God Never Said, "Ok ya'll, I have enough people!" - by Mary Folkerts

 

Sometimes it feels like the world is already so saturated with words that adding mine to the mix is like throwing a bucket of water into the ocean. Who will even see what I write? How can my writing make a difference?

A few years back, I had the opportunity to go to a She Speaks conference for writers and speakers. The whole weekend was full of encouragement and inspiration, but the following are a few pieces of valuable advice that really resonated with me.

1. We all have a place at the table with our different gifts and talents. No two writers are the same, for we all come with unique personalities and stories, which God wants to use for His glory. As one of the presenters expressed, God has never said, “Ok y’all, I have enough people!”

2. Have a right heart before God. Ants can take down big trees! I must not let the little ants inside my soul destroy what God is growing inside of me. I must be humble, remembering that this is God’s doing, not mine.

3. Growing slowly is good. Jennifer Dukes Lee used the illustration of a cornfield. One does not reap the field the same week you plant it!

4. A lamp cannot burn without oil. I can have all the right tools, but if I don’t depend on God’s Spirit to work through my words, they don’t carry His power, no matter how fancy they are.

5. “Walk with a limp and show Jesus as the healer!” Hosanna Wong

Our job is to faithfully use our words to point others to God, even if our audience is only one soul in need of encouragement.

He redeems my brokenness,
redefining my story
as His story,
using my weaknesses
to speak to the one
who feels her weakness
too heavy to bear.
He puts wings to my words,
flying them to
the one
who needs to feel seen.

There’s no need for measuring sticks,
comparing,
competing,
shuffling for position.
There is always more room,
room for every story,
every heart
to reflect His glory.

It’s when my pride rides in
on a high horse
saying it is I
who has done this thing,
that I am felled like a mighty
oak on a windy day.

Oh Father may I be
on my face before you,
humility and awe
the position of my
daily choosing.

 

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a member of Proverbs 31 Ministries' COMPEL Writers Training, involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/

What would Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren say? by Sharon Heagy

In our everyday encounters with our fellow humans, we may be bombarded by recommendations and opinions offered by family, friends and neighbours, both solicited and unsolicited. Some of this advice is good and solid, based on experience and knowledge. Wise words build up and encourage, even when they may be tough to hear. Other advice can be hurtful and demeaning and leave us drowning in a discouraging puddle of tears. 

In 1943 columnist and nurse, Ruth Crowley, started writing an advice column for the Chicago Sun-Times under the pseudonym Ann Landers titled, "Ask Ann Landers." She wrote from 1943-47 and from 1952-55 when the column was taken over by Esther "Eppie" Pauline Lederer who composed the column until 2002. 

Not to be outdone, Esther's twin sister, Pauline "Popo" Esther Phillips began writing a rival advice column for the San Francisco Chronicle titled, "Dear Abby" using the pseudonym Abigail Van Buren whose name she derived from the name Abigail from the book of 1Samuel and Van Buren a former U.S. president. She wrote this column until 1987 when her daughter, Jeanne Philips, took over. She continues to pen the feature to this day. 

When "Popo" took up her pen it caused quite a competition and a lengthy estrangement between the sisters. Both women used a "straightforward, tone, practical advice and a firm but modern moral sensibility" as well as "humour, including sarcasm and one-liners, in their responses" according to the Jewish Women's Archive. But from what I remember reading the columns in the daily paper as a kid, their advice wasn't always wise or helpful and sometimes held a mean streak. But what do I know? I was only a kid and was not wise to the ways of the world or the adults in it. It's not like I spent a lot of time reading advice columns. My leanings led more towards the funny pages. Oh boy, that's an antiquated phrase. Perhaps I should say comics. Yet even the word newspaper is almost antique. 

Writing this post posed a challenge as I have received numerous good tips and some great advice from a plethora of sources on the internet, in books and in person. How do you choose the absolute best? Each one suited a particular time in my writing journey. Perhaps what has tickled and inspired my author's brain would be a yawner to you. On the other hand I have gleaned some great stuff this month from the posts of others. See, that's the thing, we all need to seek out great advice.

How do we do that? There are a few places I have found terrific motivation and would urge you to give some a whirl.

1. Attend conferences and workshops and WorDshops. Take a class. Attend events wanting to nourish and excite the writer within!  Be teachable and find out what sparks a fire in your belly. Take LOTS of notes.

2. Read books about writing. Anne Lamott, Annie Dillard, Natalie Goldberg, Stephen King, Julia Cameron & Brenda Ueland have all written inspiring books on writing. Grab one and get food by gnawing on their knowledge of the craft.

3. Don't dismiss anything, even if it seems dry and uninteresting. Dig deeper because there may be a nugget from the Lord that is worth the mining.

4. Read Scripture and let the Lord speak to your heart.  Some of my favourites regarding those called by God to write are:

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,"

1Samuel 15:22 "But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

Psalm 102:18 "Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord."

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."

And finally, take all those suggestions, throw them in the tub and bathe them with prayer.

Write on, my friends, write on and may God's hand be upon your words.

Sharon Heagy writes from the wonderful town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan where she lives with her husband, a big dog and furry cats. She writes to bring hope and humour to a world that needs both. She can be reached at sharonheagy@gmail.com 

Thanks for taking the time to visit today. God bless.

The Best Writing Advice by Dana-Lyn Phillips

 

What is the best writing advice you have ever received, and why?

I am extremely new to the craft of writing. In fact, it has not even been a year since this new world opened up to me, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that…it’s a lot! It used to be that writers would write for a newspaper, magazine or a book and that was their sole focus. Seems to me it was simpler back then.

Now, with websites, social media outlets, and endless talk of ‘building your platform’, the world of writing seems as though it’s become quite complicated. If that weren’t enough, according to so-called “experts” you now need to add audio to your work, live stream Q&A periods, reply to every comment, and post notes five times a day in order to even hope to be successful.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many writers out there who are managing all these different avenues – and doing it well, but that’s not me.

I have received a lot of great writing advice throughout the past year but the message that stands out the most is from an article written on Substack by Grant Herbel. On August 26, 2025, Grant posted an article titled “How to Know if You’re Actually Called to Write: The Relief of Shifting from Seeking Tasks to Receiving Identity”. In Grant’s article there are three sentences that spoke loudly to me.

1. “You’re not a writer who happens to be a Christian. You’re a Christian who may happen to write as one expression of your identity in Christ.”

2. “The goal isn’t to become an influential writer or build a successful platform. The goal is to lift up Christ, who will draw all people to Himself.” (John 12:32)

3. “When success becomes faithfulness rather than follower counts, the metrics anxiety dissolves. You’re free to write from rest rather than striving.”

All three of these quotes describe who I want to be as a writer. I don’t want to be driven by numbers. I don’t want strangers telling me what hoops I need to jump through to be successful in this industry. I’m here only because God orchestrated a big change in my life and He led me here – to the world of writing. If I’m being completely honest, I still question why I am here, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what He wants me to do right now. So I show up and I seek His guidance as I move forward.

Knowing who I want to be as a writer, and knowing who my co-pilot is in this endeavour, doesn’t rid me of confusion from the things I read and hear. It’s still really difficult to wade through the contradictory advice that comes daily, from every direction.

Somedays I still question if I am making the right choices in my writing, or if I am doing all of the things that I should be doing to move forward, but then I remember who is in control and I trust His leading in my career and in my life.

God led me to writing, God gave me the articles I have written, God helped me to create a space on Substack. And God knows why I am here, at this moment in time, and what His future plans are for me. I want to stop focusing on numbers, as a measure of success, and instead focus on lifting up Christ, who will draw all people to Himself. If I can do that, then I can trust God will do what He wants with the numbers.

 

Dana-Lyn is a wife, and mother to teenage boys as well as a 14-year-old cava-poo named Hockley. She is passionate about encouraging Christian women in their faith and is stepping into her mid-life "calling" as a writer. Her happy place consists of a comfy chair, a great book, a hot cup of coffee and a chocolate…or three! You can read more of her work at https://plansfargreater.substack.com

Do What You Can by Susan Barclay

 

I was hoping to refer back to a previously written post on the best writing advice I’d ever received. Unfortunately, if I wrote one, I wasn’t able to find it. Fortunately, I can still answer the question for this month’s prompt!

First, I agree with much of what’s already been shared by others here over the last two weeks, including (but not limited to) Alan’s, “keep writing,” and much from Brenda’s multi-point post. Carol’s “Do I really need those words?” reminds me of Stephen King’s admonition to “kill your darlings.” And I absolutely love Peggianne’s advice to “pray first.” So essential, though sadly I admit to often forgetting.

The best advice I received recently was in a response to my June 2024 contribution, R is for Retirement, where Alan shared, “I write regularly, but in a way that suits me. I know some of our dear writing friends write for so various hours per day, or every other day. I don't follow this pattern. I write according to my writing energy level on a particular day. There are days I can write for four to six hours, whereas some days only two or three. I am my timekeeper. If I have a deadline, say for our InScribe blog or something else, I make sure I meet the deadline with time to spare. The thing is, I do what I can and what I love in my writing.”

This model meets my needs in this current season as I am still providing 24/7 care to my elderly mom, whose birthday is today. I would tell you how old she is, but then she would have to kill me! I am not ready to stop writing for such a dramatic reason, LOL.

So, I aim to follow Alan's suggestions:

● I write as regularly as I can, “but in a way that suits me…according to my energy level.”
● I aim to meet the deadlines for InScribe Writers Online, with time to spare.
● “I do what I can and what I love in my writing.”

I’m thankful that while God equipped me with the gift and love of writing and wants me to use it, Christianity is not a works-based faith. He knows what’s going on in my life and He knows my heart. He doesn’t want me to beat myself up over something outside of my control (my available time and energy level in these trying days). While I wait for a time when I am free to write more, I trust His good reasons for extending this period of shared suffering. His ways and timing are perfect, even when we do not understand.

If you are going through a hard time where you feel your life is on hold, what advice do you give yourself?

______________________________

 

For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com.