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Archive for the ‘God’s promises’ Category

Don’t Panic!

Posted in God's promises, Pondering Biblical Truth on February 19, 2013| 5 Comments »

“Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you” (Isa. 41:10 MSG).

Don’t panic. I’m not, at least not yet. In fact, I feel surprisingly calm. Or is it sadness – numbness – at the doctor’s words yesterday? My knees are “worn out.” He compared them to bald tires and said both knees need to be replaced.

I’m with you. Thank you, Father, for the assurance that You are with me. I remember the first words I felt You speak to me many years ago. “Child, I never said it would be easy to follow Me, but I have promised always to be with you.”

There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. Father, You know the struggle I’ve had with fear and the hard won victories of learning to trust You in other areas of my life and ministry. Help me to embrace this new challenge – to embrace You.

I’ll give you strength. Thank You for Your promise that You give “power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak” (Isa. 40:29 TLB). I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that includes tired and worn out and weak knees. 🙂

I’ll help you. Thank You for a good doctor and for the gel treatments that I’m trusting will get me through this year’s conferences and give me time to lose more weight (so important) before surgery this fall. Thank You for the “God-incident” (not “coincidence”) of using the Facebook posts I’ve resisted writing to connect me with Julie Morris and her Guided By Him weight-loss program. I can feel You smiling, Father.

I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Thank You, Father!

What challenge(s) are you facing? Will you trust Him, too?

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Registration Open for Colorado Christian Writers Conference

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises on February 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Eat the elephant a bite at a time . . . You’ve heard the expression I’m sure and, no doubt, have faced your share of “elephants.”

Even though I’ve been directing the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference since 1983 and the Colorado conference since 1997, each year, when I begin the planning process, it feels like an elephant takes up residence in my home office and threatens to squeeze everything else out of my life. Deadlines (I used to think they were exciting) constantly loom. I confess I haven’t always handled well the resulting stress and even panic.

But God . . . How I rejoice for all He is patiently teaching me, for the team He has brought alongside, and for His peace that really is beyond understanding. I am choosing to “Seek the Lord; yes, seek his strength. And seek his face untiringly” (1 Chron. 16:11 TLB). I know His promises can be depended upon, “For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed” (Rom. 10:11 TLB).

I’m praising the Lord that the brochure for the May 15-18 Colorado conference is at the printer and for the additional 5% discount I wouldn’t have received if it had been done a week ago as I had planned. If I have your current USPS address, you can expect to receive it around February 22. But you don’t have to wait! The brochure is online at http://colorado.writehisanswer.com/brochure/.

Secure online registration opens on Monday, February 11, but you can download and print the registration form on page 15 of the brochure. Registrations postmarked today, Saturday, February 9, will be numbered ahead of those I receive online on Monday giving you a better opportunity to be among the first seven to register who will receive a free copy of my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers.

I am more excited about this year’s conference than any other. Father’s leading and enabling is so evident. I know He is going to meet us on the mountain. I hope to see you there!

Joyfully serving the Lord – Marlene

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Balance

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises, Writer's Life on February 2, 2013| 2 Comments »

Balance! I’ve spent days choosing 61 workshops from more than 150 possibilities for the May 15-18 Colorado Christian Writers Conference. It’s not easy to find the right balance so there is something for everyone (beginners/advanced, men/women, teens/adults) in each workshop track and time slot. As always I’ve relied on the Lord to show me what to move and where.

Allowing Him to bring balance to my life is harder. The pressure of needing to open registration and to move on to the next thing on my to-do list tempted me to skip swimming yesterday. It’s not just something I enjoy doing; it’s something I need to do for my arthritic knees. Too many hours in front of a computer vs. little or no time exercising has added on pounds that I now must take off. (PTL I have lost 17 pounds in the last 2-1/2 months!)

Father will not abuse me like I have abused myself. He wants to “chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest” (Psa. 139:3 TLB). He will do the same for you. Will you – will I – let Him?

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Peace in the midst of to-do lists

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises on February 1, 2013| 3 Comments »

Another conference nightmare! This time the copier kept jamming as I was racing the clock to get everything ready in time.

The pressure of needing to pack more into a day than is realistic is a way of life for most everyone today. To-do lists grow longer rather than shorter. Deadlines loom, and we don’t always meet them. Beating ourselves up doesn’t help. Neither does working harder, working faster.

“Peace; My peace,” the Lord speaks to my spirit early this morning. Opening my Bible, He reminds me of His Word to me and to you in Colossians 3:15 (TLB). “Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body. And always be thankful.”

Even though I can’t meet my self-imposed February 1 deadline for opening online registration for the May 15-18 Colorado Christian Writers Conference, I can be and I am thankful. I’m thankful for the faculty God has provided – four, possibly five agents; editors and representatives from 12 book publishers and 26 periodicals; and authors like Gayle Roper, Bill Myers, and Ken Gire who could opt to stay home and work on their next award-winning book.

I’m thankful for the program that is now in place – the keynotes and a new opportunity Thursday night for conferees to share what the Lord has taught them and how He is using their book to give glory to Him. I’m thankful for exciting continuing sessions, the great workshop choices the faculty gave me, the clinics, and the panels. I see countless ways Father’s hand is again on this year’s CCWC. And I know He will “see to it that everything is finished correctly” (1 Chron. 28:20 TLB).

There is still a lot to be added to www.writehisanswer.com/Colorado. The site is not yet proofread so please don’t judge the professionalism of the conference by the errors I’ve made that have not yet been corrected. I’ll be posting the grid of workshops later today and, I trust, opening online registration next Wednesday, February 6. Thanks to SKWD Associates we have a new, streamlined registration process. The team at SKWD is a huge answer to my many prayers last year for a website I could manage without HTML. They’ll be at CCWC teaching a workshop on “Effective, Efficient, Engaging Websites.”

I hope you’ll “like” the conference Facebook page that will keep you abreast of what’s happening and when registration is open. The first seven to register will receive a free copy of my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers. (If you already have it, you can pass it on to a friend and encourage them to come to the conference with you.) The sooner you register the better opportunity you have to receive your top appointment requests. The first 75 to register for all three days will receive a free FIFTH appointment.

Yes, Father, I am so very thankful for all You are doing and will do. I thank You for Your peace that passes understanding and for the privilege of serving You. In the midst of the time pressures we all will face today help us to look to You, to rest in You, and to know that You are never too late with the help we need.

P.S. Planning of the July 31-August 3 Greater Philly ChristianWriters Conference is also moving ahead. There are presently around 50 on faculty although they have not yet all been added to the website.

 

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Oh God, Why? WHY?

Posted in God's promises, Pondering Biblical Truth on December 16, 2012| 3 Comments »

God with us the Christmas message proclaims,
but where were You when our children were slain?
Distraught parents with broken hearts cry,
Why? Oh God, why? WHY?
There are no words that can erase their pain,
only God understands for He gave His Son.

Christmas is more than the Babe in the manger,
it’s the coming to earth of our Lord and our Savior.
Filled with compassion, with mercy, with love
Jesus chose to descend from His throne above.
He went to the cross to set us free from sin.
The choice now is ours to reject or accept Him.

Yes, God is all-powerful; He could intervene,
but then we’d be puppets controlled by a string.
In the midst of our anguish we can hear Him say,
I am with you dear ones and will show you the Way
to give Me your questions, your doubts, and your fears.
I will comfort, will strengthen, and will dry your tears.

There is hope for tomorrow;
one day you will see,
your children are safely at home with Me.

As we all struggle with the horror of what happened in CT, I hope you’ll visit the blog my friend, Rick Marschall, has written. He says, in part, “There is sin in the world. A loving God gave us free will, desiring that we experience life. He did not create us as angelic robots. Such beings cannot know sorrow nor joy. Redemption and salvation cannot be experienced by beings who need them not. No angel ever sang ‘Amazing Grace’ with tears of joy streaming down the cheeks.”

I also urge you to read the insightful article, “It could have been my son,” that Vicki Chandler, a dear friend, GPCWC conferee, and member of my critique group has published with ASSIST News.

Finally, Joel Rosenberg in his December 15 blog, writes, “I can’t help but think about the trendlines and the dark trajectory our nation is on. It’s not just ‘the economy, stupid.’ We are, in many respects, in a moral and spiritual freefall in our country, and we are paying a terrible price.” Joel’s book, Implosion, is must reading.

Father, please help us to seek You and to “write Your answer.”

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God’s Call and Our Responsibility Hasn’t Changed!

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Our Christian witness, Praying for our nation on November 7, 2012| 6 Comments »

Whether you feel exhilarated or disappointed by the results of yesterday’s election, one thing is certain–God is continuing to call His people to humble themselves and pray, to seek His face, and to turn from our wicked ways. And His promise is also certain. He will hear. He will forgive. He will heal our land (2 Chron. 7:14).

Many prayer initiatives for our nation have been a hallmark of this election season. I’m praying they will continue and that our resolve to address biblical issues will not fade. “Make the most of your chances to tell others the Good News,” the apostle Paul wrote. But he also said, “Be wise in all your contacts with them. Let your conversation be gracious as well as sensible” (Col. 4:5-6 TLB).

Our nation is bitterly divided by harsh words from both the right and the left. Will you work to bring healing that our nation again will be “one nation under God”? That doesn’t mean compromising what we believe, but rather waiting on the Lord for His answer (Hab. 2:1) and then speaking and writing His truth in love.

Years ago Dennis Rainey asked, “What causes you to pound the table and weep?” Will you commit to write about those things? Whether you write for the editorial page of your newspaper, your blog, your church newsletter, or incorporate your heart burden into a novel as C. Hope Flinchbaugh, Kathi Macias, and Jeanette Windle (all who have served on CCWC and GPCWC’s faculty) so powerfully do in their issues fiction, God can use you to make a difference.

In Him – Marlene

P.S. Click here for a free Bible study handout, “Called to ‘Write His Answer.’”

I encourage you to visit Hope Flinchbaugh’s blog and read today’s post, For God, Family, and Country, the Day After.

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Reflections on Psalm 40:1-3

Posted in God's promises, Our Christian witness, Pondering Biblical Truth on July 11, 2012| 1 Comment »

My main website, www.writehisanswer.com, has been redesigned by SKWD Associates and I couldn’t be more excited. If you visited the site in the past couple of  months,  you found only one page with no banner or navigation buttons. There was more; it just wasn’t accessible. I’m praising God for the new look and SKWD’s EZ-CMS (content management system). It’s amazing and really is easy, just as Bruce promised. He told me it’s like using a word processor. And it is!

I hadn’t seen EZ-CMS in action, and I admit I was a little anxious. (I didn’t realize there is a video on their website.) I don’t do well with the learning curve of using new software (a computer can make me feel so stupid!), and with the Philly conference just three weeks away this was far from an ideal time. I’m so grateful Father encouraged me to trust Him and SKWD. I’ve not been disappointed!

Finally, I have a website that is EZ and FUN to use. I can make changes, deletions, add photos, and add pages so easily from the management menu. It’s quicker and easier than having someone else do it for a price that would have been more than I could afford. PTL! No more HTML code or CSS Style sheets!

I’ve got lots more I’m eager to add to the site but it, and the “real” shopping cart that SKWD is going to build, will need to wait until after the conference.   

A professional website is such an important ministry tool, but creating one on our own can be an enormous challenge. Been there – done that! Tried so hard  and yet, as I shared in a recent blog, I became very discouraged by the accusations of the evil one that my best was not good enough.

I really can’t recommend SKWD highly enough. Not only are they gifted professionals, they love the Lord and have a heart for ministry. They are certainly the answer to my prayers. Perhaps yours too!

SKWD will have a table at the August 1-4 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.  If you’re able to come, I hope you’ll stop by. But don’t wait until then! Click here for the special offer for conferees good through August 4. If you’re not able to make the conference, SKWD is still offering a discount because you’re on my mailing list.

Thank You, Father, for connecting me with SKWDMinistries. Thank You for “Their Heart” for ministry and their primary goal is also mine.

 Our primary goal is to bring glory to God in all that we do . . .
            with our lives,
                   in our websites,
partnering with other ministries,
       reaching our towns, cities, country, and world . . .

Reflections on Psalm 40:1-3 (TLB)

I waited patiently for God to help me;
Well, I waited because I didn’t know how to fix the website problems.
As for patiently, let’s not go there . . .

then he listened and heard my cry.
It is clearly not a “coincidence” but a “God-incident” that a postcard connected me with SKWD Ministries.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair
After MONTHS of trying to learn Expression Web I was despairing.

Out from the bog and the mire
HTML and CSS Style Sheets were so beyond me.

and set my feet on a hard, firm path,
Through SKWD Ministries He has given me a beautiful new website 

and steadied me as I walked along
and an EZ-CMS (content management system) that really is easy and FUN to use.

He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God.
But help me, Father, not just to praise You when everything is going well.

Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me,
Father, please use the new www.writehisanswer.com website in Ephesians 3:20 ways.

and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him.
Help us  to “write Your answer” so that many will come to know You as Savior and Lord!

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When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough – Overcoming the Accuser

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts, Pondering Biblical Truth, Publishing journey on July 1, 2012| 9 Comments »

Have you ever been ready to give up? Have you tried everything you know but feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall?  What do you do when the accuser tells you that your best isn’t good enough – that it never has been and never will be?

Perhaps it’s a manuscript you’ve been working on for years. You’ve rewritten it not just once or twice but many times. Still you’ve been unsuccessful in finding anyone interested in publishing it. And it makes no sense because you know it’s something God has called you to write. You’ve studied the craft. You’ve  gone to critique groups and conferences  trying to find that missing something.  And now . . . now you’re not sure you can keep on keeping on.

That was my experience with my first book that some of you know was rejected by 42 publishers over a six year period . If I had given up (and believe me, there were many times I wanted to), it and the six books that followed would never have been published. I would not have founded the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference in 1983 or said yes in 1997 to directing the Colorado Christian Writers Conference.

Yes, there have been many times when I’ve doubted and when, as my writing mentor Lee Roddy said years ago, I’ve “listened to the wrong voices.” For the past five months it’s been the voice of the accuser telling me that my best isn’t good enough as I’ve struggled with the websites for the Colorado & Philly Christian Writers Conference and the transition from FrontPage 2002 to Expression Web. The tapes from my childhood have started to play again. “You’re not smart enough. No matter how hard you try, you’re going to fail.”

Many days I’ve sat in my office and wept. Frustrated and discouraged I’ve told the Lord, “I can’t.” And I know that’s true. Without His help I can’t learn Expression Web or pull together the countless details that go with directing two conferences.  

But what can I do, can you do, when He doesn’t seem to be listening? Has He abandoned us? Or is He using the problem(s) we’re facing to strengthen our faith muscles so that when the stakes are even bigger we won’t get discouraged and give up?

I’m learning that there are lots of lessons I thought I’d learned (that I’ve even written about in my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers) that I need to relearn!

Keep your eyes on the Lord, on how far you’ve come, and on the prize.  It’s easy to allow problems and challenges to consume us and to blind us to the Lord’s presence, to how far we’ve come, and to the prize.  “I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” (Philippians 3:14 TLB) Paul wrote from prison in Rome. He had reason to be greatly frustrated and discouraged by the loss of his freedom. He could have questioned the Lord and concluded that his ministry was over. Instead he focused on the needs of the churches and wrote letters that continue to encourage Christ-followers almost 2,000 years later.

Cut the tapes from your past. Although Paul never forgot the person he was before he encountered the Lord on the Damascus Road, he did not wallow in the past or dwell on what others thought or said about him. Instead he embraced the truth of Zephaniah 3:17: “He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you with great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you” (TLB). Paul was able to preach and write about the message of salvation because he had experienced firsthand God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Don’t grieve the Lord by your lack of faith. Although sometimes it does seem that He’s not listening, we need to trust that He will equip us with all we need for doing his will (see Hebrews 13:20). It’s not easy to wait on the Lord and to have Hebrews 11:1 faith in what we can’t yet see, but “God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn; he will never go back on his promises” (Romans 11:29 TLB).

Do your best and trust God for the rest. The fear of failure can paralyze us if we let it, and that’s exactly what our adversary wants. I grieve for the books that have not been published and the ministries that have been abandoned because of the evil one’s accusations that our best will never be good enough.

Sitting beside me are the “pictures” my almost four-year-old granddaughter drew in Sunday school this morning. I have absolutely no idea what she drew, and she can’t tell me because she has apraxia and is unable to speak more than a few words. But, of course, I told her that her pictures are beautiful. She did her best and that’s all that matters. And that’s all the Lord expects. When we give our best to Him, He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).

Father, help us to believe You and not the accuser. Thank You for loving us and for being bigger than our perceived failures. Thank You for encouraging us not to give up. We will keep on expecting you to help us. We will praise you more and more. We will walk in the strength of the Lord our God (Psalm 71:14, 16 TLB).

* * *

I’m so grateful for what Father has taught me spiritually through my struggles with Expression Web and for His patience with my learning curve. Although the formatting of the website for the August 1-4 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference is not perfect, I’m not going to give up or to believe the accuser’s lies that I’ve failed. I know that Father knows it is the best I can do. And He is faithful! He has heard my prayers and led me to SKWD Ministries. I’m very excited about the work they are doing on my main website, www.writehisanswer.com, which right now appears to be only one very unprofessional looking page. In the transition to Web Expression I lost the page banner and footer and all the navigation buttons. They are rebuilding it using their EZ-CMS (Content Management System) that will allow me to add, move, and delete web pages from one central screen and to edit them as I would do in a word processor. I won’t have to use HTML and CSS and style sheets! I’ll let you know when it’s uploaded and send you info on a special they are offering GPCWC conferees and those on my mailing list.

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Breaththrough!

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts, Publishing journey on June 9, 2012| 1 Comment »

A paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 7:5-6 (TLB):

When we arrived in Macedonia there was no rest for us;

     When I got home at 2:30 am May 23 from directing the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, there was no time to rest.

Outside, trouble was on every hand and all around us;

     Problems with the website for the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference on top of an overwhelming to-do list, bills to pay, and over 1,500 emails pressed in on me.

Within us, our hearts were full of dread and fear

     I was filled with dread and fear that I’d not be able to fix the Philly website and manage everything I needed to get done.

Then God who cheers those who are discouraged

     I was not just discouraged; I was near despair.

Refreshed us by the arrival of Titus.

     The prayers of others and encouraging notes helped me to keep on keeping on to the needed breakthrough:

     Online registration for the Greater Philly Christian Writer Conference is again open!

Father, thank You for helping me not to give up but to persevere. You know it wasn’t easy for me to keep exercising my faith muscles. It would have been so much easier to believe the lies of the evil one and to give up. But You’ve promised that when You call us to do something You also equip us. Especially when I cannot see Your answer or feel Your presence I need to keep trusting You and to press on.

And Father, these hard lessons You’re teaching me are certainly applicable to all those You’ve called to “write Your answer.” Please encourage each one reading this. Thank You that “even when we are too weak to have any faith left, [you remain] faithful to us and will help us” (2 Timothy 2:13 TLB). “Thank You that Your “gifts and [your] call can never be withdrawn; [you] will never go back on [your] promises” (Romans 11:29 TLB).

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Help Needed

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference on June 5, 2012| 2 Comments »

For the past five months I’ve been struggling to transition the websites for the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conferences from FrontPage 2002 to Expression Web 4. The process is testing my patience and faith.

Early registration for the August 1-4 Greater Philly conference is scheduled to end tomorrow, June 6. I’ve extended early registration through June 15 because right now online registration is not working. I’m also not able to make any changes to the website because of a “runtime” error that crashes Expression Web. I’ve had an open case with Microsoft Tech Support since Friday at the cost of $279. The tech does not speak understandable English and has not been able to resolve the problem that has now been escalated to a senior technician.

Friends have encouraged me to farm out the websites to a “Christian nerd who would be eager to help.” Sounds good but it’s not practical or affordable. The conference websites plus the parent www.writehisanswer.com site are huge. They are not a problem to maintain and update WHEN the software is working. In fact, it’s something I actually enjoy doing. During conference season (which stretches over nine months of the year) I make changes and additions often on a daily basis and even multiple times a day. It would not make sense or cents (or save time) to send someone the changes, wait for him to make them, and then check that the changes were accurately made.  I’ve been there, done that. It was not time or cost effective. And I can’t begin to imagine what it would cost now that the conferences and websites are so much larger.

I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:27 (TLB):

All of you together are the one body of Christ
and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.

 I’m praying that soneone reading this uses Expression Web, has encountered a similar problem, and knows how to resolve it. I’m also asking all of you to join me in praying for a solution.

The Colorado conference last month was powerful. God met us on the mountain and I know lives will be changed for eternity because of the words conferees will write and publish. I expect His presence also will be very real at the August 1-4 Philly conference. I’m choosing to look to the Lord for His answer. I know He has not promised it will be easy to follow Him, but He has promised always to be with us.

Again, please pray and please pass this message along to anyone in the body of Christ who might be able to help.

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