Untidy Lot by Mary Folkerts

 

Sometimes, we think that to be a respected writer, one needs to be on the healed side of broken. Maybe it’s because we feel we can’t provide answers for hurting people since we struggle with our own issues. In that case, we should all put down our pens, for no one will ever be free from struggle on this side of heaven. 

There is a long list of writers who struggled with mental health and yet have had a significant impact on readers with their insight and vulnerability. C.S. Lewis himself writes about mental pain and seems to have understood it personally. Other names such as Martin Luther, William Cowper, Charles Spurgeon, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. can be added to that list (The Weary Christian—Diana Gruver).

I wonder if these influential people made such an impact with their writings because of how intensely they felt things. With such intensity of emotion comes deep thought (sometimes to the detriment of mental health), but what a release for the sufferer to let their thoughts leak out onto paper. Not only is it a benefit for the writer, but it can put words to the thoughts and pains of fellow sufferers! 

“I have learned now that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more” C.S. Lewis

So, if you struggle with mental health and feel that might discredit you from writing, you’re wrong. You’re in good company! God can use your weakness for His good. In His strength, he can take your vulnerable offering to encourage many. Take up your pen! 

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 Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member and is involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s personal 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/ 

 

U is for the Beauty of U-turns ~ by Michelle Strutzenberger

Each morning, I wake to the heartache of knowing a precious family member has chosen to walk an unwise path. But recently I was encouraged as I remembered that just because she has started on that path does not mean she has to finish on it. She can make a u-turn.

Someone making a u-turn, I have determined may be one of the most beautiful, hope-filling actions we can witness or experience on the road of life.

I also know how very hard it can be to admit that we need to do a u-turn. Coming to a place where we realize we are not heading in a life-giving direction can be very humbling. I’ve been at that spot in the road several times. Sometimes I’d rather die than gulp down my pride and slowly spin on my heels away from where I was venturing.

With our writing goals and projects, sometimes we need to make u-turns. In a culture that prizes setting our objectives and then working relentlessly until we fulfill them, choosing to make a u-turn partway through can feel like failure or at least evidence that we didn’t think things through beforehand as carefully as we should have.

I’ll never forget a video series I began with high excitement. Partway through, I realized the enormous effort and time required made the project an unwise move. I hadn’t realized until I started the project just how much it would require of me. It was very humbling to share with my audience that there would be no new videos for a while.

It’s helped me to recall my wise father’s oft-repeated counsel: “A wise person changes his/her mind.” Sometimes, the very best thing we can do is change our minds. We have gathered new evidence, new experiences, new insights, and now we need to make a u-turn. Sometimes, we should have gathered that information before we even started down the road. But sometimes we need to travel down the road before it becomes clear that it’s not the one we should be cruising.

The challenge for each of us is always this – when we see we need to make the u-turn, will we be humble enough to take the necessary action?

On Earth’s physical roads, u-turns are often forbidden. Even when the signs aren’t posted, we can feel like we’re doing something wrong when we whip around and start heading back in the opposite direction.

But in our everyday lives, u-turns can save lives and families, relationships, and jobs. As we trust God to help us become humble enough to make these u-turns, they become massive signs pointing to His immense grace and abundant love.

In everyday life, u-turns can be beautiful. Is there one you need to make today?

Michelle and her family enjoy hiking mountains and trails together. She is currently writing a series  called, What Growing Up in a Mennonite Family of 10 Taught Me About Survival. To receive the bi-weekly tips, visit this link and subscribe.

Unsung Heroes ~ Valerie Ronald

                                                                                    image by Pixabay

Most writers have them. People in their lives who encourage, help and believe in their calling ˗˗ the unsung heroes of a writer’s journey. Without seeking recognition or praise, they find ways to smooth the path so the writer can move ahead in confidence. An unsung hero is not well known but has a significant impact from behind the scenes.  

My mother was an unsung hero in my writing journey. She listened to me read my fledgling stories when I began to test my writing wings as a child. She told me I had a way with words. When I wanted to enroll in a journalism program after graduating from high school, her belief in my writing ability gave me confidence to do so. Although her early dreams of becoming a nurse were never realized, she wanted to do what she could to help me with mine.

At one point I was discouraged from pursuing my writing by someone who felt threatened by any independence I exhibited. Now I share my life with my husband, who encourages me in numerous ways to exercise the gift God has given me. He makes sure I have the right tools, like a good computer and space to write. He finds an audience for my writing by publishing my devotionals on the back of our church bulletin. When I need time and quiet to write, he accommodates those needs within our life together. He and my mother are just two of the unsung heroes of my writing journey. Teachers, employers, critique group members, fellow writers and readers also join the ranks of those who have a part in any success I have in the writing field. They have affirmed me, prayed for me, guided me, and helped me in big and small practical ways to pursue my dream.

Writers can sometimes suffer from fragile, sensitive egos. We pour our hearts out on the page, fussing over our creations like a mother with a child. It is daunting to put our writing out to the public, where it can be a possible target for criticism or rejection. Having someone behind the scenes who believes in our gifting can give us the confidence to pursue our craft, or keep trying when we’ve had a setback.

The biblical character, Barnabas, is an example of an unsung hero, appearing in the pages of scripture for that very reason. His name means “son of encouragement”, because he helped and supported others in their endeavors to further the gospel of Christ. He is mentioned frequently in the book of Acts, especially because of his advocacy of the Apostle Paul.

Although formerly a persecutor of Christians, Paul was recommended to the apostles by Barnabas, who spoke boldly of his dramatic conversion and newfound faith in Christ. He brought Paul to Antioch where they worked together, teaching the people. After his cousin, John Mark, abandoned Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, Barnabas mentored the young man, restoring him to a position of usefulness in the ministry. Barnabas did not seek recognition for himself, choosing to make an impact encouraging others for the greater good.

An unsung hero in your writing journey may be the one who makes meals for you when you are working toward a deadline, or takes care of your children, or shares some contacts within the publishing field to help you get started. Sometimes someone critiquing your work to improve it can make a difference. Rather than take those who help us for granted, we need to express our appreciation with gratitude and affirmation.

Our unsung heroes are good role models for how we, in turn, can help others exercise their gifting. I know from experience how crucial others’ support is to me as I seek to fulfill God’s call to write. Doing the same for someone else pursuing their dream encourages them, and is a way of thanking God for His provision of our own mentors and helpers.
 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Phil. 2:3-5a NIV)

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.
 

U is for Unless by Lorrie Orr

 

Unless the Lord builds the house,

its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Psalm 127:1-2

When I spent a day wandering through Edinburgh earlier this summer, I was unaware of the city's coat of arms which bear the Latin inscription Nisi dominus frustra, - Without God, frustration, taken from Psalm 127. Written as a song for pilgrims walking up to Jerusalem, this psalm of ascent addresses the futility of life and work without God. Building a house or a life, guarding a city or my own security - nothing I accomplish will be of eternal value unless I relinquish control to God. Yikes. That's easy to say and oh, so hard to live out. I have my own list of unless-es:

Unless I am published, I am not a writer.

Unless she apologizes, I won't make amends.

Unless I hold it all together, there is something wrong with me.

My unless-es narrow my vision and distort the truth of who I am in Christ. They belittle my work and the lives of others. When I yield to "unless God," He reorients my focus and plans to his purpose and calling on my life - to bring glory to his name. When I let go of control there is room for God to work. He shows me what nourishes me. He broadens my vision and enriches my writing. He provides a map for my soul, a guide for the journey of life.

In my writing I have only to write as best I can with the knowledge and grace he has given me. Everything I do flows out of my life in Him, and I am left with freedom and abundance.  

Lorrie writes from Vancouver Island where she loves to walk, alone or with family and friends. She writes a slice of life blog at 

www.fabricpaperthread.blogspot.com

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