My Writing Testimony - Payne

In the year 2000, God called my husband and me to Orillia, Ontario. I sold my home and my business and Bob left his job and sold his cottage. We bought a home in a town where we had no family and no friends and started a new life.

This was the first time that I ever stayed home with my children full-time. I worked when they were young and then started my own business when my oldest child started school. But in Orillia, I was home all day, everyday.

Being a social person, I sought out other women and ended up attending a Women’s CARE Group at the Christian Reformed Church. It was there that I gave my heart to Jesus and began my personal relationship with the Lord.

At home, I took to reading and studying Christian books. I enjoyed such classics as Hannah Whitall Smith’s The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, Josh McDowell’s More than a Carpenter, Catherine Marshall’s Something More and The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge.

By following the advice of Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way, I began to journal a minimum of three pages each morning. They were called, quite appropriately, Morning Pages. Through this process, I wrote about my fears, anxieties, observations and lessons learned as a new Christian. At first, my writing was between God and me. He revealed things to me that I never would have been open to receiving any other way. I remember the day when I was having a “discussion” with God about what my call in life was and He responded, “to write”. He told me to write to bring people closer to Him.

Since that day I try very hard not to miss a morning without writing my morning pages. I share my walk of faith with others through my weekly column, Today’s Faith, in the Millbrook Times. God has done so much for me in my life, writing a book – Fit for Faith, and writing regular Christian articles are just some ways I can be obedient to His call in my life and bring others closer to Him.

What's your writing testimony?

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It's Harvest Time

I recently heard a story about a woman who went into a store and found God behind the counter. He asked her what she wanted, and she said “I want to buy a little joy and prosperity and a lot of peace -- not just for myself -- but for everyone.” God replied, “We don’t sell the fruit here…we just sell the seeds. Once you get the seeds, you have the power and authority to produce the fruits yourself.”

Have you looked out your back door and scanned the fields lately?
Did you become curious enough to want to know if your planted seeds were rising up to life? Or have you planted any seeds at all? Jesus spoke figuratively about sowing and reaping but His purpose was to explain the meaning of reaching out to others with the Gospel message. Why?
What is the work that is required from the believers? “The work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent.” (John 6:29) Jesus said, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

So if we are to believe, what beliefs are expected of us? Do we believe that God came down from heaven? Do we believe that he gives life to the whole world? Do we believe that in order for the Gospel to be preached we have a part to play? Is it enough to believe that Jesus exists? Even the devil exists. We have the duty of taking the good news as we travel the narrow road. We have the duty of spreading the good seed on the fertile ground along our journey to heaven. Think about it…didn’t someone plant your seed? Were you encouraged in the faith? Did someone remember you in prayer?

“Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life…” (John 6:40) Isn’t that our earnings? Our wages? If we invest in a little sowing and reaping don’t you think the principle of getting a return on our investment will come about? An investment for eternity; more wayward souls brought home to glory. Or do we even believe the importance of pointing the way of Salvation?
What did Jesus do? Let’s pause by John chapter 4 for a moment. When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman, she realized her need for God. As a result of her newfound joy, she ran back to her village to tell everyone she saw about this man who knew all about her and they all came running to see him. The seeds were scattered all over the village. It was fertile ground! The people needed to hear the good news about the Christ.

Seeds continued to germinate throughout Jesus’ journey. The Bible says that crowds followed him and were amazed. Seeds were scattered all over the mountain as Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand. Didn’t they witness a miracle before their eyes? Didn’t they learn about Jesus as Lord at that moment? Seeds were planted in the jailer’s heart when Paul was miraculously freed from prison. His entire family became believers. Seeds were gathered in the hearts of the Centurion’s home when his servant was healed. Yes, these families became believers, believers in Jesus, the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world.

What can we do? We can share the good news. We can wait upon God to water the ground. We can till the ground and keep it maintained. In other words, we can share the good news of salvation and eternal life to others and maintain a friendship with them and introduce them to God’s greatness. And all the while we are in the planting mode, God gives us the power and authority to speak and sow in his name. It’s not about a sowing a new plantation for the believers. It’s about reaping what has been sown, row-by-row, and person-by-person. God came to offer life; therefore God will bring the increase!

Jan Keats

I’m Thinking About Presents - Martha Toews Anderson

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Eilif and I celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary by traveling to Calgary to witness the marriage ceremony of our granddaughter, Judith, to Shawn Roberts. What especially thrilled my heart was the confidence in their actions and voices as they spoke their marriage vows, expressing their commitment to each other before God. I pondered the fact that in marriage the couple is literally giving themselves to each other. I am thankful that after over half a century of married life, the giving becomes even more meaningful.

Coincidentally, the message we heard at church the next morning was on the subject of Giving. When it comes to giving gifts or donations to someone we are also giving something of ourselves, in a smaller scale. We are making an investment in the recipient. If given with the right motive, a gift increases our interest in that individual or cause.

My husband’s eightieth birthday followed only a month later. As the family was organizing a celebration in his honour, they wanted to come up with a gift that would have special significance for him. Knowing his passion to help the Leprosy Mission buy the much needed medicine that cures lepers and gives them another chance at life. They set out a basket for contributions, collecting $80.00. Eilif called it, “A very thoughtful way to honour me.” A gift is special to the recipient because of the thoughtfulness and love it represents.

God, likewise, has given individual gifts to us. He invests something of Himself in each life at conception. Each person, created in God's image, is endowed with a sense of creativity and a specific combination of talents. God reveals His interest in us personally by giving us what I like to call birthday presents. These abilities, unique to each one, are entrusted to us for the benefit of others. For example, Eilif enjoys working with metal and has come up with various inventions. What he considers his greatest contribution is the Grain Guard aeration grain drier, making it possible to dry grain in the bins, thereby saving much grain.

When we are born again, our Creator again gives us birthday presents. Along with the new life in Christ, He distributes to each new member specific abilities for ministry. The Scriptures refer to them as gifts of the Spirit, differing from our natural talents. For example, an individual may have an unusual ability to write with clarity on various subjects. When it comes to spiritual truths, however, natural talent is not enough. To be able to expound the Word of God requires spiritual understanding. As we share in the fellowship of God's people, our special abilities in certain areas will become evident, either to the individual or to others. The Bible explains it best.

“Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service to God, but it is the same Lord we are serving (11 Corinthians 12:4,5 LB). Paul, under the inspiration of God, enumerates some of these: ability to give wise advice, studying and teaching, faith in prayer, healing, preaching, and discernment to determine the truth of what others claim.

Sadly, these gifts, like our natural abilities, are often unrecognized. That is why it is important for us to let our fellow members know in what way we are blessed through them and to encourage them in that ministry. God has not made us to live independently. We are members one of another. We all need each other. That’s why Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship serves such a great purpose.