F is for Fame by Susan Barclay

 

I’m probably dating myself, but do you remember the TV show Fame from the mid-1980s and its theme song (same name), written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, performed by Irene Cara? The lyrics speak of a personal desire for name recognition, stardom, glory, and to be remembered. A sampling reads,

              I feel it comin’ together

              People will see me and cry,   fame

              I’m gonna make it to heaven

              Light up the sky like a flame,   flame

              I’m gonna live forever

              Baby, remember my name

I have to admit I loved this show and looked forward to watching it week after week. Set at The School of the Arts in New York City, Fame portrays students who want to dance, sing, make and create music, and act, and who have a long way to go to achieve riches and fame. The students are talented, ambitious, goal-oriented, and hard-working, and the teachers seek to bring out the best in their students, whatever it takes.

As I think about it now from a Christian perspective, the message was “Got talent? Work hard, develop your gifts and abilities, and you too have a shot at being the centre of your particular universe and the object of the world’s adoration.” The yearning for acclaim is a natural, human temptation for anyone who excels in a specific field of endeavour, but it’s not a godly desire for followers of Christ.

God’s Word says,

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ~Mark 8:36

Also,

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world. ~1 John 2:15-16

Given the opportunity to have “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” in exchange for bowing down to Satan, Jesus said,

“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” ~Matthew 4:8-10

There is only One worthy of renown, and it’s not us, the world, or the devil: it’s God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (yes, that is One!). We're going to live forever, regardless of whether or not anyone on earth remembers our names. Let's store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), not earth. Let’s use our gifts (which are from Him) to bring Him all the glory and fame to which He is due!

_____________________

For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit her blog: https://susan-barclay.blogspot.com/.

Be a Fountain by Sandi Somers

 

I live in one of Calgary’s newer communities that have constructed wetlands--stormwater ponds that collect and hold excess rainwater and snow melt--waters polluted with garbage, pet waste, lawn chemicals, winter salt, and gravel. Live organisms help purify the water and the fountain aerates the water, providing oxygen. These ponds protect the community from flooding when excess water is drained into the larger city systems. 

Often during the spring and summer months, I walk over to the wetlands in my neighbourhood. Along the pathways, my attention focuses on different birds in the trees and reeds along the water, and waterbirds as they dip and dive with their young. 

I especially enjoy the fountain, its beauty the centrepiece of aesthetics and inspiration.  I often sit at the bench or stop on the bridge to listen to the whoosh of its gentle spray. Or I collect my thoughts and write notes or first drafts of articles that the waterfall and bird life inspire. 

~ ~ ~

Many authors have inspired me with their wisdom. Like the fountain, these quotes have enhanced my own creativity. As you read them, let them refresh and aerate your spirits.   

“Be faithful to your calling…this requires no grand leap off a cliff—just do the next thing.” Luci Shaw 

“Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.” Rainer Maria Rilke 

“(T)he first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.”  Louis L'Amour 

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” William Wordsworth 

On First drafts: “Seventy percent of a first draft is garbage and 30 percent is gold, but you have to write 100 percent to get that 30.” Laurell K. Hamilton 

“The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn’t induce him to continue to the third sentence, it’s equally dead.” William Zinsser 

First person: "The more honestly you put yourself into the story, the more the story will concern others as well.” Rainer Werner Fassbinder 

Face your fears. “Nothing in life is to be feared—it is only to be understood.” Madame Curie. Do it scared, because, “The anointing you received from Him remains in you” (1 John 2:27).          

 Make failure your friend. “Fear of failure is the saddest reason on earth not to do what you were meant to do.” J.K. Rowling. 

“Follow Me.” Jesus (Matthew 4:19). 

“Feed my sheep.” Jesus (John 21:17). 

“Be filled with the Spirit”, Paul wrote in Ephesians (5:18). As we make Jesus the centrepiece of our lives, He promises that we will become like a fountain. Out of our lives will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). As we’re filled with the Spirit, He will infuse us with unlimited life-giving power and refreshment that will flow through us to our readers and beyond.

 

F is for Failure ~ by Brenda J. Wood

 

Face it. Failure is part of life. But if you are a writer, failure is more painful because so often we bear it alone. We don’t want to tell our friends that our novel was rejected for the third time. We hate that the magazine editor wants a second rewrite. We hide the fact that we have another job just to pay our bills. We are Writers! Why can’t we make a go of it?

Why? Because failure is part of life. Take a look at these fine folks and tell yourself that you are in good company!

Abraham Lincoln failed to be elected as a land officer, a U.S. senator, the vice president, and again the U.S. Senate AND YET… kept trying and against all odds, became president of the United States.

Louisa May Alcott wrote out of necessity. Her family was desperately poor, and her education sketchy. She even did laundry and taught school to help support the family. She declared many of her most popular works to be emotional pap! And yet…

Winston Churchill was a poor student, but excelled in sports. Some of his war campaigns were huge mistakes. For example, his World War I attack against Turkey, the World War II defense of Norway. And yet, we remember other huge victories during World War II.

And then there is Walt Disney. We hear the name Disney now and we think success and Mickey Mouse. Most of us don’t know that Walt’s background included bankruptcy, a mental breakdown, a strike and even loss of control over some of his cartoon creations.

Harry Potter creator, J. K Rowling submitted her Harry Potter work twelve times before it was accepted. At one point, this single mom had no job, lived on welfare and thought of suicide.

And yet----everyone of these failures kept on following their passion and saw the results of perseverance. Will you do any less?

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston S. Churchill

Brenda J. Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.

F is for Faithfulness ~ by Wendy L. Macdonald

 Oh my, faithfulness was not a word one could use in the same sentence as my name on the morning I wrote this. I fell off my writing wagon during the month I began the first draft of this post. Twitter and Facebook appealed to me more than Microsoft Word did. 

But I did get some extra journaling done that day. And afterward, while I sat in my reading chair with one of my Persian cats on my lap, I remembered: Sometimes faithfulness just means showing up to write even when your muse feels drier than a parched pen.

A moment later I apologized to my cat and made my way to the computer. She followed me and sprawled out on the carpet by my feet. 

Faithfulness is also remembering we’re cared for by a faithful God. He doesn’t neglect to nudge us to do the next thing. And He helps us get it done too. 

Faithfulness isn’t an extreme sport. It’s important to take care of ourselves.

Since it was too early for lunch I began writing right away. The perfect excuse to stop and timely reward were just ahead. When noon arrived, I planned to leave my writing room and enjoy a small meal and a BIG mug of coffee.

Faithfulness isn’t about being perfect; it’s about obeying the only One who is perfect. If He says it’s time to work, things will work out well when we do. 

Faithfulness isn’t about feeling fabulously inspired all the time. Yes, amazing things can happen in the middle of a mundane day. But they don’t have to. It’s okay to just show up as-is.

Faithfulness isn’t about being noticed by anyone because the One who matters most has already called us to write for the glory of God.

Faithfulness is being conscientious to keep our conscience clear before God.

A faithful schedule for me may not look anything like someone else’s. Comparison is stupid at best.  

Being faithful one day at a time fills pages with words that would otherwise not have been written. 

Whether our words are worth saving to a file is not for us to determine during the first draft. The time for judging is during editing. And the best time for editing is to faithfully wait a few days before tackling that.

It’s okay to write rotten sentences and stinky paragraphs on the first go-round. Faithfulness is about taking the first step first, the second step second, and so on. Rushing the process isn’t faithfulness any more than leaving things to the last minute is. 

And there you have it. In just over thirty minutes I finished the first draft of this post. It was four minutes to noon when I completed it. 

Lunch was delightful. 

“We can walk without fear, full of hope and courage and strength to do His will, waiting for the endless good which He is always giving as fast as He can get us able to take it in.” – George Macdonald

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

Luke 16:10 NASB

I’m nosy to know: How do you reward yourself for showing up to write when you’d rather not?

Blessings,

Wendy Mac 

P.S. What a gift it was to check my draft box and find there was something waiting for me to edit. I had left this for so long that I forgot what I’d written. Bonus!  

Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and podcaster who loves to photograph nature on Vancouver Island. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.”