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Archive for the ‘Overcoming self-doubts’ Category

Overcoming the Accuser

Posted in Called to write, Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts, Pondering Biblical Truth on June 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

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 eight 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.

Yet still there are times I doubt–times when as my writing mentor Lee Roddy said years ago, I “listen to the wrong voices.” Frequently I hear the voice of the accuser telling me that my best isn’t good enough as I struggle to get on top of the myriad of details for the July 31 – August 3 Greater Philly conference.  Many days I tell the Lord, “I can’t.” And I know that’s true. Without His help I can’t manage the time pressures and deadlines I used to find exciting.

What can I do, can you do, whenthe Lord 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.

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).

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Overcoming Doubts

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Overcoming self-doubts on June 22, 2013| 9 Comments »

Do you feel called to “write His answer” and yet struggle with self-doubts? Truthfully, through working with hundreds of writers through the years, I find that those who really have a gift with words and a message that needs to be published are the ones most likely to be crippled by self-doubts.

I shudder when I think of how many times I almost gave up because my self-doubts were so loud and insistent. Why would anyone want to read what I wrote? I What made me think that I could write for the Lord? I wasn’t qualified! How could He possibly use someone who was only a high school graduate? I felt ashamed and woefully inadequate.

How it must have grieved the Lord when I failed to see that the Cross turns my minus into a plus – when I believed the lies of the evil one instead of His promises. And how much time I wasted in my self-centered and selfish focus on my doubts instead of on the needs Father was calling me to address through the words He would give me if I would just trust Him.

Recently I read Joel Rosenberg’s latest novel, Damascus Count Down. I was reminded of the ASSIST News interview, Author of End Times Political Thriller Hits New York Times Best Seller List with His Latest Middle Eastern Novel, from November 2010. Talking about the decision to write his first novel, Joel said:

“Failure has a way of focusing the mind and I’d come off of ten years of political failure in Washington DC and I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m a Rosenberg, yet I am not a lawyer, a dentist, a doctor, an acupuncturist, a chiropractor, an accountant or even a stockbroker.

“I’ve got no financial genes and I can’t do anything practical. I write ‘Op-Eds’ that people don’t read. I write speeches people don’t listen to; the only thing I know how to do is write and clearly badly. But these are my loaves and fishes and I don’t want to be a failure; I want to be a blessing.

“So, I told the Lord, ‘I want to be a servant of yours, Lord Jesus, so could you take these loaves and fishes, limited though they be, and would you break them, and bless them, and somehow feed people with them.”

Click here to read the rest of the interview. You’ll be encouraged.  And you’ll be encouraged at the July 31 – August 3 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference through the testimonies of the conferees during our Author’s Panel during our Thursday evening session, “Write His Answer – And Give God the Glory.”

Father, thank You for calling us to do what seems impossible and for Your faithfulness to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond as we choose to listen to You and not to our doubts.

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Crisis of Confidence

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Overcoming self-doubts, Pondering Biblical Truth, Publishing journey, Writer's Life on April 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Grumbling face cropped


When I am weak,
then I am strong—
the less I have,
the more I depend on him.

2 Corinthians 12:10

Suddenly everything seemed to be getting in the way of my writing. Other things, good things, were demanding time and energy. I didn’t see how I could say no. When I walked past my office and felt a twinge of guilt, I told myself my hectic schedule was only temporary. Besides, I couldn’t let people down when they were depending on me.

 

One day Anne Sirna, my writing mentor, helped me to see what was happening. “You’re running from the very thing you most want to do,” she said. “You’re running from your writing. Don’t you see?” she explained, when I looked puzzled. “New writing opportunities are stretching before you and, to put it bluntly, you’re scared. You’re protecting yourself from the possibility of failure by becoming so involved with other things that you have an excuse not to write.”

She’s right. I am afraid of failure, I admitted to myself. I don’t have confidence in my writing ability. And I have been saying yes to other things to avoid having to prove myself.

“It’s a cop-out to see yourself as a failure,” she continued, as if reading my thoughts. “You’ve served your apprenticeship. It’s time to move on—to make a commitment to being successful even though success is a lonely and risky thing.”

Everyone who is serious about writing will face similar turning points when the choice must be made—move ahead or turn back. Repeatedly, we will be forced to ask ourselves whether or not we are willing to risk failure, if doing God’s will is more important to us than the acceptance and approval of men.

It is not just beginning writers who feel anxious when starting a new project, or mailing a completed manuscript. Even established writers know their work may not be accepted. Success brings with it a heavier responsibility to produce quality work. Self-expectations, as well as the expectations of editors, become greater. At any moment a “crisis of confidence,” as Anne calls it, can occur.

It can be triggered by many things. We may feel trapped in an interminably long period of writers’ block. An editor may require a rewrite of something we felt was our very best work. A manuscript we were sure would be accepted may be returned. It may even be a manuscript we wrote on assignment. I remember when that happened to me. I was devastated! Besides the blow to my ego, I felt I had let the editor down. He expected me to produce something he could use.

I had reached one of those turning points. I could choose to play it safe and turn down future assignments. I could accept them (and even seek them) despite my feelings of inadequacy. Or, I could give up and quit.

I remember flipping through the pages of my Bible. Colossians 1:29 leaped out: “This is my work, and I can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy is at work within me.”

Knowing that Paul wrote those words from prison made them even more meaningful to me. I imagined how the Evil One must have used that time to try to persuade Paul to question his call. Surely he did not miss the opportunity to remind Paul of past failures, as well as the times of hardship and hostility. Paul’s spirit had absorbed rebuffs and criticism, even from fellow Christians. His body carried the scars of beatings and lashings.

“Is it worth it?” Satan must have whispered more than once. “If God really called you to be a missionary, then why is he allowing you to rot here in prison?”

But Paul chose to remain true to his call to spread the Good News by writing letters that might otherwise not have been written. “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,” he wrote (Phil. 12 NIV).

But Paul met the Lord on the Damascus Road, I thought to myself. He knew Jesus more intimately than I do.

Yes, I could argue that Paul had a greater measure of faith because of these experiences. Yet he also knew what it meant to go from tremendous spiritual highs to deep lows and to be plagued with a thorn in his flesh. If, as some commentators suggest, Paul had epilepsy or an eye disease, it must have caused him to wrestle with doubts. How could he preach if he might have a seizure, or write if he could not see?

God did not remove the thorn. Instead, he told Paul, “I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people” (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul chose to rely on this promise and to affirm: “When I am weak, then I am strong—the less I have, the more I depend on him” (2 Cor. 12:10).

The cure for a crisis of confidence is to re-examine in what, or more importantly, in whom, we have placed our confidence. “I know the one in whom I trust,” Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Tim. 1:12). That’s the key. It’s not self-confidence, but God-confidence!

“Stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you,” Paul counseled Timothy (2 Tim. 1:6). Does that mean he expected Timothy never to be afraid? No! “I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling,” Paul admitted to the Christians in Corinth (1 Cor. 2:3). And he didn’t go to Corinth until his second missionary journey!

“Stand steady, and don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord,” Paul encouraged Timothy. “Bring others to Christ. Leave nothing undone that you ought to do” (2 Tim. 4:5). The NIV reads, “discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

If a crisis of confidence is holding you back from the work you know you have been called to do, it’s time to acknowledge that it’s not self-confidence you need but God-confidence. It’s time to learn what it means “to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off [your] own power and abilities” (2 Cor. 12:9). And instead of running from opportunities to serve the Lord, you need to continue to focus your life and your ministry on the “firm, tested, precious Cornerstone that is safe to build on. He who believes need never run away again” (Isa. 28:16).

Responding to God’s Call to Write

Fear of failure, rejection, writer’s block, or not measuring up, can all create a paralyzing crisis of confidence. Read and reflect on the following antidotes to fear, noting beside each reference how God is personally speaking to you.

Psalm 9:10

Psalm 16:8

Psalm 25:3

Psalm 34:4

Isaiah 41:10

Philippians 1:6

1 John 4:18

Unless otherwise noted Scripture is from The Living Bible.

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To Believe

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts on April 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Do you put off doing things because you don’t believe you can do them? Do you have half-written manuscripts waiting to be finished? What about ideas that you’ve tucked away – somewhere? Has an editor or agent you met at a conference requested your manuscript, but you’ve never gotten around to finishing and submitting it? Are you putting off registering for the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference because you’re uncertain that you have what it takes to get in print?

Yes, procrastination is a very real foe, but I am convinced the real reason we procrastinate is because we don’t believe we can do something. And actually, that’s true! We need God’s enabling to do the work He calls us to do. The key is knowing what He is calling us to do. The Living Bible paraphrase of Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.”

It comes down to faith – to believing in the One who calls us and choosing to say “yes, Lord, here am I.”

I want to encourage you to read aloud the “Writer’s Statement of Faith” below. You may need to read it aloud several times a day. I know I do! I also want to encourage you to watch this video of pre-teen Jackie Evancho singing “To Believe.” Yes, Father, help us to believe that we really can make a difference and bring peace – Your peace – to our troubled world.

A Writer’s Statement of Faith

I have strength for all things in Christ Who Empowers me-I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength in me, [that is, I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. Phil. 4:13 amp

Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies, so that God will be glorified. 1 Pet. 4:11 TLB

[Not in my own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in me – energizing and creating in me the power and desire – both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. Phil. 2:13 AMP

My strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power at work within me. Eph. 6:10 TLB

In Him in every respect I am enriched, in full power and readiness of speech (to speak of my faith), and complete knowledge and illumination (to give me full insight into its meaning). 1 Cor. 1:5  AMP

Now I have every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing His will are mine during this time of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 1:7 TLB

I actually do have within me a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ. 1 Cor. 2:16 TLB

I can be a mirror that brightly reflects the glory of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18 TLB

I will commit everything I do to the Lord. I will trust Him to help me do it and He will. Ps. 37:5 TLB

I will lean on, trust and be confident in the Lord with all my heart and mind, and choose not to rely on my own insight or understanding. Prov. 3:5 AMP

I will commit my work to the Lord, then it will succeed. Prov. 16:3 TLB

Sharing Christ is my work, and I can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy is at work within me. Col. 1:29 TLB

I will be strong and courageous and get to work. I will not be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with me; He will not forsake me. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly. 1 Chron. 28:20 TLB

I need to keep on patiently doing God’s will if I want Him to do for me all He promised. Heb. 10:36 TLB

I m convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in me will continue until the day of Jesus Christ – right up to the time of His return – developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in me. Phil. 1:6 AMP

His mighty power at work within me is able to do far more than I would every dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond my highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes. Eph. 3:20 TLB

From Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers. For more excerpts, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

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Making the Impossible – Possible!

Posted in Called to write, Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts, Publishing journey on April 8, 2013| 5 Comments »

I knew God had called me to write a book. What I didn’t know was if I could do it. As my friend, Gayle Roper, once said, “There’s a big difference between a book and a magazine article – like 250 pages difference.”

To be honest, there were days the last thing I wanted to do was work on the book. The evil one’s lies grew louder and more insistent. “What makes you think anyone would want to read what you’ve written?” My self-doubts intensified. I wanted to run from what I still knew God was calling me to do.

“He who believes need never run away again,” I read in Isaiah 28:16 (TLB).

Exactly 365 days after I had committed to finish the book in a year, I completed the manuscript. And then the waiting began. Some of you know that the manuscript was rejected by 42 publishers over a five year period. Finally, the 43rd editor to see the manuscript accepted it for publication.

Looking back I’m amazed that I didn’t give up. I certainly wanted to give up. But God wouldn’t let me, and I’m so glad I didn’t. Had I given up, eight other books would never have been published. I wouldn’t have known the joy of serving on the faculty of over 70 Christian writers’ conferences and giving my one and two day writing seminars over 50 times around the nation. The Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference would not have been birthed 30 years ago, and the awesome privilege of directing the Colorado Christian Writers Conference for 17 years would never have happened.

What about you? Is God calling you to write an article or story, a book or even a screenplay? Does it seem impossible? Do you feel you lack the writing skills to make it happen? Are you stuck and the words aren’t flowing? Do you have a completed manuscript that you’ve not been able to sell? Are you discouraged and ready to run from God’s call?

I know the Colorado or Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference can be a turning point for you and your writing ministry. It’s not too late to register for the May 15-18 Colorado conference and to schedule one-on-one appointments with FOUR editors, agents, or authors if you attend Thursday through Saturday. Secure online registration for the July 31 – August 3 Greater Philly conference will open April 15.

Trust Father to make a way –

  • Logistically – Friends babysat my three children so I could attend the St. Davids Christian Writers Conference for a number of years.
  • Financially – We often “have not because we ask not.” I want to encourage you to approach your church family and your friends if you need help. They may welcome the opportunity to invest in your writing ministry. My pastor paid for my first writers conference and provided the accountability I needed afterwards to not waste what he invested in me. The conferences do not have any full scholarships to offer this year, but partial scholarships up to 50% of the cost of registration are possible. The scholarship application is not yet posted for the Philly conference. For Colorado’s application click here. Time payments can be arranged if necessary.

Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief. Help me to have faith in You knowing that You can make all things possible.

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Trusting Him!

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts on February 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

Yesterday was one of those days when the process of planning two conferences seemed more than overwhelming and I found myself (yes, I was lost!) telling the Lord, “I can’t.” (I never tell Him “I won’t.”) Of course, as always, Father just wanted me to “keep on asking.” He had led me to Matthew 7:7 that morning, and I had just reposted that verse on the Colorado and Philly conference Facebook pages. You know – one of those cut and pastes where you really don’t read the copy.

Then, at the same time, Raena Rood posted an excerpt from my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers.

If a crisis of confidence is holding you back
from the work you know you have been called to do,
it’s time to acknowledge that it’s not self-confidence you need
but God-confidence.
It’s time to learn what it means
“to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power,
instead of showing off [your] own power and abilities” (2 Cor. 12:9 TLB).

Don’t you love it when Father gets your attention and speaks to you through His Word, the words of others, or even your own words! He knows. He cares. He is with me, and He is with you. And so this morning I’m choosing to re“Commit everything . . . to the Lord. [I will] trust him to help [me] do it, and he will” (Psalm 37:5 TLB). The CEV reads,” Let the LORD lead you [I will let the Lord lead me] and trust him to help.” Amen!

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Overcoming Procrastination

Posted in Called to write, Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming distractions, Overcoming self-doubts, Publishing journey, Uncategorized on January 9, 2013| 6 Comments »

Procrastination is a sin;
it brings me endless sorrow.
I know I should stop doing it.
I think I’ll start tomorrow!

No doubt you’ve seen this poem or something similar. I checked the Internet to attribute it and found 4,390 entries! Obviously procrastination is a hot topic that, like the old game of hot potato, we quickly toss (pass the blame) to someone or something else. Really, isn’t it easier to blame someone else for causing us to procrastinate or to move to another task to avoid doing the thing(s) we know we need to do?

While no one is immune from procrastination, I think writers are especially prone. I’m not pointing an accusing finger at you – I’m pointing it at myself. Despite the chapter on “Overcoming Procrastination” that I wrote for my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers, I struggle with procrastination as much or perhaps more than others. How else could I have written that chapter? I’m an expert! If you’re curious about what I’m learning (but sadly not always applying), click here to read the chapter online.

I especially struggle with procrastination when it comes to planning the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conferences. I know Father has entrusted these conferences to me. Watching Him work and do Ephesians 3:20 things each year (it’s now 31 years for Philly and 17 for Colorado) is one of my greatest joys. It’s just the getting started that’s hard. Well, okay, the entire process is hard! I know I’ll face computer challenges and overwhelming to-do lists and time pressures that will stretch me far beyond my abilities, my limited IQ (it’s amazing how stupid my computer can make me feel), my wisdom, my strength . . .

And that’s the problem! I procrastinate when I focus on me – on my self-doubts and feelings of inadequacy rather than trusting the Lord to enable me to do what I can never do on my own. Although the world says dependency on anyone or anything but ourselves is weakness, like the apostle Paul I’d rather embrace my weaknesses knowing that “when I am weak, then I am strong – the less I have, the more I depend on him” (2 Cor. 12:10 TLB). God-confidence is far better than self-confidence!

Will you ask the Lord what He wants you to do – to write – this year? And will you then commit to do it in His strength and for His glory?

P.S. The website for the May 14-17 Colorado Christian Writers Conference  is now updated with the 2014 faculty and continuing sessions. Lots more info coming soon. The website for the July 30-August 2 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference still has 2013 info but I can tell you that Cec Muphey will be on faculty. I hope you’ll visit again, pass the URL on to friends, and save the date! There’s still lots of work to do but as Aristotle said, “Well begun is half done.” I’m excited and hope you will be too.

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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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Don’t Give Up!

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts, Publishing journey on June 2, 2012| 5 Comments »

No matter how hard you try – and you pray – do you ever feel like you’re up against a brick wall? Is the breakthrough you need, whether it be in your finances, relationships, or writing, alluding you?

A week and a half ago I got home at 2:30 am from the Colorado Christian Writers Conference exhausted but praising God. He did meet us on the mountain and enabled us to overcome the obstacles we encountered. From a squirrel chewing through an electric line that left a major portion of the YMCA campus without power the first day of the conference, to a printer that was delivered but lost, to the intense behind-the-scene challenges and time pressures, He was with us.

Now I’m facing more challenges for the August 1-4 Philly conference. Again the greatest challenge is the conference website. I get a runtime error that crashes Expression Web whenever I try to make a change and save a page. Online registration is not working, but I am unable to add a note to say early registration will be extended until June 15 and to please try again. I’m exasperated, frustrated, discouraged, and disheartened.

I can identify with the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8. I do feel “pressed on every side by troubles” and “perplexed because [I] don’t know why things happen as they do.” Yet I’m reminded of Peter’s words that “These trials are only to test [my] faith to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it – and [my] faith is far more precious to God than mere gold” (1 Peter 1:7 TLB).

The bottom line is that you and I have an adversary who “prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart” (1 Peter 5:8 TLB). The more we seek to serve the Lord, the more fiercely he will attack us.

Father, please help me and everyone reading this to “stand firm when he attacks” (1 Peter 1:8 TLB) and to trust You. Thank You that we do not need to be “crushed and broken” or to “give up and quit” (2 Cor. 4:8 TLB). Thank You that Jesus already won the victory on the cross. Thank You for Your power that is incredibly great to help those who believe in You (Eph. 1:19).  Build our faith muscles, and in Your strength help us to scale every wall (Psalm 18:29) and to offer You our sacrifice of praise by telling others of the glory of Your name (Heb. 13:15) not just after, but before the needed breakthrough.

P.S. CDs of the keynotes, workshops, and continuing sessions (except “Please, NO Pat Answers”) are available. An order form will be posted at www.writehisanswer.com/Colorado as soon as the website problems are resolved.

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