A Labour of Love by Bob Jones

The July writing prompt was to share about the first book I wrote and published.

My experience is summed up in four words – A Labour Of Love.

A Lifetime 

Rare is the gift of undeserved presence. As a pastor of thousands of people, there are those who entered my life for a moment, and some for a season, all for a reason, but few for a lifetime. Kristen Miller Fersovitch was for a lifetime.

Thirty-six years ago, our family arrived in Edmonton in August fresh from Montreal, the newest additions to a pastoral staff in a historic church. A portion of my role was to provide Christian education opportunities, especially for children. One of those children was eight years old, a peer to our eldest son, and part of our Sunday School. We had no idea then the incredible influence she would become.

Kristen was born into a musical family with parents who travelled North America, so it was quite natural for her to take centre stage in kids choir presentations, church worship teams, and as a featured soloist in musical performances. She was precocious, strong-willed, a competitive athlete, believer, and fiercely loyal to her younger sister and friends. She was a bit of a handful during her teenage and young adult years, but settled quickly after marrying the love of her life, a fireman and giving birth to three wonderful sons.

Cancer 

You can only imagine the devastation of a diagnosis of cancer, all that this horrible affliction brings, and then a second diagnosis of terminal cancer at the age of 28. She had just delivered their third son, and her eldest son was only five. Prayer, fasting, medical intervention, juicing, trips south of the border for special treatment, and more prayer from around the world, could not keep death at bay from her bedside.

She won the hearts of Edmontonians with her tenacious battle during radiation treatments, losing her hair but never her smile, singing at Christmas on the largest stage in the city in front of thousands with a scarf covering the effects of the radiation. She was candid and bold in publicly sharing her faith, along with producing a CD of songs she wrote about God in her journey. Her voice is still one of my favourites and I can't hear it without tearing up. And I was only her pastor, invited into private, precious moments of family time during her courageous struggle. I never felt I did enough.

When she passed away on Thanksgiving weekend, 2013, her celebration of life was held in the largest church in the city, covered by major news networks, and eulogized by the most popular news anchor in Edmonton, one of many who had become her friend.

During the years of her cancer journey, the most asked questions were, “How does Kristen do it? How does she stay so joyful, optimistic, and hopeful amid such a painful struggle?”

In 2015, the first book I published was in answer to those questions. 

Ornament 

The book was a specially crafted, gift-sized, hard cover, with interior artistry provided by a friend of the family, featuring colour pictures of her life, family, and ministry. The title, Ornament, was the inspiration of another of her friends, because like an Christmas tree ornament, Kristen was “on display for all to see”. Her family gave me permission to include her writing, and her husband wrote the final chapter. Each chapter concludes with a reflection and simple direction about developing a personal faith in Jesus just like Kristen’s.

Kristen was real, far from perfect, but a testament to trusting God even with the struggles of leaving her young family. Carrie Doll of CTV summed up the feelings of so many in her tribute in the book: “She was beautiful and real and funny. She challenged us to live the best life we can—in the face of tragedy, in the face of despair. Not by telling us to, but by leading by example.”

Ornament caught on and became a Canadian bestseller and was awarded the most inspiring story of 2015 by the Word Guild. Readers loved her story and sent messages of the moving and transformative effect of the book.

All the proceeds from the sale of Ornament: The Faith, Hope and Joy of Kristen Fersovitch, went towards building a trust fund for the post-secondary education of her sons.

Kristen often said during the toughest times, “Even if He doesn’t heal me and I die, I will trust Him.” 

She would want you to know that and to live by that faith, hope, and joy.

Thank you for reading. I would love to connect in the comment section. God bless. 

On the Making of Books by Lorrie Orr

 

Welcome to July's new prompt: Tell us about your first book. Was it a childhood project like Madeleine L’Engle’s? Was it a book you published, and if so, what success did it bring you? On the other hand, maybe your first book is in folders in your computer. Or sitting in a closet under a pile of other items. Or in a landfill. Perhaps your first book is still a dream. Or maybe you haven’t dared to dream—yet.

Whatever your story, tell us about it. (Prompt taken from July 2018 InScribe blog)

My first book is a co-writing project, still unfinished. It will never be published in full, and is read unconsciously by those I interact with as I move through my days. This book is my heart and my life, literally, for as Solomon urged his son to write his father's teachings on the "tablet of your heart," so I am collecting wisdom and words from my heavenly father. I gather them when I read and listen and observe, and store them deep within my mind and soul. Some of this wisdom emerges in other forms of writing more visible to the human eye, but everything I produce springs from the experiences of the life God has given me. He is my co-author, encouraging and inspiring me with his faithful presence in my life.

I have written many other books, physical ones, including a small book of children's Christmas crafts, photocopied and stapled for a women's event many years ago, a children's story illustrated by my 3- or 4-year-old daughter, numerous journals, and several commonplace books. On my computer sit 50,000 words of an unfinished mystery novel, a small collection of poems, a Christmas devotional book, and numerous story starts. I can't not write.

For many years, including lack of knowledge and confidence, I didn't move forward with publishing my writing beyond a few articles and short stories. Any queries to publishers were ignored or rejected, not an uncommon experience for many authors. I began to wonder why I should even bother. I didn't have a blockbuster novel or an important name or a large social media following that would impress any publisher.

In a casual e-mail exchange with Brenda Leyland, our lovely blog co-moderator, she mentioned Siretona Creative, a publishing company founded by another InScribe member, Colleen McCubbin. Well. I was introduced to the ins and outs of various ways to publish a book. Colleen shared her great knowledge of the industry and also gave me the confidence to move forward. To make a long story short, my first fully published book was released just over a month ago.

Life is Short but Wide was built on the many letters I wrote to my husband's parents during our 21 years in Ecuador - wonderful source documents! Mum had saved each one and stored them in boxes for me. It was my eldest daughter who said, "Mom, you should write a book with these" that gave me the impetus to begin writing a memoir about those formative and eventful years. I am so glad that I persevered and now have my words able to reach many people. I hope readers are encouraged as they read the stories of someone who experienced different events in a unique setting, but who felt the same emotions, learned much about God's love and faithfulness, and who found beauty in the life given to her.

Now I feel like a floodgate of possibility has opened with the publication of this book. Ideas swirl continually in my brain. What to write next? I nod in agreement when I read Solomon's words "Of making many books there is no end."

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island.

Her first book, Life is Short but Wide, a memoir of 21 years

in Ecuador, was recently published.

More of her writing can be found at

Substack

her slice of life blog

The Beauty of Jesus by Colleen van Nieuwkerk

I attended Pioneer Girls from Grade Two to Grade Nine and then became a leader for the next thirteen years.

The aim of this club program was “to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in every phase of my life, based on Colossians 1:9-10, New Living Translation, NLT, “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

Songfest was a big part of our club evening, and we often sang the song, “The Beauty of Jesus.” When I consider how the concept of beauty has influenced my life, I know that some of its roots began in that clubroom as we vocalized these words:

“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His wonderful passion and purity;

O Thou Spirit divine may I truly be Thine

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”

@Albert W. T. Thomas, Author,

Public Domain, hymnary.org

As I consider what the creation of beauty in my writing means, I ask myself:

Do my words give honor and glory to Jesus as the Lord of my life?

Do my words for Jesus allow me to feel His pleasure as I focus on my people and the impact they may feel as they read them?

Do my words stir up word pictures of the beauty of creation, of my life of faith and family, or how I choose to portray beauty even in hard and difficult times?

I try to remember to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and to give me God’s words as I begin to write. Sometimes I realize I forgot and stop right where I am to say I am sorry and then to ask to be

filled.

I believe the Spirit does fill me because I am His child. However, I had an experience recently where it seemed even though my hands were on the computer keys typing, the words were flowing out on their own. It was an amazing sensation, and is the only time this has happened.

That particular article was published in a magazine, and I have had people respond to me, giving thanks for my words as they embraced my meaning. I felt God’s pleasure at that point.

I am thankful God has taught me to appreciate the beauty all around me, the beauty in the words of other writers, and the practice of deepening my own way of walking in beauty as I share my words with you and with my people.

Colleen van Nieuwkerk is GG to three sons plus 3; twelve grandchildren; and two great-grandsons. She loves to read and enjoys reading to the littles in the family as well as gifting books to them. Colleen writes curriculum for women as well as teaches and is currently writing the story in book form of how this all came about. She lives in northern Alberta and can be found online @colleenvannieuwkerk.com

Karen's Story by Sandra Rafuse

This is Karen's story. She shared it with me one day while recalling a very difficult time in her life, telling me one of the beautiful things God did for her and her two boys at a time of great sadness and difficulty. Something beautiful they would never forget.

 

🙶After my husband left me, I would go on a three mile walk everyday. During the first mile, I would memorize scripture.  During the second mile, I would pray.  During the third mile, I would sing. The walk went in a circle so I always ended up back at the place I had started. The pattern was the same every day. It never changed.

As the days and weeks went by, I began to realize I was seeing a "God thing" every day. It would be something special, or unusual, or unexpected. One day, as  I was crossing the road, I looked up and saw, facing me, a large, dark bird sitting on the branch of a tree. It stood up and opened its wings. . .they were huge. . .at least six feet wide! I was so stuck by their size!  When it lowered its wings and sat down, I continued on my way, keeping the picture of what I had just seen in my mind. Another time, a squirrel scampered into the ditch up ahead. It stopped, stood up tall, and watched me until I was quite near it. Then it crouched down and rushed away into the grass. 'That was unusual,' I thought. 'Having him wait like that until I got so close.'  And one time a swarm of bees went buzzing past me at high speed, racing to their new home, wanting to get there as quickly as possible. I had never seen so many bees flying that closely past me. Their noise and proximity were startling. 

I would share my experiences with my two sons, aged 10 and 13, and one day they eagerly asked if they could walk with me and experience their own "God thing". 'Sure,' I said. We started out on our walk and I prayed in my heart, Lord, don't let me down now. Please send them a sign that you are with us.

It was a pleasant day. The sun was shining down on us and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We were out on a country road and the boys were excited, expecting to see something special but not sure what that would be. We chatted as we walked and one or the other would ask occasionally, 'Do you see anything, Mom? Have we passed anything we should have noticed?'  

"No, not yet. It's coming. It's coming.' We were in the middle of the second mile. 

'Is it going to happen?' They lifted up their questioning faces to look at me.

'Soon. Soon,' I responded. Oh Lord. I'm counting on you. You have given me so many signs of your presence in the past weeks. Please send something for my boys.

We were approaching the last stretch of the third mile. I could see that the boys were becoming skeptical. Their faces had lost that look of expectancy they had started out with and their walk was not as bouncy as it had been at the beginning.

'In just a minute. In just a minute,' I encouraged them. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a kaleidoscope of Monarch butterflies appeared and landed on some nearby trees and on us! They settled on the boys' and my shoulders, fluttering their wings delicately for a minute or two before they lifted up and flew away. The three of us stood there, speechless, looking at each other. No more looks of skepticism on my boys' faces. No more feelings of doubt. Just total unadulterated joy in each of us.  I felt so tremendously blessed that God had answered my prayers in such a unique and beautiful way. My boys were going to remember this "God thing" from him forever.❞

Three years after hearing Kathy's story, I was sitting in the staffroom of a school I was subbing in that afternoon. One of the teachers looked at me and asked, "Did you hear about the Monarch butterflies that are congregating in the bush near the front entrance?" I told her I hadn't but that I would check it out at home time. At 3:30 I walked out the door that was near the bush and I stopped and stood and looked. I could see dozens and dozens of butterflies fluttering in and about the branches of the bush. From top to bottom and all around. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was reminded of Karen's story, of how beautiful it was, of how thoughtful and loving and kind God is when he answers our prayers. He is truly "the God who hears". My heart was full. I felt I had been given my very own "'God thing" that day.

El Shama is a Hebrew phrase meaning "the God who hears" or " the God who listens".

Sandra Rafuse lives in the small town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan, with her husband, Bob, a Gordon setter named Sadie, and a Peregrine falcon named Peet. She is a mother to two wonderful sons, a retired teacher, and an amateur writer.  Currently she is thoroughly enjoying having the opportunity to share what God has been teaching her through her life experiences .

Image by Erika-Lowe from Unsplash