Uniquely You - Tracy Krauss

 You are unique. 

The Bible has quite a lot to say about this, but one of my favourites is Psalm 139. 

Verses 13 – 16 say: 

“For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.” (ESV)

Just like there are no two snowflakes alike, there are no two people alike. Even identical twins have their differences. In His infinite imagination, God made each one of us unique. Think of it! Billions of people throughout history, and not one of us is exactly like another!

Similarly, God has a unique purpose and calling for each of us. Again, from Psalm 139, verses 1 through 6:

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.”

As a writer, this gives me confidence and comfort. I know that God has called me to write, but my calling is not the same as yours. I must constantly remind myself of that, especially when I feel discouraged because of someone else’s “success”. I must continue to follow the unique path that He has given to me, bathed in prayer and relying on His guidance.

Tracy Krauss writes from her home in Northern BC. Visit her website: https://tracykrauss.com

Undeterred Until Then: an experience in reflective writing by Alan Anderson

 

 

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12-17 (NIV)

 

What is Reflective Writing?

 

Writing reflectively involves critically analysing an experience, recording how it has impacted you and what you plan to do with your new knowledge. It can help you to reflect on a deeper level as the act of getting something down on paper often helps people to think an experience through.

 

The key to reflective writing is to be analytical rather than descriptive. Always ask why rather than just describing what happened during an experience.

https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/reflectivepracticetoolkit/reflectivewriting

 

A Personal Reflection

 

I am writing this blog post a few days after bidding farewell to a dear friend who fell asleep in the Lord. Her repose, funeral, and burial reminded me of the brevity of this life. Please permit me to share this reflective message with you. Perhaps readers will find my words helpful when you encounter challenges in life and reflect on them.

 

Embrace Your Why

 

Sometimes when I write, the words hesitate to make their way on to the page. They reflect this writer. There are times I hesitate to make my way into the world. When these times occur, I must remember and give close attention to a constant reality no one can change. God loves the world.

 

I doubt I will ever change the world. I can, however, write with the hope, in deep faith, God might use my words to bring a change to someone else. This is why in my simple way I write… I write…until then.

 

Undeterred

The repose of my friend, along with health challenges I now live with, leave me undeterred in my journey as a writer. These experiences are a sober reminder of the fragility of my days and how each day I live is a gift from God. Such a gift is not chopped up and thrown aside to rot under the heat of the sun like a weed. This gift is to be allowed to bloom as a vibrant flower. As a man and a writer, the fragility of life is not a reason to shrivel away but to remain undeterred in one’s calling. With God’s help, I am undeterred until then.

 

Until then?... What is the significance of until then? What is this “until then?”

 

Until Then

 

I do not dwell on it, but I am cognizant of the fact I have more days behind me than I do ahead of me in this life. I am not aware of how God has numbered my days, yet I pray the time I have will be lived for His glory. Words in my head and heart cannot wait to leap on to a page and my fingers wait undeterred to write. I still have words to share with those who choose to read them.

 

I will write for as long as God calls me to write. “Until then,” will be when the words no longer come. Until then, will come when my body wears out. Until then, will be when this life of mine passes into the next. Until then…

 

Dear ones, embrace the days God gives you…until then.

 

“But until then my heart will go on singing,

Until then with joy I'll carry on,

Until the day my eyes behold the city,

Until the day God calls me home.”

-      “Until Then,” by Stuart Hamblen, 1958.

 

 

 

 

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home with trees all around, where he finds inspiration for his writing. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. His website is https://scarredjoy.ca.

U is for Underwood by Lorilee Guenter

Recently I picked up an old Underwood Standard desktop typewriter. Compared to newer typewriters it is huge. Based on my research, it improved the technology of the time. It made administrative work easier because of adjustments to the mechanisms. In 1934, there were typewriters in every office the way we have computers today. The Underwood was one of the popular models. Unlike our computers, typewriters had one purpose- to create documents. 

My typewriter sat unused for an unknown amount of time. Dust and rust hinder the smooth movement of the type slugs. The ribbon is dry. In short, this machine- a workhorse in its time- is unable to fulfill its function. But it is a beautiful machine. With care it can be restored. The restoration will take time as I learn the intimate details of this machine and its needs. My Underwood will still bear scars that hint at the story of its life when I'm finished. 

As I blew out the first clouds of dust, I found myself thinking about how God is restoring me. When I wander away from Him, I get dusty. My words get rusty when I choose to leave my pen in the drawer. I no longer fulfill the work God has for me- the purpose He made me for when I withdraw from everything. Like the modern computer, I try to do many things. Like the Underwood, I have one purpose- relationship with God my Saviour. Everything else flows from that. God has been gently restoring me for decades. He will continue until I take my last breath [Philippians 1:6].  

In order to complete the restoration of this machine, I will have to remove pieces. Some of them will be replaced, like the dry ribbon, some will be polished and restored. As he restores us to Himself, God removes pieces. He polishes other pieces, scrapping away the decay. When I stay connected to Him and accept His work in my life, I will not need the major overhaul that I once did. I am grateful for that.

As I learn the inner workings of my machine, I can be confident that God does not need to pause and learn what I need next. He knows. Nothing will surprise Him regarding my needs. Nothing. He knows my desires, my strengths and my weaknesses. He is already working with them, restoring and rebuilding my life.

I look forward to the day my Underwood standard desktop typewriter is all polished and functional. What a treat it will be to type on this classic machine. However, I am even more excited to see how God continues to restore me and those around me. 

U is for Understandable by Carol Harrison

 

U is for Understandable

From the babble of a baby to the muted swirl of conversation connected with hearing loss, I long for being able to understand conversations. I don’t think I am alone. Even without some hearing loss we may struggle to fully understand someone whose first language does not match our own or a single soft voice amid the din of a crowd.

Good communication demands understandability whether orally or in written form. This involves the words we choose to use. Is our writing filled with idioms and slang that only someone familiar with those terms would understand? How do we make it more understandable. I realize that idioms vary with culture and location but I found out they also vary with age groups within the same area.

Years ago on a stormy winter night, I used the phrase “don’t hit the rhubarb.” I had heard this term often in my life as a means of telling people to be careful and not go into the ditch while driving. The young woman I spoke to had grown up close to Saskatoon on a farm and had never heard the term before. Likewise, when my one daughter moved to Ontario from Saskatchewan, no one knew what a bunnyhug was. Everyone there called it a hoodie.

But aside from watching how many idioms or regional expressions we might use, there is other ways our writing needs to be understandable for our audience. I have had the privilege of being published in The Upper Room magazine a few times. One thing I had to learn is that the devotional I wrote needed to be able to be translated into many languages and still retain the same message. I had to write about things that people would understand no matter what culture or country they came from.  I wrote one devotional about hockey which they politely declined. It didn’t have universal appeal and understandability.

I also have had the opportunity to write and be accepted in Chicken Soup for the Soul books. These are also translated into other languages and although the topic needs to fit the book theme like my hockey story in the book Hooked on Hockey, it needs to use words and sentences not easily lost in translation.

As we write let’s strive to make our words easily understandable to our audiences including if our writing were to be translated into another language. What experience have you had with trying to understand a conversation or a piece of writing? 

 

Carol Harrison lives and writes in Saskatoon, SK. She also enjoys family time, helping others learn communication skills, and making junk journals.
 

Uninterrupted by Sharon Heagy

            Why are so many words that begin with the letter U so difficult to write or spell.  Not to mention (but I will) many of them look weird too. The ink doesn’t flow out of the pen easily when writing many ‘U’ words. Yes, I am talking about U, you letter U.

            While some great words with upbeat meanings begin with said letter - words like unity, understanding and unanimity - there are also words that begin with this letter that drag a word from a positive wonderful connotation into negative territory. Do – undo. Able – Unable. Clean – unclean. Nourished – undernourished. Acceptable – unacceptable. Appealing – unappealing. Happy – unhappy. You get the idea.

            It was hard to find a word that starts with the letter U with an uplifting spin for this month’s blog theme. At least for me. I was struggling and it was like I was sinking in the waters of writer’s block. But all that changed when I attended our weekly Bible Study and Prayer Meeting.

            Experiencing a day of the blahs, I wanted to stay at home. Tired, a bit cranky, fighting my flesh and bad attitudes, I headed out the door, knowing that when I am swimming around in this zone I need to get into the Word and pray more than usual. Not giving into, well, me.

            During the singing portion of our morning, the word uninterrupted floated into my mind. Then suddenly it was accompanied by a flood of ideas! It was like the painting Hand of God by Yongsung Kim. The one with Jesus plunging His hand through the surface of the water. It was like His hand reached down to pull me up, splashing and spluttering, soaked through, dripping everywhere, straight into His arms, where things began to have clarity.

            Uninterrupted. Life with Jesus. When we give our lives to the Lord, we enter a relationship that is uninterrupted. From that instant He is there, always. He doesn’t put us on hold while He handles another situation. He doesn’t turn His back on us when we cry out to Him.  His word says in Hebrews 13:5 that as we walk with Him, “He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you!) [Assuredly not!] (AMP)

            Never? Never. Never never ever. Period.

            Sure, there are times we may think He is not here but He is always present. We are usually the ones who drift unless there is a lesson we must learn in the waiting, which doesn’t change His presence one iota.

 

            Many prayers of the Jewish people practice the presence of God. Upon waking, they have a morning prayer like the following – “I give thanks unto You, Adonai, that, in mercy, You have restored my soul within me. Endless is Your compassion; great is Your faithfulness. I thank You Adonai, for the rest You have given me through the night and for the breath that renews my body and spirit. May I renew my soul with faith in You, Source of all Healing. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who renews daily the work of creation.” *

            Before sleeping they have a night prayer that recognizes God’s presence even as they sleep. Here is an example “Adonai, may it be Your will that I lie down in peace and rise up in peace. Let not my thoughts, my dreams, or my daydreams disturb me. Watch over my family and those I love. O King of the Universe, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, I entrust my spirit to You. Thus as I go to sleep, I put myself into Your safekeeping. Grant me a night of rest. Let the healing processes that You have placed into my body go about their work. May I awaken in the morning, refreshed and renewed to face a new tomorrow. Hear, O Israel, Adonai our God, Adonai is One! We praise You, Adonai, Whose shelter of peace is spread over us, over all Your people, over every creation, and over Jerusalem.” *

            We could do worse than to acknowledge the presence of our Lord many, many times a day and I am discovering ways to accomplish this in a manner that will be perfect for me.

 

            The uninterrupted presence of God is beyond fabulous news for the Christian Writer. Every day, every hour, every minute and every second we are writing, we have the ability to recognize that we are writing in the uninterrupted presence of God! This is both amazing and awesome, let it sink in deeply. It takes practice. To say, ‘speak Lord’ instead of ‘just a minute, Lord, I’m busy writing my own thoughts down.’  Perhaps we need to practice interrupting our selfish selves and embrace the enduring presence of God.

 

This is blowing my mind in a new way, like fresh fire burning inside, getting rid of old or stagnant notions that needed to be rekindled and brought to full flame.

 

            Something to think about and work towards. May God bless you this day with the fresh fire you need to melt away the dross and burn God given phrases onto paper for His glory. 

 

*Selected Jewish Prayers and Blessings, University of Pennsylvania