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 

 

 

Understanding Your Audience by Steph Beth Nickel

 

https://pixabay.com/photos/create-creation-creativity-laptop-3026190/

There's nothing wrong with writing exclusively for yourself. Enter the journal in its numerous iterations: bullet journals, diary-type journals, guided journals, etc., etc., etc.

But . . . 

If you're writing for an audience, there are several things to take into consideration.

You've likely heard the term "target audience," but defining who you're writing to is crucial to what you write, the vocabulary you use, and how you market your writing.

The good news: Defining your target audience, your "ideal reader," has numerous benefits. The bad news: No, you're not writing for everyone. 

When you have determined who your ideal reader is, you'll have to do some research as to where to find them. Do they spend time on social media? If so, where? Facebook? Instagram? TikTok?

As you explore, you'll not only find your target audience but also what interests them, what they're posting about, their "felt needs."

The information you want to share or the entertainment value you want to provide is only relevant to your audience if it's something that satisfies those felt needs. You may have a great deal of information, insight, and inspiration to offer, but you have to meet your readers where they are in order for them to benefit from your words.

And speaking of words . . .

Understanding what to say and how to say it to effectively communicate with your audience is extremely important.

Raise your hand if you'll read a 1000-page fantasy novel, but will merely skim an email of more than three paragraphs.

While you may happily read a lengthy newsletter, the same amount of content on Facebook can appear overwhelming, causing you to skip over it entirely.

Using words your audience understands and can relate to in a format that grabs their attention is incredibly important. Meeting their expectations, based on what you're writing, is also important. Using proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your texts is fine. Expecting others to do the same (and, worse yet, correcting them when they don't) will shut the door to effective, ongoing communication.

As an editor, people ask me if poor grammar and incorrect spelling and punctuation bother me. I can honestly say that, for the most part, I notice these mistakes but don't allow them to hinder the message the writer is seeking to convey. (It's different when someone hires me to notice these issues and correct them of course.)

As a writer, it's important to define your target audience, discover where they spend their time, learn what their felt needs are and how you can meet them, and seek to effectively communicate with them in a way they understand.

When the Unexpected Upends Our Plans by Sandi Somers

Repairing Calgary's Watermain Break

It was not the summer I planned.

It all began June 5th, when one of two main water lines into Calgary burst, cutting our water supply to 40%. Stage 1 restrictions thrust us into pioneer-like use of water, and we weren’t even allowed to water outdoor plants. However, I got around the restrictions, saving as much “grey water” as I could from washing dishes by hand, and from rescuing bath water and water from taps as I warmed it up for other usage. But then came July. It was hot with no rain, and some flowers didn’t thrive very well. My plans for a lovely show garden were put on hold to maybe next year.

Finally, after several weeks of repair work on the water line, test water began flowing through the pipes. We were allowed to water our lawns—one hour a week. With no rain for our parched, yellowing lawns, it was like giving a glass of water to a person dying of thirst! (It’s September now and we’re back into severe water restrictions as other fragile spots on the water main are being repaired.)

Then July brought two painful events. On July 4, my brother Keith died of lung cancer. I didn't know he was ill and didn’t have a chance to meet with him before he passed. His family hosted a private family viewing, with no service planned, which I attended. The same morning, another brother, Cyril, was brought to the Foothills Hospital. His health had been deteriorating in the previous weeks, and his condition had worsened to the point of needing hospital care.

It was a tough day for all of us.

Cyril was diagnosed with myeloma—blood cancer. “Do you know what that means?” the doctor asked me. “Yes, our sister died of it ten years ago,” I answered, heartbroken for what I knew lay ahead for Cyril. Fortunately, new medications are more effective in treating this cancer than in my sister Karen’s day. He’s on weekly chemo injections—twelve altogether, which will take him just past Thanksgiving.

Grief over Keith’s passing and caring for loved ones in deep suffering took a lot out of me. Meanwhile, when my summer plans became as short changed as our water, I kept in contact with Keith’s family, offering love and support, and I became Cyril’s principal visitor and caregiver, visiting him almost every day, sharing tender moments, sharing God’s love when he was afraid he was dying, and praying with him. I also texted our extended family and Cyril’s friends, keeping them posted on his progress. What a delight to see how God is answering our prayers as Cyril is gradually recovering.

When my life—our lives—veer off in unexpected directions, we often feel disoriented or upended. Yet God waters our lives with grace and His presence, sometimes growing us in new directions, new attitudes, new caring, and new compassion. New themes will emerge, perhaps even a new direction for writing.

It was then that I knew God has a higher plan and a way through these events (Isaiah 55:9). I knew He was inviting me to participate with His purpose and give Him honour for His wonderful care over many issues.

Ubiquitous Una Understands by Joylene M Bailey

 

*****

Well dear readers, I'm not sure I can be held responsible for the places my creative brain goes when given the letter U to work with. Thank you in advance for your indulgence and understanding. 

*****

To Whom it May Concern at Vogue Magazine Except for the Mail Department and any Underlings;

     Your publication is unequivocally unobjectionable. It has come to my attention, however, that the magazine could be uniformly better if you employed an advice columnist. 

     I propose myself for this propitious role since I'm veritably prolific with advice, and, I most humbly and unobtrusively admit, an expert in most things. Anyone will tell you I am upright to the utmost and undeniably urbane. People often utter that my advice gives them shivers.

     The column will be called Una Understands, for I understand the human condition and possess useful advice. I think things through, but I can also be ultroneous at times. I believe this unique quality cannot be undermined. People appreciate me. I'm there for them, anytime and all the time.

     For example, I have been there for my new young neighbours since they moved in two years ago. I drop over at least three times a week with food and life suggestions, unseasoned as they are. Ultimately, I've lived quite a long time and have garnered umpteen useful things.

     When they first moved in, I urged them to update the ugly beige siding, to umber possibly, because the ultramarine shutters clashed. I gave them the name of my brother-in-law who is a contractor. I don't take umbrage when they don't follow my advice right away. (Which is a good characteristic for an advice columnist.) It's understandable. The new baby keeps them busy. There's something wrong with it, it ululates at least once a day.

     Since they're so busy, I'm helping with the garden. It became overgrown with the flowers they planted last year, and as I unfolded the value of vegetables to them, I gave them my leftover seeds. They haven't had time to plant them yet, but I've dug up the flowers for them, so the garden is all ready for planting whenever they can get away from that baby.

     They don't bring the baby outside anymore, and I can't tell if it's getting enough roughage. I know all about babies, my sister had three.

     George, my other neighbour, values my advice no end. He's always saying, "Una, you are incorrigible." But of course he means incorruptible. He's always getting those two mixed up, poor thing.

     I haven't seen him in a while, he's never home when I go knock on his door, and now there's a for sale sign on his lawn. I suppose he got fed up with that upstart Carter across the street, who used to mow George's lawn--quite the wrong way, in my view, and I told him so every time he was out there. Carter has now given up on the job, undisciplined urchin. You never can trust kids these days, and poor George has been mowing it himself, which he finds difficult with the cane, you know, but I've told him I'm coming up with an idea to make his life unbelievably better.

     Oh yes, an advice column will be no problem for me. Physically, I mean. You see, I will have my own office to work in, now that Morris has passed on. He used to spend hours working in there with Rudolf and Valentino purring away on the desk. Plumbers have so much paperwork nowadays, I can't imagine how they're expected to do the actual plumbing. But sure enough, as soon as Morris got home from work, he'd say, "Una dear, I'll take my supper in my office. So much paperwork tonight." I'd hear the papers rustling while the football game played on the office TV. How unfortunate that he couldn't just sit back and enjoy the evening. The most uxorious man who ever lived, and I miss him unmistakably.

     As you can see, my specific gifts will be significantly useful to your publication, and I urge you to undergo this change with Una Understands at the helm, to bring your magazine to its utmost untouchability.

Undauntedly,

Una Uxbridge

P.S. Undoubtedly, you noticed my competency with vocabulary. I read the dictionary regularly and have just completed the U section.  

*****

Feature Image by Oliver Kepka of Pixabay

Joy writes from lake country, Alberta, and thanks you for indulging her crazy creative brain. In case you are still wondering about two usually unused U words in this post, Ultroneous means spontaneous, voluntary. And Uxoriousness means foolish fondness for a wife. 

Find more of her joy-infused writing at Scraps of Joy, where a new post was published on Sept. 2.

   

U is for Undeterred by Bob Jones

Are you in a place where the unexpected has set you back on your heels? Panicked because life threw up a roadblock to your dreams? You’re uncertain about finding a way through. You wonder what God was thinking to allow this to happen.

 

God will make a way.

 

My story is about a detour not a diagnosis, a building not a body. While not life-threatening, the experience with God galvanized our faith to face future threats. In 2006 our newly planted church was situated at the western end of the most northerly avenue in Edmonton. Ours was the only building. Isolated, adjacent to farmers’ fields, with deer and coyotes as our near neighbours. It was a perfect site for growth on 15 acres, with traffic access from a new ring road. Within two years our average Sunday attendance grew from 495 to 900. Three years later we had added a second service and were considering a third. We had momentum. January 2011 was to be a celebration of God’s favour.  

 

The Christmas decorations had just been stored away when a letter arrived from the city of Edmonton. It was a notification of the closure of our avenue during expansion work. The closure would be for one year.

 

What?

 

What were they thinking? How do they expect people to get to church? A hurried meeting with city developers informed us of an error. They had forgotten about our building in their plans. The avenue would be shut down for a year. To help us, the city would pay for signs to direct people through convoluted detours and pay for a temporary road to be built near railroad tracks and through a ditch to access our property. Thank you very much. Subsequent to that, CN informed us they would close the railway crossing at the same time for upgrades. Now we had no access again.

 

Panic.

 

TRUST GOD'S HEART

The city may have forgotten us, but God had not. We discovered that for every setback, God has a greater comeback. God's faithfulness is hope for many detoured by crisis in life. Don Moen’s song, “God Will Make a Way,” became our theme.

 

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

 

People were praying. CN decided to delay the railway crossing upgrade. We purchased billboard ads in high traffic areas to inform the community we existed and were open. Our leadership determined to at least have some fun with this setback. I crafted a sermon series entitled, “Undeterred.”  We asked the city for orange roadwork barriers, detour signs, and construction equipment and placed those outside our facility entrances, in our lobby, and on our platform. Remarkably, the congregation took this detour in stride and grew in faith and in numbers.

Thirteen years later, people still talk about being undeterred.

 

In the bad news, the good news was the expanded avenue was to accommodate a potential of 450-550 housing starts. Within a couple of years, 4,000 people were living in the new neighbourhood next door. The community now boasts close to 8,000 residents in walking distance of the church. North Pointe was first to the frontier and an anchor point for the community.

 

When I can't trace God's hand I must trust his heart. 

God is too loving to hurt me.

God is too wise to make a mistake.

God's power makes all things possible.

 

My prayer for you is to be undeterred. To embrace God’s love and to know his wisdom. To be comforted so you have the strength to take the next step forward with your faith intact and your eyes on heaven.

 

If I can be of any help or support in your journey, please reach out. Bob.pb.jones@gmail.com or 780-707-5569