Series: It Is Written~Find a Space to Call Your Own

When we write, we are putting down on paper the words we would say if we were speaking. And, paper is meant both literally and metaphorically. This ‘paper’ I am typing on is on the computer screen. So, whether you use real paper, or electronic paper, the key is to write!

I have found that I write better when there are no distractions; no TV, people milling around, or other things like that. And, I know we all have lives that are busy and take up the bulk of our time. But, here are a few little things to do during your day that will help you keep track of your writing project.

• Put a notepad and pencil on your bedside table. I usually have some project idea or reference to what I’m working on come to me after I’ve gone to bed.
• Use your phone to record a note to yourself for later use, or to send yourself an email, when you are out and about and an idea comes to you. 
• Talk about your project with other people, and get their feedback.
• Keep a positive attitude about your project, even if everyday life tries to get in the way. 

Whatever you have a passion for, set aside some time to devote to it, even if it is just half an hour once a week. If your project has been given to you by God, to share with others, then the enemy will surely try to hinder your progress. If that happens, don’t let the enemy win! Press on for God, and He will see you through! A space to write should be just as personal and private as times of prayer. Find a place that makes you comfortable, and grab a coffee, and give God a few minutes on paper.

top photo courtesy of john levanen via Flickr | License/cropped

Series: It Is Written~Are You Called To Write?

I know what you are thinking: I can’t write! Well, with that attitude, you won’t! But, if God is calling you, He will give you what you need. Moses told God that he stuttered. Did God go find someone else to lead His people? No. He gave him Aaron, to do the talking for him. So, pick up a pen, or a pencil, pull out some paper, and jot down a few thoughts.

1) What lesson have you learned on your Godly journey that you want to share with others? 2) Who is your target audience? Teens? Single mothers? Older women? Widows? The terminally ill? The homeless? 3) What is the main point you want to convey?

Your story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. If what you are writing about is a particular painful part of your life, pray about your subject matter, and let God lead you to say the “write” words. Look for pictures to help convey your message. Maybe you have some old memories tucked away in a shoebox or photo album. Or, maybe you need something fresh. If so, then look for pictures that have a Creative Commons license, that you can use in your article, without worrying about copyright infringement. God has told a lot of people to write. If He is telling you, then take a look in Scripture at who He also called to write. Here are a few:

• Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. Ecc. 12:9-11

• Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it. Jeremiah 30:2

• Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel. Deut. 17:18-20

What words are passing through your heart, and making their way to your fingers? What encouragement does God want you to share? What have you lived through, that your experience might change the direction of someone else? Pull out the notepad, and jot down your thoughts. Your story is worth the read. If God has been dealing with you to open up your life in this way, don’t hold back. Can you imagine how the Scriptures would read if there were no Psalms or Proverbs? The words of David, and others writers, all those hundreds of years ago are still just as encouraging and powerful now as they were when the ink was fresh.