Keeping it Real - Lynn Dove

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹ and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”  Hebrews 5:7-9

Jesus asked his friends to stand watch with Him, at the Garden of Gethsemane.  While He cried out to His Father to save Him from death, and during this heartfelt prayer He sweat droplets of blood,  His friends slept.  Jesus asked if there was some other way for God’s Plan to be realized other than the Cross.  God the Father said, “No.”  Jesus accepted that, and willingly walked to the Cross.  How precious, how magnificent!  “…He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.” 

Today is my birthday!  Happy Birthday to me! 

If you have been reading my previous posts, you will know that I’m currently going through chemotherapy and have now finished the third of six treatments.  As I celebrate my birthday today, I am already gearing up for the fourth go-round in a little over a week.  It has not been an easy time of it.  I developed a blood clot in my left leg after the second round and I have battled on-going and extremely painful neuropathy in all my joints caused by the chemo since the first round.  I have cried out to God so many times before, during, and after my treatments to just miraculously heal me so I wouldn’t have to endure another round, but God has seen fit to “perfect” me.  He is using this time of struggle, to strengthen my character for His purposes, and so I persevere through this health challenge and fully trust in Him throughout the process.

One of the ways I cope with my current situation is by writing about my personal journey on my blog, Journey Thoughts and right here on IWO.  It is not only therapeutic for me to write about what I’m going through, I have found that so many of my readers are joining me on this journey either by praying for me or they too, are in the middle of great struggle and so they find encouragement in following my blog posts. 

I hadn’t originally thought I would write so openly about my battle with cancer, but I felt a real prompting of the Holy Spirit to not only write about it but “keep it real”.  Readers want authenticity.  I write about the many aspects of this journey with a life-threatening disease.  There have been many days, especially the weekends following a treatment, where I am at my lowest, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  It’s hard to put on a brave front.  I weep, I gnash my teeth, and I pray for the pain to stop.  My poor husband takes the brunt of those outbursts during those very dark days, and he is the one who ministers to me practically as well as keeps me focused on the One Who loves me even when I wonder if that’s true.  Yes, in that chemo fog, I question why God would allow this to happen to me.  I forget He is Good, and Perfect, and Sovereign.  On those miserable days, I only feel pain and I feel sorry for myself.  Thankfully, I have some incredible prayer warriors who petition on my behalf, and when I struggle to pray, they take up the prayer gauntlet for me. 

When I write about my “down” days, some well-meaning readers and friends have responded, “That’s perfectly understandable.  You’re entitled to feel miserable.” 

Am I?

Doesn’t that speak of lack of faith?  Does it say that I don’t trust God?  Absolutely not!  David, Jeremiah, Job, and other great men and women of the Bible cried out to God when they found themselves in circumstances beyond their control.  That’s what I am facing right now, something totally out of my control, and something I know I won’t get through without Him.  I KNOW God is bigger than my circumstances.  He can take my cries of despair, along with my praises, and I KNOW He works all things out for good.  Our IWO verse to ponder this month, Romans 12:12, I have always found to be so challenging and powerful, but even more so during my current time of “affliction”. 

I appreciate all your prayers, IWO writers and readers, as I face three more rounds of chemo in the months ahead.  I will keep writing, and pray that I will continue in keeping it real!

Lynn Dove is the award-winning author, of the YA “Wounded Trilogy”- a contemporary Christian fiction series with coming-of-age themes.  A wife, mom, grandmother, and free-lance writer with articles published in several magazines and anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her blog, “Journey Thoughts” is a Canadian Christian Writing Award winner.  Readers may connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at lynndove.com   

Are You Frenzied or Focused? by Nina Faye Morey

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

(Romans 12:12, ESV)

Often when I sit down to write, my mind is swirling with so many “to do’s” that I find it hard to maintain my focus. I have a general idea of the topic I want to write about, but I can’t get a handle on the central message I want to convey. Or I may think I’m writing about one thing, but wind up going down so many rabbit trails that pretty soon I’m totally lost. In either case, I find it hard to focus on what’s important.

On these occasions, the story of Mary and Martha comes to mind (Luke 10:38-42). Martha had invited Jesus into their home, but she had no time to focus on His message because she was too distracted by all the work that needed to be done. She soon becomes angry that she’s been left alone to prepare their meal. Was it right that Mary should be so entranced by Jesus’s every word that she left Martha all alone to slave away in the kitchen? Was it fair that the Lord didn’t seem at all concerned that Martha’s sister had deserted her when she most needed her help with serving?

This perceived injustice so emboldened Martha that she confronted Jesus and accused Him of not caring enough about her or her dilemma. She even went so far as to demand that He order Mary to help her. But which sister’s actions truly showed the greatest care and concern for their Master?

Who do you identify with most, Martha or Mary? Like Martha, have you often felt that life isn’t treating you fairly? Do you, too, become so distracted by all the busyness that you fail to pay attention to the One who should be your primary focus in life?

Too often, we tend to base our worth on how busy we are and on how much we are needed. We brag to our friends, family members, and anyone else who will listen about how much we need to do and how little time we have to do it. We’re more frenzied than focused. We’re like Martha. Our priorities are out of order. Jesus tells her:

Martha, Martha, you are worried about so many things,

But few things are needed—or indeed only one.

Mary has chosen what is better,

And it will not be taken away from her.

(Luke 10:41-42, NIV)

As Christian writers, we need to stop and ask ourselves if we’ve become so busy trying to serve God through our writing that we fail to hear His voice? Are we so focused on the busyness of our work that we forget to pray for His guidance? Are we so lost in the weeds of our words, that we lose sight of our primary message and purpose?

Jesus explained to Martha that “Mary has chosen what is better.” Martha’s main focus was on their material needs while Mary’s primary focus was on their spiritual needs. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus declares in John 6:63: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”

Like Mary, we must choose the best. The Lord should be our number one priority. Pray for His guidance so you don’t wander down rabbit trails that lead nowhere: “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you the path to take” (Proverbs 3:6, NLT). If we maintain our focus on Jesus and His words, we will succeed: “Share your plans with the LORD, and you will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3, CEV).

Beauty From Ashes - Tracy Krauss

Isaiah 61: 1 - 4
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations. (ESV)

I was going to use only a portion of the above scripture, but I just couldn't seem to slice any of it away. Liberty for captives; comfort for those who mourn; rebuilding of devastated ruins... This month's theme contains such powerful truth - that out of the ashes, God can make something beautiful. 

The Biblical metaphors are abundant: Gold can only be refined by fire. A seed must die in order to grow into a new plant. Only through death are we ushered into heaven. It's a well known principle and one of the greatest paradoxes we can imagine. God uses darkness to emphasize the light. 

I believe that everyone has a story to tell that relates to this theme.... about a time when God met them in the midst of their trials and used pain and suffering to bring about an even greater blessing. Sometimes it is through health related trials. (I have experienced this more than once, twice with blindness and once after heart surgery) Or it might be because of a wayward child. (Also been there... very frightening times, I assure you.) How about the death of a loved one? (The untimely death of my 18 year old cousin left an unforgettable imprint, as did that of my brother-in-law shortly after I was married.) Financial difficulties can be an immense trial. (Have I ever mentioned the time we had absolutely nothing to eat for months besides deer meat and faba beans?) I am grateful that I never suffered abuse as a child, but I did go through my share of heartache when my parents divorced.

No one is exempt. Each one of us has our own burdens to bear, but I can honestly say that in retrospect I have grown spiritually and emotionally through each one. While not necessarily grateful for the trial itself, I am thankful for the resulting growth. Each has given me tangible evidence of God's amazing love and care. This has spilled over into my writing life, as well. The pain of years of rejection gave me fortitude to persevere, taught me about owning my own voice as an author, and helped me embrace the call to write that God has placed on my life - despite the hardships.

Tracy Krauss is the current President of InScribe. As a multi-published author and playwright, she has met with many writing trials as well as personal ones, but continues to press on despite the occasional and fleeting whim to throw in the towel. 
Visit tracykrauss.com for more - fiction on the edge without crossing the line -  

Depth of Character by Wendy L. Macdonald

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Romans 12:12 NIV

Recently I realized that depth of character as a Christian and a writer can’t be realized without the one thing I strove to avoid.

Before I knew Jesus—joyfulness, patience, and faithfulness were sorely lacking in my life. I flitted from friend to friend and from job to job. This reminds me of a butterfly in a garden. It’s rare for a butterfly to sit still enough for me to capture a clear shot of it with my camera.

Like the butterflies, I was afraid of something. The thing I feared wasn’t the monster I believed it was; fear was the boogie man I needed to boot out of my mind. My submission to fear stunted my emotional growth. 

Once I became a follower of Jesus, I began to submit to the hope I have in Him. I realized fear wasn't supposed to lead me. However, it wasn’t an easy habit to break. Thankfully the Christian life isn’t a walk through the valley of condemnation; it’s a journey of transformation.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; 

but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

Love leads. It doesn’t wallop us over the head and tell us to smarten up. Love leads with gentleness and respect.

Slowly I stopped avoiding what I feared most: Affliction.

Webster’s definition of affliction: a cause of persistent pain or distress.  

 
Just as there are honeymoon phases in marriage, life, and institutions, there are also seasons of affliction. Love is long-suffering. Love doesn’t leave when poor weather arrives. Love remembers the best about others and stays to see the sun return. 

 As a writer, this also applies to slogging through the messy middle of an article, blog post, or book manuscript. Sometimes we begin a project with loads of hope only to have it unload by the halfway mark.

This is when and where the author’s character matters more than the protagonist’s does. Will we stay on target to complete the good race or will we be sidelined by fear of failure? Even if our story doesn’t make it to print, the process of completing it, editing it, and submitting it for critiques are huge growth hormones for our character development as a person.

Let’s face it, the writer’s life—the Christian life—isn’t easy. Pain and distress are part of the package. They are the sandpaper, the chisel, and the hammer that build a better version of us.

Confession time:

I recently began walking through a season of affliction. There are things that happened that stung, stunned, and stripped me. I couldn’t believe what I witnessed and experienced. But the wonderful thing about this weird journey is
  I allowed the hardness of life to press me in to the softness of His hands.

Bad stuff is transformed in the hands of a good God. 

I’m a better person. A better writer. A stronger person. A stronger writer. My faith, hope, and joy grew. My love for the Lord grew deeper and wider too as suffering shaped my character.
 
I’m also a humbler person for the suffering because sometimes I didn’t handle the stress well and ended up saying or doing things that compounded the problem. Sometimes, I forgot to breathe deep and count to ten.

As a fiction writer, this helps me understand the story behind why a character may suddenly act out of character. Sometimes good gals do bad things. A flawed character, or a flawed writer, is more relatable. Nothing opens my ears to hear better than finding out the story teller has walked in similar shoes. 

I’m nosy-to-know if your character (and your fiction characters) grow deeper during a season of suffering?

Blessings ~ Wendy Mac