse as, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (That’s actually Ephesians 3:20 and 21.)

In the New American Standard Bible it’s: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”

The AMPC, or Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, actually expands on what certain words in the verse mean: “Now to Him Who, by [in consequence of] the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].

And in The Living Bible, we find: “Now glory be to God, who, by his mighty power at work within us, is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”

GOD IS GREATER!How exciting is that verse? In each and every translation of it, we find an amazing truth: God is greater––make that far greater––than anything we can imagine, think, or dream of. His work within us and for us is beyond our greatest imaginings. We can’t begin to ask all that our God is able to do!

Crosswalk.com shares this insight:

“Paul had just previously written of God’s marvelous plan for the Gentiles: ‘God’s love for us goes farther than even time itself…His love for us is a love that doesn’t hold back. His love gives everything, to the point of sacrificing his very own Son …This is unquantifiable, immeasurable love.’

The article goes on to say:

“God, who He is and what He does, will do, and has done is immeasurable. We only see and know a slice of the whole pie in the sky. And we can know a lot about God! He is not afraid of our questions, frustrations, and promises. When we seek Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him.“

You never need to feel alone, or that you can’t figure something out. Almighty God is always at work, in His immeasurable love, on the answer. HIS answer. For you.

DON’T GET LOSTOftentimes, though, even if we have this knowledge in our heads, our feelings overwhelm us and we end up a bit lost. In Ecclesiastes 1, we see that Solomon, a man who once enjoyed deep fellowship with God, was led astray by his feelings. And yet, even in his emotional state, he is, in the pages of this book of the Bible, finding his way back, understanding that without God as the focus, life is meaningless.

Consider what we find in Ecc. 1:1-11:

“`Everything is meaningless,’ says the Teacher, ‘completely meaningless!’

“What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again…. Everything is wearisome beyond description….

“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, ‘Here is something new!’ But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.’”

THE STRUGGLE IS REALNow that’s a discouraged man. Have you struggled with discouragement like this? Feeling that no matter what you do, nothing ever happens? That you have nothing new to say or write, or that the same disappointments keep happening over and over?

But how does this Solomon jive with the Solomon we see in 1 Kings 3: 3-14:

“Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings. That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, `What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!’”

WHAT DO YOU WANT?Friends, what do you want of God? What is your fondest desire and goal? What would you say if Father God came to you and asked you this question?

Solomon replied this way: “’You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.

“’Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

Solomon, the great king, knew he was “like a little child, who doesn’t know his way around.” No matter how long we’ve been following Jesus, how long we’ve been writing what God asks us to write, we, like Solomon, are, in many ways, “like a little child, who doesn’t know his way around.” We love God, we seek to serve Him as best we know how. But as we saw in the verses in Ephesians, what we truly know of God is miniscule compared to who He is and what He is doing for His children. For you.

An Understanding Heart?This great king—Solomon—wanted an understanding heart, but what, exactly, does that mean?

MinistryInsights.com has a fascinating article that explores An Understanding Heart. First it clarifies “heart,” saying, “In Scripture, the term ‘heart’ is used to denote a person’s inner self. The heart is the center of spiritual activity, moral understanding, and human will.”

We all know how powerful the heart is. Scripture underscores this truth over and over, making it clear that our heart is affected by what we treasure (Matt 6:21); that the heart is the source of our trust in God (Prov 3:5); that we must guard our hearts because every we do flows from it (Prov 4:23); that a pure heart goes hand in hand with a steadfast spirit (Psa 51:10); that God’s peace guards our hearts (Phil. 4:7).

The article on MinistryInsights goes on to say that an understanding heart, is humble and purposeful. Humble, in that it recognizes any strength we have, even in our writing, isn’t from us, it’s from God. A humble heart “invites God to work to cultivate deeper insight about those strengths.” Purposeful, in that it is “neither careless nor impulsive.” When we cultivate an understanding heart, we do so understanding our limits and God’s limitlessness, and we do so with purpose.

How to Go to God?So when you go to God for guidance, start with meditating on His word, listening only to Him. Then, acknowledging how limited your understanding is, ask Him to give you an understanding heart. Of yourself, of others, of HIM.

How did God respond in 1 Kings when Solomon asked for an understanding heart? He replied:

“’Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.’”

THE BIG QUESTIONSo ask your self: “How close do I want to go with God?”

Gayle explained, “In short, God was saying to me, ‘Gayle, to the degree you are walking closely with me, abiding with me, fixing your eyes on me, one of two things will happen. You will either, in some degree or fashion, walk in Ecclesiastes 1 and get depressed by all you see, waking up each morning and saying––if not in your words, then in your heart––’same ole, same ole.

“’Or you will embrace Ephesians 3:20 and seek me, asking me to reveal My heart. Start with boldness to ask me what is already on your heart and mind, and we’ll talk about the fact that I can do immeasurably more than that. Or than you can ever imagine.’”

LIVING IN ECCLESIASTES 1This question––“How close do I want to go with God?”, grabbed my heart and spirit. Just the night before Gayle’s email, I’d made the mistake of watching the news. As a result, I found myself unable to sleep. Wondering how God’s creation has come so far away from Him. How such unbelievable lies and deceptions have taken root in people’s hearts and minds. That night, I was living in Ecclesiastes 1, moaning about how there’s nothing new under the sun. How evil is rampant and people are rotten and Lord, why don’t you come down and annihilate us all???

Yeah, not a great place to live. If you’ve been there, or are even there now, it’s time to step out of Ecclesiastes. To go to Scripture and seek first the Father’s forgiveness for not trusting Him, and then ask His help.

Ask Him to draw you closer to His heart. To share His understanding of the world, of evil, of all that so drags us down. Ask Him to open our eyes, to let us see the people and world around us with HIS eyes. To show us His truth and His work in our world. And to draw us deeper into an understanding heart.

ARE YOU READY TO STOP?So how about you? How close do you want to go with God? Are you ready to stop accepting “the same ol’, same ol’”? Are you ready to refuse to accept that’s just the way the world is, or that’s just the way publishing is, or that’s just the way the church is? Are you ready to shift your focus and understanding when trials come, because we all know they will come. Boy howdy, will they ever come.

Our books won’t sell the way we want or hope.

Pirates may steal our fair earnings.

Contracts we’re expecting may not materialize.

Projects we’ve been counting on may disappear with no explanation.

Books we turn in may be rejected.

We may fall sick and can’t meet a deadline.

Family crises may leave us too battered to write.

And that barely scratches the surface of all that can go wrong in our writing journeys. And if we walk in Ecclesiastes 1, we’ll just moan and groan and complain and ask why. But friends, don’t do that! Instead, prepare for the inevitable trials of life and publishing, with an understanding heart.

GET READY FOR AMAZING!When we do that, something amazing happens. Those hard Scriptures, the ones we read and wonder how on earth we’re supposed to follow them, take on a new meaning and impact.

Consider James 1:2-4:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Pure joy? You bet. Because an understanding heart will let you see what’s happening to you with God’s eyes. You’ll understand every trial will only draw you closer to Him. And it will help prepare you for eternity with the Father!

ALL THINGS?When we ask God to grow in us an understanding heart, Romans 8:28 resonates as never before:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

How often have we asked, “All things? Really?” I know I’ve asked that. Physical limitations. Diseases and Illnesses. Relationship struggles. Financial hardships? All those things are for my good?

Yes, in any and every thing, God is working for our good. And he’s not just wringing his hands going, “Oh dear, how am I going to fix this?” No, he’s had a plan all along to shape and refine us. To give us compassion and understanding. To make us a reflection of Him to a world that so desperately needs to know Him.

OUR UNWITTING WITNESSDon and I live in a remote area of Washington. There’s one highway that comes to our town, and the traffic on that highway is atrocious. I joined a Facebook group for my small town, and noticed how people would ask about the traffic situation on a regular basis. So when Don and I were stuck in a loooooong line of traffic, I hopped onto Facebook and posted about it to let folks know.

Many of the responses to my post were nice, even grateful. But some of them. Holy cow! I had no idea I’d get blasted with sarcastic, angry, and insulting posts. That I’d be told to “go back to whatever city you came from if you don’t like the traffic!” I considered unleashing some verbal abuse of my own in response, but God got hold of me.

Instead, I responded to a few people telling them it seemed they were having a tough day so I’d pray for them. And then I thanked the people who were kind and grateful in their responses. Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t follow that first instinct because the woman who lives behind us sent me a private message telling me where to post about traffic without getting blasted.

Then she said, “Some people just have to be mean. But your responses to them were wonderful!” Thank God He moved me to turn my hurt and frustration into kindness. I shudder to think the kind of witness I’d have been to her if I’d responded in kind.

THE BEAUTY OF AN UNDERSTANDING HEARTThat’s the beauty of cultivating an understanding heart. It turns us around. And it turns 1 Peter 4: 12-19, from one of those hard Scriptures to a wonderful strategy filled with promise and purpose:

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? …

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

Trails coming? Be overjoyed when God’s glory is revealed!

Suffering attacking you? You are blessed and the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you!

Miseries reaching for you? Don’t be ashamed! Praise God that you bear His name!

Carrying burdens? Commit yourself to your faithful Creator and continue to do good, because he will make you able.

IMAGINE…WITH GODImagine. Imagine living that way.

Imagine seeking God in His word, listening only for His loving, powerful voice.

Imagine surrendering to Him and His work in everything you are and do.

Imagine what it means to ask Him for, and open yourself to, Him creating in you an understanding heart.

Imagine coming to Him and asking for whatever abundant, unfathomable, inconceivable blessing He wants to share with us!

Start today, friends. Don’t spend any more time in an Ecclesiastes 1 life. Instead, step into a life steeped in Ephesians 3:20, and let your imagination soar.

Meditate on God’s word, listen only to Him, and explore Scriptures as He directs. #amwriting #Christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What’s one thing you can do to live in Ephesians 3:20?

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Many things in today’s world make us feel we need to hurry up and get them done. But there are some things that we should NOT hurry to do. Here are 10 specific things you need to do for your career—and life—but never in a hurry.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

The new year started a few weeks ago, and by now we’re probably deep into the commitments, resolutions, and activities of life. If you’re like most people, all that has probably come with a sense of rushing about.

Now, rushing isn’t always bad. If, say, your carbon monoxide alarm is going off, rushing out of the house is prudent. But if rushing becomes the normal course of our lives, it leads to stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. That isn’t the way God designed us to live and function.

This year we want to encourage you to slow down. To NOT live your life in a constant state of “hurry.” To help you do that in concrete ways, we’ve made a list of 10 things to NOT hurry. We’ll start off with something writing related.

1. Don’t hurry to publish your first bookSome of you may have started the year with a goal of finishing your book and publishing it this year. That is not necessarily wise. Especially if it’s your first book, and most especially if it’s the first draft. Trust us when we say that learning the craft takes time, and you can’t put a deadline on that.

Most writers don’t know what they don’t know until AFTER they write their first book AND get professional feedback. The last thing you want to do for your writing career is be in a hurry to publish something that isn’t ready. Unless you’ve been studying craft for a few years and revised that first book multiple times, it’s very likely not ready.

Trust us. We have seen lots and LOTS of manuscripts over the years that were pitched to agents or publishers, or self-published, long before they were ready. So take your time. Don’t hurry.

Proverbs 19:2 (NLT) says, “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.” We want your first book to have every chance of success, not mistakes.

2. Don’t Hurry LearningWith so much information and advice available these days, it’s easy to take in huge quantities of ideas, techniques, facts, and so on, without ever stopping to absorb any of it. Instead of putting new ideas into practice, we just skip off to the next interesting idea. This year, we encourage you to slow down. To let a new idea or technique soak in. To reap the benefits before you move on.

Think about how many writing craft books are out there. And blogs, and articles, and workshops, and courses. You could spend a lifetime hurrying from thing to thing. Don’t do that. Spend some time applying what you’ve learned about dialogue, for example, before you go off to read that book on subplots.

We’re not saying you have to be an expert in one thing before you can move on, because improving craft does seem to go in waves. What we are saying is that you don’t want to let distraction pull you away before you’ve gained real and lasting benefit from what you’re learning.

This same principle applies to life lessons. Take the time to reflect on new insights and experiences. Often your newfound knowledge will apply to other areas of life. You just need to stop and connect them. This is a great practice to not only gain wisdom, but to improve creativity, because creativity is about making connections.

3. Don’t hurry conversationThe next thing to NOT hurry is conversation. James 1:19 (NLT) tells us “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”

Think about the good old days when people sat on the front porch and chewed the fat. My dad is in his eighties now. When he was a kid, his family lived in a small town. No one locked their doors when they left the house—that was considered rude because a neighbor might need to borrow something while you were gone. Since the doors weren’t locked, it wasn’t uncommon for his family to come home from somewhere and find folks sitting in the living room waiting for their return, just to visit, to talk in an unhurried fashion.

One of the ways we see hurried conversation these days is a “like” on Facebook, or a thumbs up on a text. Or a quick direct message or email. This seems to be today’s preferred method of communication. Or if there is an actual conversion, it seems that people just want to get their point across and move on.

This year we encourage you to change that. To stop and have deliberate conversations, not quick information exchanges. Put your phone down, turn off the TV, close your laptop, look someone in the eyes, and listen.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to devote hours and hours to every conversation. Five relaxed minutes of undivided attention is worth far more than an hour of distracted “uh-huhs.”

4. Don’t hurry relationshipsGoing along with not hurrying conversation, the next thing to NOT hurry is relationships. The writing business, and life, is all about relationships, and good relationships take time.

Get to know people through unhurried conversation. Spend time with them. Get to know them over time. Go to writing conferences not once, but year after year to meet industry professionals and other writers. Ask them questions about what they do, who they are, and what they like.

You don’t want to end up with an agent whose style is completely wrong for you. Or a publisher who likes to work with the type of author that you definitely ARE NOT. You don’t want to end up with a critique partner who isn’t as experienced as you need. You don’t want to line up a newsletter swap with a writer who turns out to be unreliable, or hire a PR person who doesn’t understand your brand.

Your goal is to learn about other writers and industry professionals as human beings—not instruments to help further your career.

But don’t forget about the non-writing relationships in your life. They need time too. Life is busy, and the dual careers writers often have makes things even more challenging. But if we don’t slow down for relationships, we’ll be missing out on the very thing God created us for. We have been made by a relational God for fellowship. This year we encourage you to NOT hurry through the very thing you were made for.

5. Don’t hurry through prayer timeIn our hurry-up life, we can sometimes fall into the trap of thinking we have no time for prayer. Or our prayer time becomes a quick recitation of our list of “needs.” This is not what God intended when he told us to pray—and we are indeed instructed to pray.

Prayer isn’t just for the super spiritual or the super devoted. It’s for everyone, all the time. When we hurry through prayer time, we’re hurrying our relationship and our conversation—two things we’ve already said we shouldn’t do.

In our last episode on Silence, we talked about how incorporating silence into our times of prayer can help us focus on God and hear him better so our prayers become a relationship-building conversation. This year, we encourage you to pay special attention to your time with God. Make it unhurried. Make it deliberate.

We’re not saying you can’t have short times with God, or that a short sentence of prayer before you head into an important meeting, or phone call, or whatever, is inappropriate. But we are encouraging you to stop, to focus, and to be mindful of who it is you’re speaking to.

6. Don’t hurry through accomplishmentsThe writing journey is a long-haul effort. It’s built upon a series of accomplishments. Everything from your first attempt at writing an article, to your first draft of a novel or memoir, to your first critique, your first published work, to your first book sale or contract, your first critical review, and so on to the next and the next and the next.

Too often our focus is on getting to “somewhere down the road,” and we forget that being right here, right now, is important. It’s a place of learning and growing. And—now hear this everybody—it’s a place that is actually JUST FINE.

This year, wouldn’t it be nice to simply be okay with where you are and not feel like you’re always in a hurry to finish whatever you’re working on so you could get to the next thing? Because there is ALWAYS a next thing. Consequently we’re always trying to move on and never satisfied with where we are or what we’ve done. That is not a happy way to live.

Don’t hear us saying that you shouldn’t set deadlines and you shouldn’t try to grow. We’re simply saying that if, for example, you’re at the “freshman level” of writing, enjoy your “freshman year.”

That doesn’t mean there is no movement forward. Of course there will be. But move at a reasonable pace. Don’t spend all your time rushing or wishing you were at the next grade. Take time to celebrate each small milestone and to acknowledge and enjoy the fruit of your efforts.

7. Don’t hurry through trialsThe next thing to NOT hurry through is trials. Yes, we know that might sound dumb, but hear us out. What we mean is that when you’re going through trials, and the writing life—even the Christian life—can sometimes feel like one big trial, don’t put all your focus on trying to claw your way past the trial.

There are things we can learn in trials—things we can’t learn any other way. There are ways we meet God in trials, and these are ways to meet him that won’t happen outside of trials. If your sole focus is on escaping the trial, you’ll miss God.

You need your energy and your focus on God, not on the emotional turmoil you’ll feel as all your attempts to escape trials fail. There is a reason God left believers on this earth and didn’t whisk us all to heaven the moment we gave our lives to Christ. Part of that reason is for us to experience him—and his grace—here and now in this futile, imperfect place.

Don’t miss out on the way God can reveal himself as a stronghold and refuge in this place.

8. Don’t hurry into decisionsThe next thing to NOT hurry is decisions. What we’re talking about here are big, life-changing kinds of decisions. Not decisions about whether to have tuna or chicken for lunch. The writing life is filled with decisions so here are some dos and don’ts that can help you not hurry into a decision:

Don’ts:

• Don’t hurry through the first open door. This might mean you don’t take the first offer of agent representation, or the first publication contract, or the easiest method of self-publishing. Just because a door opens doesn’t mean it’s the only door or the RIGHT door.
• Don’t hurry your decision because of someone else’s timeline. For example, this might come in the form of a sale that’s about to end, and you’re tempted to hop on board in order to not miss out rather than because you feel confident it’s the right thing. Or maybe someone gives you a deadline which forces you to say yes or no even though you’re not sure.
• Don’t hurry to get answers you don’t need yet. This might mean, for example, that you stop asking God whether you should indy publish or whether you should look for a traditional publisher, because right now God just wants you to focus on finishing the first draft so you can learn the craft and develop relationships in the industry. You don’t need any other answers yet.

Dos:

• Do pray and wait on God, and remember that his timeline is almost never the same as ours.
• Do seek godly wisdom in Scripture and through other trusted believers.
• Do seek professional counsel such as industry experts, watchdog groups, and so on.
• Do listen to your gut. We’re not saying that every decision needs to be a long, drawn-out affair. Sometimes you really do just know, and second-guessing can be paralyzing. When you’re in tune with yourself and with God, it’s not uncommon to sense his leading one way or another, or to sense a check in your spirit if God means for you to wait or run away. There’s a big difference between acting rashly and acting on good instincts.

9. Don’t hurry through your daySchedule white space into your day. White space is a buffer where nothing is scheduled so you can slow down. Breathe. Reflect.

Think about your daily choices and activities so you’re not stuck in poor habits that you do without even thinking about. Experience your life. Don’t hurry through it.

1. Don’t Hurry…Our next thing to not hurry is personal. It’s individual: Don’t hurry whatever it is that God may be telling you that you’re hurrying this year.

Take time to think and pray about this. Where are you dissatisfied? That might be a clue. Where are you in a hurry where you shouldn’t be? Maybe it’s something we already said. Maybe it’s something we didn’t say. Maybe there isn’t anything, and if so, good for you! But do go to God and ask.

It could be something that you’re hurrying for yourself, but it could also be something you’re hurrying someone else into. God knows, so seek him and patiently wait to hear from him.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT) tells us, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

The chapter goes on to list all kinds of different activities and seasons, like a time to laugh and time to cry, to build up and tear down, and so on. But one thing it doesn’t say is “a time to hurry.”

God doesn’t mean for us to live a hurried life. He means for us to live a purposeful life in relationship with him and others. Part of why we hurry is because we don’t always trust God with where we are. We don’t trust him with the times and seasons of our life. But that’s the very thing we need to do, because only God is sovereign and only he can see the whole picture.

Let’s leave the times and seasons to God and rest in an unhurried life, confident that he has our best in mind and will bring it about.

How often have we told ourselves to hurry up? Here are 10 specific things you need to do for your career—and life—but never in a hurry. #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What’s one thing you want to NOT hurry this year?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Thanks so much to our January sponsor of the month Kimberley Woodhouse! She’s an award-winning and bestselling author of more than forty books. Her books have been awarded the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Reader’s Choice Award, Selah Award, Spur Award, Christian Market Book Award, Golden Scroll Award among others. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared with over 1,000,000 people at more than twenty-five hundred venues across the country. Check out her latest book: The Secrets Beneath. Connect with Kim at www.kimberleywoodhouse.com.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

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Everywhere we go in today’s world, there’s an abundance of noise. Silence has become a thing of the past, yet we’ve never needed it more. Learn how to tap into the beauty and benefits of one of today’s most precious commodities: silence.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

It’s a new year, and it’s a time where many people take stock and evaluate the past year, or the coming year. What do you hope for this year?

At Write from the Deep our hope and prayer for us and for you is that we’d all grow and deepen in our relationship with God. In our intimacy. Toward that end, we started a series last year on activities, or practices, to deepen our relationship with God.

As we said before, some people call these practices spiritual disciplines, but we don’t necessarily want to think of them that way. They’re not disciplines for discipline’s sake. We’re not doing hard things just to make ourselves spiritual.

These are activities that are all about spiritual growth. They’re about tightening our connection to God and flourishing in our relationship with him. We want to grow in our conformity to Christ and in our role as his witnesses.

Today we want to talk about silence. Maybe you’ve had a very busy holiday season, and silence is something you welcome right now. Or maybe the never-ending cycle of busyness has restarted after a holiday break, and silence feels like an impossibility. Or maybe you miss the sounds and festivities of friends and family celebrations, and you wish it weren’t so silent right now.

Whatever your situation, we want to give some thoughts and ideas of the good that can come from silence. We’ll talk about how and why you’d want to nurture and establish silence in your daily life.

WHAT IS SILENCE? First let’s talk about what silence is. Good ol’ Merriam Webster has several definitions, but the first one we want to talk about is the “absence of sound or noise: stillness.”

Absence of sound or noise; stillnessWhen you think about it, true silence—the absence of ALL noise—is hard to come by in our world today. There’s an abundance of mechanical sounds like cars, washing machines, office printers, and lawn mowers. There’s also a plethora of technology noise: beeps, whooshes, dings, rings. There’s entertainment noise—TV shows, music, social media videos, news broadcasts, the neighbor’s barbecue party. There’s even natural noise: birds, rain, wind, cicadas, waves.

Some people may never have experienced total silence, so just wrapping our minds around it might be difficult for some of us. It’s no wonder that silence can make us uncomfortable.

Dallas Willard, in his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, has this to say: “…noise comforts us in some curious way. In fact, we find complete silence shocking because it leaves the impression that nothing is happening. In a go-go world such as ours, what could be worse than that!”

He goes on to say, “Think what it says about the inner emptiness of our lives if we must always turn on the … radio to make sure something is happening around us.”

But creating silence—an absence of sound—involves more than just turning off devices that make noises or isolating ourselves from other natural noises. Silence forces us to cease activity, to cease making sounds. Remember this first definition of silence is stillness. We spend way more time than we realize on the go, either in body or mind. Spending time in silence means we stop moving, and we stop our thoughts from endless whirling.

This stillness can make silence even more disconcerting. Dallas Willard says, “Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life.”

So why on earth would we want to create silence? What are the benefits of this disconcerting, possibly even frightening activity?

The Benefits of Stillness1. Stillness promotes awareness.

Stillness gives us a time and place to evaluate what’s happening within us and around us.

• Are we stressed? Sometimes we don’t even know it.
• Are we exhausted? Sometimes we won’t stop to acknowledge that and do something about it.
• Are we creatively sapped? Has our creativity just been dwindling, forcing us to work harder with worse results? It can be difficult to notice this type of slow drain.
• What troubles are we carrying that we should give over to God? Again, we don’t often realize that we’re piling on burdens, when really Jesus tells us his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). That should be our norm.
• How much activity is really going on in our lives? We don’t often stop to take note of how we’ve overbooked ourselves or how we haven’t stopped moving in longer than we can remember.
• Is there somebody around us who’s hurting, whom we haven’t noticed because of all the other noise in our life?

Silence gives us an opportunity to stop and evaluate and make changes.

2. Stillness strips away the world and leaves us only with God.

Another benefit of silence, of stillness, is that it gives us time to relish and acknowledge a simple, quiet connection with God. God is the only one who can fill our deepest longing and desire.

Acts 17:25 (NIV) tells us “…he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” We need time to soak in this truth, to let it sink deep into our hearts. It’s an acknowledgement of our full dependence on God. That gives us proper humility, gratitude, and a willingness to serve.

3. Silence helps us sort out and identify meaning.

Another benefit of silence is that it gives us time and space to ponder meaning. “Silence attracts meaning. If you stay silent for a whole hour, it will be hard not to write a poem.” (Richard Rohr, “Silent Compassion”)

We don’t want to go through life not recognizing our purpose, our meaning, and the meaning of what God is doing in us, through us, around us, and in the world. We’re here for God’s glory, to recognize his value, to worship and adore him. Meaning and purpose come from him and if we don’t take time to stop and recognize that, we’re missing out on his design for us.

Forbearance from speech or noise; mutenessWe’ve talked about silence as stillness, so now let’s turn to another definition of silence. Merriam Webster says silence is “forbearance from speech or noise: muteness.”

The first thing we want to focus on with this definition is ceasing to talk. This can be very difficult for some of us. Why?

• Sometimes the reason we talk so much is because we don’t like silence. We find it awkward. So we talk in an effort to fill the empty space.
• Sometimes the reason we talk so much is because we’re too self-focused to stop talking. It’s sad to say that, but it’s more and more true. Our culture is “me focused.” The pursuit of self-satisfaction is not just normal, it’s expected and celebrated as a “right.” We don’t need to listen because our own thoughts and opinions matter most to us. Here’s what the Bible says about that in Proverbs 18:2: “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.”
• Sometimes we talk too much because we simply don’t like to listen. Also, as we become more and more a product of our culture, sometimes we don’t listen because we simply don’t know how. We’re either out of practice, or we’ve forgotten, or we’ve never even learned. That seems harsh, but take an objective look at what’s happening in our world today and see if you don’t see some of these signs.

Ceasing to talk is “forbearance from speech,” but what about the other aspect of this definition: “forbearance from noise”?

We already talked about personal stillness and not doing things that make mechanical noise, but what we mean in this definition of forbearance from “noise” is avoiding things like clamor, babble, grumbling, and piling on of pointless arguments.

• These things show up in arenas like social media and email. Do we need to add to the endless chatter? The overwhelm we already all feel? We don’t.

Many writers have newsletters. Are we saying you shouldn’t send them out because they’re noise? Not exactly. What we’re saying is that you need to take a good look at the content you put out. Be objective and critical, because yes, it might be noise. If it is noise, either change it so it’s communication that truly matters, or don’t send it out. There’s nothing wrong with telling your readers that you’re only going to send letters when there is news.

• Gossip, useless arguing, and unwholesome talk are also a form of noise. We need to practice muteness in those cases.

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

James 1:26 is a pretty scathing pronouncement about our ability, or lack thereof, to control our tongue: “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” NIV

Titus 3:9 tells us, “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”

In those days they quarreled about the law, but we can strongly consider applying this same notion to arguments about things like politics today.

The Benefits of MutenessWhat are the benefits of NOT talking or making noise?

1. We learn how to listen.

When we are forced to cease talking, there is room for someone else to speak. That’s a crucial first step to listening. We need to be silent. If we’re not talking, that also helps us interrupt our own self-focus, which will increase our capacity to actually listen to whoever is talking.

The next step is to ask the Holy Spirit for help in truly paying attention to what we’re hearing. To focus on listening, on considering what someone else is saying, on empathizing and learning, rather than sitting there looking like we’re listening when really we’re formulating our own response.

2. We gain insight.

Listening then turns into another amazing benefit of silence: we gain understanding and insight.

Remember that the Bible calls those who don’t want to understand, who just want to air their own opinions, fools. As followers of Christ, we’re called to compassion, concern, and love for others, which starts with understanding.

3. We learn prudence.

Another benefit of not talking is that we learn prudence. Practicing silence helps our first response to become listening rather than leaping in with an opinion, an argument, or an unnecessary comment. Our words will then become prudent, compassionate, timely, respectful, and wise.

4. Muteness allows for life-transforming concentration on God.

Dallas Willard, again in his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, lists another important benefit of not talking: “Only silence will allow us life-transforming concentration upon God. It allows us to hear the gentle God whose only Son ‘shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice above the street noise.’” (Matthew 12:19 KJV)

5. We gain a richer and more satisfying prayer life.

The benefit that flows out of our concentration on God is a richer and more satisfying prayer life. In our prayer life, how often do we go on and on with our talking, and we completely forget to be silent and listen for God?

How often do we complain that we don’t hear from him, and yet we’re always the one doing the talking and never the one doing the listening?

When we stop talking, that opens the door for listening, for hearing God speak, and for time to let understanding come. If we don’t take time for silence in our prayer life, how can God direct us in how HE wants us to pray? We’re in danger of just babbling, or at the very least, neglecting prayer for things God would like us to pray for.

It’s very clear in Scripture that God ordained prayer. God wants us to be prayerfully involved in what happens in our daily lives, praying for our daily bread even, as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:11). And we’re to be prayerfully involved on a spiritual “world war” scale as Paul says to the Ephesians in chapter 6:10-20.

When we’re praying as God directs, we can’t help but feel a more dynamic relationship with God and his involvement in all aspects of our lives, from the mundane to the very real struggle between good and evil.

Absence of Mention; SecrecyOne last definition of silence we want to cover is what Merriam Webster says is “absence of mention: secrecy.”

• One meaning of this is to honor the trust of someone who’s shared something with us in confidence.

We don’t go blabbing a secret. We don’t “share it as a prayer request,” and we don’t hint about it to others. We practice the absence of mentioning it. Obviously there are some exceptions in the case of harmful activity, but that’s not the typical situation.

The benefit of secrecy is that you become trustworthy.

People need trustworthy listeners. God made humans to be relational people, and as Christ followers, we should do that in the best way we can.

• Another meaning of the definition of silence as secrecy is avoiding the type of talk that we do to hide poor self-esteem or our lack of confidence.

This might show up as bragging or the need to point out our own importance. Or It might show up as excuses, or assigning blame, or constant diffidence.

In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard says, “We run off at the mouth because we are inwardly uneasy about what others think of us…we use words to ‘adjust’ our appearance and elicit their approval. Otherwise, we fear our virtues might not receive adequate appreciation and our shortcomings might not be properly ‘understood.’”

The benefit of the absence of mention is reliance on God.

What happens when we refrain from speaking to “manage our image”? Dallas Willard says, “In not speaking, we resign how we appear to God. And that is hard.” But he goes on to point out that God is always for us, and Jesus is always interceding for us. The Bible tells us that in Romans 8:31-34:

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Ultimately the practice of secrecy will help us rely on God for our identity and our confidence. It helps us gain an inner confidence that has no need to speak.

This type of silence, “absence of mention,” or “secrecy,” may bring up a few questions like:

1. What about the need to “defend ourselves” if someone slanders us?

What should we do if someone writes lies about us? Especially if writing is our profession and it could hinder our sales? Are we just supposed to let our publisher take the hit in sales?

• • Our first action should be prayer. What does God want us to do about this? We need to take time to listen and obey. Sometimes we’re to respond, but there may be times we’re not supposed to respond. There may be times when we should do as the Israelites were instructed to do as they faced the Red Sea with Pharaoh and the Egyptians hot on their trail in Exodus 14:14. They were told: “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”
  • We also need to discuss this with our agent, if we have one, and our publisher, if we have one. Depending on the situation, it might be their job to defend us or speak for us.
  • If we’re an indie writer, again, prayer first, then heed what God says.
  • Bear in mind that responding to bad reviews is never a good idea. That’s a case where we need to let God be in charge. That person didn’t like our writing. They may even have a malicious attitude. We need to let that go.

2. How do we practice an “absence of mention” in light of the need to market our books?

• • Make sure you know what your motives are. Is your marketing about boosting your self-confidence? Is it about “proving something” through sales? Or is it stemming from a task God has given you to spread the message he gave you for his glory? Ask yourself: Who’s glory are you working for?
  • Using endorsements from others is another way to market without directly tooting your own horn, so to speak.
  • The bottom line is that marketing should come from a desire to serve rather than a desire to profit, even though making a profit isn’t wrong! Supporting your family isn’t wrong. People DO want to read. They want entertainment. They want hope. They want answers to problems. It’s okay to help them find that. It’s okay to serve others and be paid for it. What you want to avoid is believing that you’re the one ultimately in charge of making readers buy your books. God does that.

HOW TO FIND OR FOSTER TIMES OF SILENCEWe’ve talked about what silence is, and what the benefits are of this practice, but how on earth can we make it happen in this noisy world?

1. Be willing to face it.

To benefit from silence, we first need to be willing to face it. Like solitude, which we talked about in a previous episode, the discomfort or the difficulty of silence may make us shy away from it. We may need to force ourselves. Ask God for help!

2. Start with short periods.

Consider starting with short periods of silence, even as little as 30 seconds. You’d be surprised how long that can feel like. Then gradually build up to more time.

3. Incorporate silence into your prayer time.

Every time you pray, start with silence, quieting yourself, even if you’re just meaning to pray a brief prayer before a meal, or for something you just got an email about, or whatever. As you go to God in more extended times of prayer, incorporate longer a period of silence, or several periods.

4. Take time for silence when you practice solitude.

We said in our episode on solitude that solitude doesn’t have to include silence, but it can. Being silent without the presence of others is much easier than achieving silence in the presence of others.

5. Take time for silence before you fall asleep at night.

You could have take time for silence when you first get into bed, or maybe you find a chair in a quiet corner of the house right before you go to bed.

6. Take time for silence when you wake up.

If you have chronic insomnia like Erin does, you have lots of opportunity to practice silence during the night. Or if you sleep well, then try taking time for silence when you first wake up in the morning. Maybe before you get out of bed, or maybe before you shower or start whatever morning routine you have. Or maybe you make a time of silence part of your morning routine.

Consider memorizing Habakkuk 2:20: “But the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.” You can recite that to yourself first to help you submit yourself to him and put yourself in the right place before him—humbled, submitted, and taking the time to be still and know he is God.

7. Go outside when it’s snowing.

If it’s winter where you are, like it is here in the United States where we are, maybe you’ll have a day or night where you get a peaceful snowfall. Bundle up and go sit out on your back porch or in your garage or backyard. Chances are that the flakes will fall silently, and snow that may already be on the ground will help to mute the surrounding noises to help you find silence.

8. Pray a specific prayer for silence.

We already mentioned asking God for help with practicing silence when it’s uncomfortable, but you can also pray for help with the practice of not talking in the presence of others. Ask God to remind you to keep your mouth shut and wait and listen.

Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” We encourage you to memorize this and repeat this prayer often!

9. Don’t give up.

Don’t give up if you can’t find true silence. It’s not always possible. I (Erin) have tinnitus, so there’s no longer any such thing as true silence for me. There’s always a ringing. But I can’t let that stop me from practicing as much silence as I can.

There is a reason for the saying, “Silence is golden.” It really is. In our silence, God can do much in our hearts and spirits and minds. Enter into that silence right now and let him know you are listening and ready for his word!

Silence isn’t just golden, it’s necessary. Come discover why. #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!How do you feel about silence?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Thanks so much to our January sponsor of the month Kimberley Woodhouse! She’s an award-winning and bestselling author of more than forty books. Her books have been awarded the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Reader’s Choice Award, Selah Award, Spur Award, Christian Market Book Award, Golden Scroll Award among others. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared with over 1,000,000 people at more than twenty-five hundred venues across the country. Check out her latest book: The Secrets Beneath. Connect with Kim at www.kimberleywoodhouse.com.

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The post 205 – The Beauty and Blessings of Silence appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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The Advent season is about celebration and expectation. Though we’re almost finished with Advent, the four themes of the season can be anchors for you all year long! Come explore these Advent Anchors to keep you safe and steady in troubled waters.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

I love Advent. I love the sense of anticipation, the way it teaches us to watch and wait, to celebrate and prepare for not just Christ’s birth, but for the day He will return to this broken, weary world. It’s celebration of what has happened and expectation of what will happen. Though the Advent season this year is almost over, the four themes of Advent—hope, peace, joy, and love—can carry us all year long. In fact, we need to carry a spirit of Advent through the whole year. To help us do that, we’re going to discuss four Advent anchors that can hold us firm and fast, no matter what troubled waters come our way.

Advent anchor 1 – Put your hope in God’s wordLet’s start with the Advent theme of hope. Writers are well acquainted with hope. When we embark on the task God gives us to write, we are full of hope and expectation for what God will do in us and through us. As time passes, though, and we experience the good and bad of the writing life, it can become harder to hold on to hope. And when we get bogged down in the state of the world and the church and publishing, it can become almost impossible.

How do we hold on to hope? We take a firm grasp on Advent Anchor 1 from Psalm 119:14: “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”

Advent Anchor 1 is to put your hope in God’s Word! What does that mean? It means trust. Trust what his word says rather than what you see around you, i.e., the world and all its problems.

If you trust what the world is saying, there’s no way to avoid becoming discouraged. Hopeless. But when you put your hope in God’s word, you understand this world is the enemy’s playground. He’s doing all he can to derail God’s work and His redemption of the lost. Compelling truth.org says it this way:

“When humanity chose to listen to Satan rather than God, Satan became ‘ruler of this world’ (John 12:31). This means that Satan has a degree of authority on earth, and Satan’s objective is to cause suffering, death, and separation from God. …Never forget that ‘the devil prowls like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the king of deception and desires us to believe the lie that God does not care about our suffering (John 8:44).”

The key to being hopeful in a seemingly hopeless world is to keep our focus on God and the undeniable truths in his word.

John 3:16 begins with, “For God so loved the world…” That means he cares about every one of us, believer and nonbeliever alike. He sent his Son to die for us and restore us to Him and His love.

Psalm 34:18 tells us that God comforts the brokenhearted. If He didn’t care, why would He do that? And Psalm 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne; love and faithfulness go before Him.”

These are only a few of the many Scriptures that put the lie to all Satan is and does. Hope in God’s word, friends. Trust what God says. Then, no matter how turbulent the waters around us, we can know we’re held fast by Almighty God. We can echo the psalmist in Psalm 42:11, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Advent Anchor 2 – Let Christ’s Peace Rule in Your HeartMany of our books have carried a theme of peace to readers. We’ve crafted stories that take readers on a journey through struggles into the arms of God’s peace. Yet, how often do we ourselves wrestle with anxiety, fear, and a sense of inadequacy? How often do we wonder if God really gave us this task to write his stories and books, especially when we consider things like sales and contracts and the many human measuring sticks of “success”?

Which leads us to Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” That leads us right to Advent Anchor 2: Let Christ’s peace rule in your heart.

Colossians 3:15 ends with a fascinating fact: “…since as members of one body you were called to peace.” Called to peace. I looked in Webster’s for a definition of call, and found a boatload, many of which didn’t seem to fit in this context.

Then I looked for the Jewish word used in this verse, and found that it’s kaleó, which means “I summon, invite” and “I name.” That last meaning really hit me. In fact, kaleó is also used in Matthew 1:21: “…and they shall call his name Immanuel.”

God summons and invites us to peace. But more than that, as his followers he names us peace. In other words, that’s who we are in him. His peace is a part of our spiritual DNA. Even as a father imparts traits to a child, so God, when we accept Christ, weaves his peace into the very fabric of who we are. All we need to do is embrace it, as his beloved children. To choose it over those powerful worldly emotions that seek to drown us.

If you’re struggling with negative emotions, with wondering why God asked you to write when you can’t seem to gain any ground, with family or personal crises…it’s time. Choose God’s peace. Place it, not emotions, on the throne of your heart. Usher God’s peace in with an open heart. Because his peace is more powerful than any turbulence. His peace pours oil over troubled waters.

Okay, story time. I’ve always wondered where that phrase, pouring oil over troubled waters, came from. Turns out it’s an Irish priest named Utta and the Irish missionary, St. Aidan. Before a sea voyage, brother Utta went to St. Aidan and asked him to pray for them as they traveled on the sea. He did so, but also gave them some holy oil, saying, “you will meet with a storm and contrary wind; but be mindful to cast this oil I give you into the sea, and the wind will cease immediately; you will have pleasant calm weather to attend you and send you home by the way that you desire.”

Sure enough, Utta and his companions were caught in a terrible storm, and were sure they would die. But Utta remembered St. Aidan’s words, grabbed the vial of oil and threw it on the raging waters. Immediately, the waters calmed and the sun came out, and the rest of their voyage was safe.

What we see in that story, and in Scripture, is that embracing God’s peace requires action on our part. Yes, it’s a part of us, but we must turn to it and choose it when everything seems to be saying the last thing we should be is peace-filled.

How do we do that? Philippians 4:6-9 gives us the perfect guide: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Step One: Prayer and petition with thanksgiving in every situation

To be clear, this is telling us to be THANKFUL for the difficulties that have made us anxious. Why would that be? I think it’s to give us opportunity to do exactly what our guest Rachel Hauck was talking about in our last podcast episode: Watch and wait and see what amazing thing the Almighty God is going to do.

Step Two: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

It’s an old principle: Garbage in, garbage out. What you put into your mind will produce a result. Put in what is true, noble, and so on, and you get God’s peace. Put in Satan’s lies or the world’s ideologies, you get anxiety, worry, and worse.

Step three: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice…” Philippians 4:9

There’s so much wisdom in the Bible, and Paul shares a wealth of guidance for godly living. But we need to do more than just read it. We need to put it into practice. Follow the wisdom in the word of God. Do the things we’re instructed to do as his followers.

The result of following these three steps? “…The God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

Advent Anchor 3 – Tap Into God’s Joy I’m sure you’ve all heard people speak many times about the difference between happiness and joy, so we’ll just start here with this: Joy is based on internal factors. Happiness is based on external factors.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with happiness. It’s fun and positive. But it can be gone as fast as it comes. Poor book sales, canceled contracts, massive rewrites, unfair reviews…so many things in the writing life can kill happiness.

But joy that’s based in God has staying power. It’s an attitude of the heart and spirit. Because it’s from God, it can co-exist with other emotions, even negative ones. We can be joyful in the face of anger, fear, even unhappiness. Joy is grander and deeper than happiness, and God’s joy carries us through whatever storms we encounter.

Advent Anchor 3, then, is tap into God’s joy. How do we do that? How do we immerse ourselves in that divine, sustaining joy?

David gives us some tips. Consider Psalm 16:11: “…in your presence there is fullness of joy.”

Step One: Spend time with God

Just as you can’t build a healthy relationship with other people without spending time with them, you can’t find joy in your relationship with God unless you spend time in his presence, talking with him, getting to know him and learning what he thinks of you. Trust me, it’s good news!

The great thing is that wherever you are, God is there, too. All you need to do is turn your heart and thoughts to him. Seek his presence. Revel in his accessibility to you. He’s never too busy, never distracted, never dismissive. Think about that. There is no other person in the whole wide world you can say that about. God’s attention is always on you, and he’s waiting for you to seek him out. So do so.

David’s next tip is from Psalm 33:21: “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.”

Step Two: Trust God

My hubby and I have been through a lot of difficult things over the nearly forty-four years of our marriage. Some of them were devastating. After a number of years and crazy things happening, we developed a sort of mantra for our lives: “God is in control. I may not understand it, I may not even like it, but I trust him.”

Do you trust God? Really trust him? To the point that you can echo with Job, “Yea, though he slay me, I will trust in him” (Job 13:15)?

If you’re not sure, then let me encourage you to dig in and explore whether or not God is trustworthy. Even if you do trust him, dig in and be reminded of God’s character. If you seek him, he’ll show you who he is. I guarantee it.

The next step to tapping into God’s supernatural joy comes in the first half of Psalm 9:1: “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart”

Step Three: Praise him

When we praise God, we focus on who he is, what he’s done. Praise ushers us into his presence, and centers our hearts and minds on him. Praise reminds us of God’s intervention in our lives and of the blessings he has given us. Praise breaks the chains Satan tries to put on us by enlisting God’s protection and action. Praise restores our souls and infuses us with joy.

Finally, consider the second half of Psalm 9:2: “I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.”

Step Four: Testify

If you’re a parent, remember the first time your child took a step? What did you do? Told everyone about this amazing feat! Or the last time you saw a great movie, what did you do? Told your friends and family about it. Or the first time you got a writing contract? You sang it from the rooftops!

When God works in your life, when he blesses you or upholds you, when he brings you relief or an answer to prayer, when he opens your imagination and gives you a story solution you never would have thought of, when he speaks to or through you at a writers’ conference…whatever he’s done through and for you, tell others! Let people know the wonder of following this loving, all-powerful, unbelievably kind God. Don’t keep it to yourself, friends. Sing it out!

Follow these tips from David, and you’ll be able to say with him: “I will be filled with joy because of you…O Most High.” Psalm 9:2

Advent Anchor 4 – Dwell in God’s LoveLove is my favorite Advent theme. My favorite theme for the whole year! Love. Not just any love, but God’s love. There is no comparison to God’s love. No love so amazing, eternal, or far-reaching. His love is what draws us to him. It’s what motivates us to do whatever task he’s given us, even when it’s something as hard at times as writing.

Advent Anchor 4 is the simplest, and yet the most profound: Dwell in God’s Love.

There are so many verses in the Bible about God’s love. In fact, He tells us about his love 310 times in 280 verses! But here’s the deal: even if you read those verses over and over and over, you’d never fully understand God’s love for you.

In Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:18-19 he says, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Yet there is nothing more deserving of study and exploration. God’s love is the beginning and end of all that exists. It is what brought us all into existence, and it is what will usher us into eternity with him. So what are some resources to help you better understand God’s love?

• Scripture is your number one resource. Meditate on it, read it, study it. God’s word is a love story.
• Fellowship with other believers is another resource: church, Bible studies, fellowship groups. The more we share our experiences with God’s love the better we all understand it.
• Books about God, both fiction and nonfiction
• Podcasts about God
• Spending time with God, listening to him
• Singing or studying hymns

As someone who grew up in the church, I’ve long cherished hymns. I’ve often told writers that if they want to see powerful, concise writing, read the classic hymns. Their powerful truths reveal the wonder of God’s love.…

O Love that Will Not Let Me Go

“O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.”

The Love of God

“The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.

“The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

“O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.”

And Can it Be?

“And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood? Died he for me, who caused his pain, for me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”

Can it be? You’d better believe it! Because God’s love for us has no end. When we accept that love and dwell in it, every moment of every day, nothing can shake us. No storm, no trial, no disappointment, no upheaval…nothing can dislodge the anchor we have in his love. Not just for the coming year, but for our whole lives.

As Romans 8:38-39 tells us:

“Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

BenedictionsAs we close this podcast, we want to offer the following benedictions for each of these themes. May they encourage and bless you today and in the coming year.

A benediction of hope from Romans 15:13:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

A benediction of peace from Philippians 4:7:

“[May] you …experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

A benediction of joy from 1 Peter 1:8-9:

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and … you believe in him… [May you be] filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

A benediction of love from 1 John 3:1:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

The writing life is almost never smooth sailing, but as Christian writers, we have rock solid hope. Here are 4 advent anchors to keep you safe and steady in troubled waters. #christianwriter #amwriting
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What is your favorite thing about the Advent season?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Thanks so much to our December sponsor of the month, Priscilla Sharrow! She’s working on her memoir called Bonked! Life, Love, and Laughter with Traumatic Brain Injury, which will release with Redemption Press. Learn more about Priscilla at her website priscillasharrow.com and follow her blog for the TBI/PTSD community.

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

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So many things can go wrong on our journey as writers, leaving us wondering how we will ever deal with the problems that come at us. Guest Rachel Hauck encourages us not to waste time and energy on anxiety, but to learn how to watch and wait on Almighty God.

About Rachel Hauck

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s a RITA finalist and winner of Romantic Times Inspirational Novel of the Year, and Career Achievement Award. She writes vivid characters dealing with real life issues. Her book, Once Upon a Prince, was made into an original Hallmark movie. She also loves to encourage new writers and sits on the Executive Board of American Christian Fiction Writers. Visit her website at rachelhauck.com to find out more.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin: Welcome, listeners. We’re super excited that you’re here with us. We’re continuing our conversation with the fabulous Rachel Hauck, and we are going to dive right in.

I love this other thing that you had said, Rachel. You said, “God removes those things that hinder his love and hinder our love.”

I’m guessing you’ve probably had some experiences that taught you that. Do you want to share some of that?

Rachel: Absolutely. We have this chorus that we sing in a church. It says, “I want to be free from everything that keeps me from loving you.”

I think I’ve prayed for years, “God remove everything that hinders love.”

The writing journey itself, you know, the highs and lows and the successes and the disappointments and all of that kind of re-fixes your gaze back on him. It’s like, “Why are you doing this?”

Learning not to compare yourself to other authors, for example.

Karen: Oh, that’s a biggie.

Rachel: That’s a biggie, biggie, biggie. Cheering them on, being on God’s team. You know, when I hit the New York Times in 2016, probably a little bit of the Eeyore in me said, “Okay, next year, it’s not going to be you. It’s going to be somebody else and you’re going to have to be on their team. You’re going to have to cheer that person on.”

She wasn’t in our market, but Lisa Wingate, she just blew up the world with Before We Were Yours. 20,000 times more sales than my book The Wedding Dress.

But, I cheered her on. Praise God for that story. Praise God for the gift of her writing and that story.

In 2021, out of the blue, an opportunity came to me. In the midst of the opportunity, and considering the opportunity, and going through the process—which ultimately we did not do—I started getting hit with this anxiety. Out of the blue, like I couldn’t do it. Or, “What if I can’t do it?”

It would come like once a week for 24 or 36 hours, and then I would go through it. First I thought it was the project, just working through, “Are we going to do the project?”

Then it was not the project. So I felt like, “Okay, whew, done. That was weird.”

But then something else would pop up or, I would see something on Facebook or whatever. It was the weirdest thing. It would just come. I could feel it coming, and guys, it just drove me to my knees.

I had dealt with it before probably more hormonally, but not at this kind of intensity, not like this at all. What’s funny, what the prelude to that was that during COVID, Tony said, “Hey, I’m going to get up at five and pray.”

I started getting up at five and praying with him. Then he said, “Well, let’s pray on the fives.”

So we’re praying at 5:00am and 5:00pm, and with the few prayer meetings that we had at church, somedays I was praying three hours. I was really doubling down on reading the Word every day on the YouVersion app. I’m thinking, “I’m ramping up.”

I was ramping up for a battle. And bam, here comes this battle in 2021, about a year later. I started in May. Finally in July, I said, “All right, I have had enough of you. You hit me, I’m gonna hit you back.”

I downloaded a counter on my phone like the old counter your mom might use to count up the grocery money in the store. I put an app on my phone, and you could put little titles on it, and I loaded up the verse addresses. You know, Philippians 4:6-7. I did Psalm 43:3-4. I did 2 Timothy 1:7 and Isaiah 26:3.

Peace verses. God verses. I loaded them up and then I just quoted them, and I counted how many times I quoted them. I think I quoted Philippians 4:6-7 around 118 times in two weeks.

I said, “It’s a divine exchange. This anxiety that I don’t want to admit must somehow reside in me body, soul, and spirit, so I’m going to do a divine battle. I’m going to put God’s Word in and drive anxiety out with God’s Word.”

It is a fight. It is a battle. Every night on my five o’clock walk, even in July in the Florida sun, I’m walking, and I’m talking, and I’m sweating.

Other things then would come up. “Rachel, you have a little bit of bitterness towards some things that happen in publishing. You need to deal with that.”

“Rachel, you have some resentment. You need to deal with that.”

It was gentle. As I was gazing at God, I was seeing the things in me that needed to be dealt with. These things were hindering love. Finally there was this deep down moment that I had to say, “God, I think deep down, way, way, way, way down there, I don’t trust you. I don’t trust that you have my good at heart.”

But in the midst of the suffering, I was seeing the good. I’m telling you guys, I probably wept every day. Good God tears every day for two years.

Just somewhere along again, in that moment of suffering, in that dread, in that uncomfortableness, whatever would hit me. I remember one time I was in church, I was leading worship, and I was sitting on a stool, and I literally felt like I was going to fall over. I was just clinging to the keyboard. I’m like, “I’m just going to fall off the stool.”

I hadn’t slept well that night. I just felt crappy. But he stayed with me.

The anxiety began to lift going into 2022. The Lord just began to lift it. In April, I kind of had a small wave and the Lord said, “Be in Psalm 139.”

So I read Psalm 139 every day. I just turned it into a prayer. There was an issue I had with a certain food and the Lord said, “You’ve got to stop being anxious over this.”

Hebrews 4:12, says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and that it divides between soul and spirit, joint and marrow, thoughts and intentions of the heart.

That is every part of our being. The Word of God can rightly divide. Those things begin to change as I begin to do the divine exchange of my stuff that hindered love for the reality in the living Word being sown in me.

Yeah, you got to stay with it. We’ve kind of missed the fives lately. Still in prayer, but different hours and kind of off our routine. But it’s still me fighting to be in the Word, and fighting to stay in that place, and fighting to stay passionate.

Of course there are seasons of rest. That was an intense season. I didn’t have to stay that intense because I was in a fight at that time. But I don’t want to lose the passion. I don’t want to lose the reality of just feeling his presence.

I’m telling you now, even more than ever before, and I’ve been a believer since I was six years old, I’ve been in prayer meetings since I graduated from college, regular prayer meetings. I’ve been in one prayer meeting we’ve had at church for 30 some-odd years. I’ve been at that meeting.

But after 2021, I can sit in there and just begin to pray with the people and just begin to weep. The presence of God is so different for me. I believe he removed those things that hindered love.

Erin: Yeah, exactly. Oh my gosh, that’s a lot. You went through a lot with that. I guess what I want listeners to catch is that it was years.

Rachel: Yeah.

Erin: It was years of intense prayer and intense suffering and intense fighting. Sometimes I think we don’t realize that we are called to that battle. The Christian walk is not a walk in the park. It’s a fight, and it’s a fight that we’re meant to win. We’ve already won it through Christ, but yet we still fight to take hold of it. To completely grasp it all through prayer, through the Holy Spirit, through our Scripture memory. That’s it.

Rachel: And if you don’t know what to pray, open your Bible and start praying it.

Erin: Anything.

Rachel: Yeah. Anything. I mean, even just naming the patriarchs, just do it. It’s living and active.

I think it was warfare and that’s one of the things we don’t…well, we’re uncomfortable with that, right? We don’t want to talk about warfare to that extent. But when those things come, and they do come, and it may be more external for you—maybe it’s someone who’s selling your name or bad mouthing your name or gossiping your name or hindering you on the job…

Karen: Or critics.

Rachel: Or critics. Right! We don’t read reviews, writers. You go to the Lord with it. But you’re also a critic of yourself.

Erin: Yeah.

Rachel: You know as a writer, I have to stop. I have to be very careful of that, because I’ll accuse myself of not being good. “I’m not as good as so and so.”

Well, who’s the accuser of the brethren? Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Let’s not agree with him.

Erin: Right. I think that’s a common thing that, especially women, but all people go through this imposter syndrome and the constant thought of, “What if I can’t do it?”

Man, I have sure had that going through my head! I’ll confess right now, every time our website pops up with some kind of gobbledygook problem that I don’t understand and I call Karen and whine to her about it, the whole time I keep thinking, “What if I can’t fix this?”

It’s always just, “What if I can’t? What if I can’t?”

I forget to think, “So what if I can’t? So what?“

It’s helped me so much to put that word in front of it. So what if I can’t do it?

Rachel: That’s right.

Erin: God’s going to figure that out. Sometimes it’s so hard for us to remember that the battle is the Lord’s and we take it on and we’re not supposed to. We’re just supposed to walk where he tells us to walk and do what he tells us to do, but trust him for the getting it right and the doing of it and the making of what he wants to happen happen.

I don’t know why in our humanness we keep trying to pull that job back. I don’t know what we can do to not do that but what you did, Rachel. Keep on praying. Keep on battling it.

Karen: Don and I watch a lot of BBC mysteries and in one of them, the protagonist who was an inspector in the law enforcement kept doing that. Kept going by himself to deal with stuff, and kept getting hit on the head, and kept getting accused of killing somebody. Every time he went off by himself to try and do what he thought needed to be done, Don and I were like, “Don’t do it! Don’t go by yourself!”

We need to realize that for ourselves. Don’t do it. Don’t try to take this on by yourself. This is God’s work, not yours.

Rachel: That’s so true. One of the things that I learned, without getting into too much detail, one of the things that hit me—and this started in May, now this was October, and I was going to take off November from social media. But I saw something on Facebook with some old friends and there was kind of a little bit of a hesitancy for me to be involved.

I got in this huge dilemma. Do I go to this gathering? Do I not go to this gathering?

Guys, it was just weighing on me. It was dread. I would hate to even open up Facebook because if they nailed down a date, then I had to decide.

Oh my gosh, I was darned if I do, darned if I don’t. That kind of thing. And it never happened. I felt like the Lord kept saying, “Watch me, watch me, watch me.”

I’d counsel with younger women at church or younger people at church and I’d say, “I just don’t know how to get out of this.”

But now I’ll say, ” Oh no. Oh no, watch, watch.”

What it taught me was to say, “I don’t know how this is going to work out, but you’re going to work it out. You’re going to work it out.”

Again, it was getting rid of that thing in me. To be honest, it could have been one of those deals where it was like, you know, “Rachel, just deal with it. Don’t worry about it. Just deal with it. It is what it is.” You know, kind of like why would God interfere with these other people?

But it was like, “No, watch. Watch what I do. Watch what I do. Watch.”

Karen: I love how often God says that in Scripture: watch and wait. Watch and wait.

Now, we watch, but we’re not so good at waiting. We’re kind of like, “Hey, Jesus, you’re not operating on my timeline here. I’ve been waiting a long time.”

And he’s like, “You’ve been waiting five minutes. Get over yourself. Trust me.”

Erin: I think that’s part of the childlike trust and faith that we just can’t seem to catch on to as adults. When you have kids, they’re going to trust you when you tell them, “Hey, don’t worry about it. We’re not going to get lost going to the store.”

I had that fear when I was like five years old. We’d be driving in the car somewhere and it’d be like forever. I’d be like, “Oh my gosh, we’re just going to get lost. How does Dad know where to go?”

I always trusted him. But I kept thinking, “What happens when I grow up? I’m not going to know.”

As a child, we can trust that Dad knows where he’s going. That’s what we need to have. That’s the attitude that we need to have with God, the trust that just stops thinking of all the human things we keep trying to think of, and instead grab on with that childlike faith. You know, “Dad’s going to catch me if I jump into the pool. It’s fine.”

Rachel: That’s really true. You know what else Jesus says a lot and God says a lot: Don’t be afraid. Fear not.

Erin: Yeah. Do not fear. Everywhere.

Rachel: Yeah. Watch for that, guys.

Erin: So why are we afraid?

Karen: Because we’re human.

Rachel: The world we live in.

Erin: I’ve loved this conversation. We’re pretty much at the end of our time here, Rachel, but I want to mention one other quote of yours: “I discovered dreams are best realized when running in partnership with the living God.”

Would you have any final words of wisdom or encouragement that you would want to give to help listeners hold on to that partnership and understanding?

Rachel: I think that’s it. Find that place in God. I think we make it so hard. We think in our mind, “How am I going to do this thing with God?”

I just say fix a time that’s yours. Get your Bible reading going. Just do it. There’s Bible reading apps. YouVersion has a Bible reading app.

You read a couple of chapters a day, and just start there. Start filling yourself with the Word of God. Even praying prepared prayers. A lot of times that helps. I am horrible at praying a list, but in my notes on my phone, I paste prayers in there. I paste Scripture.

As you’re reading the Word, go to the Psalms and just open it up. As you’re reading it, turn it into a prayer. It’s getting that part of your heart alive that will make the reality of running with God all the more real, and maybe that you won’t care as much if it takes so long for something that you want to happen.

You can start asking God,”In this journey of waiting, draw me near to you. What’s the process?”

If you’re wanting to have a book published, if you’re learning to write, if you’re waiting for something to happen with your writing, just keep leaning on him. God doesn’t want any one of us sitting on the bench. He’s got a plan for all of us, and each one of our journey is unique.

Mine’s not the same as Erin’s, not the same as Karen’s, not the same as any other writer. It’s unique, and it has blessings in it for all of us. He’s loving. He’s a kind father, and he leads by the positive.

As parents, we often go, “Kid, you can’t do that,” or “Kid, you’re like this,” and we point out the negative. But God’s more likely to go, “How about you do this? How about that?” Or, “Kid, you’re this,” and he points out the positive.

I was walking down the street one day and I helped this lady. This was during all of that 2021 mess. I’m walking and praying and doing my Scriptures, and this lady needed help with her groceries. So I carried her groceries to an apartment across the street. I’m walking back, and the Lord just says to my heart, “Rachel, you’re so kind.”

I almost fell on the sidewalk weeping because it was just such a moment with the Holy Spirit. I told my husband that God telling me that I’m kind, rather than the negative of telling me I’m selfish, or that I only think of myself, or whatever, did more to make me want kindness than pointing out the negative would have.

Listen for that positive voice of the Father. And yes, every once in a while he still says, “Hey, you need to stop doing that.”

Karen: This has been wonderful. Thank you so much for all the wisdom and all the guidance. Friends, I think that we can all say an amen to what she shared with us, and especially an amen to watching and waiting. In everything that we do, let’s keep our focus on God. Let’s watch and wait and know that he’s in control and he’s at work.

Erin: Amen.

Rachel: Amen.

Guest @RachelHauck encourages us to give up anxiety and instead to watch and wait on Almighty God. #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What helps you deal with anxiety?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

Thanks so much to our December sponsor of the month, Priscilla Sharrow! She’s working on her memoir called Bonked! Life, Love, and Laughter with Traumatic Brain Injury, which will release with Redemption Press. Learn more about Priscilla at her website priscillasharrow.com and follow her blog for the TBI/PTSD community.

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

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Our journey as writers who believe in God has many ups and downs, mountaintops and canyons. It’s so easy to forget, when the downs come, that they, too, are from God. And that He allows and uses them for His purpose. Join our guest Rachel Hauck as we consider the gift of suffering. About Rachel …

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We’ve all faced times of trial, but what do you do when MORE crises happen while you’re already in the middle of a crisis? Guest Shadia Hrichi shares how God used crisis upon crisis to strengthen her faith and her writing. About Shadia Hrichi Shadia Hrichi is a passionate Bible teacher who loves seeing lives …

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It’s been such an honor and delight to share your writing and spiritual journey with you! As we celebrate our 200th episode, we have a gift for you: writing wisdom and advice from some of our amazing guests! So come listen in and be blessed! But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You …

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Even if you have all the craft books you could ever need on your bookshelves, you’re not fully equipped to write. Because your craft isn’t the only thing you need to work on. So join us in this podcast, the first of a new series on activities that draw us closer to God, as we …

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If you’ve faced tragedy in your life, you know the first reaction is to ask why. Even get angry with God over what’s happened. Guest DiAnn Mills shares how God led her through all those stages, but even more, how he blessed her with reconciliation because of the tragedy. Come listen in as she shares …

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Christians are no strangers to suffering and persecution. From the days of the arena to today, following Jesus Christ is risky business. And writing for Him? It’s become more hazardous every day. In this “cancel culture” world, being firm about biblical truth can cost us everything. Are you prepared for the battle?

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

The world has gone crazy. Every day we see more evidence of the evil weaving its way into people’s minds and hearts. Women’s sports events being won by men who call themselves women. Government corruption on levels seldom seen before. Churches being destroyed by sin, sexual or otherwise. Respected Christian leaders being exposed for liars and base sins.

On and on the litany goes. What is—not was, but is—good is called evil, and evil is celebrated as right and loving. Isaiah 5:20 warns us about this very thing: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…” In fact, it’s so loving, let’s teach it to children from the earliest age so they can be awakened to who they really are and live in total freedom…

Then there are the unprecedented disasters taking place. Floods surging through one country after another. Cyclones leveling entire cities. Wildfires that blanket half the country in deadly smoke. Heat that makes it impossible to live. Earthquakes opening up the earth and swallowing tens of thousands of people. Just a few weeks ago, thirteen tornadoes ripped through the Chicagoland area. Thirteen! In one day! It’s like some kind of disaster flick come to life.

Even in our own families, we see tension and division over philosophies and faith. Topics we used to discuss freely are suddenly taboo, and we find ourselves tiptoeing around issues to avoid conflicts. Believers following God’s laws are called hateful, judgmental, prejudiced, and, the worst accusation of all, so it seems, intolerant.

As writers, we face sensitivity readers who tell us we can’t write history as it was. Rather we have to rewrite history to fit today’s narratives. Best-selling author Tamera Alexandar told us how that very situation led to her choosing to leave her publisher rather than rewrite a story to make it compliant, but basically a lie.

We’re told we can’t write the stories God has given us because we’re “appropriating” other cultures. Contracts are cancelled when publishers receive pushback for books written based on biblical truth. It’s censorship, plain and simple. And it’s running rampant—even celebrated!—everywhere we write, post, or speak.

It’s so easy to lose heart in the face of all the insanity. Christians end up feeling overwhelmed and beat down by the whole so-called “cancel culture.” So what is the answer for writers who follow Christ?

2 Timothy 3. Truly, that chapter of the Word equips us for exactly what we’re facing today. Look at the first nine verses:

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.”

Okay, we’re not saying we’re living in the last days. We may be, we may not. But whether Christ’s return happens now (let it be so, Lord Jesus!) or centuries from now, these current days are, indeed, very difficult. So let’s read on…

“For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.”

Does that sound like today or what? They will consider nothing sacred. Not faith, not family, not truth, not God…not life itself.

“They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

Great advice. Stay away from people who have shown in their words, actions, and writings that they are working against God. If you encounter them face-to-face, remember to be “shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.”

Have you ever wondered what Scripture means by shrewd as snakes? The snake has long been a symbol of craftiness and cunning. The Egyptians used the serpent in their hieroglyphics as a symbol of wisdom. Snakes are adaptable creatures who can thrive in any number of environments. They are also well known for the ability to fit into the smallest areas and attack from ambush. But one of the most cunning hunting techniques of snakes is called “caudal luring,” or using deceptive ploys to catch prey.

For example, juveniles of some pit vipers and dwarf boas have a bright yellow tip on their tails. With the rest of their body a darker color, they coil in cover, then use the bright yellow tail tip to like a fishing lure! But this lure is actually right next to their head. So the prey thinks that bright yellow thing is a yummy worm and comes to have lunch—only to become lunch itself.

So being “shrewd as serpents” is being cunning and crafty. Webster’s identifies cunning as “having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion.” Which is exactly how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees and Sadducees. When they tried to trap him with leading or deceptive questions, instead of answering their question, Jesus turned the question to what really mattered. The Pharisees asked how Jews should respond to the Roman occupation, hoping to catch him saying something against Rome, and Jesus responded with Scripture: “Give to Cesar what is Cesar’s.”

Let’s go back to 2nd Timothy, starting at verse ten:

“But you… certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.”

Did you catch that bit just before the evil will flourish? Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Not may one day, or runs the risk of. But will face persecution. Friends, we have to be ready! Which is exactly what Paul helps us do in the next section, starting at verse fourteen.

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.”

Now we know some of us haven’t been taught the Scripture since childhood, but don’t worry. Because God has given us the Holy Spirit, when we study Scripture, no matter when we begin that study, the Spirit helps us understand and embrace God’s truths. As the next verse says,

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Wow. So much truth, and encouragement, in one chapter of God’s Word! How do we as Christian writers deal with our world today? Stand Firm. Immerse ourselves in God’s Word that He may prepare and equip us. Because we never know when we’ll find ourselves on the firing lines.

A good friend of Karen’s once came under fire for supporting a public figure he knew to be godly and good. This public figure had the temerity to speak truth into a situation steeped in lies. As a result, cancel culture went into overdrive to destroy him.

In the midst of all this, her friend had posted a comment thanking this public figure for help he gave years ago. Somehow the media got hold of that comment and proceeded to go after her friend. And, as so often happens, this friend came under fire. He received hate mail and was given the gift of trolls.

Here’s the thing. This friend didn’t post back then to take a stand, but just to express thanks and encouragement to someone getting beat up. But that was all it took to be added to cancel-culture’s hit list.

Not fun at all, but there’s something amazing in this story. You want to see how God takes care of us when we’re persecuted? Karen’s receives a weekly email from another friend with Scripture verses for each day of the week. As she was praying for her under-fire friend back then, that email came in and Karen opened it. Here’s what she found:

“For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.” 1 Peter 3:17 (NASB)

“And David spoke the words of this song to the Lord in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said, ‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.'” 2 Samuel 22:1-3 (NASB)

“For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 (NASB)

“The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 29:19 (NASB)

“Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” Ephesians 6:14-15 (NASB)

“But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.” Psalm 37:39-40 (NASB)

“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12 (NASB)

When Karen finished reading, she sat back and shook her head. God is SO cool! Those verses spoke right to what her friend was facing. After receiving permission, she forwarded the Scripture email to her under-fire friend. God used those weekly Scripture emails to bless not just Karen, which they did, but to bless someone else she loves and respects.

There’s one other thing we want to address. While we may not relish the idea of suffering and being persecuted in our stand for God’s truth, if that’s what God calls us to do, we will do it. But what about our families?

What if standing means we lose our jobs or finances? What if we find ourselves unable to care for our families? How can we let them suffer? God commands us to care for our families, right? So how do we reconcile all that? It’s one thing to suffer myself, but to make others suffer for my actions? What about 1 Timothy 5:8:

“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.”

Worse than unbelievers? How can we do that?

This is a real concern, and it stems from our determination in Christ to do what’s right. There’s no denying it would be terrible to see our families suffer for our actions, but as true as that verse from Timothy is, we have to also remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:34-39:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Friends, your family and friends are not yours. They are gifts from God. He has given them to you for HIS purposes. Bottom line, we serve a Savior who, for our sake and salvation, suffered the loss of friends and reputation, was persecuted and brutalized by religious leaders, suffered unimaginable tortures and pain, and endured a gruesome death. Remember Hebrews 12:1-3:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.”

Because of the joy awaiting him. Friends, that joy set before him wasn’t some amazing reward meant just for Jesus. That joy is us! It’s that He restored us to His Father. He became our salvation. We follow Christ into whatever God chooses, however God chooses, all for the joy of being Christ’s light to a dark and suffering world.

Of course we don’t want our families to suffer, but they are in God’s hands. Not ours. And if God Almighty calls us to stand for Him regardless of the consequences, we’d better stand. For our sakes. For our families’ sakes. For the world’s sake.

These are hard truths, we know. And we know how easy it is in today’s world to get focused on all that’s so very wrong with the world. To be pulled down in spirit by the evil that seems so entrenched, and so in control, of everything around us. Even worse, fear of reprisals can make us hesitant to take a stand and speak up for God’s truth.

If you find yourself feeling that way in your writing, in your relationships, in any area of your life, we encourage you to step away. Step away from all the external voices and stimuli. Focus on the all-powerful God who created you and asked you to write for Him.

Step into Scripture, silence, time focused on truth. Step into fellowship with those you trust, with the truth-speakers God has given you. Step into God. Even if or when it means persecution. Cancel culture seems scary, but in light of God’s power and truth and in light of eternity with Him? It’s nothing.

In fact, it will only come to your doorstep if God allows it. Which means it will only come to you if God has a purpose for it to do so. And remember, God’s purpose may be for you or it may be for others. You may never know. But you can ALWAYS know this: you will not face any persecution without God right there, beside you. Psalm 23:4 promises you this:

“Even when I walk through the valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

So the days are ugly and dark, but our God is beautiful and light and truth! As we walk into each new day, whether in our lives or in our writing, may we stand firm in His truth. And may God, our salvation and strength, enable us, every day, to say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: I will maintain my own ways before him. He shall be my salvation.”

Say yes to whatever God has for you. And for your family. Stand firm for His truth. Know that your actions today have eternal impact. Embrace Jesus’ words from the sermon on the mount:

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

Are you prepared to stand for God’s truth, no matter the cost? #Christianwriter #amwriting
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THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

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Many things contribute to our creativity as writers, but there’s one thing that is vital for our creativity: brain health. Too few of us know, though, how to nurture and maintain brain health, which is where our wonderful guest, Tina Yeager, comes in! Listen as she shares her wisdom and insights.  About Tina Yeager Award-winning …

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As writers, creativity is a crucial component of our lives and our work. But what exactly is creativity and how do we get more of it? Guest Tina Yeager shares some surprising answers as we explore God’s design for creativity. About Tina Yeager Award-winning author, speaker, and life coach, Tina Yeager hosts the Flourish-Meant podcast and Flourish …

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Sometimes it’s easy to say yes to God. We can do it almost without thinking. But what happens when God asks us to do something that terrifies us? That we know we can’t do? Guest Lynn Austin is here to share the times God has done exactly that! About Lynn Austin Lynn Austin has sold …

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We believers talk a lot about God surprising us in wonderful ways. When God does exceedingly, abundantly beyond what we imagine. But some of God’s surprises are hard. Even devastating. Guest Lynn Austin shares how God’s hard surprises have been some of the best surprises in her writing journey. About Lynn Austin Lynn Austin has …

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Guest Becca Wierwille joins us in an exploration of the importance of story, not just for our readers, but for ourselves as writers. We all connect with stories in wonderfully different ways, but one special power they have is the ability to challenge us to delve into our world, and the people in it, unearthing …

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Voice. Clarity. Dialogue. Character development. Hook. All of these, and so much more, are important for a strong book. But they’re not the most important. Not for a book written from a Christian worldview. So what is the most important element? Hope! Listen in to find out why your job as a writer is critical in this world.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

As writers, you’ve probably learned that there are many important elements in a good manuscript. Things like plot, character, conflict, a great hook, voice, authenticity, anecdotes, dialogue, arc, and so much more. But for a manuscript written from a Christian worldview, which element is the most important one? Is there one most important element?

Yes. There is, but it’s none of those mentioned. If you’re writing from a Christian perspective, the most important thing you have to bring to the world is hope. Why? Hope is the foundation of everything we believe as Christians, and everything we have to offer to the world.

What is hope?What even is hope? How do we define it?

• Poet Emily Dickinson wrote, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”

That feels good. It evokes a positive sensation. When readers finish a manuscript written from a Christian worldview, there should be a positive sensation. Even in the midst of something sorrowful.

But this definition is non-specific. We can’t try to foster something non-specific in a manuscript, right? Other than a positive sensation.

• Psychiatrist Neel Burton in an article in Psychology today defines hope like this: “…Hope is a desire for something combined with an anticipation of it happening. It is, in other words, the anticipation of something desired.”

If someone desires something, that implies that they don’t have everything they want right now, or that everything isn’t exactly perfect. That’s the world we live in.

• Counseling Psychologist Kim Bailey said in an interview with Erin that hope, on a more personal-improvement level, is the belief that, “I can gain ground this side of heaven.”

And we need to gain ground, don’t we? We don’t want to live our lives stuck in the same place.

But perhaps one of simplest ways for us as writers to think about hope is how a sociologist put it—a sociologist who happens to be Erin’s husband.

• Hope is: “How the future can be better than today.” Sociologist Alan Young

That evokes that positive sensation, but it’s a bit more specific in how. This is the kind of hope We’re talking about—how the future can be better than today.

Hope portrayed in fictionHow many of you listeners write fiction? What kind of fiction are readers interested in? The kind where the characters all have a great life with no pain, trials, or struggles?

No. Happy people in Happy Land is not interesting. Or real. Readers want to see characters struggle. And toil. And fight against all odds…and overcome!

Why? Readers experience that with the characters, the struggle the danger, the disasters, and then the victory. Readers live it vicariously.

What does it become inside that reader?

Hope. The future can be better than today.

Hope portrayed in nonfictionHow many of you listeners write nonfiction? You’re not writing memoirs that end in a place of despair and discouragement. That’s a therapeutic journal, and that’s good to do, but it’s not something you want to publish.

You write the book for readers when you find the key to overcoming the discouragement, when you’ve gained wisdom to share.

And you’re not writing prescriptive books that are like, “Yeah, I know the place you find yourself in stinks. Sorry, I don’t know how to fix that.”

That’s not prescriptive. Those are not the type of books hurting people are looking for.

You’re not writing how-to articles to keep people in ignorance. You’re not writing poetry to make people feel awful inside and never point the way out of that? No, even if we start by saying hard things, we want people to think and grow and change, and move toward some positive outcome.

We want readers to expand their minds and look at possibilities and be inspired that the future can be better than today.

As Christians, hope infuses us. In Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, he wrote this in the introduction to 1 & 2 Thessalonians:

“The Christian faith has always been characterized by a strong and focused sense of future, with belief in the second coming of Jesus as the most distinctive feature…The practical effect of this belief is to charge each moment of the present with hope.”

This is who we are and what we do. We’re Christian writers and we have an unswerving belief that the future will be better than today.

We portray this message over and over and over again in our novels, our memoirs, our how-to articles, our devotionals. We want people to grow and learn and move forward.

The big picture of hopeIf a book is going to reflect a Christian worldview, it has to reflect the hope of God’s overall plan of redemption for humanity and all creation. Look at the big picture to see how hope is the underlying foundation. In the beginning, God created the universe and everything in it according to his perfectly ordered design. Everyone was in a right relationship with God and each other.

Then we sinned and broke everything. God told Adam, “…Cursed is the ground because of you. Through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” Genesis 3:17

In God’s perfect time, Christ comes and changes everything. His life on this earth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection create reconciliation for us. This is where we live, reconciled, yet not having obtained the future perfection waiting for us in heaven.

For now, we’re still here dealing with the consequences of the fall. But we know God’s redemption plan is moving toward its ultimate fulfillment of the new heavens and new earth, where original perfection is restored.

That’s the hope. But we’re not there yet. We’re dealing with painful toil.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Why? We persevere because of our hope. It’s not because we’re amazing and mighty people, but because we’re weak and dependent on the God who is Lord of all.

We persevere because God’s commitment to US is unwavering. He’s lifting us. He’s sustaining us. He’s giving us the life and breath to carry on.

He sees the grand design, the big picture. And he sees each individual component—every person, every tear, every heart break, every crushing wound.

And God does not waver in his commitment to us. He will not fail to sustain us. That is our hope.

And this is the message he gives us for the world: “The future can be better than today.”

Because we have a God who will make it so, who IS making it so.

With every word we write, we forge hope, because hope is at the core of everything we believe.

A world without hopeDo you know what happens when someone has no hope? Pastor and author Ray Johnston puts it like this. He writes:

“When people lose hope, they lose their ability to dream for the future. Despair replaces joy. Fear replaces faith. Anxiety replaces prayer. Insecurity replaces confidence. Tomorrow’s dreams are replaced by nightmares. It’s a lousy way to live.”

How many people are living like that right now?

Psychiatrist Neel Burton writes “…hopelessness is both a cause and a symptom of depression, and, within the context of depression, a strong predictor of suicide.”

Do you see what an important role you have? You’re hope-bringers. You’re truth-tellers.

Why is this truth, this hope that we as Christians have important? Because false hope is rampant in this world.

Scientology, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Islam, just to name a few. The Bible tells us these are false hopes that lead to hell.

Then just watch TV for ten minutes. You’ll find “hope” for sale. Beer. Toothpaste. Perfume. Pretty cars. Deodorant. Dating apps. Diamonds. They all promise a lifestyle of satisfied desires. Remember that hope can be the anticipation of something desired? But that’s ultimately false hope. It’s empty.

Why? Because none of those things can deliver what God has designed for him and him alone to be, to deliver, and to satisfy. Psalm 65:5 tells us that God is “the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”

God. Not shiny trinkets.

We’re not saying toothpaste and deodorant is bad, by the way. Please continue to use it. But that’s not going to take away the pain of a lost child, or heal the deep wound of rape or betrayal or abuse.

It won’t help anyone break the spiral of addiction or debt. It’s not going to inspire anyone to take a stand against human trafficking, oppression, or injustice, or any of the other great evils in this world. Take your pick, there are plenty to choose from.

False hope is rampant, so we as Christian writers cannot keep silent.

You guys, through your authentic words on the page, through your stories, Bible studies, articles, biographies, essays, poems, songs, and more—all those things that God puts in you are part of God’s master plan for you, for the body of Christ, AND for the whole world.

You have a purpose and a job. You’re heralds of hope. True hope.

You don’t have to have some character in your novel spelling out the four spiritual laws. You don’t have to have them preach. You don’t have to somehow turn your homeschooling article into a Bible study.

But you do have to understand what your bottom-line perspective is. Think of it as the overarching theme of your collective body of work. I love how author and editor Susan Bell defines theme. She says, “It’s an idea written in invisible ink on the back of your text.”

Hope is what’s written on our lives as Christians. Hope is what’s written across the pages of our manuscripts.

Hope is what you’re getting up at 5AM to write, or staying up late after the kids are in bed, or what you’re dictating during your coffee break, or on your exercise bike, or what you’re wrestling with on your commute.

And we do mean wrestling. We all know—or will find out soon enough—that this is not an easy job. It’s hard.

Learning the craft is hard. Facing rejection is hard. Being vulnerable on the page is hard. Dealing with disappointments and detours on your writing journey is hard.

Sometimes it’s so hard we’re in danger of losing hope ourselves. That’s when we go back to God and his unwavering commitment to us. To equip us for his purposes. To sustain us and carry us.

Remember the parallel storylines of redemption amidst the fall. We have hope. But we’ve got to preach the message to ourselves first and foremost. Then do not fear to walk through deep valleys with God. Don’t run when things get hard. Don’t try to hide, because your struggles refine you.

They prepare you. They give you purpose and understanding. God does all that through your trials.

You can acknowledge struggles and give them voice. You write about pain. You expose lies and write truth. Your insights help you both HAVE hope and SHOW hope through the characters in your novels overcoming. Through your how-to articles. Through your personal experience stories. Whatever you write.

But also through whatever you say. Whatever you do. Whoever you are.

Please understand that it doesn’t matter whether you’re writing for thousands or just for you and God. In your work, God works in you, and it is good. Your labor is never in vain.

Your writing turns you into a person who radiates hope. True hope for a world bombarded with false hope. A world that needs you doing what you’ve been gifted to do, being what you’ve been gifted to be.

Hope bringers. Truth tellers. Heralds.

We’ve probably all seen, heard, or read this verse before, but look at it again in the light of knowing that you are a hope bringer. God says to you:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Share that hope with your readers. Live that hope with everyone you know.

The future can—and will—be better than today.

The most important element in your writing isn’t what you think it is. #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Does being a hope bringer inspire hope in you?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

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Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

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As we discussed in part one of the Writer’s Psalm, emotions are a natural, God-given part of life. But they also can lead us astray if we’re not careful. Especially when things on our writing journey don’t go the way we’d hoped or planned. So what do you do when you feel God has abandoned you? Come explore the rest of Psalm 42 to find out.

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

In episode 189, part one on Psalm 42, which we’ve dubbed the writer’s psalm, we ended with the truth that emotions have a way of ebbing and flowing. How often have you felt down one day, thinking it’s time to hang up your keyboard, and the next you wonder why on earth you were so despondent?

No, it doesn’t mean you’re bipolar. It simply means you’re experiencing the normal emotional ebb and flow of being a writer. And just when we think we’ve dealt with those emotions, something else happens. As it did with David.

“My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!” Psalm 42:4

There’s another of Satan’s tactics: encouraging us to focus on the rearview mirror. If you’ve been in publishing for a while, and especially if you experienced some success—success that seems far too long ago—the enemy loves to come whisper in your ear about how it used to be:

“Remember how things were when you first started? How exciting it all was. How the newness of writing and being published had you waking to each day with anticipation? Even joy? How you felt so fulfilled? Well…all that’s gone now. So what was the point? You’ve wasted time and money that should have been used better…”

This tactic is so very effective, isn’t it? Especially with the changes happening in publishing over the last several years. It often seems so much harder now. And many of us have lost contracts, or can’t seem to find someone who wants to give us a new contract. Or maybe we decide to go indie, but that, we discover, has its own big pile of difficulties. Why can’t it be like it was?

Oh, friends, remember how we’ve warned you against comparing yourself to others? Well, comparing where you are now to where you used to be, letting that comparison stir up a sense of defeat and discouragement, longing for what was doesn’t help with what is. Not. Ever.

If you’re tempted to do that, go instead with the next several verses of Psalm 42 and say with David:

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” Psalm 42:5

Acknowledging who God is in the here and now is a powerful weapon against Satan’s lies. So please, every day, every time you feel the enemy tickling your ears and spirit, ask yourself one question. Because the answer will send the enemy and his forces scrambling away:

Who is God to me?

Is he Elohim, the One and only true God? The Master Creator? No one is more trustworthy. No one else is Sovereign. There is no other God but him.

Is he Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord my Shepherd? The One who watches over me, guarding me from all enemies? The one who fights to save me from predators like Satan? Whose staff will always guide and protect me?

Is he Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord my provider? The One who meets all my needs, no matter what they are? The One who has never let his own go hungry or be lost? The One who provided us with a way to escape sin and death?

Is he Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord my healer? God told Moses right out, “I am the Lord who heals you.” He will heal you on every front in his time, in his way. He will heal you of being downcast. Just keep your eyes and heart on him.

Is he Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord my Banner? He is the Visible God who is seen in our lives. He is the sign to all, especially Satan, that we belong to him. As our banner, God lets everyone know HE is with us, our protection and shield, and they will try to do us harm at their own spiritual and eternal peril. Remember Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon formed against you shall succeed.”

Is he Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Lord my sanctifier? He makes me holy. I don’t do that. I can’t do that. But Jehovah-M’Kaddesh has already done it! He has given us his Holy Spirit for that very reason. How do you disperse being downcast? Come before him and ask for more holiness. Ask for the strength to see past what seems to be until your vision matches his for what is, and what will be in him!

Is he Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord my peace? Strong’s Concordance tells us that shalom means completeness, soundness, welfare. When the Lord is our peace, we are complete. We are sound in him, not to be shaken. Our welfare is in HIS hands. What better place could it be?

Is he Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord Who Is Righteous? It’s frightening for many to even think of being attacked by Satan and his followers. But friends, there is no reason for fear! Not when we’re covered in the Lord’s holy righteousness. Not when Jehovah-Tsidkenu holds us in his righteous hands and his holiness is an impenetrable barrier between us and the ruler of this world. A ruler who is already defeated by God’s righteousness.

Is he Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who is there? Oh, how I love this one! My Lord is here. With me. Whether I feel it or not, whether my emotions recognize it or not, The God of the Universe is with me! He is near to you even now. He is ever present. You are never alone, friends. Never.

Let’s pick up with Psalm 42 again, finishing verse 6:

“Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you—even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.” Psalm 42:6

Here is such good news! Being downcast is temporary! When David says, “Now I am deeply discouraged,” he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “but I will remember you!”

Being downcast is a feeling, an emotion. And feelings or emotions change. They may last for a few hours or days, or even for a season. It’s only a matter of time until it passes.

Keep in mind that emotions, even unwanted ones like being downcast, have significance and purpose. Otherwise why would God have given them to us? Having an underlying sense of sadness, of being downcast, can be a trigger for you to realize that something’s not quite right. It helps to explore the root of those emotions. When we understand what we’re feeling and why, we can take steps to feel better.

For example, a few weeks ago I was moping around the house. Don, my hubby, asked me what was wrong. I looked at him and said, “I’m depressed.”

Now, I wasn’t talking about true depression. What I meant was I was feeling down. Like something just wasn’t quite right. We talked about it and I realized we’ve had far too many gray, rainy days lately.

Don and I have always turned off the lights if we’re not in a room. Why pay for electricity that isn’t needed? But I realized I was missing sunshine and light! So we agreed that when the days are gray, we’ll keep more lights on and pull the window blinds up to let in as much light as possible. Within a few days, I was back to being cheerful, laughing at the antics of the birds and squirrels in my yard, and savoring God’s goodness.

Not all causes of being downcast are easy to discern. But ask God to open your eyes to why you’re feeling as you are. Sometimes, you can make changes to lift the gloom. Other times, you need to wait on God to release you from these emotions. Whatever the case, it is temporary! Sometimes it lasts for days. Sometimes it lasts for a season. But, it will pass.

Don and I recently visited Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. On the ferry ride to the island, I was struck by the varying currents, swirls, and white caps on the surface of the waters of the Puget Sound. I couldn’t help but wonder what was beneath the waters that caused these different actions, some within feet of each other. Was there some obstacle down there? Or was it caused by some fish or whales or orcas? Or could it just be a difference in water temperature?

But here’s what I loved: Whatever the underlying cause, the ferry just kept gliding along the surface, not the least bit bothered by the various whirlpools, white caps, or whatever. That vessel was built to ride the surface and keep moving forward.

Just remember times of being downcast are often based on how things seem to be. Or even worse, wondering what’s happening until you grow afraid that maybe…just maybe…God has left you on your own. But the reality is that while we may not know where God is leading us, or why, what we do know, without a doubt, is that he IS leading us. And these downcast feelings will pass in the light of his truth.

David starts to understand that with the next verses…

“I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.” Psalm 42:7-8

In this moment, David’s soul isn’t downcast! It’s focused on God, on praising and worshiping Him. When you struggle, take hold of two of the most powerful tools in your arsenal: praise and worship.

We’ve talked about praise and worship in other podcasts, but let’s review a few things here:

God is the only One worthy of true praise. And the praise we give God isn’t like praising someone for doing a good job. It’s not based on what we think of God. It’s based on WHO God is.

Webster’s defines praise as a number of things—commending excellence, expressing approval, honoring others—but the praise due to God is different. In fact, that praise gets this definition from Webster’s: “The act of glorifying …God.”

Here are a few of the definitions of glorify:

to make glorious : surround with glory : secure honor, praise, or admiration for

to exalt to a state of glory

to throw a resplendent light upon : make splendid with light.

Resplendent. I love that word. It means lustrous. Shining with brilliant light. Imagine entering a darkened room, then someone turns on a number of large, sparkling chandeliers. I’ve seen that, and the glorious beauty of it is almost a shock. It takes your breath away, and then fills you with delight.

Now think: How much more resplendent is God? How much more glorious? How much more worthy than any thing or any one of our praise and worship?

When you find yourself slipping into being downcast, jump instead into praise and worship just like these verses say:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians1:3-4

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Hebrews 13:15 NIV

Then there’s this blockbuster in Isaiah 25:

“LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago… You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners (and critical readers and reviewers and naysayers!) as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.” Isaiah 25:1,4-5

Do you hear that? “The song of the ruthless.” We like to think the enemy’s voice will be easily recognized because it’s full of evil, but remember, Satan is the deceiver. He will seem to sing to you, to woo you with a refrain of all you deserve but aren’t getting. The ruthless one will sing condemnation with the voice of an angel and the words of trickery. Don’t be fooled!

Isaiah 25 goes on:

“On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’” Isaiah 25:6-9

Remember that old saying, “God said and I believe it!” God has said you are precious to him. Believe it! God has said he will never leave you or forsake you. Believe it! God has said he loves us so much he sent his beloved Son to die for us, to restore us to himself. Believe it.

Friends, if God has said you are a writer, then God has spoken. Believe it!!

But David’s downcast state isn’t over yet, because right on the heels of Psalm 42:7-8 comes verses 9-10:

“’O God my rock,’ I cry, ‘why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?’ Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, ‘Where is this God of yours?’”

See? Same old tactics. Mockery. Unrealized expectations. Taunting.

How often have you heard people say things like:

“If God is real, why is the world in such a mess?”

“Why are so many people starving and suffering?”

“Where is this God of yours when nations attack nations, slaughtering innocents.”

“If God is so great and so loving, why did the person I love die an agonizing death?”

“If God cares about me, why do I have cancer?”

Let’s face it, there are a lot of reasons to doubt God exists. Lots of reasons for people to mock us and our faith. Lots of reasons to doubt God and us.

The enemy takes advantage of the most punishing reasons to derail us from doing whatever task God has given us. Good night! Satan doesn’t want us doing God’s work! He doesn’t want us ignoring him and just trusting God.

Satan is so determined to get us downcast that he uses those around us, even those who know us best, to mock and taunt and undermine us in doing the work God has given us. Because when we fall prey to all that, when we become downcast, we can’t see what God’s doing.

Or maybe it’s more that we aren’t looking for what God is doing. All the hard, negative things are so much more obvious. But God? So often he works in the background. Even in silence. Which seems so counter-intuitive to us. With all his power, all his glory, why isn’t everyone aware of what he’s doing?

Remember when Moses went up on the mountain to meet with God? How did God speak to him? In a still small voice. You see, that’s the thing with true power. It doesn’t have to blare its existence. It just is. God’s power is there, and it’s working for the good of all his children. For you.

As we come to the end of Psalm 42, it seems David has learned that as soon as he heads back into being downcast, here comes the solution: truth!

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! My Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11

Say those words out loud! My Savior and my God.

Our hope is in him. Our joy and fulfillment and peace and wonder…everything we need and could ever want is all in HIM.

Psalm 146 is the the perfect response, to that truth:

“Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. Don’t put your confidence in powerful people (publishers, editors, reviewers, sales teams, marketers, producers…none of them deserve your confidence. ONLY God does); there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly…The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God…throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!”

Feeling down? Let the Writer’s Psalm lift your spirits! #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!In what ways does David’s psalm inspire you as a writer?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A huge thank you to our May sponsor of the month, Priscilla Sharrow! She’s working on her memoir called Bonked! Life, Love, and Laughter with Traumatic Brain Injury, which will release with Redemption Press. Learn more about Priscilla at her website priscillasharrow.com and follow her blog for the TBI/PTSD community.

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 190 – The Writer’s Psalm, Part 2 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Emotions are a normal part of being human. What’s more, they are God given. As writers, we certainly have our share of emotional highs and lows. But what do we do when our feelings drag us waaay down? When our careers seem stalled or over, when our efforts seem wasted, and we find ourselves spiraling deeper into darkness? Well! Have we got a psalm for you!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

As creatives, writers tend to feel things deeply. Good things, troublesome things, hard things…we can become immersed in the emotions fueled by what’s happening around us. When our careers are going well, we’re on top of the world. When they’re not, well, it’s easy to get down. We even start to doubt whether we’re supposed to be writing at all.

Of course, those emotions change when something good happens, but what if that good thing doesn’t happen? If it seems we’re stuck in a place where nothing, to our way of thinking, is going right. Too often the enemy sneaks in at that point to whisper lies to our writer’s heart:

This is going nowhere.

No matter what you do, your books will never be bestsellers.

You’re wasting time and money.

On and on the lies go, feeding our emotions until we spiral deeper and deeper. Friends, that is NOT the deep God wants for you!

Is it okay for Christians to feel down?You may be reading this and thinking something along the lines of, “But, we’re believers! We shouldn’t ever be down!”

I hate to break it to you, but being believers doesn’t mean we’re not human. Nor does it mean we’re perfect. Far from it. Believing in Christ doesn’t keep us from feeling. Nor should it! God made us in His image, and those feelings He gave us are a reflection of His feelings.

Of course we’ll feel down at times! For so many reasons: Loss, loved ones who don’t know God, disappointment in our careers, expectations that don’t materialize… There is no shortage of difficulties in this life.

A writer friend of Karen’s was SO excited that her debut novel was coming out with a major Christian publisher. She’d done everything right, and everyone at the publishing house, from folks in editorial to marketing to sales, were just as excited as she was. Her release day dawned, and she was on the computer doing all the things she’d been told to do…

Then the world went upside down. Two planes came out of nowhere and crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. And just like that, no one cared that her book was releasing. No one cared about anything but the attack on America. Her much anticipated book faded into the background, and eventually went out of print with very few sales.

Is it wrong that this happened to her? No, it was simply life. Life in a broken, sin-soaked world where hatred runs rampant. But you can understand how a writer in this situation would be downcast.

Of course, that’s an extreme example of broken expectations. But we share it to say that sadness, sorrow, even just feeling blue are all a part of the human experience. And we, as writers, tend to feel those things to our core.

In her online article, “7 Ways Christians Can Beat the Blues,” Lisa Appello points out that some of the biblical giants of faith struggled with those emotional downward spirals. She writes:

“The Bible calls this being downcast, and it’s an emotion that even some of the stoutest of faith dealt with. David often felt downcast and it’s reflected in many of the Psalms he penned. Elijah, following an incredible mountain-top experience of God’s power, hit bottom as he hid from his oppressor. Jeremiah, discouraged by isolation and constant opposition, felt so down that he cursed the day he was born.”

Now that’s as downcast as you can get!

A Crosswalk.com article by Debbie McDaniel points out that even Jesus knew what it was to be downcast. She writes, “Isaiah prophesied that Christ would be ‘a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.'”

What does it mean to be downcast?How do we define being down or downcast? Webster’s helps us gain a fuller understanding by defining it as being “low in spirit.”

I don’t know about you, but that definition sparked a lot of thoughts for me. So we’ll come back to that in a minute.

First, let’s also consider a few of the synonyms Webster’s gives for downcast: “dispirited, dejected, disconsolate, woebegone.”

In addition, Webster’s explains that all of the words, including downcast, suggest a lack of “cheer, confidence, and hope, perhaps accompanied by shame or chagrin.”

Wow! Webster’s is always helpful, but in this instance, it’s perfect. Because this definition, and these synonyms, help us understand why our emotions get caught up in a downward spiral. What’s more, they give us insight into dealing with this emotional spiral.

It’s About the Spirit

Remember Webster’s definition: “low in spirits”? And the synonym “dispirited”? When I read that, I sat back and thought, “Whoa. That can be the cause and the cure!” For believers, it’s being low in the Holy Spirit. Or as though the Holy Spirit has been displaced by whatever is fueling our sadness.

You’re Not Alone

Charles Spurgeon went in and out of feeling depressed. He once wrote, “Fits of depression come over most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous and the joyous not always happy.”

And, of course, there’s David. Now there was a creative. A singer, musician, writer, and poet. His heart was tender toward God. And yet that same heart that made him a “man after God’s own heart” led him to feel down when things were hard. Or, as we said earlier, downcast. This, friends, is where Psalm 42 comes in.

PSALM 42When you heard in the introduction that this particular psalm was dubbed “The Writers’ Psalm,” I bet you wondered who did the dubbing. True confession time: Karen did. I happened to read this psalm right after our podcast with Lori Ann Wood (episodes 187 and 188). We’d been talking about writers’ struggles, and I was amazed at the way Psalm 42 acknowledged the struggles and then, as only God-inspired writing can do, gave us the solution to the struggle.

When you’re downcast or dispirited, when you’re low in the Holy Spirit, do what we’re going to do now: explore and follow David’s lead in Psalm 42.

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” Psalm 42:1-2

At first glance, it might seem that David is praising God or acknowledging his need for God. But when read in the context of the whole Psalm, you can see that this beginning is one of desperation. As though David is at the end of himself and has nowhere else to go. He’s crying out to God. “I need you, Lord, as much as I need water.”

We can survive for as long as twenty-one days without food. We can live even longer without things like shelter. But water? Three days max. After three days without water, you’re done.

David knew he was in a bad place, and he cried out to God. When your heart and mood seem to be sinking, or if you realize you’re full-on downcast, call out like David did. Tell God how you long for him, how you thirst for Him and His spirit. Seek Him and Him alone. Not sales numbers, not Amazon rankings. Focus only on Him and His holy spirit.

I confess I almost laughed when I read verse 2: “Where can I go and stand before Him?”

David KNOWS where to stand before God: wherever he is. So I think this gives us a glimpse into just how lost he felt, how he feared he would no longer have God’s blessing and presence.

If you struggle with these kinds of feelings, counter them with God’s truth, especially this truth expressed all throughout both the New and Old Testament: God will never leave you nor forsake you.

“…be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'” Hebrews 13:5-6

When you start feeling down, seek God. Right where you are.

David goes even deeper into his woes in verse 3:

“Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, ‘Where is this God of yours?’”

One of the enemy’s most effective tools against us is mockery. And questioning God:

If, indeed, He gave you the task to write, then why aren’t your books on the bestseller list?

Why isn’t your name a household word?

Where are the movies made from your God-given stories?

The good news is that this tactic of Satan’s is hardly new, as you see from the psalm. The moment mockery comes, go on the counter offensive. Attack the enemy with prayer and Scripture. Praise God. Sing to Him. Acknowledge His presence and power and close your ears and spirit to the enemy’s old and tired strategy.

These solutions we’ve explored so far can lift your spirt from being downcast into the healing and encouragement of God’s truth and light. They are there, ready and waiting for you to use them, to stop the enemy cold. But our psalm doesn’t end here. Emotions have a way ebbing and flowing, and just when we think we’ve dealt with them, something else happens. As it did with David…

We’ll talk about that in the next episode, so stay tuned!

As writers, we certainly have our share of emotional highs and lows. But what do we do when our feelings drag us waaay down? Well! Have we got a psalm for you! #amwriting #christianwriter
Click To Tweet

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What do you do when you feel downcast?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A huge thank you to our May sponsor of the month, Priscilla Sharrow! She’s working on her memoir called Bonked! Life, Love, and Laughter with Traumatic Brain Injury, which will release with Redemption Press. Learn more about Priscilla at her website priscillasharrow.com and follow her blog for the TBI/PTSD community.

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 189 – The Writer’s Psalm, Part 1 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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What do you do when your planned-out writing journey suddenly goes off the rails? Guest Lori Ann Wood faced this very situation. Through her God-ordained detour, she discovered three key questions that will help you in your own detours.

About Lori Ann Wood

Lori Ann Wood lives in an empty nest in beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband, the love of her life whom she found in 9th grade. She currently serves as WomenHeart Champion Community Educator for Arkansas and American Heart Association Ambassador. Lori Ann was awarded the Frederick Buecher Narrative Essay Award, and her work has been published in numerous print and online venues. Having discovered a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann writers to encourage others to ask their difficult faith questions along the detour of life. Lori Ann’s first book, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted, released with CrossRiver Media in February 2023.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Erin: Welcome, listeners, into the deep with us. We’re excited to have you, and we have a guest. We’re continuing our interview with Lori Ann Wood, and we’re talking about life’s unexpected detours and the deep questions that we have for God. We’re going to jump right in!

Lori: I think these are the questions that, maybe, they nag at everybody all the time. But when you get put on a detour, when you get shoved off on this road you don’t want to be on that’s kind of rough and out of the way, and you didn’t like it, and you didn’t choose it, that’s when those questions demand to be paid attention to.

Erin: Yeah.

Lori: That’s how my questions came about, and the questions were all derived from those temptations that Jesus faced in the desert.

Erin: Right. I like your first question. It’s a question of worry, you call it. “Is this life all there is?”

How do you think that worked in your life? How did you answer that for yourself and how did that apply to your writing journey?

Lori: I think if I were to look at all the questions as a whole, what’s true for all of them is that at some point I realized I didn’t necessarily want to know what the answer was. But I wanted permission to ask the question.

I felt like I was at a point in my faith where I was almost embarrassed to be asking some really basic questions like that, but I needed permission to ask them. You know, I think about Job in the Bible. I don’t know that he necessarily wanted the answers, but he needed to ask the questions. That’s what I’m trying to pull up in the book.

It’s just going deep and asking the questions, because when you’re asking the questions, you’re still communing with God. You’re still conversing with him. I think that was always meant to be the idea.

For that first group of questions that you were talking about, that question of worry, “Is this life all there is?”, I looked at issues like loss, uncertainty, fear, and regret.

Because we could get to a place when we’re on this detour where we don’t know, should I be just focused on my physical self? Should I be focused on, in writing terms, building my platform? Should that consume all of my day? Should I just be looking at the temporal part of whatever it is we’re doing?

I explored that from different ways, but in terms of writing, I had to really look at the value that I was putting out there in terms of what was valuable in this life and what would be valuable to people on the other side.

So that question of worry, of “Is this life all there is?”, I had to struggle with it and really come back and answer it over and over again.

Erin: That makes sense. I love the second question, too. The question of doubt. “Is God always good?” I think that’s an easy one for writers to struggle with in terms of, you know, when bad things happen. I can imagine you sitting there dealing with heart failure wondering, “Is God really always good?”

Lori: Yeah. This one I think is just really one of the top questions. I think if you Googled the top questions of faith, this is probably going to be at the top of every list. Is God always good?

You know, I was following God. He had been walking lockstep with me. I thought we were on the same page, and now I find myself on this detour and I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know if God’s left the scene. I don’t know if he has all of a sudden gone deaf to my prayers, or if I’m doing something wrong.

We start to question if our current pain or our current position somehow indicates God’s level of care for us. Because it doesn’t feel like love sometimes. Just as human beings we’re like, “Wait, this doesn’t quite feel right.”

So we struggle with the question: Is God always good? In the book, I looked at things like protection and resilience and vulnerability and idols, and wondering how that plays into our faith and how we move that forward.

In terms of writing, one of the things I was doing early on, and I didn’t realize it at the time, because in my heart failure journey, my heart function was really low, and then sixteen months in my heart jumped up to almost normal.

Erin: Wow.

Lori: It surprised everybody almost as much as the initial diagnosis. But it wasn’t permanent. What happens when you’re in heart failure is you’re on this downward line graph. When you’re on that downward graph, you can have some spikes up, but the general direction is still down. I was experiencing one of those spikes, but I thought that spike up was the end of my story. I thought, “Okay. Beginning. End. I get it.”

Then about three years ago, my heart function dropped quite a bit, and I was in active heart failure again. I, at that point, wanted to honestly protect God a little bit. I wasn’t sure what to write because I had been writing about answered prayer and healing. Then I thought, “Wow, how do I do this now? How do I reconcile what’s going on with my writing because I don’t know how this is gonna end.”

That was a hard one. In that question of doubt, as a writer, I had to really look at how do I move forward. That’s when these questions really came into focus for me. Because the only way to move forward is to be honest and say, “I don’t know how it’s gonna end.”

I also had to know at some point that God is always going to be good, and it doesn’t have anything to do with how much our life matches what we had imagined our life would look like.

Karen: I think that that’s an important aspect of this, what you’re talking about with what we imagined life would be. I never imagined that at sixty-five I’d be pretty much incapacitated by diabetes, that I’d be incapacitated by interstitial lung disease, which is ultimately what will kill me.

It never occurred to me in those early years and in my faith with God that these things were where my journey would take me. But the cool thing is when you stop and balance your expectations with God’s character. We miss God’s character when we’re so focused on our expectations.

I’m not saying don’t ask the question. I’m not saying, you know, don’t struggle with the question. I understand.

Personally, I didn’t struggle with it because I had come to a place long before where whether I live, I am the Lord’s, or whether I die, I am the Lord’s. Whether I live, therefore, or die, I am the Lord’s. There was such a confidence in that. But I’m a very simplistic believer. I take God at his word in a simplistic way.

People who struggle and come in and need to know the theology and all those kinds of things, I admire that. But I don’t want that. I like being able to just say, “Okay, Lord, I received that and I’m walking in that.”

I’m in prayer all the time. Conversing with him all the time, which doesn’t mean I’m any better than anybody else. That’s just my path. There have been times when I’ve struggled in my marriage. I couldn’t figure out why I married the man I did when there were so many issues, so many problems. Why we never had kids. There were struggles.

But in the midst of all that, God led me, and he will lead each of us to look then and say, “Okay, here are my expectations of what my life was gonna be.”

Don and I were in counseling for twenty years, and about halfway through we decided our mantra was, “God is in control. I don’t like it. I don’t want to be on this path. But he’s in control, and I trust that.”

The other thing that we always used to say is, “This is not the cruise I signed on for.”

I fully expected to have children and grandchildren and all those things. That didn’t happen because of Don’s childhood, and the abuse he suffered. But I don’t think that that was God not being good or kind.

I had a really honest, blunt friend who told me one day when I was talking with him and bemoaning the fact that I’d lost so much by marrying Don. He looked at me and he said, “What if you marrying Don isn’t about you? What if it’s about Don? What if God has given you this wounded, devastated heart to present whole to him as best you can by loving him?”

My initial godly response was, “So, not even my pain is about me? Really?”

Lori: Oh, that’s so true. I can relate to what you said because my husband, faith has always come really easy for him. He’s a complete truster. When I was first in the hospital, he’s a runner, and he finally went for his run after I’d been in the hospital for a week.

He came back in and he said, “Felt so good. I finally talked to God again, and I’ve realized that even if you don’t get better, everything’s gonna be okay.”

I didn’t take it very well.

Karen: He’s a really empathetic, sensitive sort, isn’t he?

Lori: But he was there. I got there eventually, but he was usually way ahead of me. My dad, who passed away in 2020 from lung cancer, and I are similar. We both come to faith by this questioning. By questioning, we may not get the answer, but we are grabbing out for God’s hand and pulling him in. All the time.

Erin: Right.

Lori: I think people do that in different ways, but that’s the beauty of it. We don’t have to be the same.

Erin: Karen, you touched a little bit on what’s going on with Lori Ann’s third question here. The question of control: Is God’s plan enough?

I especially love this for writers because we have our own expectations of what our writing is going to do for the world and accomplish. So, you know, is God’s plan enough? What if his plan is not the same as ours? How did you deal with that question or come about that?

Lori: That question of control is hard, and maybe it’s harder for people like me that question all the time. Because I like to know what’s ahead. I like to know what the plan is. And this writing thing, it’s not for planners, is it?

Karen: Yeah, if you go into it thinking you will have any control whatsoever, you are deceived.

Lori: Right? My book is launching this week and the most helpless thing is wanting people to review the book and just sitting there and watching. Are they gonna review it? Will they ever review it? Because there’s not one thing you can do about it. You can’t buy it. You can’t do it yourself.

I had to really struggle with how to even present the book because I wanted it to be not really about my medical events. Those are woven into it, but I wanted it to be for other people who were on a detour who needed to ask the question.

That was something that at some point in my life, and I think it was at a writer’s conference when I got some feedback and realized, “I don’t think I can just write a straight memoir. I don’t think that’s going to resonate. It’s not going to get out enough to people and do what God wants it to do in that form.”

I had to kind of go back to the drawing board and that’s when those sticky notes started moving around.

Karen: You know, it’s really great because you can take each of these questions and you can do big picture about life. But then as writers, we can take them and utilize each one of them for our writing.

Is this all there is in my writing? Question of worry. What if my book doesn’t sell the way I want it to? What if I don’t reach many people? What if, what if, what if?

The question of doubt: Is God always good to me as a writer? If I’m not getting contracts, then God’s not being good. Again, you’re contrasting your expectations with his character.

Then the question of control: Is God’s plan for my writing enough? What if only one, and we’ve said this before, what if only one person reads it and that person’s life has changed? Is that good enough for you if that’s God’s intent for you as a writer?

Erin: Right. I think that last question about God’s plan being enough, that speaks to people who may be having regrets about this, that, or the other thing. I have a friend who’s struggling with their career. They’ve been in their career for over twenty years and they feel disillusioned. Even bitter, even upset, even filled with regret of wasting their life. I just want to say, “But what if that was God’s plan? Is God’s plan enough?”

It’s a very difficult thing to dig our way out of when we have those types of regret. But that’s where we go back to, well, was it the detour? Was it the plan? What was happening there?

Lori: Yes, and I think we sort of get our mind twisted around because we’re so driven now by numbers. How many followers do I have? How many people are on my email list?

That seems like that’s where our worth is. But you know, we can know from just getting one email, or one response, or one comment from somebody who was really struggling with something. Those little glimpses where you’re like, “If that’s all I ever get, that’s gonna be enough.”

We see that from time to time and get these little flickers. But it’s so easy to just get caught in, you know, how many reviews am I getting? How many copies am I going to sell? How many people are on my email list? I’ve learned, and it was a hard lesson, but I’ve learned that my plan has never been anywhere close to as good as God’s plan.

Erin: Well, that’s fair.

Karen: It is fair. And it’s necessary because, I mean, we did a whole podcast on understanding that success is measured by obedience. Not by numbers, not by sales numbers, not by reviews, not by any of that. Our success as children of God who’ve been given the task to write is measured by our obedience.

Have I been obedient? That’s the only thing that we have any control over, whether or not we’re being obedient to that task. God has everything else in hand.

All these questions that you’ve been asking and what you’ve shared with us, it’s all so important for each of us to take the time and to take the courage, because it does take courage to ask those hard questions, to dig deeper into ourselves.

If you are feeling, as you listen to this podcast, if you’re struggling with a sense of disillusionment, with a thought like something that you have on your website, Lori Ann, which I really like: “Why trust a God who disappoints?” Then you have to go back when you’re facing that question and ask yourself, “But did God disappoint? Or were your expectations other than what God wanted you to do?”

It always comes back to, when we start to doubt God, we’ve got to make those hard studies and come to a point where we recognize that God is God, and we are His creation. You have to keep that in mind because he is using each one of us to save others. What more can we want than that?

Asking these questions and digging deep into: Is that all there is? Is God always good? Is God’s plan enough? Friends out there, I encourage you. Dig into those. Check out Lori Ann’s book, check out her story, and then consider your own journey. Your life journey, your writing journey, and consider who gave you the task that you have.

Who is he? Is God who he says he is? For me that answer is quite clearly, he absolutely is. And he will do what he will do. So ask yourself, what is my answer to that?

Erin: Amen.

Guest @lori_ann_wood has discovered three key questions that will help you when your writing journey and life seem to go off the rails. #amwriting #ChristianWriter
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BOOK MENTIONED ON THE PODCASTDivine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted by Lori Ann Wood

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What difficult questions do you have for God?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

We have openings for our Patreon Sponsor of the Month. Along with our sincere gratitude, we also announce our sponsors’ books, services, and website on the podcast. Sponsors also get a banner and link in the show notes of both monthly episodes and right here in this space as well! Find more information at Patreon.com/writefromthedeep

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

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The post 188 – Detours on Your Writing Journey with Guest Lori Ann Wood, Part 2 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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It’s so hard when the journey we think we’re on in our writing takes a detour. We worry and wonder what God is doing. IF God is doing anything. Guest Lori Ann Wood shares the shocking—and life-threatening—detour in her own life and writing journey, and how God’s miraculous hand was at work for his amazing purpose.

About Lori Ann Wood

Lori Ann Wood lives in an empty nest in beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband, the love of her life whom she found in 9th grade. She currently serves as WomenHeart Champion Community Educator for Arkansas and American Heart Association Ambassador. Lori Ann was awarded the Frederick Buecher Narrative Essay Award, and her work has been published in numerous print and online venues. Having discovered a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann writers to encourage others to ask their difficult faith questions along the detour of life. Lori Ann’s first book, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted, released with CrossRiver Media in February 2023.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Karen: Hello, friends. Welcome into the deep today. We’re so excited to have a guest, who Erin will introduce. We’re going to talk about the reality of detours, whether they’re health or otherwise in our writing journey, and how they often turn out to be exactly God’s intended road for us.

Erin: I’m excited to introduce Lori Ann Wood. She currently serves as founding leader of the Parenting Education Ministry at the Church of Christ in Bentonville. She also serves as WomenHeart Champion Community Educator for Arkansas and American Heart Association Ambassador. Y’all, I bet we’ll be talking about some of the reasons why!

Lori Ann was awarded the Frederick Buechner Narrative Essay Award, and her work has been published in numerous print and online venues, including Heart Insight Magazine, the Christian Century Magazine, Just Between Us Magazine, the Joyful Life Magazine, Pepperdine University Press, and so much more.

Having discovered a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann writes to encourage others to ask their difficult faith questions along the detours of life. Lori Ann’s first book, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted just released, so that’s exciting. Lori Ann, we’re glad to have you here today. Welcome.

Lori: Oh, thank you. It’s so great to be here.

Erin: Let’s just jump in. What, Lori Ann, does the deep mean to you?

Lori: The deep to me is mostly when I personally am taking my faith to the point where I’m going deep enough. Because I think we get to a certain point in our faith sometimes, and we stop because we don’t want to go any deeper, because we don’t know what the answers might be or where we might end up.

To me, the deep is not being afraid to go in there and ask those questions and dig and dig and dig. That’s where I’m coming from when we’re talking about the deep.

Erin: I love it, and I know from what I’ve learned about you that you have certainly faced deep places of trial and struggle. I’d love for you to start off by sharing that. For you as a person, what’s been going on?

Lori: I got a very, well, I felt like it was an out-of-the-blue diagnosis about seven years ago. I thought I had the flu, or maybe I thought it could be pneumonia. I hadn’t had pneumonia. I was just a little draggy.

My kids were coming in for the holidays, and I was still functioning and doing all these things, but I wasn’t myself. I knew I didn’t have the energy that I should, but because it was a holiday week, it was Thanksgiving week, I didn’t go to the doctor. I went to convenient care a couple of times, but I didn’t go see my family doctor until the Friday after Thanksgiving.

He immediately looked at me, listened to my heart with a stethoscope like they always do, and took me to the x-ray lab and said, “If we’re lucky it’s pneumonia.”

Erin: That’s a little scary.

Karen: There’s something you don’t wanna hear.

Lori: Right? But I’m thinking that’s the worst case, and what he found on that x-ray was that my heart was very enlarged. The Cleveland Clinic cardiologist later told me it was the largest heart she’d ever seen.

Karen: Oh my word!

Lori: I was immediately admitted to cardiac ICU. My heart was functioning at 6%. I had no idea. It was to me just unbelievable. I had no family history. I had no risk factors. I had great cholesterol and low blood pressure.

I had actually done an evaluation for a life insurance policy about a month before that, and they said, “Your numbers are so good. You have less than 3% chance of ever developing heart disease.”

Erin: Wow.

Lori: Then I found myself in the hospital, and they diagnosed me with end stage heart failure. I had no idea, no clue. Didn’t know what it was. I started on this journey, really in my health, but more importantly in my faith, and I’ve been on that journey for about seven years.

Erin: Were you a writer at the time or did writing come about because of this?

Lori: I think I’m like a lot of people. I felt like I had a book lurking around in the back of my head somewhere, but I still had kids at home and I was teaching college at the time and just was not writing.

I had ideas. You know, I’d maybe write a book about how to plan children’s birthday parties or how to take a vacation on the cheap, something like that. But I never wrote.

Once I got this diagnosis and I couldn’t stand up and speak for two hours at a time, I had to make a lot of adjustments in my lifestyle. I found that I could sit at my computer and I could type all day long. So this book started, and really the whole writing journey started, because I wouldn’t have taken the time to do it in a safer, healthier life.

Erin: I love how ironic that is. It’s like, “Now everything is gone. Everything’s been ruined, so I’m gonna write.” You know, it’s like, “Now that my health is terrible, hey, let’s write.”

Lori: Exactly. I didn’t want to even start writing anything down, but my husband told me when I was in ICU, ” We should be writing down what’s going on.”

I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t want to relive it. I just wanted to get back to my normal life. I wanted this to be kind of a blip on the radar and then get back to the normal planned route. I was in denial, but I did eventually start writing things down.

Karen: We’ve had a couple of previous podcasts talking about focus and how to maintain focus as writers and the things that take away from focus. But in this case, God brought about this focusing of what it was that you were to do because you couldn’t do any of those other things.

Like you said, if you’d had a healthier lifestyle and were still teaching, and with the kids and everything, you couldn’t do that. You couldn’t write. But to discover that this is what you could do now, from that stepped-back perspective, I see that as God’s saying, “This is your task, and this is how I’m going to make sure that you do the task that I have for you.”

Lori: Yes. It’s one of the things I think back on. In one of my heart failure groups, and I think anonymous wrote this like so many other wise things that come out of anonymous, but it said, “Not all storms come to destroy your life. Some storms come to clear your path.”

I really felt like this storm cleared my path. I mean, another way to look at it is a lot of doors closed at that time. By eliminating options for me, I was able to focus down the hallway to the door that was open and bypass all those closed doors.

Erin: I can see, though, that there would have been a great deal of reluctance because all of a sudden you are faced with this life-threatening situation and, you know, who wants to go there? That’s really scary.

I mean, as you say, you wanted it to be a blip, but now you have to dive into it. You have to embrace it, and that’s scary. How did you find courage to do that?

Lori: I’m wrestling with the word courage because what I did at first, a friend of mine dropped by a little notebook in my ICU room. I maybe had been there a couple days at that point, and it was just one of those little spiral notebooks. I think she meant for me to write down doctor’s notes or medications or instructions for the kids or something like that.

What it ended up being is in the middle of the night when I would wake up, I would just write down complaints almost to God. Some angsty statements like, “I don’t get this. I don’t understand. Where are you? Why are you not showing up?”

I just started writing that down. That was one little element that was happening. The other thing that started happening at that time is, because I had this health situation, I started a blog because it was just easier to keep people up on my health news that way.

Erin: Yeah.

Lori: Eventually stuff from that little notebook seeped into the blog, and that started resonating with people. Not people who were necessarily on a health detour, but for people that were on a relationship detour, or a career detour, or whatever kind of detour they happen to be on. They’re like, “Hmm, I don’t know anything about heart failure, but these issues seem a lot like what I’m wrestling with.”

That’s when I knew. That’s when I sort of dug in and thought, “Okay. I think I know what I need to be sharing now.” That was where the courage came from, if you can call it that.

Erin: Yeah. I think what happened was it built very slowly. It started with just frustration. It started with just this little tiny step of writing something down in that notebook. Then you took that next step.

It was like God kind of just nudged your step. Small baby steps, and it did bloom into something that seemed courageous because pretty soon you’re exploring what’s going on. You’re exploring the deeper questions that God is calling you to explore, and ask, and find solutions for.

Let’s talk about that. In your writing journey, you were working on this book. It turned out to be the book that we talked about, the Divine Detour book, and you came up with some questions that every life must answer. I love that. Talk a little bit about what those questions are and what they meant and how they apply to writers.

Lori: When I started looking at everything I had been writing, at some point I put every title and every idea on a sticky note and started to move them around and figure out how I was going to make sense of all this stuff that was just sort of bubbling out of my experience at the time.

Everything inside me wanted it to be chronological. I wanted it to have a beginning and an end. I even had my sections figured out. I was going to have my diagnosis and my device, because I have an internal device. The alliteration was there and I was liking that. It felt right.

Then three years ago I experienced kind of a downturn in my health, and I had this sort of feeling like, “I don’t know the end of this story.”

I thought before I could write from beginning to end, but I don’t know the end of this story. That made me pause for a while. Then when I looked at those little sticky notes again, I happened to be studying about Jesus’s 40 days in the desert and the three temptations. It struck me that those temptations were really just internal questions that we asked ourselves.

Those questions looked a lot like three buckets that my little sticky notes were trying to go into. I felt like I was onto something, so I started exploring these questions and putting them out to people who were reading my blog, and other people who had supported my writing along the way.

They said, “I’ve asked those same three questions!”

Karen: After listening to everything that Lori Ann has been through, I bet you guys are just on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what those questions are. Well, you’ll hear all about them in the next episode, so stay tuned and we’ll visit with Lori Ann again!

Guest @lori_ann_wood shares what happens when your life or writing is hijacked, and you find yourself on a detour you never wanted! #amwriting #christianwriter
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Books Mentioned on the podcastDivine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted by Lori Ann Wood

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Have you ever found yourself on an unwanted detour? What helped you cope?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

We have openings for our Patreon Sponsor of the Month. Along with our sincere gratitude, we also announce our sponsors’ books, services, and website on the podcast. Sponsors also get a banner and link in the show notes of both monthly episodes and right here in this space as well! Find more information at Patreon.com/writefromthedeep

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 187 – Detours on Your Writing Journey with Guest Lori Ann Wood, Part 1 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Many writers are sabotaging their ability to focus without even knowing it. They continue in one certain habit—a habit that almost everyone has—that derails and obstructs their ability to focus. What habit is that? Allowing distractions to steal your focus and direct it away from where you want it! What can we do to steel ourselves against the habit of being distracted? Join us to find out!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

In our previous episodes in this focus series, we talked about focus on a life scale, a career scale, and on a day-to-day scale. Today we want to get all the way down to the moment-by-moment scale.

Some of us, and we’re including ourselves here, have every intention of being focused in our thoughts and activities, but our brains don’t always cooperate. Our minds skitter from thing to thing to thing to thing. Erin and Karen have had more than one meeting where one of us is talking and the other is like, “Oh look! A butterfly!”

That’s not a picture of great focus. We recognize the challenges. We live them.

It’s not just us. We as a society seem to be getting more and more distractible—the internet and phone apps daily encourage it with their constant flashing of ads and notifications. We have trouble keeping our attention on what we truly want to focus on.

That becomes a question of attention span. There was an article in Newsweek about this. The article defined attention span as “the amount of time we can stay focused on something.”

It goes on to make the case that technology is making us accustomed to distraction, to the point where distraction becomes a habit. Because it’s a habit that is continually reinforced, it becomes a very strong habit.

Then, once we’ve developed a habit of distraction, our attention span decreases, and that leads to impatience. A short attention span combined with impatience leads us to feeling like anything that requires time and thought is unpleasant. So we tend to want to do quick easy tasks rather than dive into those bigger tasks which we think will be more difficult, because we assume they’ll be unpleasant.

But that’s not necessarily reality. That’s our “habit” speaking. Many times completing a difficult task creates the opposite feeling. It might be a hard task, but we feel a great sense of accomplishment when we finish, and that feels great, not unpleasant.

But habits are strong, so it’s no wonder we’re struggling with having short attention spans. And we’ll likely continue to struggle. The Newsweek article goes on to say, “Society now supports this downward spiral. Expectations of constant availability and the pressure to participate in social media and a variety of other communication channels keep us tethered to our devices.”

What can we do to change things? We’ve done some research and found some ideas to help increase our attention span and encourage moment-by-moment focus.

Recognize the bAD habitThe first thing the Newsweek article suggests is to “recognize that distraction is a bad habit.” In other words, it’s not a good thing. It’s something we should work to change.

Stop MultitaskingThe next thing we can do is to stop multitasking. We talked about this at length in the last episode on focus, so you can check that out for more of the research. But the bottom line is that our brains are not designed to multitask. They’re designed to do one cognitive task at a time. What we’re really doing when we think we’re multitasking is switching back and forth between cognitive tasks and that is scientifically proven to be inefficient and slower.

Practice MindfulnessAnother idea to help increase our attention spa, is to practice mindfulness. An article on the George Washington University website defined mindfulness as “basic, intentional focus on the present moment.”

The article goes on to say, “[Mindfulness] can be a powerful tool in training your mind to settle on the immediate tasks at hand.”

You can practice mindfulness by doing something like taking a walk while keeping your phone and other technology distractions out of sight and sound, and focus on your senses. Use your powers of observation and pay attention to what you can see, hear, touch, smell. Focus on only that.

Another way to practice mindfulness might be to pay attention to only whatever small task you’re doing at that moment. For example, maybe you’re making your bed. Don’t let your mind skitter around or think about the next task. Focus only on those blankets you’re putting in order. Tucking the sheet in or whatever. Practice being in the now. You can use little chores—doing the dishes, folding laundry, whatever—as an opportunity to practice and hone your ability to focus.

Active LIsteningAnother idea the Newsweek article mentions to help increase attention span is to practice active listening.

This is surely something we all need anyway, whether we think we have focus issues or not. When you’re having a conversation with someone, stop whatever else you’re doing, or whatever you’re tempted to do, and focus solely on listening. Put down your phone, close your laptop, turn off the TV or your music or whatever. Focus on what other people are saying, on where they’re coming from, rather than on what you want to say next or on what that ding on your phone just meant.

Be curious about other people and their point of view. Listen to learn. Don’t interrupt. This is much harder than it sounds.

Another idea related to listening is to choose one thing to listen to, maybe a selection of music or a podcast. Listen without your tv on, without scrolling on your phone or tablet. The idea is to ONLY listen. A lot of us like to do other tasks while we listen to a podcast or something. We’re not saying there’s anything wrong with that. We’re only saying that you can also use that podcast or musical selection as a chance to increase your attention span.

MeditationAnother practice that can increase attention span is meditation. The Newsweek article quoted Dr Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic. She said that meditation “taps right into the skill needed to increase attention span.”

She goes on to say that the reason why meditation can help is that it “requires you to quiet your mind and focus on what is happening in the moment.”

Basically you’re training your focus. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center say that “meditation can change the structure and function of the brain through relaxation, which can improve memory and attention span, in addition to offering other health benefits.”

Even people new to the practice of meditation can see a benefit, so you don’t have to be some seasoned veteran at it or anything.

There are many different ways to practice mediation. A few are:

Mindfulness Meditation

We talked about mindfulness meditation earlier when we suggested taking a walk and paying attention to your sensory input. But mindfulness meditation can also be just sitting and focusing on breathing, or focusing on your thoughts, paying attention to them as they go through your mind.

Scripture Meditation

Scripture meditation is a concentrative type of meditation. There are lots of ways to meditate on Scripture, but one way is that you might read a verse through a few times to get the flow, and then slow down and focus on it word by word, contemplating the meaning of each word and the implications of each word, then taking time to listen to what God may be saying to you through all that.

Movement Meditation

Movement meditation is another type of meditation. It might be through something like walking or gardening or practicing yoga. It typically involves doing slow repetitive movements, focusing on your body, your breathing, and staying connected to the present moment to help you relax your mind and body.

ExerciseAnother activity that can improve your attention span is getting some exercise! The University of New Hampshire mentioned a study on their website that linked participating in a physical activity with longer attention spans.

Pomodoro TechniqueAnother way to help foster focus is to use the pomodoro technique throughout your workday. This article gives a full description of this, but basically in the pomodoro technique, you alternate between sprints of focused work and short breaks.

For example, you set your timer for twenty minutes, then you work solidly for that time, then you get a five minute break. Or you could start with a fifteen minute work session, or thirty minutes, or whatever works for you. The goal is to encourage yourself to focus by knowing you have that break coming as a reward. The breaks serve as both reward and rest after the fatigue of focusing.

One of the nice things about the pomodoro technique is that it helps you break the habit of multitasking. Which again, increases attention span.

SleepAnother way to grow your attention span is to be sure you’re getting the sleep you need. Lack of sleep can hinder your ability to focus. Erin suffers from chronic insomnia and can testify that this is true! But even if you do get enough sleep at night, you still want to be sure you also take breaks throughout your day and your week. You need rest. You can’t focus 24/7 so don’t try. You need off time. Rest is actually necessary for productivity.

Fasting from technologyWe also encourage you to consider an occasional fast from screens: phones, computers, TV, whatever. You could try doing this one day a week, or maybe it’s an hour every day, or whatever. It’s an opportunity to unplug from the constant noise and distraction. To let your brain have a break from incessant flashing and pinging and the decision-making that every notification forces you to make. Take a break from constant input.

Monitor mind wanderingAnother way you can foster better moment by moment focus is to Monitor Your Mind Wandering.

An article on entrepreneur.com said:

“We spend nearly fifty percent of our waking time thinking about something other than what we’re supposed to be doing, according to one Harvard study. We are on autopilot, and our mind is wandering, in part to avoid the effort of focusing on something. The key to heightened productivity is to notice when your mind is distracted and bring your attention back on task.”

The article goes on to say:

“This means paying attention to your thoughts and recognizing when your mind starts drifting. This allows you to manage what you focus on and redirect your thoughts when you slip up. Instead of allowing yourself to keep meandering over to social media to check out your newsfeed, you actively put the brakes on this distraction.”

This is an area we all can be praying about: that God would help us pay attention to our mind wandering. Not all mind wandering is bad—in fact, sometimes it’s necessary and good. It helps with creativity, for one thing. As writers, we need that.

However, mind wandering can cross the line to being problematic if it derails our ability to focus. It can also become sinful if our mind wandering becomes fantasizing. Protecting our minds is something God cares deeply about, and we can trust him to answer earnest prayer and help us.

Create a Distraction Free EnvironmentThe next idea to help encourage focus is to create a distraction free environment in your workspace. How do you do that?

1. Avoid clutter. A Psychology Today article says clutter can distract us, bombard our mind with too much stimuli, inhibit our creativity, cause anxiety, cause guilt, and make it difficult to relax.
2. Make sure whatever you need to do your work is readily available—research materials, notes, supplies, or whatever. Then make sure what you don’t need is put away.
3. Don’t have your workspace in your tv room if that will distract you. If there isn’t a good distraction free space in your home, consider going elsewhere for your writing time, such as a coffee shop or whatever.
4. Create a distraction free computer screen (if you work on a computer). Don’t let your email or social media apps ding at you. Take advantage of full screen apps that immerse you in just that app and nothing else.
5. Eliminate interruptions other from people. Close your door, work when the kids are sleeping or not home. Use noise canceling headphones.

Create a RitualAnother idea to encourage better focus is to create a ritual that helps your mind settle, a ritual that signals your brain that it’s time to focus. Creating a routine will help set your body and mind’s expectation of what comes next. It’s like creating a habit. Your ritual might be just one minute or it might be much longer. It needs to be tailored to what works for you.

As you’re thinking about creating a ritual, some things to consider including are: prayer, deep breathing, meditating on a Scripture verse, sitting in a favorite chair, Bible reading, doing a short set of exercises, drinking a cup of coffee, playing a worship song or some other specific type of music, taking a walk. Experiment to find what works best for you. There isn’t a right or wrong answer. Repetition and consistency is the key. Do the same ritual every time.

Seek professional helpOne last thing we want to mention. There are situations where a short attention span can be caused by physical and psychological conditions. For example, the article in Newsweek listed: ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, depression, learning disabilities, and head injuries as a few of the things that can affect our ability to focus.

Medication, therapy, and other treatments may be appropriate for people who deal with those types of conditions. If that might be you, it’s definitely worth having a conversation with your doctor about.

The habit that controls our dayGiving in to the habit of distraction ruins our ability to focus. In Scripture, God tells us to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Start there. Start with a habit of focusing on God. Start with prayer, even though it’s hard not to let our minds wander. But there’s no better way to establish a longer attention span and gain focus that will help us in every aspect of our lives.

Many writers sabotage their ability to focus without even knowing it. We’ll show you how and why! You CAN achieve better moment-by-moment focus! #amwriting #christianwriter
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What distractions tempt you most and what helps you fight them?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our March sponsor of the month, Tammy Partlow! She’s a speaker at women’s retreats, and her debut novel Blood Beneath the Pines, a suspense set in the deep South, is now available. She’s hard at work on the second book of the series!

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

STAY CONNECTEDWant the latest news from Karen and Erin? Click here to join our newsletter and get an exclusive audio download.

The post 186 – Get Focused! Part 4 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Many writers sabotage their ability to focus without even knowing it. We’ll show you how to fight distraction and hone your focus so you can accomplish what matters most to you each day. For more information and the full show notes, visit writefromthedeep.com.

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One of the biggest challenges writers face is a blizzard of busyness and distraction, which can keep us from accomplishing what we need to do in the course of the day. We need tools to help us focus on what’s most important. In our previous podcasts on focus, we’ve explored ways to focus on the big picture. Now it’s time to tackle the day-to-day!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

One of the biggest challenges we face in this world of busyness, technology, and relentless stimulation is maintaining focus on what truly matters to us. In the two previous episodes in this series on focus (episode 177 and 178) we discussed some ways to focus your life and career around your values and to prune your activities and commitments accordingly.

Today we want to discuss focus on a smaller scale. A daily, and even a moment-by-moment scale. When push comes to shove, we still need to be able to focus on our tasks today or they won’t get done. And we want those tasks to be the right tasks to keep us on track with our career and life focus.

Since we’ve talked so much about how creating focus is, in essence, making a decision about what we will and won’t spend time on, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that focus on a smaller scale also requires a decision. On a daily basis, we have to choose what to say yes to and what to say no to. How do we do that? How do we prioritize the best activity for each day? Remember the goal isn’t just to get stuff done, it’s to get the right stuff done.

First, and most important, this is a question that needs to be bathed in prayer. Not only can you be praying about this, but when we interviewed Shadia Hrichi in episodes 181 & 182, we talked about how to build a prayer team. A simple yet critical thing that you can be asking a prayer team to pray for is a sensitivity to God’s leading as you order your tasks for each day, as you consider what needs to happen each day.

There’s also some practical business wisdom we can use.

The Lee Ivy MethodJames Clear, the author of the book Atomic Habits, which we’ve discussed in the past, wrote an interesting article that helps address the question of prioritizing tasks. His article is about the Lee Ivy method for achieving peak productivity—which is not just getting things done, but getting the right things done.

The steps of the Lee Ivy method, as he lists them in his article, are:

1. At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow.

Do not write down more than six tasks.

You could just as easily choose five or four, or whatever number works best for you. There’s nothing magical about six items. You don’t want to have so many things on the list that it’s stressful and unrealistic, or so few things on the list that you finish everything and waste productive time because you don’t know what to do next.

If you have too few items, another danger is that the tasks expand to take up the time allotted. You end up taking far longer than necessary on any given task. Also realize that this method is about daily goals. So if, for example, you’re in the middle of writing or editing your manuscript, obviously that can’t be done in one day. The solution is to break that big project down into daily goals. A daily goal could be to write 1000 words, or maybe a time goal works better for you. So the task might be to write for one hour.

2. Prioritize those six items (or the number that works for you) in order of their true importance.

How do you do that? Prayer can help you discern the order.

Another idea that can help you determine order of importance is a question we discussed in part 2 of our focus series. It’s from a book by Gary Keller called The One Thing. Ask yourself, “What is the one thing I can do, that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

Or, it might be easier to phrase it: “What’s the best thing I can do to make everything else easier or unnecessary.”

What comes out of this question might surprise you. For example, I suffer from fibromyalgia, which is now affecting my ribs. My hubby and I have a golden retriever who sheds a lot, creating a need for vacuuming, lest we be kicking up dog hair with every step we take. Vacuuming needs to happen for life to be functional.

However, vacuuming inflames my ribs, which affects my ability to write and edit. That makes my work harder. I ask myself, “What’s the one thing I can do to make my work less painful and therefore easier?”

The answer turns out to be that I need to find a vacuuming solution such that vacuuming will be easier or unnecessary. I think we can all agree that the dog stays, so that’s not a solution. Having my hubby vacuum has been a short term solution, but he doesn’t always have the time, and frankly he’s not great at it.

The next idea? Get a robot vacuum like a Roomba or whatever. Putting off this task of finding a robot vacuum, or making this task less important, ultimately makes all my work harder. Prioritizing this task makes my work going forward easier and more efficient.

3. When you start work tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task.

You work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task. Now if this first task happens to be a three hour project, we’re not saying you can’t take a bathroom break, or stand up and stretch, or get a second cup of coffee, or take a ten-minute break to play with your dog, or whatever to freshen your mind. Those things are good and often necessary.

What we are saying is that if this is what you’ve identified as the most important task of the day, stick with it. The temptation will be to skip to another project when this one gets difficult or tiring or boring. Instead, that’s the time for a short little break.

As soon as we give in to the temptation to switch tasks, we’re in danger of not finishing the most important thing on our agenda for the day, because we don’t know what will come up that will end our work day. It could be a health issue that rears its ugly head, or an emergency with your family, or even some type of fantastic opportunity you don’t want to miss out on. So, finish that first and most important task of the day before moving on to the second task on the list.

4. Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion.

At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.

5. Repeat this process every working day.

Sounds simple, right? But few people actually do this, let alone adhere to it strictly or do it consistently. But this method has proven highly effective for several reasons, which James Clear also discusses in his article.

Why Is the Lee Ivy Method Affective?First, it’s not complicated: Do what’s most important first.

Sometimes we overcomplicate our lives and our decisions, when we often just need to pray about it and move on. We need to trust that God is guiding us. When life happens, when our day gets messed up, an emergency happens, or whatever, we can’t beat ourselves up. We can simply deal with those situations as best we can and then get back to the tasks we listed.

Second, the Lee Ivy method forces us to make difficult decisions and commit to them.

Remember what we’ve been saying over and over: focus is about making decisions. Waffling back and forth wastes time—time we could spend getting important tasks done.

Third, we can start our day with no friction over having to decide what to do. We already know what we need to do, so there’s no reason not to plunge in. That said, getting started on anything requires that we overcome inertia: the tendency to do nothing. If we’re naturally a slow starter, or not a morning person, or whatever, overcoming inertia can be more of a challenge. Knowing what the plan is can help push us forward into motion.

It’s also nice that we don’t have to be thinking or worrying the night before about what we need to get done the next day. It’s already written down, there’s already a plan. That frees our minds for relaxation.

Fourth, the Lee Ivy method forbids multitasking.

While our modern culture may idolize this ability to multitask, the truth is that busyness—doing many things—is not the same as doing the right thing well. Furthermore, our brains aren’t physically wired to multitask. Here’s a great quote from an article on Psychology Today’s website:

“The research shows that people can attend to only one cognitive task at a time. You can only be thinking about one thing at a time. You can only be conducting one mental activity at a time.”

Because we can’t actually multitask, what we’re really doing is switching between tasks rather than performing them simultaneously. Sadly, we don’t even do that well. Worse, research has also shown that we think we do it better than we do. We aren’t capable of realizing just how inefficient we are. So if you’re out there thinking, “That can’t be true. I’m great at multitasking,” well, you’ve just proven the point of that research result.

Bottom line? Our. Brains. Can’t. Do. It. God did not make us that way.

Why is switching back and forth between tasks a problem? There’s a mental cost to it. Research shows that it creates a reduction of accuracy and speed. While we may think we’re doing so well at “multitasking” or switching back and forth, really we’re going more slowly than we would if we focus on one thing at a time, and we’re making more mistakes.

We didn’t even mention the time loss involved in diving back into each task after a switch, nor the brain energy all this eats up. Bottom line, don’t do it.

Drawbacks to the Lee Ivy MethodWe’ve listed several reasons why the Lee Ivy method is often successful, but it does have at least one possible drawback: If the key to the method is to do the most important task first everyday, what happens if writing is your most important task, but your creative brain doesn’t wake up until noon? That would mean you’re trying to do your most important task in the morning, at a time that’s least suitable for that task, which doesn’t exactly set you up for quality focus.

Now, some people can, over time, train their creativity to happen whenever they need it to. That’s great. But if that’s not you, then the solution is to adjust the Lee Ivy system, or any other system that you want to use, to suit who you are. Maybe you need to coordinate your most important tasks with your highest level of mental or creative energy instead.

The goal is still to figure out how to structure your day in a way that allows you to successfully accomplish your most important tasks each day. Accomplishing those tasks means your day has been focused on what matters most to you.

Complete or KillOne other thing we want to say about the Lee Ivy method, or any other strategy that utilizes a task list, is that if a task keeps showing up as number five or six on your list of important tasks for the day, and you never get to it— it just keeps showing up on the next day’s tasks and never seems to move higher than five or six on that list either, it may be a sign that it shouldn’t be on the list at all. A “complete or kill” mentality might be helpful for you.

If it truly needs to be completed, make yourself get it done.

It might be hanging around on the list because you’re simply procrastinating. Maybe it’s a difficult or tedious task. We all have tasks like that, and we need a “just do it” mentality. It can be helpful to plan a nice reward for ourselves when we do get it done.

Or maybe the problem with trying to get that pesky task done is that it’s overwhelming because it’s too big. We can help ourselves by breaking it down into smaller tasks that we can then put on our list in order of importance.

Or maybe how to do that task needs to be researched first, so we should put that on our list.

If none of those things apply, it’s possible that this task simply doesn’t need to get done at all, and we just haven’t recognized it or haven’t admitted it or haven’t wanted to let it go. If we want to achieve focus in our days, we need to make those tough choices. Face the fact that we’re not going to complete it, and kill it instead. Just delete it. Or perhaps we can put it on a “not now” list so we’ll stop being distracted by it today.

Goal Setting to the NowAnother tactic we can use to help us create focus on a daily, and even moment-by-moment basis is something Gary Keller talks about in his book The One Thing.

Gary Keller describes a process he calls Goal Setting to the Now. I loved this idea because it’s another way to connect our large scale goals with small scale focus. To put this in practice, you ask yourself:

What is the big goal I want to achieve?

Gary Keller phrases the question as, “What’s the one thing I want to do someday.” We’re modifying it because when I hear, “What do I want to do someday?” I always think, “I want to take a cruise to Alaska and see whales.” But that doesn’t mean my whole life or career is focused on that. Everyone needs to feel free to phrase the question in whatever way works for them.

This big goal, or this “someday thing,” can be an overall career goal such as, “I want to be able to quit my day job and be a full time writer.” Or it can be a goal you want to achieve this year or whatever. If it’s a lifetime goal, then go to this question next:

What’s the ONE thing I can do in the next five years to be on track to achieve that lifetime goal?

Once you have that answer, then you ask:

What’s the ONE thing I can do this year to be on track to achieve that five-year goal, so that I’m on track to achieve my big lifetime goal?

That answer gives you a one year goal. Then you ask:

What’s the ONE thing I can do this month to be on track to meet my one-year goal, to be on track to achieve that five-year goal, so that I’m on track to achieve my big lifetime goal?

Then you move on to the next question:

What’s the ONE thing I can do this week to be on track to meet my goal for the month, so that I can meet my goal for the year…and so on.

Then once you know your weekly goal, ask:

What’s the ONE thing I can do today to be on track to meet my weekly goal, so that I can be on track to meet my monthly goal, so that I can meet my goal for the year…and so on.

Lastly, and hopefully you’ve been hanging in there with us on this, when you know your daily goal, you would ask:

What’s the ONE thing I can do right now to be on track to meet my daily goal, so that I can be on track to meet my weekly goal, so that I can be on track to meet my monthly goal, so that I can be on track to meet my one-year goal, so that I can be on track to meet my five-year goal, so that I can be on track to meet my lifetime goal?

That’s a lot to go through, but for some of us, the power of connecting what we’re doing right now, in this moment, to what we want in our lifetime is a powerful motivator, as well as a source of clarification for what matters to us. This can help us justify why we’re making the choice we are, and it can create focus on a daily scale as well as a moment-by-moment scale.

One more thing we want to clarify. While Gary Keller’s system of questioning can work brilliantly for many folks, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. Some people may feel overwhelmed just trying to get through it all. That’s okay! If it’s overwhelming or too complicated for you, don’t use it. We’re all made in God’s image, but we’re all unique as well. Find the system that works for you.

Erin loves Gary Keller’s system, and the Lee Ivy method, and her Omnifocus to-do list program. She has lots of obligations and tasks to manage, and using those tools prayerfully works for her.

Karen prefers a very different and simple system. She prays at the beginning of each day, “Okay, God, what do you want me to do today?” That’s how she prioritizes. She takes it to him and simply does what he impresses on her to do that day, trusting that God is guiding her. It’s a no frills method that works for her.

There are many different systems and many different types of people, but there’s only one God. He knows us inside and out, and he knows exactly what we need in order to accomplish the tasks he’s given us in the timeframe he wants us to accomplish them. Trust him, honor him, and be obedient. That’s success!

BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE PODCASTThe One Thing by Gary Keller

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What helps you decide what to focus on each day?

THANK YOU!Thanks to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible!

A big thank you to our March sponsor of the month, Tammy Partlow! She’s a speaker at women’s retreats, and her debut novel Blood Beneath the Pines, a suspense set in the deep South, is now available. She’s hard at work on the second book of the series!

Many thanks also to the folks at Podcast P.S. for their fabulous sound editing!

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The post 185 – Get Focused! Part 3 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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So many things vie for our attention––research, writing, marketing, computer stuff, email, and on and on. Writers, come learn how to put your day-to-day focus on what’s most important! For more information and the full show notes, visit writefromthedeep.com.

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Every writer struggles, but not all writers struggle with the same things. Does anyone share our particular struggle, or are we just odd? Even weak? Guest Heather Iseminger, a chaplain at writers’ conferences, is here to share her insights on writers’ struggles and how to find help and understanding in the midst of them.

About Heather Iseminger

Heather Iseminger is a self-proclaimed hoarder of words and caffeine. She holds a BA in English Writing from FSU and an MA in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her Prince Charming, Mike, have been married for almost 25 years and have two children, Ella and Caleb. Five days a week Heather’s in her high school English classroom with coffee in hand, surrounded by the students she adores. When she’s not juggling family and teaching, she’s a local photographer and an award-winning freelance author. Her deepest passion lies in teaching others biblical truths, so they understand how to pursue a radical, Jesus-loving life.

Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re able to offer an edited transcript of the podcast!

Karen: Hey, guys, welcome to the deep. We’re so delighted to have you here. I’m just so excited about spending another year with you, cheering about God and our writing journey. So, welcome, welcome today, and Erin gets to introduce our guest.

Erin: Yes, we have a guest. It’s Heather Iseminger, and I’m so excited. Heather is another very cool person I had the pleasure of meeting at the Florida Christian Writers Conference where she served as the conference chaplain. That’s going to be fun to talk about today. Now Heather is a self-proclaimed hoarder of words and caffeine, so she’s a sister of my heart there.

Heather: Amen.

Erin: She holds a BA in English writing from FSU and an MA in Christian education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her Prince Charming, Mike, have been married for over twenty years and have two children. Five days a week Heather’s in her high school English classroom with coffee in hand, surrounded by the students she adores.

When she’s not juggling family and teaching, she’s a local photographer—another woman-after-my-own-heart thing—and an award-winning freelance author. Her deepest passion lies in teaching others biblical truths so they understand how to pursue a radical Jesus-loving life. Don’t you love that?

Welcome, Heather.

Heather: It’s so good to be here. I’ve been so excited about this.

Erin: Me too. We had some great chats at the conference, y’all. Again, you gotta go to conferences. You meet cool people.

Heather: Yeah. I got the benefit from meeting you as well.

Erin: Well, thank you.

Karen: You know, I want to just share a quick anecdote here about you being a teacher with coffee in hand. I didn’t drink coffee until I was out of college, and I taught Montessori for a year, five years old through fifth grade. I taught them French and music. That’s when I started drinking coffee. That’s when I started not being able to face the day or those lovely little monsters without massive amounts of caffeine.

Heather: I think I would need more than caffeine if I had an elementary school classroom. Those teachers deserve triple medals. It’s unbelievable.

Karen: I watched the other teachers almost mainlining their coffee and I thought, what’s that about? It didn’t take me long to know. I was in line. Gimme, gimme!

Heather: It’s necessary.

Erin: Well, Heather, what does the deep mean to you?

Heather: I have thought a lot about this, Erin. I was born and raised in Florida, so the ocean has definitely been a part of my life and who I am. But as I think about the deep, I am terrified of deep sea scuba diving and even getting to a place where I can no longer see my feet. There’s a real fear there.

I think that when I began to kind of pair that with writing from the deep and being deep with my relationships with others and my relationships with my Jesus, I think that even carries over. I tend to put up walls. I tend to be scared of going too deep with someone because what if they really see me and don’t like me?

I think the deep can kind of go along the way of like the need that I have to formulate deep connections, not only with the people that I’m around, but also with the Holy Spirit and to not be afraid of what that might look like. Or to not be afraid of how that might impact my life in the long run. Because sometimes the deeper we go with Jesus, the more he asks us to do, and that can be scary.

But I also realize that there is great beauty in the deep. Beautiful fish, beautiful undersea life that is there. It reminds me to really be unafraid of going deep, even though my first reaction is to do just that. To be afraid.

Erin: Yeah, totally understandable. I’m wondering if you’ve ever been out on the ocean?

Heather: I have. I have been on a cruise, but I didn’t have to think about it. I have not done scuba diving. I’ve done snorkeling and in all of those snorkeling kinds of events, I could see the ground. I can see my feet. So I have not actually been scuba diving.

I had plenty of opportunities to learn, growing up here in Florida, but it has just always been one of those things where I’ve been like, “Oh, I’d rather jump out of a plane, thank you very much.” Which I promised to do with my son when he turns eighteen. He’s twelve, so I have six more years.

Erin: You have some time, you have six more years, and possibly six years to think of a good excuse! Or not.

Heather: Who knows?

Erin: I agree with you, though, about not being able to see what’s in the deep. We want to know what’s coming. We want to be able to prepare because somehow we think it’ll make it all okay if we can prepare. We don’t trust that God is the one who needs to prepare us and that he’s the one who can do it. So, yeah, I get that.

Karen: It started in the garden when Satan came to Eve and said, “Has God really said…?” And suddenly she started to doubt what she knew. She knew what God had said. Yet Satan put just enough of a suggestion there for her that rebellion and fear started inside of her. “What’s God keeping away from me? What’s he holding back?”

Too many of us on our writing journeys, we have it fixed in our minds where these journeys are going to go. And when they don’t follow that plan, suddenly this journey that we’ve put ourselves and our finances and our energy and our heart and our life’s blood on the page to, becomes an unknown.

We start second guessing and we start wondering. And if we get around a community of writers like you do at writer’s conferences, it’s so easy to fall into comparison and into fear and envy. Talk to us about, in your work as a chaplain at these writer’s conferences, talk to us about some of the struggles that you’ve seen. Obviously not giving specifics, but just in general, what are some of the struggles that you’ve seen?

Heather: When I begin to really think about the deep struggles that are facing a lot of writers today, I would say they don’t stray very far from what humanity itself faces. At the last writers’ conference that I was at, I had several women and men that I prayed with who were struggling with cancer, past suicidal kinds of attempts, and deep, dark depressive thoughts.

Several women struggling with: How do I balance a writing life and a home life? How do I take what I’m doing here and what I know, this part of my life that God’s called me to, how do I take that and still be the wife and mom that I’m supposed to be?

One of the biggest things that I see with writers, because we are artistic people, is that we oftentimes tap into those emotions and our emotions can overwhelm us. They can drive us. Sometimes for great things and sometimes not so great things. So I think the mental health aspect of being a writer can significantly be affected by the evil one and his attacks.

As we try to write God’s word and as we try to understand what it is he wants us to write, we can get caught up in all the things that contribute to an unstable mental experience.

Erin: Yeah.

Heather: From depression and anxiety and so on. It’s a big weight. It’s a big weight because we’re taking God’s truth in his word out, and that’s the last thing Satan wants from us. So he’s going to attack us in a thousand different ways.

Karen: My husband likes to call it being nibbled to death by ducks. All these little things just nibbling at you and chewing on you and chipping away at that certainty that this is the task that God has given me to do. And you know, like you said, doubting yourself and second guessing.

I absolutely love Psalm 42. In fact, maybe we’ll do a whole podcast on all of Psalm 42. I think that this is the perfect psalm for creatives and for writers because, you know, David goes from, “As the dear longs for streams of water, so I long for you, oh God.” And then, “Day and night, I have only tears for food.”

How often have we felt that way? And, “My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be.” And then, “Why am I discouraged? Why am I so sad?” Then, “I will put my hope in God” and then, “Now I am deeply discouraged…”

Heather: That’s one of the reasons I love David and I love the Psalms. It’s because we see the realness and the humanity in him.

Karen: Yes.

Heather: As someone who ministers to writers, I think that that’s something we need to consistently be reminded of. Just because we experience the highs and lows of life, or just because we may have seasons that we may not be producing what we think we should, does not mean that God’s not going to use us.

Karen: Right!

Heather: It does not mean that we just shut the door and we decide, “Well, writing’s not for me because I haven’t published anything in five years. Therefore, I’m not a writer.”

I think that we get caught up in thinking that everything’s got to be perfect for us to be able to write about it. No, God wants us to write from the deep. He wants us to write from the scary and from the places where we are impacted. A lot of times he’ll allow us to walk through it so that we can empathize with those who would also struggle.

Karen: Right. I think that in those struggles, in that up and down and back and forth, we learn just as a child. They talk about the terrible twos, well, there’s so much stimuli coming into that kid, and he is absorbing it all and trying to figure it all out without the capacity to do so. Emotions explode in tantrums and all those kinds of things. It’s not until they start to grow and mature a little that they learn how to manage all that.

And we learn that sometimes the struggle is exactly what we need to be refined. In our faith, we go through those same steps. Those same tantrums and, “Well, you told me I was supposed to write and my book, nobody wants it.”

God’s just like a loving parent. He’s just listening and nodding and waiting for us to vent and spew all that stuff, and then he talks to us in a voice of peace and a voice of truth.

it’s so important for us to realize, and we’ve said this quite a number of times, emotions are a very poor measuring stick of reality. Now emotions are valid. We need to feel them and acknowledge them and own them, but we don’t use them to determine what is and isn’t biblical truth.

Heather: Right. I tell my students that quite often. Reminding them, you know, God gave us emotions. Emotions are great. It’s what we do with those emotions that become right or wrong.

Karen: Yes.

Heather: Are you going to harbor anger and become bitter? Are you going to act out in violence? So emotions are great, they’re wonderful. It’s the actions that breed from those emotions that they can make or break us.

I think one emotion, going back to just what I continue to see with so many at writer’s conferences, is oftentimes overall discouragement. Like, if I had to boil it down to what’s at the very bottom of so many of the things that people come to talk to me about, it would be just discouragement. Discouraged in their writing journey and discouraged about what to do next.

“Oh, God can’t use me in this because I have failed so many times.” Or, ” I’m never gonna be able to write that book because I’ve got a thousand other things I have to do. I’ve gotta make money to help my family.”

It’s just this constant discouragement that rears its ugly head, and we allow it to then create emotions in us that don’t drive us to seek God, but rather we turn inside and go, “Yeah, I guess this isn’t the right time. Maybe I’m not supposed to do this at all.” Things like that.

Karen: That’s the most dangerous detour you can take—turning inside with those emotions.

Erin: Rather than just turning inside, what we need to be doing is turning and saying, “Okay, God, how do you want to make this happen? What do you want to happen?”

Heather: Right.

Erin: Karen and I were talking before this podcast, and there was a situation where I wanted two different things. Like, I was the perfect character in conflict between two things that are both very important to me and I could not meet an obligation for both of them at the same time. It was not possible.

Karen’s like, “Yeah, see God already has this figured out. He’s gonna put you where he wants you and allow you to do what he wants you to do. And you know, you gotta give it up.”

Karen: it’s not like God is looking at that and saying, “Oh! I didn’t know those two things were gonna happen at the same time. Now what do I do?”

Erin: But that’s how writers can feel. They’re like, “I need to do this and this and this…” Then they feel like they can’t do it all, and it’s true.

Heather: They can’t do it all.

Erin: We can’t. But we can do what God wants us to do if he’s the one that we’re trusting to empower us to do it.

There’s a verse I love about how God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that we can have everything we need to have in order to do everything we need to do. We need to hang on to God’s sufficiency, to God’s grace, and that definitely is something that we struggle with.

I think, too, when you were talking about how the artistic nature of writers is, it really does make us swing more emotionally. One of the things that I think is nice to realize about that is to know that upfront. There’s a medication I have to take sometimes. I have various issue with fibromyalgia and insomnia, and there’s a medication I have to take sometimes and it depresses me. If I have to take it two days in a row, I am quite depressed and it’s awful. I say, “Why am I so depressed today?”

But the times when I back up and say, “You know what? This medication is the reason why I’m depressed, and it’ll be okay.”

Heather: Right.

Erin: I think as creatives we can just be like, “You know what? This is the reason why we’re swinging right now, but it’ll be okay. God made me this way. It’ll be okay.” There’s great comfort in just knowing it’ll be okay.

Heather: Absolutely. I think so many of us are created to react intensely and emotionally to things that happen to us so that we can then take that reaction and take those things that we’ve experienced so intensely and be able to empathize with the lost world.

If we aren’t able to empathize with a lost world, then what are we doing here? If we aren’t able to show care and compassion, and hurt for people, with people, then we’re missing the boat on the ministry that God has called us all to, and that’s to know him and make him known to the world. I think that that’s a huge part.

One thing that has helped me, I think, when I’m in those places of stagnation in writing or when I’m talking to somebody, especially students—I teach seniors and they’re making some crazy-big life decisions their senior year—God has helped me boil it down in my head to: “What is the next yes that God is asking of you?”

For a writer, it could be saying yes to writing this article. It could be to get out of bed.

Karen: Or it could be to get into bed. Get some sleep. Get some rest.

Heather: That, too.

It’s so important. In fact, I was literally telling a student this today. “What’s your next yes to Jesus? What is he asking you to do next? What is he asking you to do right now?”

Maybe it’s, you know, get off your phone and get in a book or whatever it is. Ten years from now, you’re going to look back and if you’ve been obedient to the 10 million yeses, you’re going to be exactly where God wants you, doing exactly what he wants you to do, with the people around you that are supposed to be there.

Erin: There’s a Bible verse, Luke 16:10, that says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.” That’s the way you do it. You say yes to the next yes that God wants. I absolutely love that

Karen: In these kinds of situations, I want to be sure to say, and I know I said this jokingly, but I want to be sure to say that sometimes that yes means you sit on the sideline for a while. It means you step out of trying and struggling and doing what you do. Sometimes it means you step back and step into God and take time just with him and you’re silent.

I just saw something the other day that said: The letters that spell listen also spell silent. Listen to God. Listen and take your struggles and everything to him. You don’t have to do to please God. He will tell you when to do.

I liken it to being in the military. We foot soldiers don’t decide what hills to take. Those above us who are doing the strategies and who are our commanders, they tell us which hill to attack and what to take and what the next strategic move is. If we are not in some kind of assault, some kind of moving forward, then we are resting and recovering and building our strength and our skills.

We’re in God’s army as we lead the attacks on the world and the attacks on the lies that have penetrated the world. We need to let God tell us whether we’re supposed to do or whether some days we’re supposed to just be in him.

Heather: That’s right. Those seasons of waiting, saying yes to those seasons of waiting, sometimes those seasons are years.

Karen: Yes.

Heather: They’re not days, they’re not weeks. They’re years. That’s when it can be really hard, and we go, “Are you sure God? Are you sure?”

I’ve been in that situation at different points in my life, where it has not been just, “I want you to take a break for a couple of months.” It’s, “I want you to take a break for a couple of years because you are not ready for what’s next.”

Karen: Exactly. God is spending that time refining us and preparing us. All runners run a race, but not everyone receives the prize. The one who continues, the one who stays the course, who follows God’s leading is the one who wins the prize.

Whatever God’s leading is, you’ve got to follow it. You’ve just got to.

Heather: Absolutely.

Karen: I think you all know, as you listen, that these struggles are more or less universal. Now, there may be some things that I struggle with that you don’t struggle with and vice versa, but the enemy is trying to sidetrack us all.

The enemy is doing his best to come into this amazing task that God has given us to write. And remember, God may have asked you to write for yourself. Maybe nobody else will read it, but that’s okay because you’re doing what God has asked you to do. Or maybe he’s called you to write because your book is going to take off and change the world.

Whatever God has chosen for you is perfect for you. Perfect for your impact on the world. I read another quote the other day that said, “You will never know the depth of your influence in this world.”

Well, the nice thing about being believers is we will know because God will tell us as he gives us that, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He will tell us the influence we’ve been for him.

I think that you, Heather, have been an incredible influence in your chaplaincy at writers’ conferences and in the things that you have done to help people dealing with these struggles. I’m grateful for the work that you’re doing for writers, and I’m grateful for the fact that we get to encounter each other and play together in this amazing task that God has given us and that God will use us for his good purposes in his perfect way.

Erin: Yes! Thanks, Heather, for being here.

Heather: Thank you so much, both of you, for what you do for writers in this podcast and just the honor and privilege it is to be here and hang out today. It’s been good for my soul.

Guest @HIseminger, a chaplain at writers’ conferences, is here to share her insights on writers’ struggles and how to find help and understanding in the midst of them. #amwriting #ChristianWriter
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The post 184 – Cures for Common Writers’ Struggles with Guest Heather Iseminger appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Guest Heather Iseminger, a chaplain at writers' conferences, offers insights on writers' struggles and how to find help, hope, and understanding in the midst of them.

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Got writer’s block? How often have you stared at the page and realized you have…nothing. No ideas, no words. Guest Tina Yeager has terrific guidance to help you blast that block to smithereens! For more info and the full show notes visit writefromthedeep.com.

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Guest Shadia Hrichi shares the infinite value of having a prayer team to stand with us through both celebrations and difficulties! Come learn how to build your own team! Find more information and the full show notes at writefromthedeep.com.

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Author Shadia Hrichi shares how to plug into the immeasurable power of a prayer team! Learn how to build your own powerful team of prayers for your writing ministry! Find more information and the full show notes at writefromthedeep.com.

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What are the most powerful questions God has for you? Join guest Eva Marie Everson as she shares the profound questions that will change your life and writing journey. For more info and the full show notes, visit writefromthedeep.com.

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We often talk about the questions we have for God, but do you realize God has questions for you? Guest Eva Marie Everson helps us explore those questions, which are designed to draw you into a deeper understanding of yourself and the God of the universe. Get more info and the full show notes at writefromthedeep.com.

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Focus is something we do on a number of levels. From the overall picture to the daily minutiae of life and our writing journeys, we are constantly deciding what to focus on. How do you know what is most important in your writing career and what is just a distraction or poor use of your …

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Do you struggle to focus on your writing? You’re not alone. But you can regain the focus you need in your writing and your life. Come learn how! But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! With the busyness our culture and our lives bring us each day, …

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Here’s the bad news: you cannot overcome your sin. Especially persistent sin. But there’s good news! Not easy news, mind you, but good: Being brutally honest with yourself and with God is the first step to spiritual freedom. Guest Christy Bass Adams shares how this key opened the door to a life and ministry far …

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Guest Christy Bass Adams shares how being brutally honest about herself with God opened the door to a life and ministry far beyond anything she ever imagined. Find the full show notes at writefromthedeep.com.

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Guest Christy Bass Adams shares how being brutally honest about herself with God opened the door to a life and ministry far beyond anything she ever imagined. Find the full show notes at writefromthedeep.com.

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We all do it. We convince ourselves that that sin—the one that no one knows about—isn’t hurting anyone. Isn’t a big deal. Doesn’t matter. But we also know that’s a lie. Because hidden sin isn’t hidden from God. Join guest Christy Bass Adams as she shares what happens when we stop hiding and give God …

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Ever wished someone could give you guaranteed advice for your writing journey? Well, someone has. The Apostle Paul shared these gems of wisdom that are as effective now as when God inspired him to write them. But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! The writing life can …

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With all the chaos happening around us, we need peace more than ever. And yet it can seem elusive and transient. Come listen in as we share guaranteed steps to help you get (and keep!) true daily peace—no matter what’s happening in the world…or your life. But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! …

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What if God took away your ability to write? Guest Sharon Hinck has walked through some deep valleys, and she knows firsthand how insecurities and the enemy’s lies hit hardest in the midst of our darkest times. But she also knows without a doubt that God is there, even through the mystery of unanswered questions, …

The post In the Valley of the Shadow of Death with Guest Sharon Hinck, Part 2 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Are you in a deep valley? Do you feel alone? Rejoice! God is there! Our guest Sharon Hinck can prove it from her valley experiences. Join us as she shares what she experienced, and the wonder of what God did in her life and writing. About Sharon Hinck Award-winning author Sharon Hinck writes “stories for …

The post 171 – In the Valley of the Shadow of Death with Guest Sharon Hinck, Part 1 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Are we hearing—and worshiping—God as he truly is, or only as we imagine him to be? Why does this matter? It’s so easy—and dangerous!—to let our own ideas of who God is take center stage over who he’s actually revealed himself to be in his Word. When we do that, we’ve made up our own …

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There’s one critical thing you must do before you can share the depths of God with readers: go to the depths yourself. Guest Shadia Hrichi shares how God took her deep into one of the worst memories of her life—and redeemed it. Now she can serve her readers with a depth of wisdom found only …

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There are few things that are both hard AND fun, but guest Shadia Hrichi says that perfectly describes writing. From unexpected beginnings to realizing God was asking her to dig deeper and share her own struggles and pain, Shadia tells how God has led and challenged her to plumb the depths of his nature so …

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It’s so easy for us, when we’ve known someone a long time, been around them every day, to take for granted that we know them inside and out. And yet, there are always things we don’t know. In fact, some of what we think we know are just assumptions. We’re inclined to do this not …

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Do you ever wonder if you’ve taken God for granted? One way to avoid that is to dig deep, to explore as much of who He is as you can. Join us as we do just that! For more resources and the full show notes, visit writefromthedeep.com.

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Chaos is a given in life today, especially if you’re a writer. Finding time to write in the midst of all that’s going on can seem impossible. Which can be depressing and frustrating. Which can steal our ability to enjoy the task God has given us to share His stories. Guest Tricia Goyer is here …

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If ever there was someone we should get to know intimately, it’s God. How can we write about him and his truth if we don’t have a deep understanding of who he—the source of all truth—is? Join us as we explore God’s attributes and gain a clearer picture of the One we follow, love, and …

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As writers, our goal is to encourage and challenge our readers, to point them to God and His truth. In fact, guest Cathy Gohlke takes that a step farther and encourages us to be “pen warriors and light bearers.” She shares how God showed her this was her job as a writer, and how you, …

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Guest Debbie Macomber is a firm believer in following your God-given dreams. Why? Because everyone told her, from an early age, the dream God gave her—to be a writer—couldn’t happen! But she kept going until the dream God gave her was a reality far beyond her imaginings! About Debbie Macomber Debbie Macomber is a #1 …

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God is SO big. So full of mystery and wonder and power. How can our human minds ever really know him? By taking one attribute at a time and savoring it, letting him reveal himself to us. Come join us as we explore more attributes of the character of Almighty God. Thanks to our sponsors …

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As writers, we hope and pray that our words will reach readers’ hearts and minds. That our work will influence them to go deeper with God. But there’s another way we can open ourselves for God to use us, and that’s to use our words in prayer. Guest Lenora Worth shares how God has blessed …

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We all rejoice when that amazing call comes telling us someone is offering a contract for our work. What a wonder! And it’s easy to think we’ve made it. That it’s all downhill from here. And yet, there are times when that wonder—and the contract—are canceled. Whether you know the why or not, that is a …

The post 160 – Guest Chase Replogle Helps Writers Move Forward After a Hard Hit appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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We’ve heard it before: “God is my everything.” It’s true, but do you really know what that means? He’s so much more than we can imagine. So come go deeper into just a few of the attributes of God and learn what those particular attributes mean to your writing career and your life. Thanks to …

The post 159 – Do You Really Know Who God Is? Part 1 appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Most of us procrastinate, but not all of us are procrastinators. Periodic procrastination is one thing, but constantly putting off things you need to do can have a negative impact on your writing, health, and relationships. If you let it. But there is hope for chronic procrastinators! But first, thank you to all our patrons …

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The new year is here! Which means a lot of us are thinking about what we want to do and be in 2022. But are you taking time for you? More important, for your soul? Guest Edie Melson is here to help you do exactly that! About Edie Melson Edie Melson is a woman of …

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The incarnation. The wonder of God, in human form, dwelling with us. These are more than just words. They are a profound reality filled with mystery and sacrifice and wonder. But do we really embrace this reality? Join us as we savor and explore this deep wonder—a miracle that has the power to refill our …

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So many writers find themselves torn between writing during the holidays and spending time with family and friends. If they take time off, they feel guilty or like they’re being “unprofessional.” But it’s not only okay to take time off, it’s beneficial! We’ve got great ideas from other writers to help you thrive during the …

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Most writers would love to be writing full time, but it isn’t financially feasible. Enter the day job, which, let’s face it, can sometimes feel more like a curse than a blessing. Author and pastor Tom Nelson is here to tell you why your day job matters far more than you know. In fact, your …

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Ever feel like your prayer life lacks power? Or like it’s more cursory than robust? How would our prayers—and our writing life—change if we understood how to hear God’s Spirit, and knew how to stand firm in our authority as God’s children? Guest Brandilyn Collins shares a powerful, game-changing model of transformational prayer. About Brandilyn …

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As believers, we know about prayer. But do we really? Do we use ALL the tools God has given us for prayer? Guest Brandilyn Collins takes us deeper into understanding how to pray with Christ’s power and authority. About Brandilyn Collins Best-selling novelist Brandilyn Collins is known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense. Her harrowing crime …

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We know that good habits can have a great influence on us, but negative habits have an influence too. Everyone knows how hard it is to break a bad habit, but there’s good news! Come discover effective ways to replace your bad habits…and their destructive influence. But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! …

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We all have habits. Some good, some not so good. But did you realize that your habits can save you from such things as decision fatigue and damaging behavior? Come listen in as we explore how to turn your habits into powerful allies in a world overflowing with tension and struggle. But first, thank you …

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Decisions. More and more of them are thrown at us today than ever before. And in so many cases, we just don’t have the knowledge or information we need to make wise choices. In fact, we have so many decisions and choices to make that we’ve become immobilized. Making decisions seems like the hardest thing …

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So often writers wonder how to find themes for their books, but our guest this week, Laurel Thomas, has good news! God has planted rich themes in your own journey and life! Come listen in as Laurel gives us guidelines and tips for not just finding those themes, but understanding what to do with them. …

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It’s a fact: control is an illusion! And nowhere is that more true than in publishing. Yes, we can control what we do and how hard we work. But the results? That’s all in God’s hands. Cara Putman—a talented writer, professor, and mentor—with a definite A+type personality—shares the wonder and joy found in giving up control and trusting …

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Being a writer is exciting and fun—and overflowing with the unexpected. There are things coming on your writing journey that no one told you about! But it’s okay. We’re here to share what some of those things are, and, more important, to help you develop tools to endure and be refined in the unexpected. But first, …

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Do things happen in your writing life that just don’t make sense? Do you sometimes wonder if you can take one more unexpected crisis or change? Are you tempted to wonder WHAT on earth is God thinking? Guest Robin Jones Gunn has faced those same kinds of things most of her writing career and shares …

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Guilt, real guilt, serves a purpose in our faith and lives. But, as he often does, Satan has taken something God intended for good and warped it. Enter false guilt. We’ll share how to identify it—and escape it—so that you and your writing shine God’s light in this weary world. But first, thank you to …

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No one likes feeling guilty. Knowing they’ve done something wrong or hurt someone by their actions, or by their spoken or written words. Even believers too often seem steeped in guilt, held back from doing what God has asked them to do, like write His truths to people. But the reality is that guilt is …

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It’s hard to let go of our expectations when we embark on this journey of writing God’s truth. Whether the path we’re on is to write fiction or nonfiction, we think we have an idea of how it will go. Then reality smacks us between the eyes. Guest Tim Shoemaker reveals how it all makes …

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Writing is never easy, but it can be especially challenging when you have a full-time job. It can seem so hard to find writing time on top of everything else! But we’ve got some great tips and strategies, shared by those facing the same challenges, to help you in this seemingly impossible task. But first, …

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So many writers deal with not just one health issue, but multiple issues. It can feel like our bodies are attacking us or even sabotaging our efforts to write. Guest Lindsay A. Franklin understands, and she’s here to share how God is bringing her through her own health struggles and enabling her to meet deadlines …

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So many times on our writing journey, and in our lives, we find ourselves waiting…and waiting…and waiting for answers we need. It can even feel as though God has forgotten us. Guest Lindsay Franklin shares her experiences with waiting for answers and what amazing insights God taught her as she waited. About Lindsay A. Franklin …

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Guest Paul Hastings brings his podcast listeners tales of people compelled to live for God, no matter the opposition. From facing assassins, to refusing to renounce faith in God to save a career-building opportunity, to everyday moments of standing strong for God, these stories inspire and challenge us to step up in our lives—and in …

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Does it feel like every word you write lately is a challenge? When guest Nadine Brandes wrote her award-winning Out of Time series, her writing flowed from her heart and passion. Then came a book that she wrote mostly from the head. She shares that difficult part of her writing journey and how God used …

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Listening to God is vital for our writing and our faith, but HOW do you listen to Him? Many of us wish we could do it better! We’ve asked some of the writers we know to share their thoughts and tips on ways to listen to God—REALLY listen. Come join in and learn! But first, …

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There are a number of things you have to do to be a writer, and a number of attributes you need to develop. Chief among them? Courage. Without it, your writing will never touch hearts. Let guest Thomas Umstattd Jr. help you develop this essential attribute in your life. About Thomas Umstattd Jr. Thomas Umstattd …

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How do you know if God is opening a door for you? How can you tell if going through, and even changing directions, is exactly what God wants for you? Guest Mary DeMuth shares keys to understanding new opportunities—even when we feel insecure—and to following God’s path boldly in this constantly changing world of writing. …

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We’ve all been there. You’re cruising along on your writing journey, powered by motivation and excited about the work, when WHAM! A detour comes out of nowhere and clobbers you. Everything screams to a halt, and you’re left reeling. But as bad as a detour can feel, we’re here to tell you that more often …

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Why is it so easy for writers who follow Christ to be derailed? Why do we, who are made in God’s image, forget that and find ourselves worn out, tempted to quit, or even angry and frustrated? Part of the answer is that we’re human and fallible. But the biggest reason is that we don’t …

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Burnout is a thief. It steals creativity, robs us of joy, and pilfers our ability to write what God has given us to write. So what’s a writer to do when burnout shows up on the horizon? Stop it dead! Come listen in as we discuss simple, effective steps for heading burnout off at the …

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Publishing is a tough career. Writers have to work so hard and learn so much to maintain a successful career. So what would you do if everything was going great and then wham! You’re asked to make a choice between truth and your career? Guest Tamera Alexander shares her experience. About Tamera Alexander Tamera Alexander …

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No writer plans to get burned out. Yet so many of us end up there. We wake up one day to find we’ve lost our passion. Our vision. Our hope. We’re weighed down and weary, drowning in a tsunami of life’s demands, not to mention the writerly tasks we can never catch up with. And …

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Guest Nick Harrison has done it all: librarian, bookstore owner, editor, writer, and agent. And through it all, he’s learned so much about what it takes to succeed, not just in publishing, but in being obedient to the God who asked him to write. Listen in as he shares keys to understanding God’s purposes in …

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Devastation: Wildfires. Rioting. Looting. Floods. One terrible thing after another seems to be happening nowadays. Some just unpleasant, but some have leveled people’s lives. They’ve lost everything but the clothes on their backs. How does anyone, writers included, move forward after losing everything? Come join us to find out. But first, thank you to all …

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God has put a task on your writer’s heart. He’s made it clear to you what He wants you to do. So hey, everything should be easy, right? Wrong! So what should you do when everything seems to go wrong? Come listen in as guest Christy Johnson shares some guidance. About Christy Johnson Christy Johnson …

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We know God loves us. We read about it in Scripture and even memorize Bible verses saying He loves us. We sing songs about His love for us, and we have all kinds of mugs and art and shirts proclaiming God’s love for us. So why aren’t our lives overflowing with peace and confidence? Join …

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If you’re a writer, you’re going to feel insecure. Just accept that. We all find ourselves needing some kind of validation. So what can we do about it? Should we seek validation? Or are we opening ourselves to some dangerous consequences? Here’s what you need to know about validation, encouragement, and the best way to …

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When Erin Taylor Young and her husband bought their new home in June of 2020, they had no idea what was waiting for them! The challenges. The renovations. The hard work. Writers are often in that same place when they go beyond the idea of writing into the real, messy work of writing and the …

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What legacy are you leaving for those behind you? As writers, it’s so important for us to know and preserve legacies not just in our own lives, but in Christian publishing. Our guest, Steve Laube, shares how the industry is about to lose a legacy, and what he is doing—and YOU can do—to help preserve …

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It seems the world has never been so troubled, so divided, so overflowing with anger and violence. And yet, it has. Our world, our nation, have seen all of this before. Humanity has lived through it and come out stronger and better. And here’s the thing. We can combine our skill with words and our …

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So much is happening in the world and in our lives today. So many opinions come at us, and voices about what we need to do, and in the midst of it all we get overwhelmed. Which is only made worse when we look around our living and working space, and all we see are …

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As our country continues to face the pandemic, one emotion is at an almost epidemic level: fear. We’re afraid to go anywhere, be with anyone, say the wrong things. But fear has no place in writing. Guest Leslie Leyland Fields shares how God has taught her to be fearless and to speak His truth. About …

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Multitudes of voices are speaking up all over the world, the Twitterverse, the Internet. Social media is echoing with opinions, conspiracy theories, fear, and anger. Even believers are getting caught up in the negativity. But as believers, we cannot afford to join the fray. Not unless we’re armed with the one virtue that will change …

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We all want our books to connect with our readers, to move them and even change their lives. So how can you be sure you’re writing in a way that will do all that? Guest Karen Stiller shares what God has taught her about this very thing in her writing journey—and in her life as …

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The coronavirus outbreak has brought unprecedented change and disruption into our lives. What we consider normal has been thrown out the window, replaced by uncertainty and fear. But we, as writers, as Christians, can not just adjust, but actually thrive in the face of all disruptions, big or small! But first, thank you to all …

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Too many things can stop us from writing. We hit barriers that seem too big, too tall, and too strong to ever get through. Guest Sharon Dunn has faced many of those same barriers, and is here to share how God can equip us to push through. About Sharon Dunn Sharon Dunn is a bestselling …

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We get so busy doing life that we miss the signs…the fatigue, the burnout, the sense that we’ve lost our focus. So what do we do about it when we realize it’s happening? Seek spiritual, professional, and personal renewal, And how, you may ask, do I do that? Well, that’s what we’re here to share …

The post 114 – Renewal: Why We Need It and How to Get It appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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There are all kinds of reasons to pay attention to history, both world history and our own family history. And guest Tamera Alexander helps us see some of the most important reasons of all. She shares how history can inform and enlighten us in our lives, our writing, and our faith. So listen in to …

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Guest Linda S. Clare has faced countless family crises, and begged God for deliverance. But that hasn’t happened. Instead, as she puts it, “In my life, God hardly ever delivers me out of a problem, but He carries me through it.” Come listen in as she shares all she’s learned about family, faith, and God’s …

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Too many of us want to hear from God, but don’t seem to do so. We’ve explored, in the previous podcast, Hearing God, Part 1, what some obstacles to hearing God are and how to overcome them. Now we’ll dig in to how you can recognize God when He speaks. What does He sound like? …

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Ever spent time praying and doing everything you know to do so that you can hear God speak to your heart? You listen and listen and…silence? Join us as we dig into the obstacles to hearing from God––and how to overcome them. But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this …

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It’s 2020! Now is the time to ask yourself what you want this year to look like? What do you want to accomplish––and why? Guest Laura McClellan, a productivity pro, joins us to talk about that. But here’s the beauty of what Laura does: she doesn’t focus on “getting things done,” but on being productive …

The post 109 – Make Your Life Matter with Guest Laura McClellan appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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We love our Christmas carols, don’t we? There’s just something about them that touches us, warms our hearts, and draws our focus back to God. So who are the writers who penned these songs? Listen in to these behind-the-scenes stories and see! But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this …

The post 108 – Who Wrote our Christmas Carols…and Why? appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Does it sometimes seem like the hits just keep coming? Like all your hopes and dreams are going by the wayside, and you’re left with disappointment and discouragement? Guest Elizabeth Ludwig shares how God has used her challenges to change and refine her––and prepare her to share stories that are hard and painful. Because those …

The post 107 – Sharing the Hardest Stories with Guest Elizabeth Ludwig appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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You don’t hear much about discernment these days, but there are few things more important to your writing journey. And, in today’s belligerent world, to your life. So what is discernment and how do you develop it? Come listen in to find out. But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make …

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If there’s anything most writers share, it’s fear. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of what people think. Fear of not being good enough. And on and on it goes, until we end up almost paralyzed. Our guest, Lynn H. Blackburn, has wrestled with fear as well––and she’s here to share what God has …

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Being depressed at times is normal. It’s part of the human condition. But it doesn’t have to derail you. When depression gets you down, let these powerful words of truth help you reset your focus and restore your peace. But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! …

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The days when writers could do nothing but write are long gone. No one knows that better than our guest, Misty M. Beller. She’s a wife, a mom of four (one of whom is only 3 months old!), a writer, a marketer, and a publisher. And, with her release, This Healing Journey, she’s a USA …

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Odds are good you knew what direction would be best for you as a writer. You may even have a whole plan laid out for your career, and are working it with determination. But what happens when God takes you on an unexpected detour? Guest Beth White is here to tell us why that’s a …

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Did you realize there are seasons to a writer’s life? From the beginnings of spring to the seeming death of winter we all experience these seasons as we seek to honor God in our writing. Unlike nature’s seasons, though, each season of the writing life can last a short time, or a long time. And …

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The Write from the Deep Podcast wants to thank you! We’ve reached a milestone, and you’re a big part of that. It’s our 100th podcast! To celebrate, we’ve asked proven authors from across the states to share with our listeners their very best advice for the writing life. But first, a reminder that our newest …

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Does what you say to people matter? Even some off-handed, albeit snarky, comment to a total stranger? Don’t some people deserve our disdain or even condemnation? Really, who cares if you use your skill with words to put someone in his or her place? The answer just may surprise you. But first, some exciting news! …

The post 099 – Spiritual Footholds: When Words Lead Us Into Sin appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Writer—and president of Oregon Christian Writers—Marilyn Rhoads shares what makes the OCW conference such a joyous event. And how God uses writers’ groups and conferences to build lifelong friendships and support systems for writers. Come listen in and share the fun! About Marilyn Rhoads Marilyn Rhoads serves as president and Cascade Writing Contest Co-Chair for …

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We all want to write them: words of life. Yet all too often we get so caught up in the constant busyness of life that we reach the end of the day exhausted and even discouraged. But there’s a cure for that: God’s Words of life! This podcast is your chance to stop and listen. …

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Believers talk about faith all the time, but what is it REALLY? What does it look like in the writing life? And why is it crucial for a writer’s heart? You may be surprised at the answers! When we start our work calls, we like to read from Streams in the Desert, and then pray. …

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We’ve all heard about agents, and how they guide us in our careers and fight for us with publishers. But did you realize that many agents cover everything they do in prayer? From reading proposals to deciding on clients to determining which publishers are a good fit to every aspect of their clients’ lives. …

The post 095 – The Spiritual Side of Agenting with Guest Cynthia Ruchti appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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When God has given us a task, like writing, it’s imperative we keep our focus on Him and His purposes. Because the second we don’t, we may very well be creating a foothold for the enemy of our souls to gain access to our hearts and spirits. Come discover how to protect yourself from the …

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Guest Kay Marshall Strom is well acquainted with the Deep. The author of over 40 books, she’s also travelled the world—but where she goes is where God leads. And where God has led her is to the poorest and most oppressed places. Places where she’s had to face her own weakness, where she’s been held …

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Writers’ conferences are a wonder! You meet so many people, from fellow writers to editors to agents, and they all have great tips and guidance to share with you. But how can you sort through everything after you get home? Come learn practical steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed, to battle discouragement, and to put what …

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Guest Liz Curtis Higgs has received some tough answers from God—but she says those answers are the best thing to ever happen to her! Come listen as she shares the amazing ways God blesses us in the midst of hard answers we never wanted. About Liz Curtis Higgs Liz Curtis Higgs is an award-winning speaker …

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Prayer is an integral part of our relationship with God. It’s where we’re focused on Him, seeking His wisdom and, often, His interventions. The Bible tells us that God will answer, but what it doesn’t say is that we’ll like God’s answer. So what do you do when you get an answer from God that …

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Being a writer can be an amazing adventure if you go into it with the right heart and mindset. Best-selling, award-winning author and conference co-director DiAnn Mills shares about her amazing adventures—including encountering crocodiles, and no, that’s not a metaphor!—on her writing journey. And she reminds us our Guide is faithful and true, no matter …

The post 089 – Share the Writing Adventure with Guest DiAnn Mills appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Most of us have experienced using a GPS device. It’s great when it works right. But when it doesn’t, look out! You can end up lost for hours. Or in some very bad places. The news has covered stories where hikers were so focused on their GPS that they actually walked off a cliff! You …

The post 088 – The Right GPS for Your Writing Journey appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Ever felt as if God was giving you a task that’s waaay too big for you? Well, conference director Kathy Ide shares how she came to direct not just one writers’ conference, but two! And the lessons God taught her along the way will help you, too! First, some special news! We’re so thankful for …

The post 087 – Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference with Guest Kathy Ide appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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There are wonderful lessons to be learned about God, about ourselves and our writing journey, from the world around us. Nature is a powerful teacher about God. And so are alpacas! Come discover what wisdom these wooly, wonderful creatures have for you to help you keep your writing career on track in the new year! …

The post 086 – Lessons for Your Writing Journey – from Alpacas! appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Writers, what if your journey in the deep isn’t about you, but about your readers? What if it’s to teach you how to know and respond to their needs? Come join the conversation for insights and wisdom on serving your most important partner in the writing journey: your readers. When we’re teaching writers about the …

The post 085 – Serving Your Reader appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Almost everyone loves to hear and sing Christmas carols and songs. They stir up such wonderful images and memories. But did you know that many were written in the deep? But God was working—often in miraculous ways—to use them for His glory! We used one of Karen’s treasured books, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas …

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When pastor Chase Replogle became a writer, he had no idea how hard it would be! Before long, he started the podcast Pastor Writer to interview pastors, authors, and writing experts––such as Eugene Petersen, Os Guinness, and Janet Grant––all to gain a better understanding of the writing journey. And now he’s sharing that wisdom and …

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It’s so hard to cope when those we love are in crisis. When their lives are in danger? It seems impossible. But guest Robin Patchen has faced such deep times, and come out of them with something she never expected: gratitude. Listen in as she shares how the deepest times of her life brought her …

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You’ve gone to writing conferences, honed your craft, written a manuscript or two, or three, or more, maybe even gotten them published. Maybe even hit a bestsellers list, more than once. Maybe become a perpetual bestseller. And yet…you feel like somehow, someday, someone is going to discover the terrible truth. You’re a fraud. You don’t …

The post 081 – Imposter Syndrome: How to Shut it out of Your Life appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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We’ve all felt at times like the struggles just won’t end. Best-selling author Kimberley Woodhouse knows how you feel! She and her family have been through one attack after another after another. But in every situation, God proved Himself faithful and sufficient. You can keep your trust—and joy!—when it seems the enemy won’t let up. …

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The world is in turmoil. So many people saying and doing so many things that are harmful, mean-spirited, or just plain deceitful. Even believers have given in and taken on the world’s moral drift. So what will help us rise above all that? One word: Integrity. If you’re paying any attention to current events right …

The post 079 – Integrity: Your Life Preserver in Turbulent Waters appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Thanks to our sponsors on Patreon, we’re now able to offer transcripts of our interviews! If you want to become a patron, too, click here to check it out! Brandilyn Collins learned long ago about the real power of prayer. She’s seen it change—and save—lives. And she’s experienced this power for herself, over and over. …

The post 078 – Prayer: Your Most Powerful Weapon with Guest Brandilyn Collins appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Today we want to talk about how we use words. In particular, a phrase that needs to die. Because it has implications that lead us away from God’s truth. We’re writers, so let’s make very sure our words are filled with truth. Here’s something I’ve heard many times that can skew our perspective on God. …

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Does it feel as though your journey to publication is taking too long? Guest Martha Rogers understands that feeling. Her lifelong dream of being a published writer came true—on her 73rd birthday! Come listen as she shares what God taught her about patience, trusting His timing, where to put her focus, and why His timing …

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Every writer has a reason for what they write, a message they want to share through their stories and books. When we sit down to write, we have a solid idea of why we’re writing. But the amazing thing is that’s just the beginning! When you’re writing with God, He infuses your words with His …

The post 075 – The Unexpected Power of Words appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Has the deep turned your life upside down? Beloved author Deborah Raney knows exactly how you feel, and shares what she learned about trusting God when it seems your life will never be the same. Come listen in for her words of encouragement and wisdom! Thanks to our wonderful patrons on Patreon, we can now …

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Erin Taylor Young’s journey into writing, and the deep, has been far different than she thought it would be. And yet it’s been exactly what she needed. The long way to becoming a writer… When Erin became a Christian in college, she knew God was giving her a task of “saying something.” “God burdened me, …

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Lessons from 35 Years in Publishing Ever wonder what it’s like to be an editor for best-selling authors like Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Robin Jones Gunn, and more? Ever wanted to get a behind-the-scenes peek at what it means to be an agent or writer or podcaster? Karen Ball dishes on over 35 years in …

The post 072 – Karen Ball Tells All! (Well…Almost.) appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Perfectionism is one of those things that seems like a good thing, but in reality it’s far from good. In fact, perfectionism destroys those who strive to achieve it. None of us is remotely capable of being perfect. And when we try to be so, it too often stems from pride and/or fear. Come learn …

The post 071 – The Lie of Perfectionism appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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Haters. They’re out there, lurking. Waiting to attack. All it takes is for you to write something that they dislike, and they strike with vicious words designed to tear you, your work, your reputation—even God—apart. Guest Thomas Umstattd Jr. knows haters all too well. Hard not to when tens of thousands of them come after …

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We talked a few episodes back about the slippery slope and how to avoid it, but what happens if you didn’t avoid it? If you’re smack dab in the middle of consequences? Bad decisions, our own or others’, have consequences that aren’t just for the future, but that hit us hard in the here and …

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It’s easy to look at best-selling authors and think their lives must be golden, that they have it all and are just enjoying the fruits of their labors. But guest Terri Blackstock is here to tell us that life is often just as much of a struggle, or even more so, even when you’re hitting …

The post 068 – When You Trust God No Matter What with Guest Terri Blackstock appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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There are so many ways the enemy seeks to undermine God’s work in us, and our ability to rely on and trust in God’s desire to use us. One of the most subtle—and effective—tools Satan uses against us is compromise. He whispers into our heart and spirit that “giving in” on little things isn’t so …

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If there’s one thing we know for certain about the publishing industry—it’s constantly changing. Just when you think you have a contract, the publishing company closes. Just when you think you have a writing schedule, you break your arm. Just when you’ve built your huge audience on Facebook, they change the rules and no one …

The post 066 – Preparing for the Unexpected appeared first on Write from the Deep.

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We’ve talked about doubt on a couple of past episodes, but we’ve saved one of the worst kinds of doubt: self-doubt—for its own episode. Self-doubt is a sin. Not sure you buy that? Well, stay with us… Self-doubt can stem from different sources 1. Low Self-Esteem or an Underestimation of Your Abilities You don’t …

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Waiting can be SO hard, especially if all you do is…well, wait. But you don’t have to let waiting wear you down. Guest Cara Grandle shares great ways to use your waiting time well. Cara Grandle is a historical romance novelist who writes about the early settlers of the Pacific Northwest. Think trappers and loggers …

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Too many people, even those who follow Christ, spend their lives without a true sense of joy. Life seems to overflow with struggle and challenges, with negative events and interactions that overwhelm and depress. But friends, you can not only have a sense of joy, you can be filled with it to the point of …

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Writers, do you struggle with doubt? Let us show you how to stop doubt in its tracks so it never derails you again! We did a podcast several weeks ago called “Did God Really Ask You to Write?” That was episode #58, and I encourage you to go back a listen to it. We focused …

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Writing that matters isn’t about what you study. It’s not about your craft or your skill. It’s not about theme or characters or organization or any of that. Powerful writing is about what lies deep inside of you. One of the Bible passages we often mention when we talk about writing from the deep comes …

The post 061 – Do You Want Your Writing to Matter? appeared first on Write from the Deep.