A Writer’s Prayer by Nina Faye Morey

“It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.

A good person produces good deeds and words season after season…

Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation.

Words can also be your damnation.”

~ Matthew 12:36-37 (MSG)

When I first began studying the Bible, God led me to the verse describing the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). In my teens, I’d discovered my talent for writing stories. But I’d never given much thought to their purpose—other than to entertain. While reading this verse, I experienced a flash of inspiration. Could I use my creativity for more than just amusing stories? Maybe I could use it to serve God. So I prayed about this revelation and sensed God urging me to share my experiences with others to bless them and glorify Him.

Despite this, I still lacked self-confidence. Did I actually have anything meaningful to say? Could my experiences benefit others? Was I truly worthy to write for the Lord? I thought about this for a long time before I acted on my inspiration. Knowing Jesus used Parables to help His followers understand His teachings, I began to study them. I discovered that He didn’t create elaborate stories. He simply used ordinary, everyday experiences. After taking a brief inventory of my life experiences, I realized I had stories that might be of value. But being an introvert, it would take some time and lots of courage to share these intense and emotional personal stories. I eventually wrote Christian stories about several of my life experiences: mental illness, emotional abuse, bullying, caring for elderly parents, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and adoption. I’ve discovered that no matter how gloomy our situation, God always finds a way to shine some light into the darkness.

In spite of inspirational moments of creativity, it’s still difficult to discern exactly what God expects from me as a writer. But I’ve discovered a few practices that help reveal His desires. Each day when I sit down to write, I pray for God’s guidance. I also like to spend some time searching God’s Word for verses relevant to my topic. This gives me the knowledge and insight I need to be faithful and fruitful in my writing. The Holy Spirit is my trusty mentor. I sense many times that the Spirit has guided me to just the right verse or the right insight to express what’s in my heart and bring glory to God. I desire to faithfully convey God’s love and grace to my readers. I pray my words will touch their hearts, move their spirits, and encourage them to seek comfort in His Word. I’ve found my daily prayers give me confidence that God will guide and bless the work of my hands (Psalm 90:17).

When you find your faith in yourself as a Christian writer waning, here’s a prayer to help restore your confidence:

O Creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and

causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the

darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with the loving knowledge of you,

that I may bring your light to others. Just as you can make even babies

speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey

the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp,

my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may

faithfully interpret the mysteries which you have revealed.

~ “O Creator of the Universe,” St. Thomas Aquinas

Photo Credit: @2017 Nina Faye Morey

Parable of Two Gardeners by Ruth L. Snyder

Once upon a time there were two young gardeners. Each gardener received a plot of ground, seeds, essential tools, and a challenge to develop a thriving garden.

The first gardener spent hours planning her garden. She thought about which plants should be placed close to each other to make the best use of symbiosis. She marked dates on her calendar to remind her to accomplish each step of the project. She even researched the best dates for planting according to the cycles of the moon. Finally, the day for planting came. She prepared the soil, marked rows, and planted her seeds.

The second gardener researched the plants she would be growing, tested the soil, and spent time visiting greenhouses, talking with other gardeners. She found a group of gardeners who met monthly and joined them. Finally, she too prepared the soil, marked rows, and planted her seeds.

Gardener One smiled when she saw the first sprouts lifting their heads. She knew her garden would be beautiful and dreamed of the day when it would be featured in the top gardening magazines. At first she spent many hours in the garden every day, but after a while she grew weary of pulling weeds and watering the plants. Before she knew what had happened, the weeds were out of control. Going into her garden became a chore she avoided. She only tended the garden when she felt like it.

Gardener Two cheered when she saw the first sprouts. Every day she visited the garden and spent an hour or more doing something to make it better. She continued to attend the monthly gardener meetings. When pesky insects invaded her garden, she asked for advice from the more seasoned gardeners. On the days she didn't feel like gardening, she thought of all the people who would benefit from her garden and worked anyway.

At harvest time, Gardener One was only able to gather a handful of produce, hardly enough for a couple meals. She decided she wasn't cut out to be a gardener and gave all her gardening tools away. Gardener Two spent days harvesting all the produce. She even invited others to come gather from the bounty of her garden. Her heart filled with joy, and she looked forward to the next growing season.

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So what advice would I give to new writers? Make writing a daily habit and find a group of writers who will help, encourage, and cheer you on. Planning is great, but actually doing the writing is absolutely necessary. At times it will be easy to write. Other times writing will be the hardest work you've ever done. Do it anyway. When rejections come, cry if you need to, but learn from them. Figure out what you can do differently next time. Cultivate friendships with other writers. Share what you're learning. Ask questions. Celebrate. Use the abilities God has given you and give HIM the glory for each small success along the way.

CHRISTIAN FICTION? by Bryan Norford

Fiction writing is God’s idea. The Bible’s full of it. From the stories of Nathan’s ewe lamb; Jeremiah’s marred pottery; to Isaiah’s vineyard; the Old Testament spins many tales of humanity’s broken sinfulness and God’s restoration.

Jesus’ many parables simply followed a long tradition explaining the truths of the kingdom. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .” was His signature beginning of stories that told of God’s love and redemption, or of judgment to come for the unrepentant.

Christians throughout the centuries—whether writing for believers or unbelievers—when driven by the Holy Spirit, have attempted at some level to express the nature of God, and the godly values derived from Him; and much of that was written through fiction.

C. S. Lewis claimed: “Any amount of theology can be smuggled into people’s minds under cover of romance without their knowing it.” His fantasy yarns in Narnia, and his humorous banter in Screwtape Letters point to the truth about God just as much as the logic of Mere Christianity.

So writers, who are Christian, have imaginations inspired and fired by the Holy Spirit as they write their modern parables. From romance to high adventure, their signature “Once upon a time . . .” (rarely used but always understood), points to sublime truths that raise the human condition.

But are these pictures of God’s character, often concealed in figurative language, understood by the reader? That question raises another question; why use parables? Contrary to popular perception, parables conceal, as much as reveal, the truth they proclaim.

Isaiah was the first to record God’s warning that a calloused people would, “be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving” (Isaiah 6:9). When the disciples asked Jesus why He used parables, He quoted that passage from Isaiah (Matthew 13:14).

Previously He’d said: “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them” (Matthew 13:11), explaining that the one who has will receive abundantly, and those with nothing will lose even that.

His words, like a riddle, remind us the same Holy Spirit that inspires the writer, also illumines the reader. An open heart will prompt the Spirit to give more understanding; a closed heart will lose even the opportunity.

This life may never reveal those drawn to Christ through our writing, fact or fiction. Be assured, He will not inspire us unless someone awaits our message.