New Beginnings by Colleen van Nieuwkerk

My New Year has almost always begun with my birthday in August, instead of in January.

I love new beginnings, the fall season and fall colors. You would notice that if you ever came to my house for coffee. I also always loved school and still love to learn. One of my life values is to be a life-long learner.

New beginnings that start in the fall season are often stirred up for me when spring arrives. I will be winding down the previous year and suddenly my mind and heart will turn towards fall and what is next. I served as a Director of Children’s Ministries in our church for fourteen years and this thought process was necessary every year. It has continued into retirement.

One of the aspects of a new focus was that I would listen for one word or phrase that God would put repeatedly before me and eventually I would choose that word for my next year. This year, my one word is “Capacity”, and my personal definition of that word is, “God-given ability to live beyond my natural potential.” My current health situation seems to affect energy and output, and that can be a hindrance to sitting at my desk.

I have now been walking in life as a widow for almost six years. Life turned inside out and upside down for me when my husband died unexpectedly. We had a strong marriage for forty-six years and I have deeply missed him. However, there have been new mercies every morning, and as the grief has become softer, God has graciously begun to restore my vision and my capacity for “laughing at the future” (Proverbs 31:26). This summer as I reviewed my previous year and set my plans, God willing, for this next year, I have asked for more capacity to complete some assignments.

Last October I was blessed to be offered a book contract from hope*books. I am writing a memoir, “An Unfolding Life” and have just completed six out of nine chapters. This offer took me completely by surprise and, although there have been some hard processes of working through good memories, I have enjoyed the writing.

My ministry within our church and online is currently continuing to write a curriculum for women that began ten years ago. It has expanded year by year and right now I am writing the current module as a pilot class and will teach it to a group of ten women.

Blogging is a goal I have had for several years, but I have not made much progress towards working the writing into my everyday schedule. My goal is that it would complement this course I have written and reach more women.

I have enjoyed writing a couple of guest blog posts here recently, and I also just submitted one devotional for a Year of Hope Devotional Book to be published in December.

I never planned to be a writer. I always loved English and Literature classes and am an avid reader. Wonder often overwhelms me as I see how God has unfolded this opportunity and set it before me as his assignment for this time. Thank you for reading and for the encouragement found in all your writing. We are blessed to experience God’s new mercies every morning as we follow his leading.

Habakkuk 3:19 (AMPC), “The Lord God is my strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk (not to stand still in terror, but to walk) and make (spiritual) progress upon my high places (of trouble, suffering, or responsibility)!”

Colleen van Nieuwkerk is GG to three sons plus 3; twelve grandchildren; and two great-grandsons. Colleen writes curriculum for women as well as teaches and is currently writing the story in book form of how this all came about. She lives in northern Alberta and can be found online @colleenvannieuwkerk.com

Unfolding Words ~ Valerie Ronald

 

                                                                               image credit Pixabay

From the dark, stuffy confines of the linen closet I pull out a fresh set of neatly folded sheets, ready to go on the bed. First, I stretch the fitted sheet over the mattress, then with a flick of my wrists, I unfold the top sheet. It floats gently onto the bed, releasing its heady fragrance of sun-dried cotton and warm breezes. Because I dry sheets outside on the clothesline in summer, the evocative scent of the season comes to life again when I unfold them to make the bed.

This is the picture that comes to mind when I read the following verse.

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding

to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 NIV) 

I imagine God shaking out a folded sheet full of His words, releasing light and knowledge like a clean, simple fragrance to people eager to understand His truths.

For over 20 years I have been folding words into neat packages that fit on the back page of our monthly church bulletin. Drawing from personal life lessons, nature and God’s rich scriptures, I write these devotionals to encourage those of our small congregation in their spiritual walk. This year I have been given an opportunity to compile some of these devotionals into a book. The first draft of the book is nearing completion, soon to be sent to the publisher. A life-long dream is finally within reach.

Unfolding these writings woven from the fabric of God’s words, is like shaking out a sun-dried bed sheet that has been stored on a shelf for some time. Words gathered for years will soon be released, directed by God purposes. I am excited to be in partnership with God on this project, as He is the one who is making it possible.

As well as working on the book manuscript, I continue to share a page on this blog once a month with my fellow InScribe writers. The blog moderator’s prompts produce many different perspectives and styles of writing that I find encouraging and inspirational. Some of the posts I have written for the blog are being adapted to include in my devotional book.

The realization that I am tackling an ambitious new project in my senior years is an affirmation that God can work through me even into old age. I like to think of this devotional book as my opus, the culmination of 23 years of work. As God’s Word unfolds through the vehicle of my own written words, I pray they will give spiritual light and understanding to those who read them.

“This is what we speak (write), not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”  (1 Cor. 2:13)

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. 

Shine Your Light by Pattie Janzen

Please welcome InScribe member Pattie Janzen as our Guest Blogger today on InScribe Writers Online.

There has been so much strife in the last few weeks, and, as I’m sure many of you have, I’ve felt a weight on my heart. From Iryna Zarulska’s senseless stabbing, to the horrific shootings and assaults happening inside schools and homes, Charlie Kirk's assassination, and a woman shot closer to home—I’m beyond saddened by the condition of our world.

I’ve spent more time praying—not only for the families who are grieving through their personal devastations—but for the people who are living with a level of hatred so harsh that they commit these sorts of acts. If that wasn’t enough, the comments all over social media that applaud these crimes are appalling.

Our enemy preys on hearts and minds, and sometimes it appears as though the darkness is winning, but it’s important to remind ourselves that it’s not! Our fight is, indeed, with principalities and powers, but no matter how frustrated and angry, anxious and worried we might feel, we are not to hate others. Although we may disagree, we must not give room to hatred. Hate the sin—yes—but never the soul. So many souls in our world are in pain—confused and angered. But we know the truth about the deep love of God, who sent His Son to die so that we may be forgiven and set free! He is the power within us, and He makes it possible for us to authentically love one another.

In this world of chaos, we need to remind ourselves that we are the salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:10-16). If we light a candle in the day time, that small bit of flame is hardly noticed. But as the daylight wanes and the darkness creeps in, the fire from one candle can change everything. As our world grows darker, it’s even more important that our lights shine brightly! As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the light in this world. (Matthew 5:14 starts with: “You are the light of the world …”.)

Another verse I find most encouraging for days such as these: “… greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b NASB 1995).

How powerful, and uplifting! If we belong to Him, God is with us and He is GOOD! We have nothing to fear.

I know I’m a very small voice in a sea of people much wiser than I, but this I know as an absolute: I am God’s daughter, and I love Jesus! I’m not perfect or better than anyone else. I’m certainly not sinless, and I’ve acted the hypocrite often, but I have been forgiven by the love of the one and only crucified Saviour! And I will praise Him forever!

God BLESS us all as we write boldly for HIM!

(Top) Image by Pexels on Pixabay

PD Janzen (Pattie) is a published humour columnist, author of five emotion-filled Christian fiction novels, and an inspirational speaker. She’s married to Brian and they reside for half the year in Martensville, SK, and the other half at Good Spirit Lake Bible Camp, where they enjoy helping out all summer. They have three grown children and soon-to-be 14 grandkids. Pattie enjoys sharing encouragement and insights of God’s healing love through her blog at: pdjanzen.com

Our Words Are Part of Us by Alan Anderson

 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 23 (ESV)

Our writing prompt for September asks, “How has your writing life progressed thus far in 2025? Are you encouraged to move ahead?” The positive ring of the prompt caught my attention right away and caused me to ponder what I would write as a response.

Has my writing life progressed?

Yes! One sign of my writing having progressed is this blog. This is my tenth year of contributing to our InScribe Writers Online Blog. Much of the progress in my writing is because of encouragement from other InScribe members. This progress encourages me not to cease my quest to become a talented writer.

I know my writing has progressed by people who read my poetry and told me they feel the words. This is not a cause to brag but to thank the Lord for His mercy through life-giving hope.

Am I encouraged to move ahead?

Yes! I say yes because I must. I must move ahead to accomplish a labour of love I hope to offer people. Please allow me to explain.

Encouraged to be a Voice

I have mentioned the book I am writing in a few past posts on this blog. The book is primarily a collection of poetic words dedicated to grandparents who grieve the death of grandchildren. In my conversations and correspondence with grandparents and parents who grieve, they have noted grandparents need a “voice.” I continue in my writing as a step of faith that my words will help to be such a voice.

This has not been an easy book to write, and I am glad for this. The emotional challenges I have experienced are fuel for moving ahead. Interactions with those who grieve over their grandchildren come with raw reality. As the author, I hope to capture the emotion of the experiences the grandparents live with. I will capture their experiences once I have listened to them. Then, the words in the book will express their voices.

A few grandparents have read some of my poems. They told me they feel the impact of the words. From this, they have taught me that our words are part of us. Our minds and hearts give birth to our words, then our pens send them on their journey to help other people.

I move ahead because I must. There are also motivations in life urging me to carry on. One motivation is the promise I made to my grandbabies in heaven. I assured them they mattered, and I would not forget them.

Another motivation to continue came through a message I received from a dear InScribe member. This member informed me of a friend of hers who is grieving the death of her baby grandchild. There is also a grandmother who grieves over the murder of her teenage grandson. Other stories also exist, and each expresses a deep longing.

Encouraged because words give life

I write because God used writing to help heal my grief through hope. I write not for myself but for those in search of hope beyond their grief, beyond their pain.

As I move ahead with my voice, may every word, paragraph, and chapter written be a heartbeat, a breath, to offer healing to those who grieve. May they know there is hope beyond the pain of grief, and may God grant them mercy to let them know they are not alone.

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 and where he finds inspiration to write. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog is https://scarredjoy.ca.