Fall Plans by Carol Harrison

  

   Photo by Carol Harrison

September has arrived and I watch school buses stop across the street to pick up and drop off their student passengers. Yet I no longer have any back to school routines or students leaving for school. What will September to December look like for me? As I thought about this, the calendar reminded me how quickly months are flowing by. Time to start seriously thinking about what I need to accomplish before this year finishes.

1. Attend InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship Conference

- I have already registered and am looking forward to connecting with other writers.
- It will be a time to learn from the keynote speaker and in the workshops.
- I always find it to be a time of encouragement.

2. Write the Christmas book for the grandchildren

- Choose which topic of memories to write about this year for their Christmas gift.
- Gather the memories - likely family recipes and the stories that go with them.
- Have it ready for printing by the end of November so I can ship them where necessary.

3. Read memoir

- After attending the workshop from Siretona Creative on memoir writing, I received the homework of reading some memoirs. Thanks, Connie, for the suggestions of possible memoirs to read.
- Research for writing memoir for myself.
- Read for the enjoyment and learning someone else's story.

4. Work on exercises for writing my memoir

- Character sketches
- Settings
- Timeline of what to include and figure out what can be left out

5. Write Inscribe Blog posts each month from now until December

6. Attend the local Saskatoon Writers' Club Inc meetings once a month

- Possibly write to submit to their prose and poetry contests in November.

7. Write in my journal more regularly

- There are times I don't write in the journal for weeks at a time. This fall I plan to write at least twice a week in it if not more. I think the consistency will maybe help my writing block to slowly vanish or at least ease it a bit.

8. Organize writing files on my computer

- Right now I have duplicates saved on the computer and pieces not placed in correct files. This will be a huge project as I have not done any organizing in years. It seems like a daunting task but I think it will be good to know what I have already written, what needs editing, and what is unfinished in its present state.

The prompt suggested finding ten things we might like to accomplish, but after eight I found myself thinking the list had already grown long and some parts will take lots of hours of work like the booklet I do every Christmas for the grandchildren and children as a way to pass on memories. Fall looks like it will be full this year. Now to get busy and begin to do them. I started by downloading a memoir e-book from the library. Time to sit and immerse myself in someone else's life for a little while. At least it becomes a beginning.

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK and spends much time reading books for enjoyment. Now she will add some research material to the mix as she begins on these eight points for spending time this fall.

 

Lucky 13 Things in Four Months by Bob Jones

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

We were asked to write about ten things we'll be doing in the next four months. My first thought was, “Only ten?” And then I read the rest of the prompt and saw that we could choose any number we like. So, I cooked up a baker’s dozen.

I'm lucky, or blessed I get to do these.

Number 1

In November my wife and I will be leaving for a month for Ukraine. It is an arduous journey for 70+ year-olds, flying from Edmonton to Toronto to Krakow, then transferring to a van to cross the Polish/Ukrainian border and arrive in Lviv. After teaching for a week in a seminary there'll be more cars, vans, and trains deep into eastern Ukraine.

The two days before writing this post have been the worst of the entire 4 /12 year war in Ukraine. Massive missile, rocket, and drone attacks with horrendous deaths of children and civilians. The most tragic happened on Ukrainian Knowledge Day, the first day back to school, September 1st. Imagine your children or grandchildren with no sleep the night before because of air raids, trying to find refuge in a bomb shelter and the next morning getting dressed up to go to school and gather again in a bomb shelter.

If you know Ukrainians, you won't be surprised that the children sing in those situations.

Number 2 

In the meantime, my wife and I are raising funds to assist in rebuilding churches and deliver humanitarian aid to the front lines. Our goal is $20,000CAN. We’re at $12,500 and change.

Number 3 

I've been writing a seven-session curriculum for pastors over the last nine months. After recruiting and training 25 facilitators and apprentices, we launched the cohorts September 1^st across Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Number 4

I'm overseeing the translation and production of a book in Ukrainian for pastors.

Number 5 

And I decided that I should endeavor to keep my mind sharp and started a Masters of Leadership and Systems (MALTS) at Briercrest College. That begins in six days.

Number 6 

Before we leave for Ukraine, I'll be traveling to the Maritimes to work with pastors in Halifax and neighbouring communities, as well as up to Peace Country in Alberta, down to Calgary, and just West of Edmonton in Spruce Grove. We’ll be working as teams to listen to God’s voice and discern the Spirit’s specific vision for each church to reach their community with the love of Jesus.

Number 7

My practise for the last seven years was to write three blogs a week for REVwords. Most likely, and prudently, I will have to cut back back to two or even possibly one per week with all that's going on.

Number 8

The blog content will be heavy on justice in Alberta and Ukraine. I’ll be speaking on those subjects in churches over the next four months. I imagine I'll be extra engaged prior to October 19^th and the Alberta referendum. I also post on Substack.

Number 9

My to-read list consists of books that would source my knowledge in theology and justice. And my college textbooks will make the list a little longer.

Number 10

This week I start writing a seminary course for Growing an Effective Great Commission Church, to be completed by November 1st.

Number 11 

I've been asked to write social media prayers for Alberta MLAs in support of Pray Alberta. Isn’t that great?!

Number 12 

As well, I write prayers for Ukraine. That’s better than bombs.

Number 13

I will be experimenting on how to add an extra day of work to each week over the next four months.  

What are your goals? And if you need an extra one, I could use help with #13.

Thank you for reading. My advice to you is keep your goals away from the trolls. 

Aligning Myself with His Plan by Susan Barclay

Image from Pixabay

Ha. I didn't post anything in July because for some reason I had this month's prompt in mind and I wasn't sure what to say. I guess the joke's on me.

This month we're asked to address the questions, how do you balance life and writing in the seasons of life and what have you found helpful in maintaining balance?

Good questions! Still not sure how to answer them, but I didn't want to miss three months this year (I didn't post in May because I don't currently have a specific writing space). This will be short!

I guess what I've learned is not to beat myself up when the season I'm in doesn't afford either the time or silence/solitude that I require for writing. I remind myself that this too shall pass and I will write when I can. I do write when I can, which right now isn't often (and mostly for this blog). I also remind myself that the Giver of this gift of writing knows all about my present situation and is allowing it for His own purposes (and, I trust, glory!). I am wise to align myself with His plan and discover all that He has for me. Even though I haven't been journaling (sigh), one day everything I've been through may be a treasure trove of content. Let it be so, Lord Jesus!

_______________________

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

A Time for Everything by Steph Beth Nickel

Pocket Watch Time Sand - Free photo on Pixabay

There is a God-appointed time for everything he has planned, but often, we try to make time for everything we deem necessary (and it's usually all within the same 24-hour period).

We need only take a look at our To-Do list, which for many of us would more accurately be called an I-Want-To list.

Making plans and scheduling tasks is biblical.

And so is surrendering to God's plans, which are often (most times?) different from ours.

The analogy of filling a jar with rocks and sand is a great way to approach our schedule. Those Must-Do's are the rocks. These are the things that we write on our calendars in ink. The pebbles are those things that are important but not necessarily essential. There's room for them around the rocks. And lastly, there are those things we'd like to accomplish and those tasks that don't take much time and can fit in the small gaps between the rocks and the pebbles. These things are the sand.

This makes me think of Stephen Covey's perspective. He wisely says we should deal with the important things in life rather than those that we too often view as urgent.

When it comes time to write and tend to writing-related tasks, "the urgent" may call loudly and try to distract us: notifications on our cell phone, the laundry, yesterday's dishes, etc., etc., etc. Many of these things are sand. They will need to be dealt with at some point but not immediately.

Unless writing is our full-time gig or we have an imminent deadline, too often everything else seems to press in and sitting down in front of the computer or with pen and paper falls further and further down our list.

This month, I had hoped to achieve a lot more writing and revising. However, August's important tasks have not left me with as much time or ambition as I'd intended to devote to the three books I'm working on: one fiction, one nonfiction, and a memoir I'm coauthoring.

Instead...

My hubby and I are getting our daughter's things together in order to drive them from Ontario to Saskatchewan in early September.

I also have two editing projects that I'm seeking to complete before we hit the road.

For a number of summers now, I have been taking photos at our church's summer-long day camp. I've only been taking pictures a couple of times each week since the last week in July, but it's definitely a large pebble, if not a full-sized rock.

So, while I don't have the wherewithal to accomplish all I would like to in the next few weeks, I do know that I am in the season God has chosen for me, and if I ask, he will let me know what his priorities are for me each day.

And that includes any writing and writing-related projects that will bring him glory and encourage my readers.

When we ask for wisdom, he will let us know what the rocks, pebbles, and sand are in our individual lives.

I'd love to hear what you're working on these days and how you make time for your writing.

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2027, Lord willing. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Writing Balance in the Seasons of Life by Carol Harrison

Photo by Carol Harrison

I am in a season of life where it should not be difficult to find balance between time for writing and obligations of daily life. I have no small children. Grandchildren are mostly adults with their own busy lives, so I am not fortunate enough to have to babysit or even get to hang out often with them any more. Amee can do many things for herself and even helps me around the house. I have no spouse to devote time and attention to. I’m not leading a ladies’ Bible study or doing much speaking. Basic daily chores don’t take heaps of time.

So why then, with all the time now available for writing, does it feel like a winter season of dormancy? Now, when juggling many balls is not part of the equation, balance should be easy. But maybe that is part of the problem. I have too much time and it is easy to procrastinate; easy to be lulled into complacency; easy to get lost in the pages of a book; easy to not bother picking up my pen or sitting at my computer. Excuses run rampant through my mind, skittering here and there like a mouse darting from one place to another.

As I look back to other seasons of life where more writing happened, I had great encouragement or even sometimes nagging to go and get writing from my husband. I also realize, for me, deadlines helped me carve out time to write – even self-imposed deadlines. Yet, procrastination still lurked, making me leave things until deadlines loomed larger. Maybe if I set myself some deadlines or booked appointments for my writing time that I honored faithfully, I might find the words and ideas begin to flow again. Maybe then the winter season of writing would give way to spring. Ideas could begin to bloom; words could grow into paragraphs and finished pieces. Spring would be a season of time for writing after the winter of rest and learning. Now to quit procrastinating and follow through on picking up my pen or sitting at my computer. It is a matter of trying to write until ideas begin to germinate. To everything there is a season.

Carol Harrison writes from her home in Saskatoon. She loves stories and often gets lost in the pages of a book instead of writing or even doing daily chores, procrastinating too many things.


Profile photo by Bruce Guenter

First Book? by Lorilee Guenter

 

This month we were asked to consider our first book. The book that I am stalling on sending to an editor immediately came to mind. I have received feedback on it, and I've almost finished reworking the awkward sections. I have read it aloud to myself so I could identify jarring sentences and disjointed thoughts. But then I stopped mere chapters before I finished this revision. In doing so, I have a reason that keeps me from contacting an editor. The novel is not finished.

The more I thought about the question, the more I found myself reconsidering what a first book might be. Indeed there are other "books." None of them are cohesive enough to continue revising, for now. I may return to the ideas and characters at some time in the future. It would require a major rewrite to get them into a polished form. But they are still books, hidden on my shelf. They have structure and character.

I contemplate further and remember my first time participating in NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month). It was November 2014 . I wrote 50,000 words as I followed a main character. Is it a book when the best next step is to chop it into the start of a few short stories? Maybe. Would I want anyone to read it in its current form? Absolutely not! Do I want to reread it for any gems hidden inside? Not at this time.

Then I considered the novels I have in various stages of completion, the reflections I have been encouraged to gather into a book and various short stories hidden on my computer (or on scraps of paper) one of them must be the first book. Then I remembered I started writing an outline for a mystery near the end of grade 8. I was making notes on setting and character. I did not have or take opportunity to put flesh on the story. We moved. It got stored with school papers and other things we didn't have room for in our much smaller home. Mice moved into the storage container, and my story became material for a mouse nest. Perhaps it is for the best. I've learned a lot about crafting a story in the decades since then.

So far my first book is unpublished. If these early attempts count, my first book will never be published. However, I may yet publish something. It might be a novel, or it might be one of the collections I've been encouraged to consider. In the meantime I'll keep writing. I have to. It is one of the ways I process everything I am currently learning. It is one of the ways I process my place in God's larger story. While I may not know what my first book is, there is no uncertainty about God's story.

Lorilee Guenter enjoys gardening, reading and more. During the summer, her and her husband often hit the trails at nearby parks. He carries a camera. She carries a sketchbook. She never thought she'd write a book. 

Reflections on Beauty by Susan Barclay

  

She walks in beauty. [Pic from Pixabay]

Reflections on Beauty

Helen Keller

Blind, deaf, mute

Intelligent and inspiring

Reminds us that

The best and most beautiful things in the world

cannot be seen or even touched—

they must be felt with the heart.

Vincent Van Gogh

Depressed, intense, tormented

Masterful and expressive

Reminds us that

Great things are done

by a series of small things

brought together—

each one quiet, but necessary.

Lord Byron

Clubfooted, moody, and pale

Sensual and enduring

Reminds us that

There is pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is rapture on the lonely shore…

and meaning in wandering without certainty.

There is beauty in words, images, ideas

shaped by our minds

into something whole—

a body of work

made from fragments of thought.

There is beauty in living, laughter, and love,

in creativity, nature, and God,

beauty in sacrifice

and in healing,

even when neither is easy.

And so beauty is not distant,

not rare or reserved—

it is present

in everything we become

when we choose to notice it.

c. Susan Barclay, June 2026

_______________________

 

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

Beauty and Writing by Carol Harrison

What brings pleasure to my senses? As I pondered the prompt for this month's blog post, I scrolled through photos from the years gone by. Beauty in everyday moments filled the screen and brought wonderful memories to mind. It filled my senses as I could remember the scent of a flower, the chill of the air, the noise of rapids, and see the majesty of the rugged peaks. 

Beauty found in moments of sunrise through the trees or across a snow covered field, colouring the sky with vibrant colours as a new day began. I paused at photos of fast flowing, white water rapids tumbling through the Niagara Gorge and remembered their roar and the splash of water onto the observation deck. Other photos showed a storm laden sky with dark ominous clouds hiding the brilliance of the sun as the earth waited for drops of moisture. 

There is a delicate beauty of a blossom no matter where it blooms. I've snapped a photo of a lone, stunted sunflower brightening up the shoulder of a highway on a dreary, cloudy day. Another photo reminds me of the beauty a bouquet of flowers brightened a hospital room or on my dining table.  

The list continues as I scroll through photos and bring memories to mind. Yet I also find beauty in my favourite paintings or prints hanging on my walls, some made more special because I know the artist. There are pretty knick knacks, many with stories to go with them sitting on shelves throughout my home. They range from delicate, fragile china ornaments to the sparkling insides of a geode or the round smoothness of an old marble. 

There have been so many times I wish I could capture the beauty of everyday things with more than word pictures like a fantastic photo or accurate sketch. Yet that is not the gift God has given me. I must use words to capture the imagination, fill the senses, and evoke memories for the readers so they feel like they are transported to that time and place.  Everyday moments offer such a diverse subject matter for our writing and the opportunity to create wonderful word pictures. Each time I sit to write I need to remember to engage all the senses in order to offer the readers the most enjoyable, engaging experience they can have with the words on my pages. 

God created the beauty in the world around us for us to enjoy. Psalm 24:1 says "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein." My words are a gift God has given to be used for His glory and the enjoyment of the readers. I need to continue to trust Him and learn more about the craft of writing and then practice it. 

 

Carol Harrison lives and writes from Saskatoon, SK. She loves to find the beauty in everyday things around her and then try and capture them with a photo and word pictures. 
 

A Caretaker and an Ambassador by Lorilee Guenter

After a winter that seemed like it would never end, the temperatures have soared. Yards are greening up. Fruit trees are covered in a profusion of blooms. Greenhouses display flowers in every colour you can imagine. Some flowers there await the gardeners creative touch in combining them. Others fill hanging baskets and planters of all shapes and sizes.

I have been working in my yard and garden for 25 years. It continues to change and evolve. I continue to learn. The process reminds me that a lot of time, skill and care is required to create those prepared arrangements.

I have been writing for less than 25 years, except for my journals. Like my garden, my writing continues to change and evolve.  Polishing pieces into interesting poems, stories and essays takes time, skill and care.

I continue to work to learn my craft by reading, writing and attending workshops. Like Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus 35:30-35, others have been given the ability to teach. I benefit from them sharing their skill, wisdom and knowledge.

I participate, with God, in creating beauty in my yard with and oft critical eye. I need to pause and remind myself that it is not meant to be an ongoing to-do list. It is meant to be a place I can observe a small slice of God's amazing, varied, intricate creation. He causes the flowers to bloom in their time. He has invited me in as a caretaker of this particular piece of creation.

I participate in sharing a slice of God's story, His amazing, intricate, complex story. Sometimes in my writing I become focused on what isn't finished. Here again, I am learning to pause and reflect. My words teach me as I process the wonder of the world around me. Others inform me as I contemplate the words God called them to share.

When I put down my pen, and share my writing, I trust God will cause those words to bloom. He is in control of the time and the place they grow. I am invited in as an ambassador of His story of everlasting love, mercy and grace. 

Lorilee Guenter enjoys gardening, reading and more. During the summer, her and her husband often hit the trails at nearby parks. He carries a camera. She carries a sketchbook.

Even Ugly Can Become Beautiful by Bob Jones

  

“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the

longing to find the place where all the

beauty came from.” C. S. Lewis

 

“God makes everything beautiful in its own time.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

“What could be more beautiful than people

becoming what God intended them to be and

having some small part as a writer in

their transformation.” NJ Lindquist

You and I may disagree on what is beautiful, but we can agree there is beauty all around us. We all enjoy something pleasing to the eye. Beauty can move and convert your heart to new thought, new faith, and new horizons.

You can find beauty in writing about raising a family, making a marriage work, advancing the causes of justice, and in contexts that range from the mundane to the mysterious. Perhaps the most intriguing beauty may rise, as NJ Lindquist asserts, from some small part you play as a writer in people’s transformation.

Poetry and prose possess a beautiful quality. And even though we can’t always physically see it we know it when we feel it.

And for writers, or any creative for that matter, even ugly can become beautiful.

Start Ugly

As Jason Dauphinee points out in, 10 Uncomfortable Truths For People Who Lead With Heart,

“Never brainstorm sitting still. Start ugly. Write the bad version. Sketch the crooked line. Motion tells your nervous system you’re safe enough to wander— and that’s where the real work begins.”

Writing the "bad version" has been a fruitful writing practise for me. As well, starting with the ugly, the suffering and hardships in life, has been a way to discover beauty.

 

In Home Behind The Sun, authors Timothy Willard and Jason Locy offer a spiritually rich perspective on beauty:

“It’s easy to focus on the brokenness and miss the beauty – to get hung up on the ‘what-if’ of a situation. No matter how dark our world, no matter how many shadows cast their despair on us, beauty remains. No matter how much pain and suffering rise to conquer us, God overwhelms them, causing good to come from even the blackest circumstances.”

Take away all the colours of the rainbow and you won’t get darkness; you get pure and radiant white. No matter how hard you try to black it out, light seeps through the cracks.

Willard and Locy observe that what we see as beautiful points to something else - the thing behind “the thing." It’s not really "the thing" we desire at all. We see beauty and we long for God.

5 Observations of Beauty

1. Our souls were made to run on the practice of worship, law-keeping, truthfulness, honesty, discipline, self-control, and service to God and others, which is beauty.

2. When we live contrary to our designed purpose, we dry up and lose the capacity for beauty.

3. Beauty is in the brilliance of the everyday - in innocence, forgiveness, physicality, deformity, art, music, mathematics, relationships and more.

4. Beauty is that surprising clarity that arrests and liberates our attention, evoking awe and wonder and opening us to the eternal.

5. God is beauty and beauty is love.

 

Which observation stood out to you?

Where do you observe beauty? Please comment at the bottom of this post.

Thank you.

Woodlawn Blue by Joylene Bailey

 ~~~~~

I've written in many places in my lifetime: at the island in the kitchen as dinner simmers on the stove, on my dining room table before the dishes have been cleared away, in coffee shops, on the front porch in the mornings, in a journal on a cruise ship, on my daughter's couch with a newborn grandbaby in one arm ... and the list goes on. I can write anywhere. But I would say my most creative work happens when and where I can be solitary and uninterrupted. That place is at my desk in the early mornings.

Jane Austen wrote several novels on a portable mahogany writing desk which she placed on a small twelve-sided tripod table. This was in the dining room of the home she shared with her mom and sister. In the movie, Miss Austen Regrets, there's a compelling scene that takes place in this room. I don't know how true it is to Jane's life, but it depicts everything I feel when I am deep into writing and an interruption occurs.

In the scene, Jane is writing at her little desk when sister Cassandra comes in to set the table. Cassandra is being as quiet as one can be with clinking silverware and porcelain plates, but Jane is distracted from her writing. She doesn't move, save for lifting her pen from the page and holding it there until Cassandra leaves the room. Then she begins to write again. It's the action of someone who doesn't want to lose the thought, so she freezes in time to hold onto it until the distraction is done. How I resonate with that! I need quiet, with no interruptions.

I'm pretty sure I'm writing all the time. I'm certainly observing with writing in mind, even when I don't realize I'm doing it.

The way the cashier tucks her hair behind her ear becomes the quirk of a secondary character. Questions my grandkids ask turn into what-ifs. How a certain word rolls off the tongue in the middle of a conversation with the piano tuner fills the blank in my manuscript. It's all fodder.

But the actual sit-down-work-at-my-computer writing happens at home in my favourite room. For years I'd dreamed of this space. It had to be big enough to embrace my quilting, my own library, and a spacious writing desk. This dream was finally realized four years ago when I entered my sixties.

The walls are painted Woodlawn Blue, with trim in Cloud White. Large windows on two walls face north and east, letting in golden sunrises and lots of light. Wafting breezes billow the lace curtains. If that sounds idyllic, it is, even when quilting projects clutter the sewing table and resource books crowd my desk. It's a place where I can close the door if I need to, when I don't want to be interrupted. My best work happens here. It's my sacred space.

I come here in the mornings, when the light shining through the windows sweeps the bookshelves with a golden pink glow and tiptoes across the floor into the living room beyond. The only distractions come from outside: birds chirping in season, our neighbour's rooster cock-a-doodling, the odd coyote howling in the distance. However, these are less distractions than they are reminders that God is over all. It's here, in this sacred space, where I feel His pleasure when I write.

Jane Austen might have wished for a more private place to write, at a proper desk with an ergonomic chair. But maybe not. After all, she managed to write seven novels that have remained popular for over two hundred years, mostly on a little twelve-sided table. Would she have considered that her sacred space?

I finished this post on my granddaughter's tenth birthday, in my daughter's bright living room. At times it was noisy and chaotic with excitement. So yes, I can write anywhere, but I do write best at home, in my sacred space of Woodlawn Blue.

~~~~~

Feature Photo from Pixabay

Joy writes from her Woodlawn Blue writing space in lake country, Alberta, where she lives with The Cowboy and their livestock - a dog and two cats. As a gentle encourager, she writes short stories, articles, and poetry for adults, and stories for children. She is working on a longer work of fiction. Find more of her joy-infused writing at Scraps of Joy.

 

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.

 

 

Fill 'er Up by Bob Jones

This month’s writing prompt asked how I fill my creative container.

That’s an interesting query.

In a recent online discussion with a group of religious leaders, the facilitator asked us to list the reasons why we do what we do. And then to share why what we do may encounter resistance.

My writing at REVwords is inspired by people and the challenges they face. They overflow my container.

These are some of the reasons and resistance that make up my writing world.

Reasons
•  Be an advocate for others.
•  Defend others who need a friend to stand with them.
•  Be a voice of those who don’t have a platform but have a story.
•  Broaden the perspectives of those willing to stretch.
•  Raise up issues to higher importance than is often attributed to them.

Resistance
•  My content offends some readers, so they break connection.
•  Deficiency of clarity in my writing leads to misunderstanding.
•  Defensive reactions to dissenting views and critique.

During that discussion, we were challenged to think about how we could get a broader hearing on divisive issues. How could I communicate what is meaningful in a way that would draw a more diverse audience and inspire less resistance and more conversation?

Exploring that kind of thinking is going to fill my creative container. I posted my first attempt at that in the post, C-9, 18, and 5:14 (Galatians). Let me know how I did.

The prompt also asked what strengthens my craft, the writing resources I use, and my go to publications, quotes, podcasts, and other resources.

Lately, I’ve been influenced by the people I follow on Substack and podcasts. Each one of them writes with creativity and passion. They’re not tentative in taking on big issues and speaking truth to power.

Bishop Mariann Budde – Reflections on Courage, Faith and the Work of Love

Brian Zhand

Bob Rae

Beth Allison Barr – Marginalia

Anne Applebaum – Open Letters

NiJay K. Gupta – Engaging Scripture

Anne Lamott – Hallelujah Anyway

Patti Miller – Isn’t That The Craziest Thing

Kristin Du Mez – Du Mez Connections

Anne Lamott shared a story a few weeks ago in her Substack. She told it for people doing important work. People like Inscribe writers.

“The writer Mark Yaconelli told me years ago of holding a retreat one weekend where a hundred people from all over the world came to hear his teachings on how to work with disenfranchised and severely depressed young people. He spoke to the gathering for a few hours about tools that he used to create community and connection with young people suffering loss and isolation. At some point, he handed out a Mexican beach blanket to each person, and asked them to lie down and rest.

A physician who worked with young AIDS patients had flown in from South Africa the week before, and she came up to him, furious. She said that she had flown 10,000 miles at enormous expense to learn his techniques and did not want to be told to take a nap like a kindergartner. Mark nodded sympathetically and asked her to do the best she could.

When the hour was over, the woman came back to him, weeping. She had fallen asleep. She said that she had not understood how exhausted she was.”

Happy Easter. He is risen so you can lay down.

Thank you for reading and commenting. I always look forward to your engagement. It’s the best part of writing.

My Inconsistent Journal by Lorilee Guenter

 

It started with a simple notebook and a pen. The earliest I remember consistently writing in a journal was summer of 1986. I had the opportunity to travel with my grandparents, youngest aunt, and sister to Expo 86 in Vancouver. That journal holds observations and reflections of the trip. Over the years I have been an inconsistent journaller. I am most consistent at recording my observations and reflections while travelling.

Over the years, my journals have evolved, and some might say devolved. Lately when I pick up my journal it is a time of reflection. It is a time of asking questions and listening. I have said, "God meets me on the page." This is especially true when I don't follow a rigid journal structure. I write without agenda or time frame. I pause knowing God will show me what I need, when I need it. I pour out my heart, my questions, my concerns, my fears and my excitement in a raw unfiltered manner. Those journals are for my eyes only.

I have at times kept a gratitude journal. When I open those pages, I am remembering and counting my blessings. It is a time of slowing and noticing. It is a time of reflecting and watching my perspective change from grumbling to thanksgiving.

I have had seasons where I journal my prayers. I tried morning pages. I have a book of random quotes. No one style of journaling has been a consistent routine in my day. Even with gaps, I find I always return to my journal, whether it is fancy or plain, to record, reflect and ponder. I expect I always will. The style I use is what I need at the time.

Lorilee Guenter is an inconsistent journal keeper who enjoys learning. She can be found in the garden, with a book, or hiking and exploring nature with her husband. She is facing her fears by taking her stories beyond the journal page and releasing them from captivity.

Community of Encouragers by Carol Harrison

 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

We all need encouragement in our daily lives. I have been and am blessed with a community of encouragers. One of my greatest encouragers was my husband, Brian. He believed I could do more than I thought I could possibly accomplish. He continually encouraged me to go and write even when I didn’t feel like it. I miss his encouragement every day more that I can express.

Yet, I am not without others who have and do encourage me even as I walk with grief which seems to put a block on my writing. A number of my grandchildren have encouraged me to branch out and try other genres or have helped design book covers or format for KDP. All of these things are encouragement. I can also encourage the grandchildren in using their talents with book cover design and formatting which I enjoy doing.

For the last two years, I have faced a block with writing and crafting. I don’t know why this has to be a season of waiting for inspiration or the desire to continue on a writing journey. Yet in the midst of this time, I have others who encourage me to try like my oldest daughter, Lorilee. We often discuss writing or my lack thereof lately. She encourages me to take a step forward and then another one. What can I do to discover what is holding me back? Then work through it and try writing something or editing something I’ve written long ago.

Maybe, she suggests, it is because I haven’t begun a project my husband had challenged me to write before he passed away. It will be a difficult project to write about journeying with him through his cancer. But it might also be a healing journey. I have started an outline and a rough first chapter and then put it back away. Maybe she is right and it is time to face it once again.

I also have friends who pray for me and encourage me. These dear friends keep telling me I have the ability to write. I just need to take the time to rest and then step forward one step at a time with the writing and crafting until the excitement returns. They get excited when I write something new or publish a piece. The encouragement makes me feel like someone cares how I am doing.

I have also been encouraged by reading the Inscribe blog posts and the authors' writings. The conference encouraged me as well. There are so many avenues of encouragement opportunities within our organization and that is how it should be.

The saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” flits through my mind, and yet in this case for this prompt, I believe it takes a community of encouragers to help us as writers and believers continue on in the path God has set for us.

May you find a community of encouragers surrounding you.

 

Carol Harrison appreciates each person who has encouraged her on her life and writing journey. They are blessings from God.