What Have You Learned In A Pandemic by Bob Jones

This whole COVID crisis is sad, senseless, and at times, traumatic. When psychologists work with trauma, a key feature to helping someone work through trauma is to help them find the potential positive outcomes they can effect. What can you learn, in big and small ways, from this crisis?

I'm learning how often I touch my face. Now that I can't touch my face it's all I want to do - rub my eyes or scratch an itch or rest my chin on the back of my fist. Ugh. I’d like to know what you are learning. At the end of the post there is a way for you to join the conversation.

Look and Listen

Seeing the resiliency, tenacity and ability to pivot quickly in the leaders around me is inspiring. Bob Jones

Our comfort zone is not a growth zone. Les Paulsen

I’ve made an observation more so than learned anything. In places where you encounter other people I’ve noticed more eye contact, incredible respect for each other and distancing, and way more hellos from a safe social distance. Daniel O'Neill

How amazing people are. When we have had a need it has been met. And how great technology and internet is! Rebecca Pearse

I am learning that ‘waiting for it to be over’ translates into a lot of time wasted now that could be intentionally productive. Now that we are headed into Week 3, I’m starting to listen to what God is calling me to in this time, in this place rather than planning for a future activity He may not care about quite yet. Lori Masse Bourgeois

Aha Moments

I realized that we as Canadians say "how are you" in our greeting. But now I hear people actually asking each other how they are doing. Sounds very different. Charity Mongrain

Besides all the good points already made, I've noticed many family members of our residents who are, perhaps for the first time, gaining insight into what their parents went through, were traumatized by, and with God's help survived and thrived. Towards a greater understanding - for some their folks are already with the Lord, but there are 'aha' moments! Karin Laser Ristau

Relationships

I appreciate the people on the front lines of this battle. Nurses, doctors, police, fire fighters, people who work in grocery stores. We need to lift these people up in prayer. That God would continue to give them strength, protection, and provision for supplies. I say thank you. Angela Woods

Fruitful

I’m currently reading Chasing Vines by Beth Moore & it has been so timely because she’s writing about abiding in the vine. How the Bible uses the vine in so many scriptures. We are the branches grafted into the vine through Christ’s death & because of this, as we Abide in Him we can be assured that our lives can be fruitful. In all of this , let us “the church” be fruitful! Kathy Miller

I have learned how much I NEED a place of fellowship and worship. C.J. Godkin

I like to think that the old normal has passed away and He's doing a new thing - transformed normal. Moving us from normal to a new season, a new normal for the church and Canada to a transformed nation. New transformed normal not "back to normal" but drawing us to being transformed again by Him with a new zeal!! Lerena Greig

Grace is amazing!! Grace for one another - not only as a “global” concept but it the nitty gritty at home. It really helps!! Anita Pearse

APPLICATION: What are you learning? Please leave a comment below.

InScribers Come to the Well by Nina Faye Morey

And do not neglect doing good and sharing,

For with such sacrifices God is pleased.

~ Hebrews 13:16

When I first checked our InScribe website to view the offerings at this year’s Fall Conference, I was disappointed that there were no formal workshops on offer. I read the explanation provided about the Open Concept Conference model with some trepidation. It wasn’t clear to me how this was going to work, so I did a bit of research on this type of meeting. Being an introvert, I wasn’t sure if this participant-driven format would suit me at all. I pondered it for quite a while before I finally decided to go ahead and register. Even though the format didn’t appeal to me, I had to admit to myself that this interactive Open Concept model might actually be good for me. You know . . . like that medicine that tastes awful but cures what ails you?

The explanation given for the Open Concept model included the invitation to come with an idea for a topic that we wanted to learn more about. Since I was planning to create my own website, I was eager for any information that I could glean from other attendees on this process. So, I decided to suggest this topic for one of the sessions. I had no idea whether many would be interested in this topic, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the assigned room fill up quickly with those who were eager to talk and learn about website building. There were several who already had their own websites, and it was enlightening to hear their experiences with the different website platform providers, such as WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace. There were also a few, like me, who were just getting ready to set up their own website and were looking for advice on the pros and cons of the various platforms, how easy they were to use, and what we should be thinking about including on our websites. I learned that two of the most important things to include are a newsletter and an email list for networking and marketing purposes.

The Open Concept model is governed by four “laws.” The first is the “Law of Two Feet.” It states that you are responsible for your own learning, which means that you are free to get up and leave a session at any time if you find it’s not right for you and join another. Someone suggested the analogy of “bees” and “butterflies” to explain how this works in practice. Some of us are “bees” who linger around gathering refreshing nectar, while others are “butterflies” who tend to flit from place to place. I am one of the bees, so I was happy to stick around and collect as much as I could from each session. I enjoyed all the sessions that I attended: Social Media, Medium, Marketing (Online & In-Person), Publishing with IngramSpark, and Christian Romance.

A highlight of the Conference for me was our guest speaker, Sigmund Brouwer, who writes novels for both children and adults. He describes himself as primarily a storyteller and this soon became obvious, as he is an extremely engaging and humorous speaker. I especially enjoyed his powerful presentation on and reading from his book, Thief of Glory, based on his father’s experiences as a young boy in a Japanese internment camp during World War II

So, my initial hunch proved correct. This Open Concept Conference format that initially left a bad taste in my mouth turned out to be good medicine for me. Along with refreshing the relationships I’ve developed with other InScribers over the years, this format encouraged me to come out of my shell much more than I would have during a traditional conference. Now that I no longer feel apprehensive about attending an Open Concept Conference, I’m hoping InScribe uses this format again in the future.

On Memory & Relationships by Karma Pratt

Memory can be a tricky thing. Sometimes our memories slip away from us. Sometimes they soften with the passing of time and the piling on of nostalgia. Memories can change, shift, or blur, for a myriad of reasons. But there are always a few - those catalytic moments that changed our trajectory forever - that stand out, crystalline against the clear blue sky of our mind.

For me, the memories that stand out the most are the ones that involve relationships with people that I've come to treasure over the years. Each one has had a profound impact in my life, and my walk with God. These are Christians who scattered seeds in my life and helped shape the person I continue to become.

One Christian I have made many great memories with is my friend, Ruth-Ann. She became our babysitter when my mom went back to work full time in 1985. I became best friends with her daughter, Julie, a friendship that continues to this day. Our relationship has continue to grow over the years.

Ruth-Ann was a quiet Christian when I first met her. She devoted herself to the raising of kids (her own, and many neighbourhood kids as well). She was disciplined in her approach to God and life, always waking by 4 a.m. each day to complete her own devotions, plus the multitude of tasks that go along with farm life. Ruth-Ann gave the best hugs of anyone I know. She was steadfast, always there for us, long after we needed babysitting. 

As an adult with my own children now, I have only recently re-kindled my connection with Christ. So many things have changed in a very short time. My relationship with Ruth-Ann has blossomed into one of accountability and mentorship (with me receiving the greatest benefit for sure!) I admire her obedience, her servant's heart, her ability to listen to God, and speak life into people, circumstances, and situations. She embodies encouragement, and I am so thankful I can count her among my friends. 

In a recent conversation with Ruth-Ann, we talked about the importance of writing down and speaking aloud all the great things that God has done in our lives. She encouraged me to begin a timeline - a place in my journal where I can keep track of the moments where I have seen God moving in my life. These could be great big moments - i.e. became a Christian, summer 1990 - or seemingly simple things - i.e. the blessing of having our family around the table to celebrate our twin's 3rd birthday.

Celebrating with family. We are three!

Whatever the circumstances, keeping a timeline allows us to look back on our walk with God, and clearly see all the places he has been with us. It also allows us see the ways that Christ works in our lives, transforming, softening the rough edges, reshaping us so we are better able to follow him. 

Relationships continue to be the place where my most cherished memories are formed. God has created a place for fellowship where we are safe to share our faith, and praise God for all that he's done, and all he continues to do. As I continue to walk with God, he continues to remind me of the people he's placed in my life to help me along this path.

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Karma Pratt is a faith-driven mom of twins, a communicator, a writer, and an encourager from way back. She loves words, art, creativity, God, and people, although not necessarily in that order. She was blessed to recently be part of the Out of Sorts Book Launch Team, and would encourage everyone to pick up a copy of Out of Sorts! You can also read more of Sarah Bessey's beautiful words and work on her site: sarahbessey.com

You can find Karma online at redraincoatcreations.com or connect on Twitter, Facebook, & LinkedIn

How to Date Your Editor by Pamela Mytroen

Remember your first dates? Do they make you cringe at all? I remember my very first date. We were going to an evening event. I dressed casually in dress pants and a pink sweater. He picked me up in a three piece pin-stripe suit and tie. Awkwaaaaaard! It was too late to go back and change and he said it was okay, but I felt a little funny all evening by his side. The next time we went out we communicated about what to wear and we both felt more comfortable.

The first article you publish in a magazine or a newspaper is a little like a first date with your Editor. You really don’t know fully what he expects of you and he doesn’t understand your style yet. It’s like being picked up in a truck with hay sticking out the tailgate when you were hoping for a Delorean. You read the article you’ve been looking forward to and you turn red and bite your lip.

I look back on some of my first articles and they made me a little disappointed or even upset. One of the Editors took out my last two paragraphs, put her own ending in, and changed the whole style of my article. Another first article came out with several spelling mistakes, and yet another one included a poem that I had not written and it endorsed a false theology. Wow, I felt the heat in my face.

Now sometimes there are unforgivable characters that we must ditch after that first date, but in most cases, it just takes some time and a few fumbled dance steps until we get to know which way the guy is leading. It’s the same with Editors. If we quit writing because of that first bumbling article, we are missing out on what might have turned into a wonderful and profitable relationship.

In looking back on the above mentioned articles I wrote, it wasn’t entirely the Editor’s fault. The blame needed to be shared between both of us. If I had continued writing for these Editors I would have become more aware of their expectations and they may have come to appreciate my style and input as well.

As I consider the newspaper that I’ve written for for several years, I realize that we had some rough moments at first too. We both had misunderstandings of each other. But as I continued ‘courting’ my Editor and sending her more articles, I became more aware of the way she thought about things, and what she valued and wanted from me. I grew to have enough confidence to make suggestions, and we began to trust each other.

Think of your first articles. Were you disappointed and quit writing for that Editor? Maybe it just needed a little more time to work out some of your differences. Have you ever considered going back to write for those markets again? Send the Editor another piece or two. Maybe there’s still a spark there. Just don’t give up after that first date!

WHY WE WRITE by Bryan Norford

WHY WE WRITE by Bryan Norford

Well, Brenda, I can’t think of a specific incident that changed my writing life, but I can describe clearly the motivation that started it. When we reached fifty years of marriage—six years ago—not only our children, but also grandchildren were marrying and having children.

Having seen what the volatile marriage scene has done to younger generations, we felt our descendants could use biblical guidance for a stable marriage. This prompted our first book, Happy Together, a year’s devotions based on all Bible passages dealing with marriage, family, and relationships. It turned up more material than we expected!

Linked to that, we saw the need to oppose much biblical illiteracy, which leads to a superficial or skewed Christianity and accommodation with current western culture. This in turn inhibits evangelization as Christianity loses its counter-culture status, its defining role in drawing people to Christ.

So, we added a series of books with a clarifying biblical approach to confusing issues of the faith, and study guides to give a basic grounding in Bible knowledge. While our growing family is our priority, we are encouraged if some of our writing spins off to strengthen and build a secure faith in others.

The greatest paradox for a world of high intellectual achievement is so little regard for truth. Post-modern society uses truth as a convenient, flexible commodity that only provides shifting sands on which to build lives.

We want a firm foundation for our families, only found in the unchanging truth of God’s grace toward us. That influence, in turn, establishes wholesome relationships with each other, strong lasting marriages and secure, stable children. We don’t have to look far to see the chaos that loss of permanence creates.

Thus, the concern for our family’s marriages has broadened into welfare for the whole of life and the society in which we live. In the few years we have left, we are constrained to continue proclaiming the authority of God over life by the written word and representative deeds.

Cookie Matters - Glynis M. Belec

This might sound a tad cliché or even a little corny, but one of my favourite moments is when I am baking cookies with Trenton.

My sweet little grandson loves to help crack the eggs and mix the ingredients. When he is there to help out in the kitchen, cookie baking becomes a whole different experience. When I am alone mixing up the dough, I am focussed on the task and my goal is to get the cookies baked to perfection. But when Trenton is with me, I am much more focussed on our relationship than on perfect cookies.

We have fun picking out the eggshells and giggling at the mess on the counter. Snitching a taste of chocolate chips and then Grandma pretending to chastise, sends my little three year old grandson into the most contagious laughter imaginable. My heart melts faster than the chocolate chips, and I am not one bit worried about a perfect cookie.

Too many times I have worried and fussed about life matters that don't really matter. I have fallen into the trap of not fully comprehending the tyranny of the urgent. Society has dictated my day and before I know it, I was in the eye of the storm being tossed to and fro.

Over this past year as I have battled cancer, I have come to realize that perfect cookies are not the answer. It doesn't matter if my life contains a bit of eggshell. I will survive. What matters is that I spend time in relationships and realizing that God did not create me with a straight line for a mouth. I have muscles to make me smile and the ability to laugh that can perhaps lift hearts and definitely seal memories.

I don't suppose that Trenton will want to make cookies when he is 16, but I am sure hoping that he remembers the precious moments with Grandma in the kitchen. This Grandma sure won't be forgetting any time soon!

Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased. for Christ's love for you was like sweet perfume (or freshly baked cookies**) to him. Ephesians 5:2 TLB

**my interpretation!

(Here is Trenton's and my favourite cookie recipe!)

Cowboy Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of shortening
2 eggs ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. of vanilla 2 cups of flour
1 tsp. soda ½ tsp. salt
1 pkg. of chocolate chips 2 cups of oatmeal

Method: Cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix all dry ingredients together in order except chocolate chips and oatmeal. Mix the dry ingredients with the creamed batter. Add the chocolate chips and the oatmeal. Roll in balls and flatten with a fork. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. I always slightly under bake these.

Be Encouraged

The other day I got an email from my friend Maralee. (Maralee is a ventriloquist who has a TV show called Maralee Dawn and Friends.) She told me about an email exchange she had with a man named Bear. He has an idea for an animation series and told her how he wrote to artist and illustrator artist Kevin Scott Collier about his idea. Kevin Scott Collier wrote back and included a couple of sketches of what Bear’s characters could look like.

(The name Kevin Scott Collier rang a bell with me So I checked and found this was the same KSC who interviewed me for Kid Magazine Writers in 2005. I read on with interest…)

Bear emailed Collier back: “Just looking at these pics again. They are awesome. So how does someone become so generous with their talents?”

Kevin Scott Collier replied (quoted with his permission):

Dear Bear,

Let me tell you something. In November 2003 I wrote a short story for a niece about a boy who accidentally gets an email from an Angel in heaven. (Heaven had gone high tech.) When I was writing the story I felt God's hand on my shoulder. He spoke into my heart that this story would be a book for all kids to read. I prayed to God asking if this were true, where would I find a publisher, whom should I contact... how was this all going to happen. God touched upon me that if I trusted in Him, he would bring me everything and everyone I needed.

As I was mailing the story to my niece, I overhead some men in the next line talking about books to the clerk. I wandered over and asked who they were. It turned out to be a youth fiction publisher from another state, who just happened to be in the area
on business. We chatted, and two days later after receiving a copy of my story, drove back up from Indiana to Michigan, took me to lunch, and signed me to a book contract. "Barthpenn@heaven.org" was published.

Now I was a published author, but I was always an artist. I stumbled across the internet and met a lady who had written a poem. I asked if she could email it to me, as she wanted advice. For fun, I illustrated the entire poem over two nights, and created a pdf "book" for fun to email her back. Turned out she was a minister's wife from Ohio... and she showed it to a friend of hers that was a book publisher... it was contracted, and Topsy Turvy Land went to print.

In the summer of 2005 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Later, on that very day, a publisher I had never heard of contacted me and asked if I would illustrate a book cover for a survivors book on Breast Cancer. I did it for free, and I went on to illustrate a dozen other books for them, too... and mom recovered.

In late 2005, I had an idea for a book based on Noah's Ark I wanted to write. I wanted a co-author,however, someone who could add to my idea for a book. I found a lady named Kristen Halter in a writers group, and we began writing "Natalie's Ark." I discovered this Godly woman was a single mother, and her son never knew a father... didn't have one per se, he had vanished. So, Jarod prayed every night to Jesus for a dad. I fell in love with this woman (who live 350 miles from my home in Ohio) and married her, and adopted her son. Now I am a dad... you can see us all on our homepage... http://collierauthors.blogspot.com

I recently stumbled upon the Old Schoolhouse Magazine's website and saw they had a mascot (frog) for their reading program, and it was clip art... so I redrew the character and sent it to them for free just to help. They liked my stuff so much, they want to hire me as an illustrator for their magazine.

Know what life is all about, Bear? Planting seeds and having faith that God will lead you to the right people.

I'm here.

- Kevin

I thought Kevin’s letter was a great illustration of how God is at work in our lives even when we aren’t aware.

So be encouraged. God has barely begun to do the ministry through your life. Stay the course. There is something big ahead for you. It is God who sets up the big appointments and they are supernatural. Keep planting those seeds and following His lead.”

Being is More Important than Doing -- Janet Sketchley

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13, NIV

Sometimes we read this verse and guilt ourselves into thinking we should be busy 24/7, but the Apostle Paul meant he could do everything God led him to do. Not everything he personally thought he ought to do.

I was talking with a friend recently about the drive to fill every waking hour with “productivity.” Those of us who are task oriented fall into this easier than others, perhaps. It feels good to check things off our lists and see what we’ve accomplished.

God does give us tasks, be they performing heart transplants or cleaning toilets. He also gives us relationships: with others and with Himself. If we’re constantly in motion, it’s hard to be in relationship.

In January I identified different aspects of life I felt He wanted me to highlight, to find better balance in my days. May…my birthday month…time to revisit the list and get back on track. Your list will be different, but maybe this will spark some thoughts. On my paper, it’s laid out in a circle to symbolize wholeness, but I’m not that talented with blog layouts so here’s a straight list:

Relationships: God, husband, children, family and friends

Home: managing, tidying, cooking, errands, banking etc

Personal: fitness, prayer, journaling, music, cross-stitch, reading etc

Church/ministry: Bible study group, prayer team, blog

Writing: novel manuscript revisions, courses, FellowScript acquisitions, attend Write! Canada, etc

I find it freeing to look at planning my day and see where the different things fit into my “balance plan.” And including areas like relationships and prayer reminds me not to get caught in the “doing” trap. These things are perhaps more important, but they involve “being” rather than doing. They remind me to go beyond my to-do list, but they also remind me I need to intentionally leave space in my day to include them.

© Janet Sketchley, 2008
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.