Deliberate Ramblings by Sharon Espeseth

Apprenticeship Still in Progress . . .

By both Jeff Goins' and Malcolm Gladwell's standards, I have done my writing apprenticeship: plus 10 years practice, 10,000 hours writing, and at least 1,000,000 words. I've had my share of sporadic writing. I haven't daily practiced my scales and pieces. Years have passed when I didn't perform, or publish my work, regularly.

I'm thankful for what I have inscribed in my journal and what I've had published. My writing has not made me wealthy, nor has it always satisfied the taxman. I do, however, have a few bulging binders with clippings of blogs, poems, memoir pieces, essays, and religious articles. Would some of these writings fit between book covers? If so, I'm running out of years to accomplish this feat. It's time to escape apprenticeship mode.

Intrinsic Rewards!

I have enjoyed the writing and I have been rewarded in spiritual and emotional ways. God has blessed what I've written to I-don't-know-how-many readers. Occasional responses, or personal comment attest to this. For everyone who thanked me for a message that blessed him or her, there may be others who were also blessed.

Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem, met and healed ten lepers, but only one leper came back to thank him. Do we encourage other writers by letting them know that their writing helped us?

Listening: A New Emphasis

January 1, 2016, I made one resolution and that was to become a better listener to God, and to my husband, family, friends, and others I meet. As background to this, I reread the story of Elijah, and his experience in listening to the voice of God. (I Kings 19:1-18) After upsetting the status quo by destroying the prophets of Baal, Elijah fled to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There Elijah spent the night in a cave.

The Lord woke Elijah and asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Elijah reminded God what had happened.

The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is going to pass by."

Expecting something big, Elijah waited on the mountain. The Lord was not in the terrible wind that ripped the mountain apart. The Lord was not in the earthquake that followed; nor was he in the fire. Torn and shaken, Elijah waited. After the fire, God whispered to him, telling him what to do.

Disappointment and a Whisper!

For years, the Edmonton Journal has been running a Saturday column called "Offerings," which is an "opportunity to express thoughts on religious issues." Over the years, I've had a number of articles published in this 750-word column, as have other Christian writers. The column is open to those of other faiths as well. I feel disappointed when there is no column. Do we as Christians, have no words to express our gratitude for what God has done for us?

Years ago the Journal paid $75 per column, fair pay in the 90s. Then they quit paying, but still invited columns. To satisfy the taxman, I looked for other markets, but I still wrote occasionally for Offerings and read what others wrote.

The Early Morning Call

"I need you to write the story about Lent, Sharon."

During Lent, I watched for tidings on the Easter theme. Nothing. I awoke at 6:00 a.m. one morning I must proclaim the Easter/Lenten theme. I wrote a quick draft for critiquing at the March meeting of Women Word Weavers.
knowing that

Reading my essay to the group, I discovered that we, being of different denominations, had uncommon understandings about Lent. One of the ladies, also a Christian admitted Lent hadn't been a big part of her background. Discussion and suggestions prepared me for a total rewrite. I prayed about the rewriting and set to work. My writing buddies were surprised to see how the published article differed from my original draft.

After my story was printed, a few people commented on the article, but one gentleman I didn't know sent me an encouraging message by LinkedIn. He said he had read my essay twelve times and that he would probably read it twelve more times. What message from the Lord did this fellow receive?

My story in Offerings in the Edmonton Journal

Listen, Trust and Obey

When God tells us to write, we are expected to listen and obey. The message may be tailored for a particular readership God has in mind. If we fail to do God's bidding, God will have other options to get his message across. In our failure, however, we have denied the Lord, as Peter did the night Jesus was arrested. When God has done so much for us, how can we neglect our work in his vineyard?

A Relevant Faith - Pamela Mytroen

Jesus asked Simon Peter to go out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch.

“Master we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything,” responded Peter (Luke 5:5). He was tired, grumpy and worried about how he was going to pay his bills. And here’s Jesus, a carpenter, not a fisherman, telling Peter what to do.

Peter knows it’s the wrong time of day to fish. If they didn’t get anything all night, how would they catch something now? But, in the same breath, he responds with “But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (5:5).

They fill two boat loads with fish and they both begin to sink. It didn’t make any sense to fish at this time of day or in this depth of water. He knows at once it is a miracle and he falls to his feet in the presence of holiness saying, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man” (5:8). Just a few short minutes ago he was tired and grumpy and lacking in faith. Now he is overwhelmed by the power and presence of God.

That day Peter chose to leave everything and follow Jesus. He left his trade, his family, his friends, and his reputation. He gave it all up to learn from the great Rabbi.

What about providing for his family while he followed Jesus? Perhaps that big haul of fish would have taken care of their financial needs for a time.

Jesus cares about all the details of our lives. When he asks us to follow him he will provide everything we need. Our response is to surrender and trust. And a dose of humility like Peter’s, recognizing that we are in the presence of an awesome God, is a good idea, too.

It’s okay to tell God how we feel. Peter felt tired and hopeless and he told Jesus that. However, in the same breath he agreed to obey Jesus.

Peter faced issues that we still struggle with today – feelings and faith. He was honest with his feelings, yet stepped out in faith. And he was likely concerned about his family, another timeless heartbeat, yet he put Jesus first, trusted Him and followed. He’s a powerful example for me today.

Pam Mytroen

"Come!" -- Pam Mytroen

“Come!” said Jesus to Peter as he straddled the boat and dipped his foot in the cold waves. Peter wasn’t about to sit in the boat when Jesus was having all the fun. If he could walk on water, so could Peter. While the other guys were saying, “You’re fish bait”, Peter was saying, “What a story I’ll have to tell! What an adventure!”

So Peter jumped from the boat with visions of his name on the front page of the Jerusalem Post. All went well until he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. Suddenly he wished he didn’t have an audience. He could hear their guffaws in the background.

He didn’t become an expert at a walk on the lake, but Peter still holds the record for the only mere mortal to ever to walk on the stuff, all because he saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and heard the laughter of the Master, while the other disciples couldn’t hear beyond the wind or see beyond the waves.

What adventures do you long to do? Climb a mountain? Write a book? Travel to an exotic location? Close your ears to the waves of discouragement, the winds of “No, it can’t be done.” Listen close for Jesus’ laughter and you’ll hear Him calling "Come!"

He stands on the impossible, grins, and waits for us to join him. He loves to have fun – why else would He walk on the water? He could have done the front crawl all the way across the Sea and that would have been miraculous enough.

Peter never forgot that evening on the water. While Peter made history and had the time of his life, Jesus taught him to trust, to keep his eyes on Him, and most of all, to recognize the voice of God.

God has treasures for us too that are only received by peeling our white knuckled hands off the edge of the boat and stepping out towards his voice. Moving away from the warm arms of security forces us to grow.

We’ve been rowing long enough. Jesus is laughing. Let’s go.

(Just one thing - take a friend from the boat so she won’t laugh behind your back!)