A Mary's Yes by Lynn J Simpson

I walk on the carved trail lined with evergreen trees, shadows painting images that darken spots on the path and I play a game. Like a child avoiding the cracks on a sidewalk, I skip into the light, skirting the shadows.

A time comes though, when darkened areas only remain, the path overshadowed from an easterly sun dipping low in the sky.  It’s not in my control, the rising and setting sun, the beginning of day and the falling light into night.

Enveloped in the shadows, my footfalls fall now evenly on the trail.

And I think of Mary, the mother chosen by God to birth His Son. When she, this young virgin, questioned the angel Gabriel on how she could conceive a son, he assured her with these words:

“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”  Luke 1:35

And Mary responded by allowing herself to be fully overshadowed, stepping into obedience through her devotion to the Lord to the disregard of her own interests.

“And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke1:38

Oh, what trust Mary had to allow God to overshadow her completely! Her future of marrying Joseph, setting up house, having a family in her community were turned over to the Lord. She risked being shunned by her community, being rejected by Joseph, and possibly living in poverty. Yet, as a bondslave to the Lord, she gave herself completely over to be used to advance His kingdom among men.

Have I ever trusted like Mary, letting God overshadow me, outweigh my own interests and plans? Or is my heart contrite, leaning into my own self-sufficiency and pride so I think I have control of my future?

Mary leaned into the will of God. And God took care of her. Her future did include marrying Joseph, having a family, continuing close ties with her community. Yes, there was also sorrow and pondering in her heart—life challenges. For none of us, since the fall of Adam and Eve, are without our human experience trials.

I see the end of the trail in the near distance, a few dozen steps away. The path opens wide where I know a bridge crossing transfers me over a mountain river onto a wooden boardwalk that ends where I began.

I trust these mountain trails carved between and enveloped with evergreen trees. Do I trust the Lord as Mary did? How am I a bondslave to the One who made us, loves us, is endlessly merciful, and promises to sustain us? 

Do I allow God to envelope me in His shadow?

As Christmas approaches, may we challenge ourselves to trust and be faithful to the Lord as Mary did when the angel appeared. Like Mary, let’s answer “yes” as His bondslaves, honouring the One who made us by being obedient to His calling of advancing His kingdom as Jesus taught us.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-13

Have a Christ-filled Christmas season!

 You can read more of Lynn's musings on faith and life at Lynn J Simpson

Embracing the Changing Seasons of Life by Nina Faye Morey

For everything there is a season,

and a time for every purpose under heaven.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ASV)

Just as nature’s seasons change, so do the seasons of our lives. We may not be willing to accept these changes, but they will happen nevertheless. They are inevitable and come and go quickly. Time passes even faster as I grow older, and the seasons of my life zoom past with head-spinning speed. But would I really want to stop the clock? If my life grew stale and stagnant despite these ever-changing seasons, would I still remain content? As far as I can see, I only have two choices. I can be the passive casualty of change or the passionate embracer of change. I know which one I will choose. How about you?

Change doesn’t have to be viewed as negative. Many changes in my life have definitely been for the better. They’ve opened me up to new adventures, new experiences, new discoveries, new ideas, new passions, new hopes, new dreams, new purposes, new people, and so many other new and positive things. I’ve discovered that I am more satisfied with the seasons of my life if I choose to actively embrace these changes rather than complaining about them, fearing them, resisting them, or outright rejecting them. I must not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone, shake-up my normal routine, and move ahead with my life.

Autumn is a glorious season when the summer leaves change colour from their fine greenery to brilliant shades of yellow, red, and orange. It’s also traditionally a time when one season of life transforms into another. As I harvest and preserve the fruits of past labours, I am also planning what seeds I will plant and nurture through my next season of growth. Embracing these changing seasons of life offers renewed opportunities to envision how to make the best use of my God-given gifts. More specifically, what does God want me to do and what do I want Him to do for me in the next phase of my writing life? I am excited to see what new challenges He has in store for me and how He will help me to meet these challenges. What does He require of me and how will I respond? I have dreamed up so many writing projects for this upcoming season that I hardly know where to begin.

The LORD says, “I will teach you the way you should go;

I will instruct you and advise you.

~ Psalm 32:8 (GNT)

As I prepare for my next season of growth, I feel God challenging me to cultivate fresh fields. One new field in which I plan to plant and nurture seeds is on a site in the realm of the internet. I haven’t settled on a name for my new domain yet, but I’ve been reading several of those how-to books and websites that promise to help me plan, design, and launch my new website into this online world. I don’t know if this new site will prove to be a fertile ground for growth, but I intend to fully embrace this challenge. I believe that if I listen to God’s voice and respond positively to this change He’s asking me to make in my writing life, my efforts will prove to be fruitful.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine,

and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

~ John 15:4 (NLT)

Just as the seasonal changes in nature are inevitable, so are the changes that naturally occur as we go through the seasons of life. What new challenges in your life or writing do you feel God has in store for you this season, and how will you respond?

Opportunities and Challenges - Carol Harrison

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Life and writing are full of challenges that can overshadow everything else and make us miss opportunities God is nudging us to embrace.

As I thought about this month's prompt of the interaction between faith and writing, I must admit that other life activities and challenges kept me longing for the proverbial light bulb moment of inspiration so I could sit at the keyboard and compose words worth reading. I searched through memories, verses and photos for inspiration or maybe even a tool for procrastination. I remembered this photo which spoke to me to the tenacity of seedlings growing in less than ideal circumstances.

I have often wondered how a pansy, my favourite flower, can grow in an area covered by stones and yet one summer two pansies greeted me each morning in our small grassless backyard. Each time I looked at their bright colours I felt a smile crease my face and imagined them thumbing their noses at the adverse growing conditions.

On our recent train trip across Canada I marveled at the trees and shrubs growing out of the rocks in the Canadian Shield and clinging to the steep cliffs of the Rockies. How did they grow in such harsh conditions. How did their roots find the exact crevice in the rocks to search for nutrients and stability?

This picture, the pansies in the rocks and the trees growing where nothing should survive all remind me of possibilities beyond the challenges. They also serve as reminders of growing my faith, with God's help, by sending roots into the Word of God and spending time listening to His direction, His voice and then listening to those nudges he gives, even when I do not understand His purpose for me, my life or my writing.

I thought back to a conversation I had a few months ago. Adrienne, one of the founders of a group called Consciously Woman, interviewed me as a possible weekly contributor to their blog. She said, "I looked at your web page and its all about christian faith. This community has women with varied beliefs. Do you think you can even write something that is not preachy or is more general in nature?"

I must admit my first internal reaction to her words, not said in anger, included wanting to end the conversation and not bother about the rest of the interview. But I paused and trusted God to give me words to say. We finished the time with my agreeing to be one of her writers because I realized as we chatted that not everything I write or have had published is Bible verse quoting, devotional style, geared to one audience material. Yet no matter what I write, my faith colours what I say for it is an integral part of who I am.

My faith is a work in progress with ebbs and flows of strength. Even when I struggle with challenges and the question why pops into my mind, I beg for growth in that area of my life. My faith should not be put on like an accessory when the mood strikes. It is an integral part of who I am and should be reflected in every aspect of my life, through my attitude, my actions and my words whether written or verbal.

My writing too is a work in progress. I need to keep learning from others further along the journey, practice what I have already learned and listen to God's still small voice for directions in this area of my life. Some writing remains hidden from the eyes of all but God and myself. My journal contains reflections,  memories and yes sometimes questions about faith and life. God has directed at least one short story to be shared with people at certain times and I did not understand the reason. I had written it as part of a healing process. I obeyed and God used it to touch the life of someone else. In return my faith grew and strengthened.



Not everything I write is devotional style with Bible verses quoted and expounded upon or other Christian based faith writing. But the words I choose, the attitude portrayed within the story reflect who I am and whose I am. Faith helps me survive the challenges and opens my ears to hear the opportunities God nudges me to accept. I like how this poster sums up my life and my writing. May it inspire you as you take on the challenges and opportunities of life and writing.




As a speaker, published author and storyteller, Carol Harrison is passionate about mentoring people of all ages and abilities to help them find their voice and reach their fullest potential. She shares from her heart, telling stories from real life experiences and God’s Word to encourage people and help them find a glimmer of hope no matter what the circumstances. She believes we need to continuously grow in our walk with God and lives out her storytelling passion by speaking at women’s events and retreats, Bible Camps as well as school assemblies and church events. Carol is a wife, mother of four adult children and grandmother to twelve. She makes her home is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Bringing Hope to the Brokenhearted by Nina Faye Morey

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

~ Romans 15:13 NIV

Faith, hope, and love are fundamental to Christianity (1 Cor. 13:13).

But what exactly is hope?

HOPE

To the worldly wise, hope means something quite different than it does to us Christians. To them, hope is simply a desire or yearning for a certain outcome: “I hope it doesn’t rain today.” For many, it also means having a positive outlook on life. The hopeful focus optimistically on the opportunities that life’s challenges present. Those who tend to be more downcast, pessimistically focus on the challenges that come with life’s opportunities.

For nonbelievers, much of the hope that the world has to offer turns out to be false hope. Despair abounds and is often reflected in literature and the arts. Many people are so overcome by hopelessness and despair that they turn to drugs and/or suicide as a means of escape. Suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death in Canada <https://suicideprevention.ca/understanding/suicide-in-canada/>.

FAITH

For Christians, grounded in the Word of God, Christ offers true hope: “The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). This hope, based on our Christian faith, sets us apart from the world. It’s not the kind of false hope that blinds us to life’s challenges or leads us to expect good things to simply fall into our laps.

But how can I, a believer, convey to the world’s brokenhearted the genuine hope that Jesus Christ offers? The Bible exhorts us to be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks why we are so hopeful:

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give

an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope

that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

~ 1 Peter 3:15 NIV

As a Christian writer, I must not be timid about sharing my testimony (2 Timothy 1:7-8). However, it’s imperative that I not offend my readers by being critical or judgmental. I must be careful not to write in a patronizing tone or make the mistake of putting myself on a pedestal. To gain my readers’ trust, I need to reveal my true self and be open and honest about my flaws and mistakes. If I’m not authentic, how can I connect with my audience or expect them to be receptive to my message? My desire is to reflect Christ through words that offer kindness, patience, gentleness, understanding, compassion, and respect.

LOVE

My mission is to share with the brokenhearted a sense of the incredible, infinite love and mercy of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 61:1). By sharing my own faith in the face of challenges and suffering or the peace that I feel in my heart and soul because of the trust I place in God, my words have the potential to give someone whose world is filled with hopelessness, darkness, and pain a faint glimmer of hope, light, and love.

My objective is to offer my readers words that encourage and inspire. But no matter what our Christian ministry, we can never single-handedly fix a broken world. However, by spreading Christ’s message of love and hope, we have the power to mobilize someone to take that first tiny and timely step that will start them down the right path to redemption.

Photo Credits: © 2017 Nina Faye Morey

The Value of Taking a Break by Susan Barclay

At times it’s been a hot summer, but when you have air conditioning, you can never really use the excuse that it’s “too hot to write.” Still, as MarniePohlmann expressed a few days ago, there’s a season for everything, and sometimes it’s appropriate to take a break – even from something as important as writing. 

In fact, this has been a somewhat challenging year for me. As I contemplate the prospect of writing the annual Christmas letter, I toy with the terms ‘annus horribilis” and “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” I won’t get into the details, but apart from a few personal experience pieces and their submission, I have not succeeded in accomplishing the writing projects I had in mind. In the eyes of someone like Stephen King, who believes in writing every day regardless, perhaps I’m a bad writer or no kind of writer at all. I choose to believe something different, though: I am a writer taking a break from writing to live a very real life, one that gets a little messy, one that requires my attention.

I’m reminded of a quote from Tom Hodgkinson that says, “Being lazy does not mean that you do not create. In fact, lying around doing nothing is an important, nay crucial, part of the creative process. It is meaningless bustle that actually gets in the way of productivity.” While I wouldn’t say I’m “being lazy” or “lying around doing nothing,” I do believe that what I am going through is, or will be, part of my creative process and future literary fertility. But if I were relaxing or otherwise unoccupied, I would remember that there is value in being “bored.” Recent studies show that boredom leads to more creativity and encourages the pursuit of new goals. Hurray for science, right?

And like Gretchen Rubin, who “always had the uncomfortable feeling that if [she] wasn't sitting in front of a computer typing, [she] was wasting [her] time,” take “a wider view of what [is]"productive." Time spent with … family and friends [is] never wasted.” At the end of the day, we’re not going to wish we’d spent more of our time working; investing in people is what lasts and has eternal value. So, go ahead, take that break. I’ll know I’m in good company with you.

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For more of my writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.ca or www.susanbarclay.wordpress.com