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| Image by hscs.ca |
This April,
because Easter is coming near the middle of the month, we'll turn our attention
to one aspect of Jesus’ death and resurrection that we don’t usually emphasize
until Pentecost six weeks later.
Just before Jesus left earth
(and his disciples), he promised to give them the Holy Spirit.
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads
into all truth…I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you” (John 14:16,18 NLT)
Jesus was not introducing a
new concept, however. God promised through the prophet Joel centuries before
Jesus that the Spirit would come in a new and fuller way.
“I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams and your
young men will see visions...I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and
women alike” (Joel 2:28-29)
And so at Pentecost, God
poured out the Spirit on everyone gathered together. And this gift carries
through to us today.
~ ~ ~
What does His power and presence mean to me as
a writer?
I’ve never seen such clear insights of the Spirit’s leading
and empowerment as in Ken Kuhlken’s, Writing and the Spirit: Advice for Anybody
Who Hopes to Change the World.
“The engine of our creativity flows through the Spirit to us,” he wrote.
“Words, images, or lines that spring to mind most unexpectedly” are gifts from
the Spirit.
·
Confidence that the story will “find its way
and lead us to some event that brings the other stuff together.”
·
Structure: The Spirit will “guide us to the
right place in our story to use a certain thought or image, so that it can
achieve the greatest impact.”
·
“Directions or clues that seem to come out of
nowhere.”
·
On a grander scale, the Spirit will direct us
to the “theme or epic narrative” that will define our life’s work. “William
Butler Yeats proposed that, for each of us, there may exist one archetypal
story or explanatory myth that, being understood, might clarify all we do and
think, and so explain our destiny.”[i]
~ ~ ~
As believers, we have the Spirit poured out on us in so
many ways.
·
Once we’ve accepted Jesus as our Saviour, the
Spirit dwells within us (Romans 8:11).
·
He teaches us, bringing all things to our
remembrance (John 4:26).
·
He produced godly fruit in us (Galatians
5:22-23).
·
He equips us with Spiritual gifts.
·
He equips us in every single thing we do.
·
He takes our faltering prayers and interprets
them according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).
·
He brings to mind Scripture—to encourage,
correct, instruct (Hebrews 4:12), and to give authority to our prayers
So much more can be added! Our writers this month will explore a kaleidoscope of perspectives and experiences to illustrate the presence and power of the Spirit.
~ ~ ~
Now it’s your turn.
What does the coming of the Spirit mean to you? How do you
understand Him in your life and circumstances---and in your writing?
[i] Ken
Kuhlken. Writing and the Spirit: Advice for Anybody Who Hopes to Change
the World. OakTara Publishers. 2013. Pp. 12-13.
Thank you, dear Sandi, for equipping us with your guiding post on the first of each month.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading what everyone writes because--as you said--"He equips us in every single thing we do."
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Thanks Wendy. This month's topic was difficult to write because there were so many potential concepts I could have added. And yes, the Spirit gave me the way to condense and coalesce ideas at 2 am!
DeleteThis is an epic topic which will surely spark varied responses. It will be interesting to see what comes out of it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy. I too am looking forward to some of the many ways the Spirit reveals Himself to us as writers share their writing with us.
DeleteThis reminds me of James Taylor's song, "You've Got a Friend." The blessed Holy Spirit is always there for us. He does have his work cut out for him but the messy renovation of our hearts goes on. And he does give us comfort through the Word. We believers need to learn more about what he does and why he does it in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sensitive and illuminating comment, Bruce. I look forward to reading more from you in this vein in your post later this month.
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ReplyDeletewonderful post
ReplyDeleteThank you, Violet!
DeleteThanks for this post and the myriad of possibilities it presents for this month’s theme. Wow! Where to begin…. Blessings on your day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon. I agree it's hard to know where to start when we think of how important and meaningful the Holy Spirit is to us!
DeleteGreat start to the month, Sandi! That is a wonderful reference book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bob. Yes, the book had some memorable jewels in it, though other parts weren't so great.
DeleteSandi, I was excited for this month's prompt. I am interested in the book you mention by Ken Kuhlken. And, I was especially drawn to this line in your post:
ReplyDelete"'Words, images, or lines that spring to mind most unexpectedly' are gifts from the Spirit." I love these unexpected gifts, true treasures. Thanks!
Thanks Brenda. The Spirit does inspire us in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteA great start to this month's theme, Sandi! I look forward to checking out Ken Kuhlken's book sometime. Don't we all want to change the world (even one person's world) through our writing (even just a blog post)? Adding it to my TBR list right now!
ReplyDelete