In The Quiet Spaces by Bob Jones

   

Quiet.

I thrive in quiet spaces.

I'm like a sheep that the Psalm 23rd shepherd leads beside still waters.

My writing gets done in several environments, but they share the common quality of quiet. Noise, sounds, music, and even the sound of a television show in a distant room are annoying distractions. I write best behind closed doors.

Most of my writing life is spent in a backroom in our home at an antique, roll top desk. My wife describes the desktop as a nightmare. It’s the opposite of quiet. It holds trophies awarded to our sons, books, pictures, a lantern, artwork, collectible Coke bottles and Jones soda bottles and items from Ukraine. It's a beast to dust.

There's a B&W framed picture of me holding my grandfather’s Chihuahua in front of his ’57 Chrysler when I was three years old.

Those items don't inspire my writing; they inspire my life because they’re rooted in history and the people who mean the world to me.

My favourite quote is taped to the front portion of the roll top.

“Concerning all acts of initiative in creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. And all sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed could have come his way.”

Scottish mountaineer W.H. Murray

I write best in the fall, winter, and spring when it's cooler. Early mornings are the only time that work for me in the summer months. Our home does not have air conditioning, and by at 11 AM on most summer days the heat is already oppressive. So, the bulk of my writing gets crammed in between October and May.

I write something every day without fail.

Some days there's only three sentences. Other days, there's 3000 words. The outcome is determined by other responsibilities but also my frame of mind. I can easily bear down and focus when I'm inspired. A few hours feel like minutes. I imagine you know the feeling.

There are few things more fulfilling than hitting the publish button.

That quiets my heart.

 

 

Quiet with my soul by Mary Folkerts

 

I cannot be quiet

with my soul 

when resentment is there

when anger bubbles 

too close to the surface 

when hurts are harboured 

like decaying skeletons

who wants to sit quiet 

with that? 

I cannot be quiet with 

my soul 

when jealousy and comparison 

play their little games 

with my mind 

when contentment 

is absent and my prayers

read like shopping lists.

When all I have pondered 

in my heart 

are the things I have not

how can I come 

and quiet myself

before a God who has given 

His all 

and I, with this discontented

heart?

I cannot be quiet with 

my soul 

when the stillness is too loud

reminding me of what 

I’ve left undone,

the things I need to mend

the gentle persistent 

calling back I’ve tried

to ignore. 

But in the quiet is where 

peace is found. 

It’s where the compassionate 

Physician brings healing.

Illuminating,

searching and restoring 

my contrary heart. 

He doesn’t demand I come 

in a manner worthy 

of Him,

but promises I will not

leave unchanged 

having been 

in His presence. 

I wonder if the times we least want to be quiet and alone with our souls and God are the times we most need it?  

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member and is involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s personal blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the small things https://maryfolkerts.com/  or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/ 

 

Q is for Quiet Reflection by Carol Harrison

 

Q is for Quiet Reflection

Exciting moments peppered our train trip across Canada in 2018. We saw new sights, explored new places, and visited far flung family members. Yet I also had times to pause and reflect on the journey, journal my thoughts, and see examples of God’s creation all around.

When I returned home I reread my travel journal and noted so many instances where what I saw reminded me of verses from God’s Word. These had been quiet moments of reflection. I gathered those thoughts and wrote some devotionals and published them in a little book called On Track. I’ll share one on this blog post.

Significant to God

With the artistry of the St.-Anne-du-Beaupre Basilica still fresh in my mind from the day before, I entered the much older and smaller Notre Dame cathedral in historic Quebec City. It sat at the edge of a narrow street, the only building on that corner. It did not have the impressive dimensions of the basilica but still commanded a presence in the old city with its stone spire reaching for the heavens.

A sign on the heavy wooden doors of the sanctuary advised us to enter quietly. As I left the high ceilinged, empty vestibule I stepped into another time. I sat on a wooden pew at the back as a priest offered mass in French for a handful of parishioners against a backdrop of stained-glass windows and gold covered images. The ornate ceiling drew my eyes upward. Images of white fluffy clouds, a light blue sky and accents of gold reminded me of lying on a grassy hillside and staring at the clouds floating overhead.

Lights reflected off a large empty cross and a golden image of Christ ascending to heaven, both overlaid with gold, at the front of the sanctuary. They stood in stark contrast to the low lighting at the back, the dark wooden pews and crimson padded kneeling ledges. I sat in quiet contemplation.

In my travel worn clothes and dusty feet I felt insignificant compared to the craftsmanship displayed in this two hundred plus year old basilica. Scripture verses flashed through my mind. In John 14: 6 Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus who died, rose again and ascended into heaven is the only way to God. I also remembered Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. In verse 24 he said “God is Spirit and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth.”

I gazed once more at the workmanship displayed all around me. I knew all of as human beings are God’s masterpieces. God does not require a fancy place for me to worship. He does not want empty religious rituals.

Ephesians 2: 8-10 (NIV) says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I enjoyed the spectacular workmanship in Notre Dame even as my thoughts were drawn to God who created us. Verses from His Word reminded me of important truths. He just wants me to sit quietly before Him in awe, in worship and in praise. This keeps my life on track.  I took a moment to bow my head and pray that anyone who entered here would have their eyes and hearts drawn to God and know they are loved.

As I write this blog post, I ask myself if I remember, in the midst of life’s busyness, to pause for those moments of quiet reflection. What do those quiet reflections look like in your life?

Carol Harrison enjoys writing, family history, and reading and would love an old desk to sit

and reflect and write at but realizes those moments of quiet reflection can happen anywhere and at anytime.

Still Swinging - Joylene M. Bailey

To be perfectly honest, the prompt for this month stymied me. In fact, I must have blocked it entirely from my thoughts because here I am at 10 pm the night before my deadline, trying to come up with something about my process in reviewing my goals.

But I can't. 


If you'll remember, I'm the one out in the middle of that swinging rope bridge, hanging over a gorge. 


No goals to review. No process. 
Just quiet. Just listening for His voice. Just cutting out the busyness.

Oh yes, God was serious when He asked me to do this. Because every time something would come across my line of sight - a great webinar on marketing, a request to help at a conference, a creative writing course - I'd sense that halt in my spirit and be reminded: no busyness, quiet, listen.

I'm not even attending Inscribe's Fall Conference this year, which is still a shock to me. However, that directive was made clear to me in more than one "God-wink", as Bobbi Junior likes to call them.

So, if quietness, listening, and non-busyness are the goals, then here I am reviewing them:

In my quietness, am I showing up regularly at my writing desk to write what God wants me to write? That depends on what "regularly" means. It's not as regular as I'd envisioned, but a lot more regular than it used to be. 
Progress.

Am I showing up in the opportunities He places in my path to Love God and Love People?
Yes. 
It's amazing, actually, how much easier it is to notice people when one is not busy. So, I get it, Lord.  I get that You needed me to stop and see. Not just see others, but see how I so easily fall into the trap of stress and busyness, because DOING is so much a part of our culture.

Perhaps my productivity is not something that can be measured in this season on the swinging bridge - not by human standards, anyway.

So here I stand, in the middle of this swinging rope bridge, hanging on to the One who asked me to cross it with Him. It hasn't been scenic and lovely all the time. There have been some jerky, scary spots along the way. But I must say, I'm so glad I trusted Him. 

Who knows what awaits me on the other side.

Joylene writes from Edmonton where she lives with her husband, daughter #3, and a cat named Calvin. You can find her at Scraps of Joy.

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