Quiet Words Listen by Alan Anderson

 

After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.—I Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)

 

The posts this month are words of life to me as a reader. The prompt for May causes me to ponder even as I write my post. The simple yet profound statement of our own, Lynn Simpson, has me recall a personal experience with the intimacy of words. In her post of October 3, 2020, Lynn noted, “Yet, I have now learned, our voices don’t have to be loud to be a role in change.” I love her line and resonate with it in a big way. As I continue here, please allow me to explain.

https://inscribewritersonline.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-breaks-your-heart.html.

 

A Brief View of My Depression of 1997

 

The fog came down first and gripped me. Before long, the grey of the fog led me into the black of a tunnel. I am trapped. No, I am lost.

 

I look at my words, and they look at me. None of us speak. There is no urgency, only stillness. I smile, and my words wink at me. A thought keeps going through my mind. “What do I do? Where do I take these words and care for them?” Suddenly they move. My words sit beside me, then embrace me. Their embrace sweeps over my thoughts and emotions. I realize my words care for me. They listened to me in the stillness. My mind clears and I know what to do. I too must listen. My words came to me unhurried, quiet, gentle, and changed me.

Depression Taught Me to Listen

The fog, the tunnel, the loneliness, and the darkness taught me about myself. This time of depression allowed me to confront my insecurity, fears, and doubts in life. I realized I had given too many years to them. I listened to the wrong words.

 

In my experience with depression, I also experienced the intimacy of words. This time where I withdrew into myself taught me to listen. I learned to listen more to who I am as a person. As I learned more about the art of listening, it helped me to listen to other people.

 

One’s ability to listen shows a more personal and helpful approach to come alongside people. Listening skills proved essential in my work as a chaplain. To listen to people who live with a progressive or terminal illness taught me about life. I call them “my teachers.” My teachers taught me to use words in a quiet manner.

 

Please allow me to recall one precious visit. The person lived with Alzheimer’s disease. She no longer spoke in an audible voice. She did, however, like to hold hands. This is how we spoke to each other. No words. I learned to listen with my eyes as well. Her eyes smiled. Her eyes told me she would die soon. A lesson I will never forget.

 

Here are a few humble lessons to share with you. 

11. Practice stillness. There is no need to rush through every day.

22.  Listen to stories people may speak from their darkness. The darkness can be crippling. They may need help to find God’s light.

33. Be gentle with those in the darkness. Listen to their words even if they stumble. This may open them to hearing your quiet words.

44.  We listen to show we care. Your words don’t have to be loud to make a difference.

55.  My depression had a purpose. God did not leave me.

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017, Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018, and Easter Stories & More, by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. He has also written articles for FellowScript Magazine. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca. Alan is the Provincial Rep. Liaison and BC Rep for InScribe.

 

Living Water by Lynn J Simpson

In my early years, I remember my mother calling me her “little fish” when she’d beckon me out of my best friend’s backyard pool to come home for dinner. Those summer dinners I often ate still wearing my wet bathing suit while sitting on a towel covered chair. My dripping hair was bleached white from daily swims in chlorine treated pools and drying from summer sun. I’d eat quickly, eager to get back to swimming, ignoring the ‘wait until an hour after you eat’ rule. No rule could stop me from swimming, except no swimming in a thunder storm. 

I loved being in the water, especially holding my breath under the water as long as possible while diving to the bottom of the deep end or swimming lengths without taking a breath. Our summer vacations were spent at lakes where we could jump off docks and ride waves on blow-up air mattresses. When not in the pool, my friends and I would be on our bikes riding to the shores of Lake Ontario to skip rocks over the waves and chase seagulls on the beach. I miss those waters.

Now I live in the prairies where lakes are smaller than the Great Lakes of Canada. But I still naturally seek out waters, whether it be the urban ponds or the city river. I spend as much time as I can in the Rocky Mountains drawn to places like Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake in Jasper, and if you were to take me on a road trip where waters appear alongside highways, my gaze would never be directed at you, only at the waters we are passing by. I can’t help it. I am living up to my name.

The name Lynn is Gaelic and Old English in origin, meaning “lake”, “waterfall” or “pool.” It is said the name would have probably been first given to a family living near a body of water. Maybe my city-born mother had a sense that I’d be drawn to waters so chose my name. She’s gone now so I cannot ask her why she named me Lynn. However, there is no denying that out of all my siblings, I was (am) the ‘fish’ of the family. 

Sandi Somers began our month’s theme of “What is in a name”  showing us how God has His hand in our names even when another names us. God gave her a verse that also represents the meaning of her name. 

“Sandra means helper. In my twenties God gave me a verse which signified the special type of helper God meant me to be.

The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakes me and opens my understanding to his will. (Isaiah 50:4)”

I, too, have a verse that God gave me shortly after being emerged fully into waters during baptism. 

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. John 7:38

Water is an essential element for our survival. Our body cells, organs, and tissues need water to survive. Our body weight is approximately 60% of water. Even our brain is made up of 75% H2O. Low water intake or dehydration can cause muscle fatigue and weakness, and confusion. Is not the word of God as essential as water? I know if I become dehydrated from lack of His word, I become more worrisome, less energetic and overall confused of next steps to take. Accepting His ‘living water’ gift of the Holy Spirit brings us not only direction for our days, but eternal life forever. 

Jesus’ time among us was spent on waters. He traveled by boat, He walked on the Sea Galilee, and fished with His friends, the disciples. The bible tells us of Jesus miracles including feeding 5,000 with just five bread loafs and two fish, and the miraculous catching of 153 fish when appearing to seven disciples after His death. It was after Peter witnessed this miracle that he changed from fisherman to evangelist. Like Peter, although we have not physically encountered Jesus, our life’s are changed when we drink in His words. 

Swimming in waters, seeing the breath-taking beauty of Rocky Mountain lakes, and resting beside ocean waters replenish my mind and spirit. However, it is His living waters that flow within me that I cannot live without. 

Jesus is our essential nourishment. 

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty'" (John 6:35).

You can read more and see more of Lynn's photography for rest and renewal at Lynn's website. 

Unleash Your Writing Dreams by Sandi Somers

Image by rawpixel in Unsplash

Do you have a dream of what your writing/published works could be? Lynn Simpson inspired this month’s theme with an earlier blog post:

I challenge myself and all of us,

to take a chance to unleash our writing

beyond the boundaries that may be tying up our creativity. 

And in celebration,

live out our lives as the masterpiece we are created to be.

Visioning Our Best Writing Selves

My most recent reset to unleash writing goals came this winter and spring. Our local writing group has been studying Julia Cameron’s Right to Write. In one exercise, she asked us to list things we wished we could do. I wanted my writers to take that exercise to the next levels, and so we spent a few minutes listing our writing wishes. 

To emphasize how imagination spurs us to accomplish our dreams, I read a blog post by Jack Popjes, part of which I've included here:

"We have the amazing God-given talent to picture in our mind

something that doesn't yet exist,

to mentally create situations that have not happened.

 Over time, we tend to accomplish the things we think about imaginatively.

The stronger and more emotionally we respond to our focused thinking and visualizing,

the surer the eventual outcome will match our mental picture."

 Knowing also that “a goal without a plan is just a wish,” I introduced the concept of “Visioning Our Best Writing Selves.” I asked each writer to list her wishes as accomplishments using this prompt: "By December of this year, I will have..." We were planning for specific success.

This was a powerful exercise and I recognized the amazing potential in each of our writers. It also put feet to my own desires and anchored me in working towards more concrete, achievable goals.

I continued writing wishes, journalling “dialogues” with God. I wanted to submit more articles, some on new topics and for new publications—and a number of ideas came to mind. Doing so meant I needed to be more consistent in my output. The author Mark Buchanan suggested completing 1,000 words of finished copy a week, something I have often accomplished since then.

Another major area that came into focus was clearer planning on a daily, weekly, short-term, and long-term basis. Both the book The 12 Week Year and our own Ellen Hooge’s Writer’s Planit have given me strategies to better organize my time and keep track of my progress. It's a step-by-step process.

One morning after I had written these and other dreams, I awoke to the Spirit’s voice: “Now give your desires to Me.” He will accomplish what I cannot do on my own. I just need to be faithful to His calling.

Now more than ever, God continues to encourage me with insight, wisdom, and strategies for my next steps. He promises to release my potential and the potential of my group of writers. And that promise is one I pray He will do for all of us:

Is there yet any seed left in the barn?

Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree

have not borne fruit. "From this day on I will bless you."

~Haggai 2:19~

~ ~ ~

How is God nudging you (or has nudged you)

to make your writing dreams a reality?

What are small or large steps you can take now?

This week? This month?

What advice would you give to those struggling to accomplish their dreams?

Still Learning, Too by Susan Barclay

I'm with Lynn Simpson; I'm also still learning about the business side of writing. I've had modest publishing success to date and have a ways to go in developing my skills as a marketer, etc. One thing I do know is it's important to build a readership if you want to get anywhere.

I blogged about this last year, but this is the perfect time to bring it up again - the A-Z Blogging challenge, which is set every April. The brain child of Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out, the challenge is in its seventh year, with well over 1,600 participants. 

During the month you write 26 posts, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. April 1 is A, April 2 is B, etc. No posts on Sundays. You can write to a theme or about whatever comes to mind. You can plan your posts ahead of time or fly by the seat of your pants. The idea is to get your creative juices flowing, to visit other bloggers who are participating, and for new readers to come your way.

For fun, I googled "A-Z Blogging Challenge" along with "Business of Writing," and discovered that at least two authors have used A-Z to address the subject. Start here for the first of Helena Halme's series of posts, and here for the beginning of Carrie Butler's.

And if you'd like to sign up for this year's challenge, it's not too late. Type your details into the Linky you'll find here. 

Godspeed, fellow bloggers! 
___________
Susan's website can be found @ www.susanbarclay.wordpress.com