Listen to the Lord by Susan Barclay

 

This month’s writing prompt talks about the heart “as the core of one’s being, composed of our mind, emotion, and will”, and asks us how we keep or guard our heart. How do we guard our mind? How do we guard our emotions? How do we guard our will?

The mind is a powerful force. Our thoughts direct our actions, so it is important to control our thoughts. While we may not be able to restrain an initial, impulsive thought reaction, we can decide that we aren’t going to continue down that path or dwell in a place of negativity, judgment, or anger. We can rein in our thoughts and redirect them. Scripture tells us to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

Because I have someone in my life whose spirit is often critical, I am frequently reminded of how I don’t want to be. When I find myself responding to others with agitation and irritation (I am only human, after all!), I soon remember to examine my thoughts. Are they true? Are they honourable? Are they right, pure, lovely, admirable? If not, I need to change them. I must recall that my “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). [W]e are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The enemy seeks to stir up conflict and division, but God desires us to have an attitude of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation. Recently my husband shared with me an Isabel Allum video (begin at 22:47) that speaks to this, if you would like to watch it.

Emotions are also powerful and action-oriented. We need to pay attention to emotions because they can represent our gut reaction or instincts and at times can save us a boatload of trouble. At other times they can mislead us and put us in danger. God has emotions and we are created in his image. Having emotions or being emotional is not “bad,” however unlike God, our expressions of emotions are not always perfect or holy. We have a sinful nature and live in a fallen world of volatility, subjectivity, and recklessness. I’ll confess that I haven’t striven too hard to guard my emotions, largely because I struggle to be in touch with them and feel that, if anything, they are tamped down already. I did find a couple of what I think are good introductory articles on the subject. Check out these in PsychologyToday and MyWell Being.

What else is powerful? Our will. Just like our mind and emotions, our will drives our actions. Merriam-Webster defines “will” (noun) as a desire or wish, such as a disposition, inclination, appetite, passion, choice or determination. I once heard it said (or read) that “the heart wants what it wants,” a quote I see attributed to Woody Allen but could have been said by anyone. This is an expression of the will: we want what we want, and we do whatever is necessary and in our own power to make it happen, even if it’s to our own or others’ detriment. So we must guard what we want and seek to align our will with God’s. He has good plans for us to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). We should remember that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). Be careful what you wish for,” the saying goes, because things don’t always work out the way we expect. God’s will is much better than ours; trust in him and he will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Rich Mullins is a favourite artist of mine and I leave you with this link to his song, Maker of Noses, for reflection. I hope you see the relevancy to our theme and enjoy Rich's writing as much as I do.

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c. Susan Barclay, 2025. For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com.

 

The Heart of the Story by Nina Faye Morey

Many of my stories are based on events in my life. My stories aren’t driven by these experiences, but by the emotions they elicit. Writing about these memories from the heart means my feelings will form the heart of the story. If I can tap into these emotions, then my tales will touch my readers. They may not have experienced a similar event, but I know they will have experienced the same emotions.

My readers want to be immersed in my fictional world. They want to identify with my protagonist—or perhaps, they favour the antagonist. Therefore, I need to create characters my readers can become emotionally invested in. Then what touches my characters’ hearts will also move the hearts of my readers. They will see the world through her eyes; feel what she feels. For instance, they may never have experienced skydiving, but they want to feel the adrenaline rush, the emotional high, the heart-pounding fear my character feels as she steps out of the plane into the void of space, putting her faith in a skimpy piece of nylon.

Whether my readers will be drawn into and emotionally satisfied by this scene depends solely on my skill as a writer. You see, I’ve never actually parachuted from a plane, but that needn’t stop me from creating a spellbinding scene. Remember, it’s not the events but the feelings that are at the heart of the story. So to make it believable, I’ll need to mine memorable events in my life for those strong feelings of excitement, fear, and faith. I can’t be afraid to relive and reveal my personal memories and heartfelt emotions. They’re vital to my success as a writer.

Therefore, I’m pleased to share “the story behind the story” of “Isabella’s Green Shamrock Sweater” (Canadian Messenger, March 2010, pp. 24-5). The inspiration for this story was my memory of being bullied by classmates for wearing green to school the Friday before St. Patrick’s Day. Managing to free my heart from the pain of hurt feelings through forgiveness is what forms the heart of the story. Here is an excerpt:

“Why are you wearing that sweater with green shamrocks?” Jenna demanded to know in a haughty tone as she came up behind Isabella.

“My grandmother knit this sweater for me to wear on St. Patrick’s Day,” Isabella replied proudly.

“Today isn’t St. Patrick’s Day, stupid!” Robin sneered.

“Yeah, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until Saturday,” Jenna added with her usual air of superiority.

“And you’re not Irish, anyway! So why are you even celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?” Robin taunted Isabella as she shoved her into a corner of the cloakroom. Isabella recovered her balance just in time to feel Jenna shove her from the other side.

A crowd of students began to gather around the threesome. Isabella felt her face flush and tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to see that some were merely staring, while several others were laughing at her.

When Miss Fran, Isabella’s history teacher, learns of her classmates’ bullying, she uses it as an opportunity to teach her class the story of St. Patrick. They learn how he was captured by Irish marauders as a teenager and sold into slavery. Relying on prayer and a vision from the Holy Spirit, he escapes after six years. He eventually forgives his captors for the hardship and hurt they caused him and returns to Ireland as a Christian missionary and bishop. Miss Fran urges her class to honour him on St. Patrick’s Day by following his example of forgiveness.

Unfortunately, it’s the traumatic events in our lives that form our most indelible memories and trigger our most intense emotions. That’s the reason I chose this childhood incident of bullying as “the story behind the story.” 

Photo Credits: Pixabay

Writing so that . . . by Ruth L. Snyder

I'm currently participating in an online Bible study from Proverbs 31 Ministries. We are studying Scripture using Wendy Blight's book, Living So That. She explains:

". . . our lives should not be self-centered and static; rather, they should be others-centered and active, making a difference for the kingdom of God."

"The authors of Scripture . . . intentionally chose to use these two words to connect a truth of Scripture to a practical application of that truth. They used them to bring truth alive and make it relevant and applicable to our everyday lives."

This month we've been encouraged to think about what we want our writing to make happen inside our readers. This is one of those questions where there is no right or wrong answer. Each of us as writers is unique with particular giftings from God.

• Some are "prophets" - called to point out and correct error
• Some are "teachers" - called to help others understand God's truth
• Some are "helpers" - called to come alongside others
• Some are called to hospitality - called to make others feel comfortable 

And the list goes on (See I Corinthians 12).

As I thought about my writing and how I want it to affect my readers, I realized that no matter what type of writing I'm doing, whether memoir, fiction, devotional, creative non-fiction, etc., I want my writing to evoke emotion. Readers become engaged when their emotions are involved.

I also want my writing to effect change in the reader. This change could be as simple as giving the reader a good chuckle or as complicated as shifting the reader's world view. When I write, I want to be intentional, not haphazard. Mary DeMuth sums it up well:

"I'm on this world to write words that change people."

I am writing, so that my readers are engaged and moved to change. These are lofty goals, but I remind myself that I'm employed by the King of Kings and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I dare not aim for anything less than the best. 

What do you want your writing to do?

For more information about Ruth L. Snyder and her writing, visit http://ruthlsnyder.com

Heart Talk by Connie Inglis

Have you ever done a word study on "love" or "heart" to help expand your writing? I'm sure you have if you've written about any kind of personal relationships. Today I'd like to share a book with you, one which I'm thinking none of you have ever heard of.

When our family moved to Thailand to work with minority language groups, my husband and I were introduced to a book by Christopher G. Moore called, Heart Talk. This book is like no other on the study of the word, *jai 'heart' in the Thai language. It is a fascinating read for anyone doing any kind of cross-cultural writing because it provides insight not only into "love" emotions but into most of the emotions expressed by Thai people.

In this book there are over 700  jai words/phrases that the Thai people know and use constantly. Whether it's talking about positive emotions or negative emotions, good character traits or bad character traits, right choices or wrong choices, the word or phrase usually includes jai. It is no wonder the author calls it, "the central metaphor in the Thai language."

Let me share a few of these "heart" words to help you understand how differently the Thai view life. There are some words that cross over culturally such as jai-yai 'heart big' in referring to a generous person, or jai-sing 'heart lion' in referring to a courageous person. However, there are many that are surprising and sometimes even opposite of how westerners think. For example, jai-nooy 'heart small' doesn't mean a stingy person. It is referring to someone who is highly sensitive emotionally, who is easily hurt or offended by others. Kin-jai 'eat heart' is a verb meaning, "to impress" in a good way; Or, jai-phra 'heart monk' referring to a person who is extremely compassionate and forgiving; Or naam-jai 'water heart' referring to someone who takes into account another person's feelings. This last one could be translated to mean empathy or sympathy in English but in Thai there are two totally different jai words for those feelings. Are you getting the picture?

But I must mention one of the most used jai words: kreeng-jai 'awe heart'--a word that is almost untranslatable into English. Moore calls it, "the heart of hearts of the Thai culture and class system.":

"The phrase reflects a rich brew of feelings and emotions--a mingling of reverence, respect, deference, homage and fear--which every Thai person feels toward someone who is their senior, boss, teacher, mother and father, or those in powerful position such as a high-ranking police officer."

It takes the author 1 1/2 pages to define this type of patron/client cultural system and even then he confesses that it goes so much deeper. Our western culture find this a difficult concept to grasp. Often we are more jai dii phii khaw 'good heart, ghost enters'. Anyone care to guess what that means?

I focus on this book today as a challenge, to all of us. In a world that is becoming smaller every day, where we interact with other cultures on a daily basis, a book like this can help us see the world through different eyes and then help us write about love, about emotions, about relationships in a whole new way. And maybe it will help us show Jesus' love in a whole new way too.

*Unfortunately, due to computer incompatibility, I could not mark tone on the Thai words.

Confessions of a Wimpy Marketer by Glynis M. Belec

  These past few days have caused me to reflect much on my writing career. I recently wrote a post on my own personal blog called Sick of Me [ http://glynis-myjourney.blogspot.ca/ ] on the emotional aspects of marketing. I've had some great responses to it; some private chastisements and plenty of food for thought.

      The whole gist of my post was basically one of marketing despair from a Christian perspective. I have been writing professionally for a long time so over the years I have definitely discovered that marketing is not for wimps.

     I don't really consider myself a wimp, though (there isn't much that this old gray mare won't tackle) but since my new book was recently (self) published, I've realized that in order to get my books out there, I need to build up some marketing muscle.

I'm by no means - chicken. I have no problem talking to people and giving them my package and a free book, but I have to admit that I have been struggling with the idea that humility and marketing don't jive for the Christian writer.

     Maybe I am out in left field here. Maybe I am just making excuses because marketing is hard work. Maybe I would just as soon have people magically beating down my door begging to buy my book so I can get on with pouring my voice and spirit onto paper.

     I think of the definition of marketing: a critical business function involving the process of communicating the value of products or services,to customers for the purpose of selling the product or service. 

Then I think of the many scriptures on humility:

Psalms 25:9 

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

1 Peter 5:5b 

“…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Mark 10:45 

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

1 Kings 21:29 

“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days

Luke 1:43 

And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

2 Chronicles 12:12 

And when he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction.

Job 22:29 

For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’; but he saves the lowly.

Psalms 18:27 

For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Psalms 149: 4 

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Proverbs 11:2 

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

     Then I wonder if it is possible to be doing God's work with humility if I have to get out there and promote myself, my book, my ability to speak, my this...my that. 

     Of course I know the importance of contacting people and finding creative ways to tell how great my work is. That's where I struggle, though. I know I can write. I know I can sink my teeth into something, have a plan, write something and it can turn out half decent. It's never perfect but I am not afraid to try. I love speaking to audiences and telling them my story in hopes that they can be helped or encouraged or find something to laugh about. 

     So maybe what I should do is seek out scripture to balance my marketing emotions. Let's give it a try:

God wants me to write my story: 

*Oh that my words were written with an iron pen on a granite tablet so my story could be read forever. — Job 19:23–24

I write honestly from my heart, seeking to make the truth known. — Job 33:3

Let my concepts and writings be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. — Psalm 19:14

While waiting for the Lord, write. Be strong and take heart, and keep writing for the Lord. — Psalm 27:14

My heart overflows with a captivating theme, for my voice is the pen of a skillful writer. — Psalm 45:1

God’s word is a lamp that lights my writing journey. — Psalm 119:105

If God is our helper when we write, the stories we build cannot be in vain. — Psalm 127:1

Writers rejoice when they can reach their audience with the right words at the right time. — Proverbs 15:23

Writing sprinkled with humor is wonderful medicine, for pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. — Proverbs 16:24

Commit your writing to the Lord, and your message will touch people’s hearts. — Proverbs 16:3

Writers would like to chart their entire journey to success, but God wants them to take the next right step. — Proverbs 16:9

Without guidance, writers will fail, so blessed are those who carefully follow publishing guidelines. — Proverbs 30:18

Write your message in an article or a book so it may be an everlasting witness. — Isaiah 30:8

The Lord says, “I know the great things I have in mind for your writing—plans for you to succeed, not fail—so anticipate the future with eager expectation. — Jeremiah 29:11

Publish the pieces you have written, so people can read them. — Ezekiel 37:20

Write for your children so they can tell their children, so your stories may live from generation to generation. — Joel 1:3

The Lord is good, a wonderful retreat when we suffer from writer’s block. He recognizes those who seek him for guidance. — Nahum 1:7

Use plainly spoken words so people can easily read my message and run to tell others. — Habakkuk 2:2

Like city lights on a hill that cannot be hidden, let your writing shine so people may read your words and glorify God in Heaven. — Matthew 5:14, 16

Writers in the Kingdom of Heaven bring forth treasured stories that are familiar yet refreshingly new. — Matthew 13:52

Those who have sacrificed possessions, relationships, and pleasures so they can write stories about Christ working in their lives will receive a much greater benefit, as well as eternal life. — Matthew 19:29

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so writers who believe in him and share their stories will not die but will lead others to eternal life. — John 3:16

Like a mighty river, words will flow from the mouth of those who believe in Christ. — John 7:38

Rejections, unreturned calls, and ignored book proposals will all work for good for writers who love God and seek to communicate a message that pleases him. — Romans 8:28

Don’t let the world around you dictate how you write, but let God change the way you think. Then your stories will be what he wants—good, well pleasing, and complete. — Romans 12:2

If I write with human excellence and angelic might without truly caring about my audience, my message is little more than a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. — 1 Corinthians 13:1

I can write anything if Christ will give me the ability and stamina. — Philippians 4:13

Don’t let people despise you as a novice, but be a faith example by seeking excellence in your writing. — 1 Timothy 4:12

      As I read through these and check out each scripture, it really does become wonderfully, alarmingly reassuring that God has a mighty plan for His children to write stories and get the word out. Maybe having a marketing plan isn't about puffing up self; it's all about focussing on the story that God wants me to tell. Hmmm...I like that.

     As far as the emotional part of marketing, I will probably never get my head fully around the

'selling myself' talk, but if I can put it into perspective and focus on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy because it is done for God's glory, then maybe marketing my story is a really good thing and wimping out is not an option. 

*(Special thanks to the North Texas Christian Writers for letting me share some of these scripture ideas. 

http://www.ntchristianwriters.com/sharpen-the-sword/scripture-for-writers/ )