Villains, Victims and Victories by Mary Folkerts

 

Every good story needs a villain—the bad guy who creates havoc or the problem that causes misery. Can you imagine a story where everything is always perfect? At first, it might be a great escape from reality, but after a while, one simply gets bored of perfection. There must be a struggle or tension to create a dynamic in the story.

If you have a villain, you will undoubtedly have victims, people in danger or struggling with an issue they can’t resolve. It’s the age-old story of good versus evil where we most often identify with and cheer for the victim to overcome and the villain to be taken down.

The reader needs the author to give hope that they can prevail against struggle and pain and that victory is possible!

Even when we are not writing fictitious stories, these still seem to be necessary components of writing that capture the reader's attention. Who wants to read that Susie woke up to a glorious morning, went through her day without a care or angry word, fell into a deep, restful sleep at night and did the same thing again come morning? It’s not a compelling story without a struggle because it's unrealistic. We want to read about the problem Susie encountered during her day, something she had difficulty coming to terms with. Then, we want to know how she handled it and, hopefully, the steps she took to resolve it. 

We know real life is full of villains and problems, and the reader needs the author to give hope that they can prevail against struggle and pain and that victory is possible! So, what struggle is the villain of your story, who are the victims, and how are they affected? And what are the ways to victory? Let’s tell compelling, vulnerable stories that lead others to hope for their own story.

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/ 

 

V is for Valma: The Call to Name as Christian Writers ~ by Michelle Strutzenberger

 

She couldn’t pronounce the letter “v.” And, yet, stunningly, her name began with a “v.” Valma. A student in my beginner English class, she could read and write fairly well. But her lips couldn’t seem to form into the required shape for certain sounds of the English alphabet. The letter “v” especially bewildered her.

I remember exaggerating my own mouth movements, setting my upper teeth firmly on my lower lip to help her see what her mouth needed to do. She would glance at me and laugh at my contorted lower face, then half-try, and finally fail as her lips met in a very distinct “b” sound. Balma.

She couldn’t pronounce her own name properly.

But I could. So could several of her fellow students, themselves learners of the English language. We could name her.

In her book, Walking on Water, Madeleine L’Engle writes on the power of naming. Of course, in her case, she is not referring simply to the act of verbalizing one another’s names. I especially love how L’Engle writes about the power of stories to “help us become whole, to become Named.”

My student’s challenge with pronouncing her own name could be a kind of picture for any one of us who struggles with feeling less than whole. We may be so broken we can’t even name ourselves. We need someone else to speak over us.  

It’s interesting to me that labels and names stand so close in meaning, and yet they carry completely different connotations.

We slap labels on pickles and Amazon packages. Our minds pin invisible labels on our neighbours, church acquaintances, and in-laws. Left-wing. Right-wing. Charismatic. Selfish.

Many of us may need to peel off labels we or others have pasted on ourselves over the years. Inadequate. Failure. Stupid. Sloppy.

Labels suit pickle jars perfectly.

But they can harm humans terribly. Labels should come with a warning: Not for use on people.

However, the act of naming is a completely different story.

He has been named athlete of the year.
We named her after my sister.
They have been named in our will.
We just named our chickens.

Naming in our regular vernacular carries the idea of bestowing – bestowing recognition, honour, possessions, even personality.

L’Engle also adds this notion of naming as a way to become whole, to become more fully who we were meant to be.

“When we name each other, we are sharing in the joy and privilege of incarnation,” L’Engle writes.

My question is, how can we contribute to the wholeness of one another as Christian writers? How can we name each other?

Again, L’Engle offers a clue. We name one another – that is, we contribute to one another becoming more whole -- as we create and enjoy art that “leads us to living more deeply with Christ in God.”

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we all as Christian writers continue to fulfill this calling on our lives until He returns.

Reference: L'Engle, Madeleine. Walking on Water : Reflections on Faith & Art. Wheaton, Ill. :H. Shaw, 1980.

Michelle and her family enjoy hiking mountains and trails together. She is currently writing a series  called, What Growing Up in a Mennonite Family of 10 Taught Me About Survival. To receive the bi-weekly tips, visit this link and subscribe.

Life in the Vine ~ Valerie Ronald

                                                                                                               image by Pixabay

The intense aroma of boiling grape juice filled my kitchen as I crushed more grapes to make jelly. The clusters of deep purple grapes were abundant, considering how vigorously my husband pruned the vines growing along the back of our garage in the fall. When he was done, only the main trunk and a few branches were left. It was hard to imagine grapes growing next season after such severe pruning, yet the boxes full of fruit on my kitchen floor were proof of its effectiveness. Proper pruning helped the grape vine branches grow back to bear even more grapes than the previous year.

In John 15, Jesus used the picture of the vine and the branches to illustrate the importance of His disciples staying in close communion with Him in order to bear fruit for His kingdom. The fruit they were to produce is that of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal.5:22-23 NIV). He also made it clear that trials the disciples faced were meant to refine or prune them so they would be more fruitful.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. (John 15:1-4)

He used the metaphor as a picture of His presence and energy still being available to them even after He was gone. His living Spirit would continue to nourish and sustain them just as the roots and trunk of a grape vine produce the energy that nourishes and sustains its branches while they develop their fruit. Their part was to continue to abide, remain, stay connected to˗˗Jesus, their source of life-giving power, so they could bear fruit, or positive spiritual service for His kingdom.

In meditating on this familiar passage as it applies to a writer’s life, I don’t need to think too hard to recall times when my abiding has been weak and my fruit-bearing almost non-existent. As much as I enjoy writing, life has a way of robbing me of writing time and energy. Family situations, health issues, or church obligations can easily take over if I let them. Sometimes I find it challenging to maintain a consistent, intimate connection with Christ so His Spirit can flow through me as I write. Author and pastor, John Piper, says the essential meaning of our active abiding is the act of receiving and trusting all that God gives us in Christ, so it flows like a life-giving sap into our lives.  

When I am not abiding as I should, then I need to open the channels of my spirit so what Jesus offers can flow freely. He is specific in what He provides.   

 “His words ˗ "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7) 

In order for me to bear fruit through my writing, I need to feed on the Word. The Bible is not just a book of sacred stories and sayings, it is a living book, the inspired words of God that He provided so I can know Him, His plans and His purposes. By spending time in it, I abide in Him and His words abide in me. In turn, His words nourish my words so what I write reflects who He is. 

His love - “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” (John 15:9)  

My ultimate purpose as a writer seeking to abide in Him is to communicate His love to my readers. Out of the many reasons I write ˗˗ to entertain, to teach, to inspire ˗˗ conveying the love of Jesus is the most important. When I abide in Him, then the fruit borne of my writing is supernaturally imbued with His love.                                                                                                                          

His joy - “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

Jesus delights in sharing His joy. This is not just any joy, it is the life-giving joy of Christ flowing through us like sparkling water energizing our creativity so others will be drawn to what we write. When I write, I feel His joy full and free, giving me a sense of His pleasure in His beloved child using her gift.  

Jesus is explicit in His statement that we cannot bear fruit alone. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4) Nothing of lasting value for His kingdom can be accomplished by us unless we are firmly abiding in Him. He is the vine, flowing His lifeblood through us so that we bear fruit which is actually His. We cannot do so without Him. If we are trying to express spiritual truths as a writer, our words will be empty, no matter how well-written, if we have not first received Jesus Christ into our soul as our Savior. He is not only the source of our salvation, He provides what we need for a fruitful life. Once we have received Him, close communion with Him is essential so His life flows to its full extent into ours.

Our source of life and spiritual fruit is not in ourselves; it is outside us, in Christ Jesus. When our writing bears fruit in the lives of our readers, then it can only be as a result of our abiding in Him. 

                                               

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.

The Power of Vulnerability by Lorrie Orr

 

At 242 feet in height and a circumference of over 32 feet, 
this is the largest Douglas Fir tree in the world. 

I am a homebody who likes to travel. Does that make any sense at all? Puttering in my house and garden delight my heart. I feel safe and secure here. Comfortable. Yet the lure of adventure lurks beneath the surface. My husband and I talk about places to explore, places near and far. Last week the two of us visited the west coast of Vancouver Island. While there we went looking for some infamous trees. 

As we jounced over potholed logging roads, following our maps, I felt vulnerable. We were in the deep forest with no cell phone coverage and no other people anywhere near. We hiked on rough trails. I thought that if there was an accident, it could be weeks or months before we were found. That was unnerving. I felt vulnerable. Uncertain. Yet when I stood at the base of the largest Douglas Fir Tree in the world, the elation was worth the uncomfortable feelings. 

Brené Brown says, "Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage." To be human is to feel, to have emotions both positive and negative. Admitting to joy, anger, uncertainty, hurt, the vast array of human expression allows us as writers to connect to our readers and to the people in our lives. We connect through our likes and dislikes, our strengths and our weaknesses. When a reader has an aha moment - "You, too? I thought I was the only one" - the writer has succeeded in making a connection. 

The inescapable presence of vulnerability in life must be reflected in our writing for it opens dialogue and expresses authenticity. There is a risk in being open with our feelings for there are those who would use our honesty as weapons to wound us. Denial and suppression of emotion is a coping mechanism that can lead to disappointment, disillusionment, and detachment from God. I am reminded of Paul writing to the Ephesians and praying for them to know "...the incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead..." This amazing power is ours. We do not have to fear vulnerability, but to recognize the power of God to overcome past hurts and traumas in order to demonstrate, with utter humility and thankfulness, God's grace to all of us. 

Vulnerability lends power to our writing when we give the credit to God for all he has done. We trust him with our circumstances. Vulnerability allows our readers to identify with the same emotions they feel, and provides a wonderful way to connect. What might vulnerability look like to you? How does the power of God in Christ allow you to share past experiences with others? 

Lorrie Orr writes from her cozy home on Vancouver Island. Life is not always a bowl of cherries, but there is much sweetness because of God's love and grace.