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.

Exit 2024: This Year I Crawled 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. Psalm 23: 1-3 (RSV)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays

down his life for the sheep” John 10:11 (RSV)

 

NOTE: Forgive me, I strayed from our theme of “X” for this month’s blog post. Another thought consumed my mind as I prepared this message.

Exit 2024, Embrace 2025

We all know this year, 2024, will end soon. If the Lord allows us, we will experience a New Year only a few days away. I crawled through most of this year. How about you dear friends? I do not know if 2025 will be any different, but I pray it will be a year I embrace.

Fed up with the Voices

Dear reader, do you ever tire of the world? The world has chosen to act crazy right now. I should say the world lives according to its nature. There are so many loud voices all around. Voices devoid of listening to and speaking truth. Voices of discontent and confusion from those speeding towards an eternity without God, He who loves the world.

Do you ever become weary of the voices? I get to where I cover my ears to block out the voices and yell into the raging clamour, “Will you please shut up?” The world continues to broadcast its blabber through a megaphone of its own making. So many people deaf to the voice of the One who calls people to rest, His rest… Oh, such gentle rest.

The Shepherd’s Voice

Health challenges beset me this year like never before. A combination of these challenges gave cause for me to reflect on the number of my days. The physical strength of my youth has waned, yet I persevere. There is still life to live, people to love, and words to send into the world as I listen to the voice of The Shepherd. This great Shepherd who promises rest for one’s soul.

When 2024, the year I crawled, finally becomes history, I will walk into 2025 with caution and, I am sure, with a limp. With the Lord’s help, I will avoid loud unsettled settings all too open to the brashness of our society. My voice as a writer seeks places surrounded by green pastures and still waters.

What I know as 2025 draws near is God leads now and will lead then. He awaits me. The Lord leads this crawling, needful man to still waters. Still waters are a place to rest. A place to rest in God’s care…a place to hear The Lord’s voice, the voice that matters. A place I need to abide in.

Dear InScribers

Dear InScribe family, with the New Year within sight, I pray our writer voices will reflect the voice of our Shepherd. Whether we crawl, limp, or walk into 2025, He will lead us to green pastures and still waters where rest and restoration awaits.

Merry Christmas dear ones. Christ is born, glorify Him! 

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. Alan is the new BC/Northern Regional Rep. for InScribe. His website is https://scarredjoy.ca.

Following God's Trail by Lorilee Guenter

 I stood at the trail head looking at the map, a decision to be made. Is this the path I want to hike? The map gives a general guide to what the experience will be as lakes and rivers are marked. The geography  of the area gives more clues. 

Do you know you write well? The question invited a decision. The way forward is vague, however, like on the trail others have walked this way. There are many options as faith and words combine. One trail leads to poetry, another to novels. Some trails cross over and combine many types in a "mixed geography." As with the trail, I chose to take the first steps in honing my skills.

One recent memorable hike combined forest and rock of the Canadian Shield. From the top of the rock rise, you can look over the trees and survey the surroundings. The vistas are amazing. To get there involved climbing over boulders and around trees that clung to the rock, their roots anchored in cracks and crevasses. The beauty became evident before we reached the top, but if we stopped we would only have a taste of what could be. In my writing life and in life in general, I am often tempted to stop before the top. I settle for the taste instead of the abundant feast. That particular climb we made was not easy but it was worth it. As God leads me through the obstacles that threaten to stop me, I need to look forward to what He has to show me along the way.

There is no water at the top of the rocks. The sun beat down and reflected back. The beauty, while amazing, can only be enjoyed for a short time before we must follow the path in front of us to a place of refreshment, to the still waters and green pastures (Ps. 23). The climb back down has its own obstacles. It takes trust to keep going, to continue on to the next place, to the next project God has prepared. In the descent, it was evident how the anchoring rock remains under the soil and vegetation of the forest. We can remain anchored, and indeed need to remain anchored, to have the strength to continue.

On our hike we passed through forest before and after the climb. On a hot summer day the shade of the trees offered a welcome break from the intense rays of the sun. The trail through the forest was well marked by those who walked that way before, yet obstacles remain. Roots running across the path trip the unobservant. Side trails can lead you off course. Fallen trees block the way, although hiking buddies can help each other scramble over them.

I have never undertaken a hike alone. Nor do I live my faith and writing journey alone. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses [Heb. 12:1], those who have and are walking with us. My faith and my writing are strengthened as I learn from others. They help me to throw off what holds me back as I learn from them and am encouraged by them.

Enjoying time on top of the rock

The first time we did that hike, we skirted around the overlook. We knew that there was more at the top than we had found but heat made us turn back. Before we left the area, we tried once more. As a result, we sat on the rock ridge and looked west over the forest and lake to see the beginning of the sunset, a gift of beauty. If I press on and don't skirt around the lookouts ahead of me, I have no doubt that gifts designed and given by God await.

Humble Thoughts on Psalm 23 by Alan Anderson

 

The following words result from my mind trying to grapple with the unsteady footing of the world. Peace, love, and compassion still overcome darkness, for God is our ever-present companion. Our Great Shepherd guides our way.

 

 

Please forgive me if my post seems disjointed. A good friend of Terry and I died a couple of weeks ago. His family asked me to conduct his memorial service. This is turn meant I could not spend as much time on my monthly post as is usual for me.

 

 

I present here humble thoughts on Psalm 23. I look through the darkness of this world and long for the world to come. I am not alone because you pray for me, and I pray for you.

 

1.The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The world cannot give or promise anything close to what our Lord Shepherd has given us. His care, like His peace and love, is beyond measure.

 

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

The Shepherd’s loved ones can find respite in this out-of-control world. We can breathe the air of a fragrant meadow amid the pollution all around. The turbulent waves smashing into people do not cause us to fear. We can hold on to the hand of God as He leads us through quiet places of refuge.

 

3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.

There are times in life where our legs cannot hold us up and we think we cannot go on. The Shepherd grants us respite and, in gentle fashion, reminds us of the eternal path set before us.

 

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Death, calamity, and suffering cannot bind us in fear, for The Shepherd leads us through even our deepest and darkest experiences. On a personal note, when my wife experienced cancer for the second time, we also experienced a deep sense of the reality of God’s comfort. She is now cancer free for four years. Glory to God!

 

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Our Lord Shepherd is also a gracious host, even when our many enemies are present. They do not worry Him, and He goes about His business of care for His people. These enemies are but people lost without Him and powerless no matter who they are.

 

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is amazing! Throughout our lives, and no matter what happens, The Shepherd’s love is constant and assured. He knows with all confidence where His loved ones belong. There is nothing strong enough or evil enough to thwart His plan for those who follow Him. This Shepherd, our King, the One who is Creator of all things, and who loves the world, has prepared a place for us beyond description.

 

Beloved ones, we are held tight in the love of God!

 

 

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 . Alan has also written articles for FellowScript Magazine. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca. Alan is the Provincial Rep. Liaison and B.C. Rep for InScribe.

Living in Faith Rather than Fear by Nina Faye Morey

I memorized Psalm 23 at a very young age. I don’t remember the reason—perhaps I just loved its message and the sound of the words. Whenever my life seemed to be falling apart, it would resurface in my thoughts. I’d find myself reciting it over and over again to myself. It always had a calming effect on my soul.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, I was scared. But I didn’t have a lot of time to spend processing this new twist of fate. This life-threatening crisis meant that I immediately began a hectic round of medical appointments, examinations, and tests. Shortly afterwards, I took my first tentative steps into uncharted territory—a full year of cancer treatments. This first phase of my cancer journey passed by in a blur of fear and anxiety.

Once I got over the initial shock of my diagnosis, I began to rail against God. Why me, God? I lashed out as my heart filled with fear. How could you let this happen, Lord? Why have You abandoned me when I need You most? I simply couldn’t understand why God had seemingly deserted me in my time of crisis. Faith and hope can be difficult to hang onto when you’re faced with cancer.

All too often, clouds of helplessness and hopelessness rolled in, darkening my horizons. They cast their dull gray shadow of uncertainty over my future. I craved that feeling of “normalcy” that had all but vanished. Was this now my “new normal”—living in fear of death? I yearned for the return of some warm rays of sunshine. In those dark moments of desperation, Psalm 23 ran its continuous loop, playing over and over again in my mind—offering me one small ray of hope to cling to.

Having come face to face with the reality and inevitability of my own mortality, I sought comfort in prayer and encouraging Bible verses, such as John 11:25-26 (NIV): “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

Although my cancer left me with a heightened degree of uncertainty about my future, I soon realized that no one is guaranteed a long life. I came to view my cancer as somewhat of a blessing in disguise because it offered me an opportunity to renew my life. In his book, At the Will of the Body, cancer survivor and author Arthur Frank said: “Death is no enemy of life; it restores our sense of the value of living. Illness restores the sense of proportion that is lost when we take life for granted.”¹

The truth is that you never completely recover from cancer. It’s a chronic disease that merely goes into remission. Fear of this disease still lurks in the back of my mind like a dangerous predator, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. Any little ache or pain regurgitates my worry about a cancer recurrence. In order to regain some sense of control over my life, I needed to come to terms with this fear.

I’ve learned to take fear very seriously because of its power to confound my faith. I’ve come to rely on God’s presence and His promises. He offers me the encouragement I need to hang on to hope when faced with life’s challenges. By learning to live in faith rather than fear, I’ve been able to regain my strength, recover my confidence, and recapture my contentment with life.

¹Frank, A. W. (1995). At the Will of the Body: Reflections on Illness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 120

Photos: 1) Psalm 23 – The Sunday at Home: A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading, 1880, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons; 2) Sun Rays – CC Pixabay; 3) Hope – CC Pixabay

Life Lessons Learned Through Having Cancer by Lynn Dove

No one likes those valley experiences.  We want to stay on the mountaintop and bask in the sunshine or Sonshine as some may call it.  The thing is, I tend to learn the most life-changing lessons not on the mountaintop but down deep in the valley.  Look at Psalm 23, particularly verse 4. 

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

The Lord is with me always, but it is in those valley experiences, I cling to Him for survival!  On my own strength, I would not be able to get through those dark valleys, and I learn the greatest life lessons during those most challenging times.  

In 2001, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  My mother had passed away from the disease in 1990 and I felt a great sense of foreboding at my initial diagnosis.  I had two young children and a teenager, and I cried out to God about the unfairness of this situation not just for me but for my husband and children.  How could He allow this to happen to us?  Fear and trepidation threatened to overwhelm me until God began to reveal a greater plan and purpose for me and my family through this experience with cancer. 

The first life lesson I learned quickly was that I was not alone.  God never leaves or forsakes us during crisis times. (Deuteronomy 31:6)  I experienced His Presence profoundly throughout my cancer journey.  God's Word was a constant Source of comfort and encouragement.  I was surrounded by an amazing support system of family, friends and church family.  People poured themselves out in service to my family and to my own specific needs.  The freezer was filled with food, the house was regularly cleaned, my children were looked after, and when I was too weak from chemotherapy treatments to attend church, the Worship team came to my house for a private time of worship!  

The next life lesson I embraced was that God did not want me to "waste" this experience.  John Piper wrote an article I read and took to heart about 10 ways to waste your cancer.  If God had purposed that I go through this experience, I knew He would be glorified in it.  God gave me the strength and wherewithal to face the surgeries, and chemo treatments with as positive an attitude as I could muster.  This allowed my young children to not be fearful and we could talk openly and honestly about cancer and about how God was good no matter what was happening to me.  I prayed with my surgeons and nurses, and had opportunities to share my faith with them.  When I joined a women's support group for those going through breast cancer, I prayed for those precious women who were in the throes of battle with me.  I have had numerous opportunities then and now to share my journey with cancer either through writing about it, or speaking about it.  In a 9 part series on my personal blog, "Journey Thoughts", I wrote about my cancer journey about what it means to be a "Thriver", because that is exactly how God changed my entire perspective about surviving to thriving through cancer.

Lastly, I do not take for granted the time God has given me this side of Heaven.  I would not wish cancer on anyone, nor would I like to go through that journey again.  That said, I praise God for healing me and allowing me the opportunity to experience Him in ways I never would have had it not been for cancer.  I pray I did not "waste" cancer, but used that valley experience to draw closer to God, to point others to God, and to always remember the life lessons that He taught me along the way.

Lynn Dove is the award-winning author, of the YA “Wounded Trilogy”- a contemporary Christian fiction series with coming-of-age themes.  A wife, mom, grandmother, and free-lance writer with articles published in several magazines and anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her blog, “Journey Thoughts” is a Canadian Christian Writing Award winner.  Readers may connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at lynndove.com 

The Story Behind the Story by Lynn Dove

The Story Behind “Even Though I Walk Through the Valley”

In 2011, I won a Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Award for an article I wrote in 2010, entitled, “Even Though I Walk Through the Valley”.  My daughter had suffered a traumatic miscarriage and our entire family was trying to negotiate the deep, deep valley of grieving the loss of what would have been our first grandchild.  For my daughter, it was an intense time of sorrow as she and her husband sought comfort from the Lord, but also asked those “Why?” questions of God.  For me, seeing my child suffer so in her grief, led me to express my heartache in writing for her in particular, but also writing and posting an article on my Journey Thoughts blog for all those navigating mountaintop as well as valley experiences in their lifetimes.

One of my favourite places is the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.  My husband grew up there, and we continue to visit the area on a regular basis.  It seemed a fitting setting to describe the beauty of both the mountaintop of Mount Washington and the Comox Valley.  I was so well-acquainted with the area it was easy for me to contrast the actual setting of Comox, and to use it as a wonderful analogy for the “mountaintop” and “valley” experiences of life. 

I did a fair bit of research on the article as I read commentaries and online articles that exegeted the 23^rd Psalm so I could get a better understanding of the wording and meaning of that beautiful Psalm.  I was especially captivated by the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep as he leads his flock to greener pastures in search of nourishment.  Sheep follow the shepherd as he guides them up and over rocky terrain.  Like sheep, we follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus.  He knows us and we know Him.  “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—“  (John 10:14)

I camped out for weeks in the Psalms and read and reread Psalm 23.  One line in particular drew most of my attention: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley…” (Psalm 23:4)  One word, “through” jumped off the page at me and I took note of it in my notes, and then when I wrote the article I highlighted it in the last paragraph of my article:

“My family and I are walking through one of those “valleys” right now.  Notice I say we’re “walking through“, we’re not rushing through it, nor are we going to camp here indefinitely.  We’re walking through, taking our time, being comforted by the Good Shepherd, and we’ll move on when He says move on.  Until such time, we will take nourishment from Him here in the valley, and though our eyes may stray to the mountain from time to time, we will find rest and comfort here for now.  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

It is humbling that this article still gets read and commented on eight years after it was originally published.  Its message is timeless, I suppose.  My sweet daughter, walked through that particular valley of miscarriage only to carry to term our first grandson in February, 2011.   Two years later our granddaughter was born.  When our daughter-in-law suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to a boy in December 2017, and then our fourth grandbaby in May 2018, we walked through those dark valleys with her before we experienced the mountaintop joy of welcoming those boys into our family. 

Lynn Dove is the award-winning author, of the YA “Wounded Trilogy”- a contemporary Christian fiction series with coming-of-age themes.  A wife, mom, grandmother, and free-lance writer with articles published in several magazines and anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her blog, “Journey Thoughts” is a Canadian Christian Writing Award winner.  Readers may connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at lynndove.com 

A Walk with my Shepherd - by Gloria Guest

I love how in Genesis it states that God came down and walked with Adam & Eve in the cool of the day [Genesis 3:8]. It is as if God could hardly wait each day to spend time with those He loved.

While pondering this month’s blog topic about going on an artist’s date to replenish the writer within, I felt pursued by God to take a walk with Him. Together we walked through one of the most loved and familiar chapters of the Bible; Psalm 23.

 “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.”

 A Shepherd keeps a careful and loving watch over his sheep, always looking out for their best interest. The concept of God loving me in such an intimate way has often seemed foreign and uncomfortable. Yet the way the Psalmist describes it, through the love of a shepherd for a little lamb; that is something I feel drawn to and feel free to accept and explore.

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”

I envision the lush, green, rolling pasture where I can find a shady spot to rest. I picture the perfectly still, quiet waters; a peaceful place where I let go of my fears and worries and enjoy the refreshing stream. The Shepherd alone leads me to these pastures and waters; He alone knows what I need. I feel a sense of trust creeping into my soul.

“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

By following Him and not my own way, I will be lead on paths that are right and good for me. I feel the taught knots of confusion and desperation slide from my shoulders.

“Yea, 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.”

I’ve walked through the shadows of the death of loved ones. Yet God was always there, shepherding me through, at times even carrying me on His strong shoulders. Now, in writing a memoir of my life, I find that there are different shadows to walk through.  Can God shepherd me through this fear of vulnerability that has gripped me like a vice? Will I ever come out on the other side of this valley? His answer is evident. God is ‘with me’ in each trial, each hour of need, each stroke of the pen. He is for me and not against me. I feel his presence with each small step I take.

 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

As I learn from the Shepherd I believe that He will bring these blessings to fruition in my life. I long for my cup to run over onto the written page; to have His goodness in everything I do for the rest of my life. I feel anticipation for all He is going to do.

Finally there is the ultimate promise that someday I will join my Shepherd in a heavenly home, free of earth’s bondages and trials. I feel my spirit yearn for a better place. But how amazing it is to realize that God can hardly wait each day, to walk with me.

*All scripture taken from New King James Bible