Christmas-My Childhood Memories - Sulo Moorthy

“There is nothing sadder in the world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.” ~ Erma Bombeck

I grew up in a neighborhood where Christians were in the minority. Yet Christmas brought so much joy not only to us Christians but also to those who lived around us.
 
Christmas preparation started early in October at our home, when my mother along with my two older sisters and I went shopping for clothing and cake ingredients. Exchanging gifts at Christmas time was not a custom for us then. However, wearing pretty new clothes to church on Christmas morning, making the traditional Christmas fruit cake, and having a feast-like Christmas lunch with family and neighbors were part of the celebration.

The dark and moist fruit cake my mom made at Christmas was called Rich Cake, because almost all the ingredients that went into the cake were imported from either Britain or Australia and that surely cost a lot of money. At that time, we didn't have a cake mixer to beat the batter, or a food processor to chop the large amount of dried fruits or even an oven to bake the cake. Yet that didn't stop my mom from making the cake.

Along with my two older sisters, she spent long hours chopping the fruits and soaking them for days in brandy and golden syrup and beating the cake batter in a huge enamel basin with a wooden spoon. She then poured the batter into large baking trays and sent them to the bakery to be baked a month ahead. Once the cake was brought back from the bakery, no one was allowed to see, touch or taste the cake until the Christmas morning. It was stored securely in barrel-like steel containers away from ants and the family’s sight. As a child, I wasn’t fond of the fruit cake, and so it didn’t bother me much. My favorite was my mom's fluffy raisin and cashew nut cake.

We didn't have Christmas lights blinking on our rooftops or a decorated Christmas tree in our living room. Instead red, yellow and green ribbons of crepe paper hung across our front porch and living room with clusters of huge colorful balloons pinned at every corner. From the middle of December, Christmas carolers from our home church and nearby churches would start marching down our lane at night with lighted candle in one hand and tambourines in the other and making a joyful sound to wake up any dozing soul. Our Hindu neighbors neither complained nor showed any displeasure on hearing the carol singing even on late nights. Respect for each other's faith gave no ground to feud over such matters.

On Christmas morning, we would wake up to the sound of firecrackers blasting in our backyard and far across our streets. My ears, in the mean time would be perked up to hear another kind of sound-the jingling of keys on my father’s wardrobe in the next room. No sooner I heard my father calling out my name, I’d jump out of bed and run towards his room wondering what toy Dad would be holding in his hand this time. As always Dad would be waiting for me with a huge smile and a gift in his hand. A beautiful doll with blue eyes and golden locks, a winding toy-monkey beating a drum or a shaggy dog barking , a toy- train or tea set were some of the Christmas gifts I received at that age. My mom and older siblings got mostly clothing from my dad. Being the youngest, I was privileged to receive a toy as well as a frilly taffeta or an organdy dress.

Until we returned from church that morning, we were not allowed to eat anything. But when we returned, we would find all kinds of Christmas goodies and cakes laid out neatly on plates on the table with bunches of a variety of bananas.

Kaakka, an old Muslim man, who worked at my father’s office usually came in to help my mom prepare the Christmas lunch. Kaakka resembled the genie popped out of the Aladdin’s lamp. His broad toothless smile and gentle manners charmed anyone who came across him. In no time, he’d get ready to prepare his famous ghee rice and goat curry in two huge barrel like containers over open hearth in at our backyard The aroma of cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and other spices in the curry and rice wafting in the air would soon bring the neighbors around to celebrate the Christmas meal with us. Invitation was not needed for anyone to drop in, and whoever came never left without eating on that day.

Apart from our neighbors, those who usually worked in our yard- fixing fences, plucking coconuts, sweeping the yard or chopping firewood would also come with their children to enjoy the Christmas meal and to take some food back home. As my parents presented new clothing and money to the workers after the meal, I enjoyed giving out candies, balloons and firecrackers to their children.

I may have born in a Buddhist country and grew up in a Hindu neighborhood, but the joy of Christmas experienced during my childhood was truly extraordinary. I didn't have the pleasure of sitting on Santa's lap to take a photo or have a pile of wrapped up gifts under the Christmas tree as my children did, but I had everything what Christmas is all about- love, laughter and sharing.


Posted last year in my personal blog-Precious Moments

Who Am I?- Sulo Moorthy

I love to paint pictures, but I use no brush

I sprinkle seeds to take root, but I'm neither a farmer nor a gardener

I do cut and chop at times, but never in the kitchen

I produce talking snakes and flying pigs out of thin paper, but I'm no magician

I travel many places without leaving my seat, but I'm not a heavenly being

I sit, stare and sigh most my working hours, yet no one dares to fire me

I receive no pension nor a monthly salary, yet I choose not to quit my work
Others know me by my voice rather than my face

I marvel at others' work, but my very own I tend to doubt a lot

Silk and scent do not entice me as books and blogs do

I hold a wealth that counts so much, yet others see me as poor and unemployed

I call my work a ministry, but I do not work within the church

Who Am I?

Love Perfected - Sulo Moorthy

1 Corinthians 13, the Love chapter

Apostle Paul had given us what true love looks like. Each of us have a vague picture of love, mainly from the romantic novels we've read or the movies we've watched on the screen. But true love weighs much heavier than what is cheaply portrayed on Hollywood movies and novels.

Let's read Paul's version of love and check it out whether our understanding of love come anywhere closer to it. According to Paul,

"Love is patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do you wrong. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Such a definition sounds beautiful and gives a deeper meaning. But, at the same time, it makes us guilty too for falling short of displaying such love, especially towards those whom we encounter on a daily basis- spouse, children, parents, siblings, coworkers, neighbors. It is within the four walls of our house, such love is challenged and put to test more often.

Love expressed in words and gifts do look good and make some impact to brighten the mood and solidify relationships. But buried hurts and deep wounds wouldn't be erased by bouquet of roses or glittering diamonds.

Being kind and patient doesn't cost us dollars, yet we choose to do the opposite.We find it difficult to put Paul's version of love into practice because "I", "Me, " and "Mine" intervene and overtake our thoughts and action most of the times. But prayer and meditation on this chapter on love could make us to practice love instead of talking about it or longing to express such love.

What a happy and wholesome family and community we could establish on earth if we could live by this scripture! Lately I have started meditating on it so that I could put it into practice easily. Would you like to join me for support?

Ministry in Many Forms-Sulo Moorthy

"How has your pen opened ministry doors for you in ways you never dreamed possible?" was one of the choice of topics Brenda gave us to write about this month.

My writing hasn't extended that far to open doors for me to go on speaking engagements or to put me on book tours from place to place to minister to people through my love of God and skill of writing. When I have no clue how to build up a social network via face book, twitter or any other newly-born technology, it's no use wasting my time in moaning about unopened doors.

Three years ago, I started a writer's group at the suggestion of a dear friend who knew that I was searching to join one. I wouldn't consider our group to be either an affirmation one or a critique one. Because the women in the group are mostly wanna-be writers, they seldom bring  manuscripts to be critiqued or affirmed. It's more of a writing class than a typical writer's group.

If not for the writing exercises they do at the meetings or the assignments I at times request them to do at home, they don't do much writing on their own. Work and family commitments give little time for them to sit and write. But when they are made to write, some write so beautifully that I get reluctant to share mine before them.

Sometimes I do get frustrated for doing all the coaxing and seeing little or no outcome. There were times I questioned myself as to why I'm still continuing with what I do. What was I getting out of this writer's group in regard to my own progress? Probably, not much. But at the same time, I cannot forget the friendships I've gained from these seven women who come faithfully every month to meet with other writers.

However, now having completed three years of leading the writer's group, I was thinking of quitting my undertaking this Fall.  Then I received an e-mail from one of the women in my writer's group for whom I had sent an e-mail wishing her on her birthday and complimenting her on the assignment she wrote and  shared with us at our last meeting. My eyes teared up when I read the last two lines of her e-mail.

It read," You are the reason I keep coming back, your faith in our Lord and in each of us. This is a great calling you are fulfilling in your life, among other things."

How could I ever think of quitting after reading something like this?  Kay's words reminded me of another woman, who had penned me something in similar tone thirteen years ago. I've kept her card inside my Bible as a keepsake all these years.

I met Elizabeth at the Read Saskatoon volunteers' meeting. At that time, I had just finished my writing course with Institute of Children's Literature and had published a poem and an article in two magazines. When Elizabeth overheard me telling someone about my writing interests, she approached me to know more about it.

On and off, both of us met at a coffee shop or library to talk about books, faith, health and so on. We would have met five or six times  at the most, for soon Elizabeth had to leave for Ontario where her husband had got a new job. On the last day we met, she gave me a huge hug and handed me a lovely card. I've kept her card inside my Bible, so that whenever I get discouraged as a writer, I could find some comfort and encouragement in reading Elizabeth's beautifully handwritten words.

 I'll let you read a part of what she wrote so that you can understand why her card has become a favorite  keepsake of mine.

" I believe everything happens for a reason! I believe the purpose of me joining "Read Saskatoon" was to meet you...

You shared with me your love of writing and encouraged me to do the same - I dared to take a bold step of faith ... started to put pen to paper and the words started to spill out like a torrent. I finally found great expression in my writing - My journey has just begun!"

I do not know how far the journey has gone, for we haven't kept in touch with each other after Elizabeth left Saskatoon. But I know for sure, wherever she may be today, she'll still be writing.

As writers, as well as ambassadors of Christ, we do not know when, where, and how the seeds we sow will take root, put out shoots and bring forth fruits. It need not be our concern either. The world may not recognize the process of sowing or watering as ministry unless there is something for show and tell in the public arena.

As writers, we do thrive on words of encouragement and appreciation. Otherwise, we easily give into self-doubts and discouragement. That's why I've kept Elizabeth's card as a keepsake.

In Oswald Chamber's words, "We consider what we do in the way of Christian work as service, yet Jesus Christ calls  service to be what we are to Him, not what we do for Him." (My Utmost for His Highest, June 19)

David's Final Blog Posting - Sulo Moorthy

These days, as I lay on my bed under a mound of blankets, frail and old, awaiting  my end to come, I love to look back on my bygone years and revel on the goodness of God. It's beyond anyone's imagination, how, I,  who grew up in an unknown town like Bethlehem and spent most of my boyhood  watching over my father's sheep, became a king to rule over the entire nation of Israel.

In fact, I wasn't even considered as a tag-along by my father or brothers when they went to the sacrifice given by Samuel. Until Samuel asked them to send for me, they hadn't even noticed my absence.

Probably, in their eyes, I was just a kid, a dreamer, who's good at only watching sheep and playing the harp. Unlike my handsome looking, muscled bodied brothers, who were sent to the battle front to fight with the Philistines, I was sent there only to deliver bread and cheese to my brothers and to bring back news about them to my father.

Like any youngster, I hated to be left alone in the fields faraway from my family and friends. Now, looking back, I find those days to be the best times of my whole life. Being alone and away from people, I had ample time to talk to God, to notice His fingerprints on things around, and even hear Him in the quietness of the dawning hours.

For any onlooker, I might have seemed wasting my time doing anything interesting. But I must say, watching my sheep in the fields, gazing the stars at  the night, and  spearing bears behind the bushes taught me much more valuable lessons than what I had learned being on the throne.

Wow! To be named as the Man after God's own heart by God Himself is the highest honor anyone could wish for, and I was so blessed to receive it.   In comparison, the bejewelled crown placed on my head, the wealth acquired as a king, or the fame of conquering many cities weigh far less value to me.

I'm not trying to paint a perfect picture of me to gain admiration here.  Neither do I deny the horrendous deeds I did to stain my life.  But, as far as my devotion towards my God is concerned,I wouldn't even question it for a second. I must say, I sought the LORD with the eyes of my heart that I saw Him everywhere and in everything. That's what made me to blurt out in songs and dance around joyfully whether I was leading my sheep in the fields or returning to my city  in a victory parade.

My deepest regret, which I weep over even to this day is how I grieved the LORD, by my foolish acts. Even though I had the assurance of His forgiveness, I cannot still forgive myself for what I did. .

I presume, power and prosperity must have boosted my ego to block God from my view for a while. And how quickly a mere look at another man's wife over the balcony led me to commit the horrible sins I had never imagined myself doing. Me...an adulterer and a murderer? But, I did become one, and didn't even feel guilty about it till Nathan pointed his finger at me. That was the worse part.

I do not know how many days more I'm going to live. I had chosen Solomon over Adonijah to be the king after me, because he's much wiser, and fears God as I do. However, I warned him about the trap of temptations and told him if he ever backslides in his commitment to God, His  favor would surely depart from him as it did with king Saul.

If you ask me what advice I want to give to the future generation before I go,  I'd say the following:

"Seek the Lord with full adoration. Love Him for who He is  and not for what you can get out of His hands.

Let your love be genuine towards Him and towards others. Trust Him at all times, even when He seems too faraway to heed to your cries.

Temptation can come in any form. Never say, you wouldn't fall for it. I too overestimated myself like that at one time. See what happened. So,watch out your steps !"

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord - David (Psalm 150:6)

 

Procrastination- Opportunity's Enemy - Sulo Moorthy

Once upon a time I enjoyed cooking. I took great pleasure in turning out new recipes and getting compliments from family and friends. Not wanting to see my culinary talent go waste, my entrepreneurial husband encouraged me to write a cook book. I liked the idea. But I didn’t know how to write a cook book. So, when I saw an advertisement in a magazine for a writing course by the Institute of Children’s Literature, I quickly enrolled myself in it. Then being unfamiliar with the craft of writing, I must have assumed that any kind of writing course would enable me to write a cook book. But by the time I finished my course, my interest in writing a cookbook had vanished and I ended up not writing one. However, I have no regrets for taking the writing course that taught me the ABC of creative writing.

Even though, the course prepared me well to write for children, I preferred to write for adults instead. Except for my short poem titled, Is Christmas Your Birthday, Jesus? which got published in our church bulletin, and my story on the life of Brother Yun-the Heavenly Man, which got published in children’s magazines Partners, and Guide, I hadn’t published or written anything for children in the last fifteen years of my writing life.

But lately, to my surprise, a nudge to write a children’s story has been following me for weeks. As always, I’ve tried to give all the excuses why I cannot do it, but found no luck with it. Interestingly, even the story line has started to shape in my head with names for the characters, and a childhood memory as the background. But I couldn’t make myself to sit down and write out even the first sentence onto my computer screen. I kept procrastinating it.

The term 'procrastination', which derived from a Latin word means,“ to put off for tomorrow.”

“The things all writers do best is to find ways to avoid writing,” wrote Alan Dean Foster.

Since I give into procrastination easily, I did a little research recently to find out what causes us to procrastinate. I learned that procrastination can be triggered for many reasons, and it doesn’t always affect for the same reason. In certain stressful situations, it works as a coping mechanism to keep the stress level under control. At times, overwhelmed with the project in hand, the brain refuses to cooperate with our schedules. It is at this time, we tend to distract ourselves with trivial activities like returning phone call, scanning the e-mails, dusting the sofas or walking the dog instead of doing the important project- writing in our case.

Usually when we procrastinate, we tell ourselves that we'd start our writing, when we get enough ideas or mood to write. But according to Julia Cameron, the author of The Right to Write, the process actually works backward. “It’s the act of writing that calls ideas forward, not ideas that call forward writing.” She encourages us to have more than one writing project so that we don’t get stuck with one, when ideas or words fail to flow. A writer who is not writing can be filled with self-loathing and guilt stricken, she writes.

Cameron suggests a daily habit of writing three pages in long hand or having Artist Date to create an inner welling up of thoughts and ideas that will become more and more pressing to put on the page. Lack of motivation, fatigue, fear of failure, perfectionism or laziness could give rise to procrastination.

At times, not knowing where or how to start could lead to it. Once something has a beginning and end,, it’s easier to visualize what’s in the middle. So, it’s better to work from both ends and fill in the middle later. To get through perfectionism, we need to give ourselves permission to write sloppy first draft. Otherwise, we wouldn’t get through our beginning sentence without pressing the delete button a number of times. I speak out of my own experience for I know too well how many days I used to spend on my first draft in the beginning of my writing years. Thankfully I’ve got better with time, but still some remnant of it shows up now and then.

Now that I’ve learned the reasons behind procrastination and not to put off for tomorrow what I can do today, I hope I'd be able to write down the children’s story in my head sooner than later.

“ Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” ~ Charles Dickens

Risen Christ--How do I Portray Him? - Sulo Moorthy

In ten days time we’re going to celebrate Easter-the resurrection of our Lord Christ Jesus. Two thousand years ago, when the news of risen Christ came from the mouths of the women and hit the ears of Peter and John, they couldn’t believe it at first.

These men had spent whole three years walking beside their Master, listening to His teaching, attending weddings and funerals, watching in amazement at the touch of their Lord's hand, blind man seeing, lame man jumping, lepers healed and demon possessed ones calmed and restored. They had witnessed a young maiden pronounced dead brought to life and the young  man Lazarus dead and buried for three days walking out of his tomb in his burial clothing at the sound of Jesus call.

Yes, they had witnessed all that and more. They were the chosen ones to be in the inner circle of three.  They were there with Jesus on the mountain to witness His transfiguration and to see their Lord conversing with Moses and Elijah. They may have even heard the voice from heaven affirming that their  Master was truly the Son of God.

Great witnesses, they could  have been, but they failed to rise up to the occasion when Jesus needed them the most. In the garden of Gethsemane, at the time of His distress, the Lord requested them to watch and pray. What did they do? They gave into sleep and started to snore instead of praying. These devoted disciples who vouched to follow Him to the end couldn’t even boldly accompany Him to the courtroom of Caiaphas or Pilate. Instead, in order to save their own lives, they completely left  their beloved teacher alone to defend Himself. 

Probably I too would have done the same in their situation. The threat of arrest and torture at the hands of Roman soldiers, on top of lingering doubtful thoughts about Jesus’ divinity, would have driven me also to flee and forsake the Lord I might have vouched to die for.

But the encounter with the risen Lord on His resurrection evening and afterwards completely changed these men's attitude and behaviour.  Jesus never accused them for deserting Him in His time of trial.The sovereign Lord knew the limitations of humanity. Being the Son of Man, He understood the fears and doubts His disciples had. The miracle of seeing the buried One alive released the disciples from the grip of fear and uncertainty there onwards.

At times I had wondered whether Peter, John, James and Thomas would have chosen the path of Cross to the end, if they hadn’t seen the risen Lord face to face. Truly, something amazing started to happen when they encountered the risen Christ. Their passion for the Lord got rekindled and was set ablaze.With the empowering of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecostal day, they ventured into a new journey with no turning back.

These men painted as deserters previous to their encounter with the risen Lord emerged as giants of faith fearing not even death in the post resurrected period. It is said that when Peter was sentenced to be crucified, he requested him to be crucified upside down because he found himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way like his Lord.

John,the beloved disciple, who got exiled to Patmos island finished his life well by writing down his vision of the Lord in the Book of Revelation for our benefit. Thomas, the doubting one, journeyed all the way to India to spread the Gospel and later got beheaded for his unshakable faith. I was privileged to visit the site of his execution when I was studying at a  college in India. Named after the disciple, the place is called St.Thomas Mount. James too was beheaded.

Because these men were eye witnesses of risen Christ, many came to accept the Lord through their teaching and acquaintances in the early years of the Church. In my time of doubts and dry spells, I too have looked upon these men’s lives and drawn strength. If they weren't convinced what they had seen and believed, no way they would have gone to the extent they went to spread the gospel.

I hope and pray that the risen Lord within me would be so evident that  many would draw strength from my walk of faith too.  But if I use Jesus as good luck charm or as someone who grant my wants and get me out of trouble,  others would see Him through me only as a  miracle worker,  a holy man  or a spiritual guide. Today as well as in the past,  there are so many spiritual gurus who have been sought to gratify people's emotional and spiritual needs. So, I need to be watchful of how I portray Christ- The Risen Lord and Saviour or  a miracle worker, who helps me out whenever I need Him?

Love Defined Discipleship - Sulo Moorthy

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 14:35

Recently, I witnessed something that truly portrayed the love Jesus talked about. My friend Meera and her husband Raj host a prayer meeting at their house every month. They invite an Indian pastor from out of town to give the sermon, and invite friends who could speak or understand Tamil (my native tongue) so that all could get the opportunity to sing, pray and listen to a sermon in their native tongue and enjoy the home-cooked Indian food Meera has prepared.

When my husband and I went there last month, I noticed that Meera, instead of her casual dress of long skirt and blouse, had dressed up in a lovely blue and gold silk sari and put her long black hair up in a neat bun. Only after the sermon did I learn that it was Meera and Raj's 31st wedding anniversary the next day. To celebrate the evening, the young men and women gathered at the meeting brought a chocolate frosted cake, handed the couple a lovely bouquet of red roses, sang a song dedicated to them and spoke a few words of appreciation.

Even though non-Christians are also invited to the prayer meetings , I've never seen Meera nor Raj enforcing their faith on them or debating with them on faith matters. Meera, herself being a Hindu in the past, knows too well that it's not her words, but her love in action that has the power to draw anyone towards Christ. Even though she holds a high position in her medical profession, she's one of the most humble persons I've known. Her smile and calm composure even under trying condition reflects her strong faith and perspective on life.

As I sat there and watched those 20- to 30-year-old men and women come forward and say how much Meera and Raj had blessed their lives, I wondered how a busy person like Meera who works long hours as a doctor could find the time to spend with these people whenever they needed her help.

A young woman who had a baby an year ago and a surgery a few months later, said that no sooner Meera heard about her pregnancy, she showed up at their door with home cooked food to last for two weeks. Because of Meera, the girl said, she rarely misses her mother in India. A newly married couple who had moved to US recently, nodded their head in agreement to convey how quickly Meera and Raj had won them also by their friendliness.

If any advice or help was needed to purchase a car or an expensive item, Raj was the person they approached. One girl told that once she was talked into buying a not so good car, and when Raj found out about it, he went along with her to the dealer to return the car, get her money back and saw that she drove back home fully satisfied in a better car.

The young man who spoke next said that when his parents were struggling to find work in US and put him and his sister through college, Meera and Raj were there to help them out financially as well as to give the love and support they needed during the time. Recently when  he found out that Meera was going through CT scans and other procedure to find out the cause for the pain in her back and head, he had told his mother that if Meera ever needed a kidney or a lung, he wouldn't think twice to give her one of his own. My eyes welled up when I heard the story. I don't think anyone could put a price tag on such love.

According to Christ's view in John 14:35, it is not by the bumper sticker on our cars or the "I Love Jesus" coffee mugs we carry, the words we write or our stand on certain social issues that are going to portray us as true disciples of Him. To the onlookers, they may help to some extent to reveal our identity, but on closer examination nothing could beat the real thing -- the genuine love for others.

Good Writing Vs Beautiful Writing - Sulo Moorthy

We, writers are lovers of words. We all love good writing.We also love beautiful words that sing and paint pictures in our minds. I often drool over beautiful writing and get mesmerized by the music of the words that I do  read over the sentence again and again.

As one writer puts it, " Well-written means that the language strives to be unambiguous, communicating  with clarity and straight forward purpose, while beautiful writing is enamored of the feel of the words in your mind and on your lips, creating a response that is more concerned with the aesthetic or sensual aspect of language." I agree with him , because I do taste the sweetness of the language on my tongue when I read a beautiful description.
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Emily Dickinson put it in a better way when defining poetry-" If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know this is poetry."

Francine Prose,who wrote Reading Like a Writer encourages writers to have a designated section in their bookshelves for books written by authors whose work dazzle with beauty.

 "These are works you can turn to whenever you feel that your own style is getting a little slack or lazy or vague," she writes.

Beautiful writing is becoming rare these days. It is surely hard to write consistently beautiful prose without being caught up in love with your own words and come out as show off.
 
As we know, beautiful doesn't always mean better. It does have its drawbacks.and could become a hindrance at times. Sometimes the story is written too beautiful that the reader gets trapped  in the web of words  that he is no longer living in the story. Drawing attention to yourself as a writer is one of the fastest way to disconnect from your reader.

If you are reading like a writer, who is paying attention to how the author says something, rather than what she's saying, then such writing could be valuable to better your style of writing. But if you are a non-writer or reading such writing for the story sake, then the verbage  could slow down your pace of reading and even make you stop  reading the story. However there are great authors who have mastered in the skill of writing that they balance beauty and content in appropriate amounts to earn readers' satisfaction.

While simplistic prose can read dull and lazy for some readers, beautiful prose can come off "word heavy' for others.

In the past summer, I tried to read the following books which range from bad writing to beautiful to good writing in my writer's eye.

I picked up the first one to read because it had the New York Times Bestseller stamp on the front cover and it was the autobiography  of a writer-producer of a popular television series.

 "Very funny and witty," described many of the reviewers. Because I like both humor and biographies, I picked up the book as my first choice to read. I couldn't proceed more than a few pages because what the reviewers considered witty tasted bad and bitter in my mouth. Because it was sprinkled with swears and distasteful dialogues, I couldn't continue reading the book.

When I complained about the book to my daughter, she pulled out the novel Fugitive Pieces from her bookshelf and handed to me.

" I know you'd love this book, Mom" she said, " it's one of the beautifully written books."

I had to agree with my daughter, for the author Anne Michaels had done a great  job in trying to paint awesome pictures in our minds.. Let me give you a glance of her writing.

"The forest floor is speckled bronze, sugar caramelized in the leaves. The branches look painted onto the onion-white sky. One morning I watch a finger of light move its way deliberately towards me across the ground."

" The shadow past is shaped by everything that never happened. Invisible, it melts the present like rain through karst. A biography of longing. It steers us like magnetism, a spirit torque.  This is how one becomes undone by a smell, a word, a place, the photo of a mountain of shoes."

By just reading the first few pages I had to admit it's an exceptional work of art. But it was too beautiful that I spent too much time mulling over the writing style that I couldn't proceed at my usual pace. So, I chose to put the book away for a while and read it leaisurely at another time.

Meanwhile, Salmon Rushdie's book Midnight's children, which I ordered on amazon.com arrived in the mail. Because Rushdie is considered to be a great novelist and a master of perpetual storytelling, I wanted to read one of his book for some time. I didn't start reading the book right away. I awaited for the perfect time, an undisturbed and auspicious moment to read such a highly acclaimed novel. To my dismay, I found the novel too sophiscated to my understanding. I couldn't read more than a few pages in this book either. Unlike Michaels', this book didn't make me to dwell in the lustre of the words too long, but I required ample time and thinking skills to enjoy such a book. Since  it's considered to be a marvelous epic that revolves around events in India, I would definitely want to read the book. But for now, it stands on my bookshelf with other unread books of mine.

A few weeks back, I saw the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins laying on our coffee table. My daughter who got the book as a Christmas gift must have left it there after finish reading the book. Because the book and the movie had drawn a huge fan club, I picked up the book just to  glance through the first few pages. To my surprise, I kept on reading. It was an easy read ,good writing and a great page turner. I could have read the book in one sitting, but I didn't. It's a dystopian novel with many themes and full of action, mainly targeted for young adults. Even though adults are also fascinated by the novel, I couldn't see myself enjoying such a novel. My age and taste probably won't allow me to do that.

As writers, we know that the markets decide what's on the shelves on the bookstores. The tastes of readers and styles of writers vary from one generation to another. It's up to us to decide what to tell and how to tell. Beautiful writing may be rare, but it's worth working at it. As always goodness last longer than beauty, so strive for it.

" The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power."  -Tony Morrison

Joseph - The Overlooked Character in the Nativity Story - Sulo Moorthy

Mary, Baby Jesus, angels, shepherds, the Star and the manger mostly stole the spotlight in the Nativity scene while Joseph moved about as a shadowy figure in the picture. We haven't heard of any carol sung about him or a song equivalent to " Mary , do you know your Baby boy," that asked Joseph what he thought about bringing up the Christ Child as his own baby boy.

What a tremendous responsibility and high expectation were placed upon his shoulders,yet no one bothered to write a song pondering about Joseph's situations. I hadn't given much thought to him either until my pastor focused his entire sermon on Joseph on last Sunday.

Joseph was no ordinary man as we assume him to be. According to Gospel of Mathew 1:19, he was a righteous man, meaning he stood right with God. Because he stood right with God, he had the wisdom to do the right thing at the right time.

Any other man in his shoes would have dragged Mary to a public place to be stoned to death no sooner he heard about her pregnancy from Mary's own mouth. But Joseph chose not to do that. That showed how much he must have loved and trusted Mary enough to not to disgrace her publicly. He could have easily cleared his name and protected his reputation by condemning Mary with adultery.

If Joseph chose to marry the pregnant Mary, his community would definitely spit on his face for impregnating a virgin before marriage. No one would have bought Mary's story of angel appearing to her and she becoming pregnant by the power of Holy Spirit. Joseph was sure of facing the scorn of his parents as well as Mary's parents. His also faced the risk of losing his business customers and his livelihood for the sake of his support for Mary. From every angle Joseph must have foreseen the humiliation and rejection from his people.

Gone were the nights, which he spent on dreaming of the wonderful life he was going to have with Mary and the dream house he was planning to build. All those dreams must have got shattered when Mary broke the news of her pregnancy to him. Now, he had to come up with another plan to get out of the marriage without dragging Mary's reputation in the mud. So, he decided to divorce her quietly,

His new plan didn't work either, for an angel of the Lord interrupted his sleep in a dream and told him what he need to do next. It wasn't what Joseph planned to do. Yet, he was willing to change his plans and act according to God's plans. No wonder God chose no other man, but Joseph to bring up His only begotten Son down here on earth. Joseph was a righteous and obedient man of God, a perfect role model for Jesus to grow up under his roof.

The Bible also records that Joseph had no union with his wife Mary until she gave birth to God's Son Jesus. Yes, Joseph honored Mary's hallowed call on her life and let go of his husband right. He put Mary's purity and comfort before his need and pleasure. No husband would want to make that decision on his wedding day. Yet, Joseph did. By doing so, he stood taller than any other man in honor. No wonder, God chose no other man, but Joseph to be the earthly father to love and bring up baby Jesus to manhood.

When the call came to him in a dream to take his wife and baby to Egypt, Joseph raised no question. Later, when he was commanded to go back home, he acted at once. His trust in God must had been so strong and steadfast, he showed no hesitance whenever God asked him to do something. It's no surprise that the eyes of the Lord which are on the righteous chose Joseph to be the perfect father to bring up Jesus on earth.

Mary, the highly favored one was called the blessed one among women, and Joseph was called the righteous man. Both had a high calling in their lives to raise God's Son in a loving and healthy environment and both did their part well in raising boy Jesus to become what His heavenly Father intended Him to be.

What a great couple, what a strong marriage and what a holy family to remember during this Christmas season! Yes, no one wrote or sang a song, " Joseph, did you know that the Baby in the manger would one day raise the dead and make the blind see?" Yet, that doesn't diminish the important role Joseph played in the greatest story ever told on earth-the birth of Jesus.

(Published in Precious Moments on 12/23/2010)

A Writer's Thoughts - Sulo Moorthy

"Writing to make a living in this generation is like walking on the moon,” wrote an author. Landing on the moon was once thought to be inconceivable. But it became not only achievable, but applaudable when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969.  Likewise, even though the thought of making a living by writing seems unattainable these days, some brave to dream and make it happen with sweat and determination. I’m not one of them. On the other hand, some live to write. They could write physically or mentally at all positions-sitting, standing, driving, walking, shopping and even in sleeping. They do not know how to stop writing and they won’t allow anyone or anything to stop them from writing. I’m not one of them either. So, what am I? That’s what I’m still trying to figure out.

Reading and writing are like the right and left eye for the writer. If one becomes weak, the vision gets dimmer and the walk begins to stagger. Without much reading, writing becomes stale. It starts to stagnate and loses its essence. On the other hand, all reading with little or no writing rarely ends up in a publication. Equal importance need to be given to both reading and writing in order to have 20/20 vision and great outcome.

Inspiration without perspiration produces poor writers. In our day and age, promotion needs to be tagged on to perspiration to make the sell. Without the accompaniment of a sale pitch, the writer’s voice is rarely heard beyond the four walls these days. Those of us who do not know how to text, tweet, interact with social network or give an interview cannot blame anyone, but ourselves for not earning a cent from our writing.

Talent draws attention, admiration and applauds. Talent taken for granted, but put to little use produces no winners. But a little talent fueled by great commitment yields great rewards.

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from successful one is a lot of hard work.” ~ Stephen King

“ I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” ~ Albert Einstein

Engaging the readers in your story and educating them in an interesting and entertaining manner is a marvelous skill. Still more marvelous is to enlighten them with the truth and impact them to embrace the One, who called Himself the Truth.

Road to success is never short and straight. It does loops through rejections and discouragement. Yet the lessons learned along the way help to build courage and character. Let not the world define what success means to you. Success may produce celebrities, but it doesn’t always guarantee happiness. To hear the words, “ Well done, my faithful servant!” at the end of the journey is truly the success worthy to seek after.

A Glimpse of Heaven-Sulo Moorthy

When our Women's ministry chose to study the Book of Revelation this Fall, I got excited. For years, I've avoided reading  the last book of the Bible thinking that I wouldn't even understand what's written in those chapters even if I try my best to grasp the meaning of the symbols and signs mentioned in the book.

My enthusiasm for the study heightened  when I learned that we were going to follow Beth Moore's teaching on Revelation through video sessions. Along with me,  80-100 women signed up for this study to get a grasp of what is uniquely revealed in this Book.

As Beth Moore points out in her study book-" No scholar, commentary, denomination, preacher or teacher can plausibly claim to have all the answers and ultimate interpretation for this fascinating finish of scripture. It's futile to expect a full understanding of everything written in the book. As long as God is glorified and His Word held sacred and inspired, having our views challenged can be a very healthy thing."

Surely, our concept of God and understanding of His Word shape our lives and reflect in our faith walk. As a child attending church on the other side of the globe, I grew up calling Christ as Jesu Papa and picturing  Him with the image that I saw on calendars hung on the wall or on Sunday school takeaways- the smiling Jesus with blond hair and blue eyes having  little kids on His lap, or the One with a staff in His hand and a lamb around His neck.

 In my teen years, when I was introduced to the meaning of grace and salvation, I began to see Jesus as the One who died on the cross for my sins in order to give me a place in heaven. . As I grew in years and in my faith, He became my Lord and Savior. When life and family brought challenges and threw uncertainties to fog my view, I saw Christ as my provider, protector, deliverer and counselor,

 In this last book of the Bible, through the eyes of Apostle of John, God has revealed to us the majesty of Christ which we haven’t seen before. Even John couldn’t compose himself to stand straight, but to fall as if dead at the sight of his Lord.  He couldn’t see the Son of Man as Jesus of Nazareth with whom he once walked, talked and ate in Galilee, or as the One who stood silently with a twisted crown of thorns on His head before the mockers, who shouted,“ Hail King of Jews”, and struck Him with their hands. Nor did John see Jesus as the risen Christ, who showed up within closed walls with nail marks on His hands and feet, or the One who was taken up to heaven in clouds while two men robed in white apparel stood on guard.

 Instead, in the first few chapters of the book that I’ve studied so far, John sees Christ as Son of God whose eyes shone like blazing fire and feet looked like burnished bronze, and  voice sounding like rushing waters announcing that He’s the First and the Last. Later, in the throne room of God, where the throne dazzled with the brilliance of jasper and carnelian, and voices of angels numbering ten thousand times ten thousand singing,

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain
To receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
And honor and glory and praise!”

John  sees Christ as a slain Lamb, the only One worthy to open the scroll that was in the right hand of God seated on the throne.

“ To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
Be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!” sang every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them. Rev: 5:11,13.

 Wow! What a glorious scene, and what a mighty King we serve! It's too wonderful to realize that, such a holy and glorious Christ, who is hailed day and night by thousands of angels in heaven, knows my name,  hears my prayers from His throne room and comes to my rescue in my time of need. Such a knowledge makes me want to fall flat on my face in gratitude and worship Him with adoration till my last breath. Instead of confining a day of celebration for thanksgiving, I pray that thankfulness would become my way of life.

InScribers Review- An Introduction to Christian Writing by Ethel Herr-Sulo Moorthy

When I started the Writers' group in San Diego two years ago, I took the suggestion of one of the women in my group and chose a book on writing as a guiding tool to use at our meetings. Because the gals in the group were mostly novice writers, and I hadn't led a writers' group before, I thought it was a great idea to follow a book.

 Luckily I didn't need to shop around to find a suitable book, for within my reach and at my eye level stood on my bookshelf a tall and glossy covered one with a perfect title- An Introduction to Christian Writing-An In -Depth Companion to the Complete Writing Experience. Little did I guess at that time that the book, which I purchased on amazon.com some years back and had remained untouched until then would become a valuable teaching tool for my writers' group.

Although the author's name was not familiar to me then,  Ethel Herr had authored several books including Chosen Women of the Bible, Bible Study for Busy Women and the historical trilogy-The Seekers and had been a well known speaker at writers' conferences. It's said that when Herr's friends asked her to help them how to write, she tried to ask herself the question- What do I wish someone had taught me in the beginning? and wrote them down in a eleven-lesson course which later got published in 1983 with this title. " Destined to become a classic text for beginning writers," read a blurb on its back cover, and as it predicted the book had become an effective teaching guide not only for beginning writers, but also an excellent reference book for writers at  any level in the last 30 years.

What I like best about the book is the fact that before it gets into the technicality of the writing business, the author prepares the writer to see her/his work as an art of worship and ministry. In her own words, "We are God's manuscripts-eternal, unique, precious to our Creator. Each piece we write comprises, on our part, an act of worship offered to the God of the universe. From God's point of view, it functions as one more step in the process of producing His works of art in us-perfect, flawless reflectors of His image."

What an awesome perspective to have as Christian writers, when we set foot on this arena of writing and play with words, paint pictures and splash colorful reflection of His love and craft stories to relate and minister to our readers!

Out in the Writers' Market, you could find books on writing written by secular as well as Christian authors telling us how to write well and sell well. But this book,along with the funtion of schooling in the craft of writing, it help the writer to keep the focus straight and unhindered by market trends, it also stresses the importance of writing faithfully what we are called to write even if it's for the audience of One. Isn't that what's Christian writing is about? Probably that may be the reason the book has been sold successfully  for the last quarter century and had remained a favorite at writers' conferences.

The book is divided into two sections-The Textbook and the Appendices. The textbook consists of 11 two-part lessons.  In Part One of each lessons, the author addresses questions like- What is a Christian Writer? What are Christian Writers Opportunities? Am I Qualified to be a Writer? Can I Stick with it ? What are my responsibilities? How do I plan my work area and Equipment? How do I get ready to write?

In Part Two, Herr gets into the nuts and bolts of actual writing process and takes the writer by the hand and guide through steps to write effective sentences, strong paragraphs, do a market study, and to find ideas and craft personal experience stories. At the end of each lesson, she provides examples and assignments to motivate and keep the writing going. By working through these eleven lessons and assignments, the writer is well trained  to write, rewrite,  polish and submit a manuscript for publication

In The Appendices, the author includes  a glossary of Writer's Terms, Sample Articles,  Valuable Resources for Writers, Information about How to Organize a Writer's Group, Checklists for Critiquing , Turning Teaching/Speaking into Manuscripts, Writer's files and additional assignments. She ends the book by addressing the question,-Should I Write A Book?

Because the book was first published in 1983 and I hold its 2nd edition published in 1999, I need to admit that the book lacks the current social media networking information. If you are looking for help on blogging, twittering, Webinars, or launching your book online, this book may not be resourceful. But it's a great resource to both the beginning and the experience writer to keep it as reference book and as a teaching tool.

In Susan Titus Osborn's words-" An Introduction to Christian Writing is an excellent resource for the beginning or experienced writer. It thoroughly covers the different aspects of writing, and I have used it as an effective tool in both college courses and adult education classes."

" If you can afford only one writing book, this is the one to get." Les Stobbe, Writer, Editor and an Agent.

Power of Encouragement--Sulo Moorthy

“ Leaving comments is a great way to support your fellow writers,” read Brenda Leyland’s e-mail on the listserv a few weeks ago. I cannot agree more. We, writers, whether we acknowledge it or not, thrive on compliments, applauds or any kind of encouragement. If not for the comments left on our postings, the nod of approval at the writers’ group, the sound of clapping at the book reading or the hopeful foot-note of the editor on our returned manuscript, some of us would have given up writing a long time ago.

You cannot fathom the empowerment of such words, whether written in a line as a comment or said in a few sentences. Especially if the compliment comes to a beginner or a struggling writer from an accomplished fellow writer, a well known author or an editor, it becomes the wind beneath the wings to propel the recipient to another height.

It’s going to be twelve years since I had the privilege of getting the compliment from the mouth of Linda Hall, a well known author, and the guest speaker at the 2000 ICWF Fall Conference. The previous evening she had heard me read my poems at the poetry reading session.

Being new to writing, and not having met any writer before, I was clueless as to what to expect at the Writers’ Conference when I arrived. In case I was asked to read some of my work, I had brought with me the three poems I had ever written, and traveled all the way from Saskatoon by bus.

Although I never intended to read my poems , no sooner had I spotted the Our Family magazine on the display table with my poem, Am I A Christian? , I braved enough to put down my name for the poetry reading that evening. Little did I realize at that time that the poetry session titled Peanut Butter and Jam was meant for light, funny and laughter- provoking readings, rather than the serious and spiritual ones like mine. Only when I sat and listened to others' poems and the holler of laughter following the readings, did I realize my mistake. But it was too late for me to withdraw or to exit from the packed auditorium without being noticed. So, left with no option, I went and read out my poems when my name was called out.

The next morning, when I heard Linda Hall on the stage mention about one of my poems and say how much she was inspired by it, I felt as if I was suddenly airlifted to heaven. For a beginner like me to hear a compliment publicly from a great author like Linda Hall was beyond my expectation. She need not have bothered to take a few moments out of her speaking time to compliment an unknown writer like me. But she did. It surely reflected something great about her, other than her writing. There's no doubt, Hall would have forgotten about it no sooner she got down from the stage on that morning. But I haven’t. It’s still fresh in my mind as if it happened only a week ago.

The author's compliment as well as what I learned at the conference from other writers energized me to write and submit an article to Fellowscript as soon as I returned home. Result-“ Never Do” Wisdom for Budding Writers was published with my byline in Fellowscript in the following Spring.

Even though, it's not advisable to rely on others' approval and appreciation for our success, encouraging words do play a key role in keeping us on course. Blogging may be the only kind of writing some maybe doing at this season of their writing. As Brenda suggested, leaving comments is a great way to support our fellow writers. It does take time and effort. But, it’s within our power to do it, whether we are well known authors or unpublished ones.

“Do not withhold good from those whom it is due, when it is in power of your hand to do so.” Proverbs 3:27.

A Life without Faith--Sulo Moorthy

Recently, my husband and I went out for supper with some of my husband's friends. It was then I met Steve, who professed to be an atheist. I imagined an atheist to be an arrogant, argumentative and annoying person to come across. But Steve was none of that. Even though he was well educated and knowledgeable on many subjects, he was humble and pleasant to talk to.

In the course of our conversation, when Steve learned that I'm a writer, he was curious to know what kind of writing I do. When I mentioned I do mostly Christian writing, he didn't try to switch onto another topic as I expected. Instead, he showed interest in reading my work, and asked me whether I could send him the link to my blog site. Thrilled by his interest,I e-mailed him the link to my personal blog Precious Moments as soon I returned home from the restaurant that night.


A few days later, I received an e-mail from Steve. He wrote to say, he had read many of my postings, and that he was impressed with my non-judgemental approach. He went on to say that,except for one thing, he agreed with most I had written. He pointed out that,we,theists,rely on Bible teaching or some religious doctrines for motivation to do anything good and right. Why need a God to motivate you, when you've got the conscience to do what's right. That's the one thing we both differ, Steve wrote.


I cannot deny the fact, how convincing Steve was in his reasoning. What if, he had hoped to convert me to his way of thinking? What if, I've allowed his thoughts to take root,and begin to doubt whatever I've believed so far. Having lived all my life believing in an awesome,but an invisible God,I had no clue how to face life as an atheist. What would I do, and not do?

I allowed my imagination to run in that direction and have some fun. If I believe there's no God, there's no need for prayer. So, I'd stop praying. Next I'd stop reading the Bible, thinking that it's full of made up stories, written mainly to convince and control people. Because there's no scientific proof or reliable evidence for any of these stories, I wouldn't want to waste my time in reading the so called Holy Book. I'd soon stop going to church.

My writing would soon come to a halt. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I'd be like a blind person groping in the dark, not knowing which way to go and what lays ahead of me. If I don't consider writing as my calling, it would be easy for me to give up on writing, when payment or recognition fail to come my way.


When faith walks out of my life in want of evidence, fear will wheel in, dragging along worry and skepticism with it. Without the security of eternal life and heavenly abode, my life would be wasted in hoarding unnecessary stuff here on earth. I may look cool and sound genius in airing my atheistic views, but I'd be considered a fool in the eyes of those up in heaven.

Stop! Something within me shouted. I felt like being choked, gasping for air. I couldn't allow my imagination go any further. Prayer is like breathing for me,a believer. If breathing is stopped, and my life support is removed, I'd be nothing but a spiritual corpse.


By putting myself outside the box, I did have some fun with my imagination. By doing so,I came to realize how easily I could take my God given privileges for granted. I may not have all the answers to convince my friend to view God as I do. But one day, we'll have all the evidences to convince even the most skeptic person on earth.


"I am squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! I'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees me, knowing Him directly just as He knows me!"
1 Corinthians 13:12 (THE MESSAGE)

Just a Sheet of Paper - Sulo Moorthy

I'm just a sheet of paper
Yes, that's what I am
Plain, white and blank
That's what I look to you
Until...yes, I say until
I'm picked up,and scribbled on.
That's when I wake up
And  become alive
Alive to speak back to you
To you, the writer, famous or unheard.

Once woken up, I dislike to be put back to sleep
I love when someone beautifies me
With skill and sincerity
The tenderness a lover writes through me
Sometimes make me want to blush
And when I'm written on in a place of war
While uncertainty and fear of death throttle the lovers' souls
I become the lifeline for those two aching hearts
And probably a page of memoir for later use.

Oh, how many sighs I've heard
And how many tears have I sipped
It truly wrenches my thin sheet of body
To look upon the saddened face of my writer.

Then, there are those who write on me with so much passion
A passion that sets me ablaze
Some make me want to sing and sway my body
To the rhythm of music they write on me
If I could, I'd surely bow my head(I mean roll up the sheet)
To the prayers and devotionals written in reverence
And I beam with pride when the work written upon me
Make it to the publisher and becomes a page of a book
Script of a play, or a scene in a movie.

But, until someone picks me up
And pens me with something
I remain just a thin sheet of paper
Plain, blank and white!

(Published in Fellowscript in May 2007.)
Poets out there, bear with me for my poetry writing.

The Beauty of Grace - Sulo Moorthy

I do not know how many times I had read the familiar story of the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8, but a week ago when I read through the passage, especially the line where Jesus was  saying to the woman, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and and leave your life of sin," I was deeply touched by its beauty. I wrote down in my journal that day, "In my mind that's the most beautiful words anyone could have said to a woman caught in the act of sin. Never before in Jewish history had anyone let go an adulterous woman free like that."

 The Law required any adulterer or adulteress to be put to death (Leviticus20:10.) The scribes and the leaders of the Law who dragged the woman and brought her before Jesus knew the scripture well enough to accuse and humiliate her before the crowd. Self-righteousness must have blinded their eyes to make them feel superior, and  to be insensitive to woman's plea for pity. To their shock, the Law Giver chose Grace over judgement, and made them to face their own guilt. Little did they realize that in God's eyes, the sins they harbor in their hearts looked no different from the sin the woman had committed. At that place, Jesus revealed the tender heart of God for all generations to see.

I wonder what Jesus would say to those who call themselves Christians, but who stand on street corners carrying huge banners that say " God hates Gays and He laughs when Gays die" or to those people who mock and condemn those who act differently, worship differently or think differently.

Jesus, who chose to dine and fellowship with tax collectors and outcasts of the society in order to bring them into His fold, surely expects  His followers to extend  grace to those who need it. Judgement belongs to Christ alone.  Let us be cautious to  not to cross the boundary line, and  declare in our self-righteousness, who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. That right belongs to our Saviour, who bled profusely on the Cross at Calvary to save all mankind. 

Calvary love speaks of nothing, but Amazing Grace. The agony of hanging on the cross with parched throat, and nail pierced limbs, and thorns pricked forehead, didn’t make the King of kings to curse the thief who scoffed at Him, or ignore the other thief who asked for forgiveness at the last hour of his life. That is Grace! Pure and beautiful. We, who are saved by His beautiful grace are called to wriggle out of  self-righteous attitude and show grace to all who need it. Because Grace is so beautiful, it would captivate those whom we minister, and drive them towards the One who displayed Amazing Grace on Calvary!

Writers on Writing - Sulo Moorthy

Since I’m no expert to give advice on writing, I thought of taking up the Writers’ Creed which says, “When you are learning, seek help. When you are published, pass it on,” and sharing some valuable quotes from other writers.

“Every writer, by the way he uses the language, reveals something of his spirit, his habits, his capacities his bias. This is inevitable as well as enjoyable…Creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self escaping into the open. No writer long remains incognito."-E.B.White

“ If we had to say what writing is, we would define it essentially as an act of courage.”—Cynthia Ozick

“To be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal, but you have to care.”—Anne Lamott

“Anyone can become a writer. The trick is staying a writer.”—Harlan Ellison

“Beginning writers must appreciate the prerequisites if they hope to become writers. You pay your dues—which take years.”—Alex Haley

“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thought uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience.”—Henry David Thoreau

“Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.”—Olin Miller

Every writer has desert times. Those times however, are not to be feared……Writing interludes give you room to hear the voice of God. His spirit has space, at last, to write from your innermost being and with joy.”---Linda Anderson.

“While the false self feasts on praise, your identity as a Christian writer is not found in the opinion of others. ….Criticism should inform us, but never defeat us.” –Norman G Wilson

“The fact that some publisher doesn’t want to publish my words doesn’t mean they lack value. I don’t expect the act of publishing to validate my life. My words are meaningful. They are my ministry, even if they are only meant as a ministry to myself, or my wife or the authors I represent.”-Chip MacGregor.

“I want to write not what the market says I should write, but what I believe God is leading me to write.”----Vicki Caruana

“ It’s helpful to remind yourself that media attention is not coming because you’re anything special, but rather because your book somehow became noteworthy. You have to continue doing what you were doing and not start thinking the world has finally discovered you.”—Jerry Jenkins

“ I firmly believe that, as the cliché goes, laughter is the shortest distance between two people. You disarm people when you write in a funny way, so people begin to listen to what you have to say.”-Lorilee Craker

The task of a writer is to soak up dibs and dabs of this and that, swish them around in mind, and slowly release words or marks in a thin stream across a page.”—Carol J. Rottman

“ A writer is not a confectioner, not a dealer in cosmetics, not an entertainer; he is a man bound under compulsion, by the realization of his duty and by his conscience. “- Anton Chekhov

" A house without books is like a room without windows."-Horace Mann

“ God doesn’t measure success by the size of a royality check or the popularity of the writer. Nor is He impressed with prolific output or a long list of publishing credits…..You are His manuscript, and His goal is to refine you until you reflect His image in every corner of the world where He has placed both you and your manuscripts.”—Ethel Herr

"May you like John, depict the heavens. May you, like Paul, love the churches. May you like Luke, connect with a Theophilus in your world. May you pick up the pen and write for the soul." Max Lucado.

Prayer--An Armor of Protection – Sulo Moorthy

We do pray for many reasons. We pray because we love God and we want to communicate with Him. We pray when we are in need of something, in trouble, in pain, or in danger. We pray for our sakes as well as for the well being of our loved ones and associates. Sometimes we pray out of desperation, and other times, we pray out of duty.

We feel guilty when we don't pray and feel great when we do pray as we ought to. Some of us choose to pray in the early hours of the day, while others prefer to pray before going to bed. We assume God to be well pleased when we pray to Him, and displeased when we don't seek Him in prayer. Though we may have many reasons to pray, there's one other good reason we need to pray.

In Mark 14; 37, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus tells Peter, "...Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Peter was unaware of what's going to happen in the next couple of hours. But Jesus knew. Only a day earlier, when Jesus told His disciples "You will all fall away, for it is written, " I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, " Peter had declared, " Even if all fall away, I will not." He was so confident of his love for His Master that he took no account of his weakness.

If only he had remembered what Jesus had told him soon after the Last Supper in the upper room, he may have acted differently. Jesus told him,

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22: 31-32)

As Jesus predicted, within two days, Peter stood in the courtyard of the high priest and denied knowing Christ. Giving into fear, he disowned the One, whom he vouched of not abandoning for any reason.

If only Peter had taken Jesus’ words seriously and given to much praying, he could have gained the courage to stand up for His Master at any cost. Prayer could have become an armor to guard him from giving into fear and temptation. It's for Peter's sake, Jesus wanted him to watch and pray.

In the Book of Job, we find Satan asking permission to test the faith of Job. Peter, like Job had the freedom to pass or fail the test. We too have the same freedom of choice. Most of the times, our eyes are blind to see what Satan is orchestrating behind the scene. It is here prayer plays a vital role in shielding us from the enemy’s deceitful pranks. Jesus taught us to pray, “Do not lead us into temptation.” If we keep alert and follow His instruction, like Peter we too might be called to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ, when we see them going through trials and temptations.

“Without prayer, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word, have no power. All depends on prayer. May God teach us to believe this and to hold fast.” ~ Andrew Murray

Early Entries of My Writer's Journal - Sulo Moorthy

“ I want to go on living after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me.”

----Anne Frank

When thirteen –year –old Anne sat in her dark and damp hiding place and wrote in her red-checkered diary the daily events in 1942, she never envisioned her entries to turn out into a book published in countless languages and editions or be adapted for the stage and screen years later around the world. She simply wrote to pass the time and to keep her sanity in that tension stricken surroundings.

Many of us have our old journals stacked up in some shelf in the corner of a room or stuffed inside bottom drawers or a box under the bed. Though rarely we dream of something great turning out of our daily entries like Anne Frank’s , we can take pride in knowing that some of what we’ve written in our journals had somehow found their way to appear in publications with our names on them. From time to time, I like to amuse myself by going through some of my old journals.

Just last week, I flipped through the pages of my journal titled Writer’s Journal, and found my first entry to be "My First Christian Writers’ Conference."  Dated 29/09/2000 and covered in ten full pages, the entry gave a detail account of the ICWF Fall conference 2000 I attended.

Starting with my 6:00 am Greyhound bus ride from Saskatoon to Edmonton, it went onto say how appalled I was to meet with writers for the first time, and to learn from great authors  like Janet Oke, Linda Hall, Maxine Hancock and Phil Callaway. 

The following pages which went on to describe my state of mind on seeing Our Family magazine with my poem, "Am I A Christian?" on the display table, signing up for poetry reading and fidgeting about it minutes later,  the nerve-wrecking experience of reading out my poems in front of 200-300 established writers at  the Peanut Butter and Jam Session, and then hearing Linda Hall compliment me from the podium at the next day session made me to retrace and relive those unforgettable moments.

On 20/03/2001, I wrote, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!!! ……I couldn’t believe what I saw when I tore open the yellow manila envelope with the Inscribe stamp. Under the heading, Special Assignment Winner, my name flashed back in bright black letters. Never, never did I dream of winning the assignment, and when I finally did, I couldn't find enough words to express my thanks to my Lord. It’s another milestone in my writing path and God in His mercy has helped me to achieve it. I desperately needed that $30 and now God has granted my wish to get it.” -A Page From My Journal gave me the win, and got published in Fellowscript in early 2001.

On 06/06/2001 I wrote, “ Never expected to see an e-mail in my inbox when I clicked on the laptop today. I didn’t even have my glasses on when I punched the keys. So, when I saw an e-mail in my inbox addressed, “ Dear Sulochana,” I had no clue what that was about because the writing on the screen looked so blurry. So, I dashed upstairs in a few steps and ran back and looked up again, now with my glasses on.


I could hear my heart going thodum-thudum; my hands were getting sweaty and shaky. Finally when I found out what was the e-mail about I couldn’t breathe for a second or two. It was as if I’ve won a lottery ticket. To get my article accepted by the Edmonton Journal for the page, "Offering," was a great leap for me. More than getting published, I was overjoyed by the thought that my message was getting out into the world. Becoming too busy for the Lord, even in the church is very sad and that’s what my article was about. Well, I’ve reached another milestone in my writing path at a moment when I’ was getting doubtful about my writing skill."

My article was published in Edmonton Journal on June 23, 2001 with the title Frantic pace Prevents a Closer Walk with God.


On July 21, 2004 around 6:00, I wrote, “When I saw Elsie’s e-mail on the listserv on May 5th,stating that Martha Anderson had decided to take a break from writing the devotional columns and Inscribe is on the look-out for another Devotional Columnist for Fellowscript, something started to stir within me. A deep yearning from somewhere gripped me with an iron fist and wouldn’t let go of my heart until I decided to apply for the assignment. Elsie has beautifully ended her e-mail saying that she knows that someone out there is Lord’s choice for the posting and as such to consider it prayerfully and to submit a couple of sample writings.”

Despite my inner critic’s hissing of the fact.  I could never fill the shoes of a veteran Inscriber like Martha Anderson, I submitted my sample devotional on June 6th and awaited impatiently. Three weeks later, I received a congratulating note from Elsie to say that Inscribe had chosen me to be the columnist.

It surprises  me today, why I had omitted recording any of my rejections. Probably the sting of rejection may have been too disheartening that I chose not to revisit them again.  I found a page with written goals instead. Because I’m not good at either goal setting or goal keeping, I rarely put down my goals on black and white. Seeing my goals neatly written down on a page in 2000, put a smile on my face. The page read as follows:

22/10/2000 “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Main goal:     To be a great author using my talents for His glory.

Small goals:   Writing an article per month; writing fillers-poems, greeting card; At least
                        6-7 publications before the next Fall conference
Future goals:    Five years from now: One book publication.

10 yrs from now:     Four to five books publication-

Twelve years had swift by since I wrote down my first entry in my Writer's Journal, and its pages give me a glimpse of my growth spurt in writing skill and the opportunities ICWF had given me to gain confidence and to fledge my wings. Goal keeping may not be my strength, but obeying God is. So, I keep writing.