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Doors

Posted in Uncategorized on March 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »

wooden-door-408386_640

Doors!

Are they open or closed?

As many of you know, the first book I wrote was “returned” (that’s a kinder word than “rejected”) 42 times over a five-year period. Finally, at the St. David’s Christian Writers Conference the 43rd editor expressed interest. A little over two months later, I signed a contract.

But what if I had not persevered? What if I had concluded that God  obviously must not have called me to write? What if I had given up?

  • Eight other books would never have been written or published.
  • I would have never known the joy of serving on the faculty of over 70 Christian writers conferences or giving my one- and two-day Write His Answer Seminars over 50 times across the United States.
  • The Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference that I founded would not be in its 33rd year of ministry.
  • I would not have had the opportunity to begin directing the Colorado Christian Writers Conference 20 years ago.

I will always be grateful to my pastor who urged me to go to the St. David’s Christian Writers Conference. He answered my objection that we couldn’t afford it by paying my way. Friends stepped in to  take care of my two children. And the rest, as they say, “is history.”

But this is not about me; it’s about our amazing God who promises:

His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. ~ Ephesians 3:20 TLB

It’s about how He enables me to do what I could never do in my own strength. It’s about how He continues to transform my self-doubts and fear that I won’t measure up (after all, I’m only a high school graduate) into a dependence on Him.

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

So, what about you? If doors appear to be closed, or worse still you feel they have been slammed in your face, will you give Him your discouragement? Will you choose to trust Him? Will you listen to His still, small voice rather than the loud accusations of the evil one that you’re not good enough, smart enough, gifted enough . . . ?

Will you keep on keeping on in His strength for His glory?

Conference Updates

CCWC 2016 banner

Photos and bios of the 57 faculty members for the May 11-14 Colorado Christian Writers Conference are now online. Thank You, Father, for their willingness to come and invest in the Kingdom work You will accomplish through our conferees. And thank You, Father, for the incredible job Barb Haley has done in compiling charts of their editorial needs, areas of expertise, and genres for paid critiques.

Chart expertise sample March 4

Banner GPCWC 2016

I’m trusting Father will help me finalize the faculty for the August 3-6 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference and to begin posting info on the website that my friends at Celebration Web Design / SKWD Associates have redesigned to display on mobile devices. They will again be offering a discounted price at both conferences. I am so, so grateful for their expertise and ministry heart.

And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up. Galatians 6:9 TLB

 

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Clarification

Posted in Uncategorized, Writer's Life on February 22, 2016| 3 Comments »

Mud

Clear as mud?

I need to clarify what I meant in my last post:

I’m slowly making progress updating the website that is now mobile-friendly. Sadly HTML is not user-friendly. Can anyone recommend a good book or website? And would you please pray that I can get the photos, bios, and editorial needs/areas of expertise of our 57 agents, authors, and editors online in the next couple of days?

I am NOT looking for a new webmaster. Celebration Web Design (SKWD Associates) is the BEST! I can’t say enough good things about them. Not only are they skilled web designers, they are deeply committed to Jesus Christ and to advancing His Kingdom through the world-wide web. They are always there for me when I have questions. They are my brothers in Christ and an essential part of the Write His Answer team behind the two conferences.

Celebration Web Design has done a great job making http://writehisanswer.com and http://colorado.writehisanswer.com mobile friendly. Their EZ-CMS (content management system) really is easy. Typically I do not need to use HTML, but when I do need to go into the Source code, I know just enough HTML to be dangerous and, sometimes, to create a mess. Part of the challenge is that I like to center lines of copy, but now that the sites are mobile friendly and I’m checking how the copy displays on my iPhone, I find centering lines often results in awkward lengths. I know my friends at SKWD can fix any problems I create. I just don’t want to be a pest.

I really need to be able to work with HTML – not just for the websites but for my blog on WordPress (https://writehisanswer.wordpress.com) and the Constant Contact email system I use. It’s frustrating not to be able to do the formatting i can so easily do (well, usually) in Quark. (For those who haven’t heard of Quark, it was the industry standard for desktop publishing until InDesign.)

The bottom line . . . sigh  . . . is that is all another learning curve in the midst of constantly pressing deadlines!

Lord, when doubts fill my mind,
when my heart is in turmoil,
quiet me and give me
renewed hope and cheer.
Psalm 94:19 TLB

 

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Peace at Christmas – When Families Don’t Get Along

Posted in Pondering Biblical Truth, Uncategorized on December 23, 2015| 1 Comment »

Christmas peace

How fast the year has flown, I reflected as I took the photographs off the mantle to decorate it for Christmas. A charred mark on the paneling behind one of the photos instantly reminded of a Christmas when our home had been anything but peaceful.

My mother and stepfather were visiting. The relationship was strained, but we had been trying to keep the peace. On Christmas Eve the tension erupted into a bitter argument. The smell of burning wood stopped me from saying things I would have later regretted. A candle had tipped over on the mantle causing the paneling right near the thermostat to smolder. Trembling with fear of what might have been, I soaked the wall with water and later hid the damage with a photo. The damage in the relationship with my parents was not so easily hid. Painful memories have a way of refusing to stay camouflaged.

At Christmas we are forced to face the fact that all is not always “calm” and “bright” in our relationships with a brother or a sister, a parent or a child, an in-law or cousin. This season of joy can turn into one of misery as we have no choice but to spend time with people who go out of their way to avoid us the rest of the year.

When our homes are filled with conflict, what can we do to have “peace on earth, good will to men”?

1. Keep our eyes on the One whose birth we celebrate. The Gospel of John opens with the poignant words: “His life is the light that shines through the darkness–and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John l:5 TLB). The reality of that first Christmas was not just the angels’ song, but Herod’s decree that every baby boy two years old and under be slaughtered (see Matthew 2:16). The shadow of the cross was already hanging over the Holy Family as they fled to Egypt.

Jesus never promised us problem-free relationships, but He has promised to give us the wisdom to know how to love those who may be anything but lovable. Difficult relationships do not have to spoil the joy of Christmas if we follow Jesus’ example and respond with love and forgiveness.

2. Try not to put unrealistic demands on ourselves. Christmas Eve I typically am still racing to complete my “to-do” list and end up too tired to enjoy Christmas much less to cope with difficult family members. We need to learn when to make a good night’s sleep a priority so that we’re able to handle added emotional pressures.

3. Avoid having unrealistic expectations of others. It is unlikely that people who have been less than pleasant throughout the year will suddenly become nice just because it is Christmas. Yes, I believe God works miracles, but it is just as great a miracle to learn not to set ourselves up to be hurt through our unrealistic expectations.

I cannot remove that charred area of paneling without replacing the entire wall, but it can serve as a reminder that if I want peace in my family, it must begin with me. Truly, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Cor. 5:19 NIV). Because Christ came, we can be reconciled to one another.
___________

It’s been over 35 years since that traumatic Christmas Eve. Thank You, Father, for bringing Your peace to these strained relationships and for the assurance that my mother and stepfather are now home with You. Please bring Your peace – Your shalom – to families in conflict. Restore estranged relationships and help us to love others as You love us.

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What’s Inside the Words – Writers Conference?

Posted in Uncategorized on May 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Joyce
Guest Blogger
Joyce Magnin

In my humble opinion there is no better place for writers to converge than at a conference. It is good for the body, mind and soul. Nay, I say it is imperative for writers to gather, all of one mind, kindred spirits, a singularity as it were of folks all looking in the same direction.

Well, I got to thinking about the words Writer’s Conference—I often think about words—and I came up with a few things that might help you decide to come to the conference or if you are already on board to feel pretty good about it. I know I do.

The Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference changed my life, people. I mean it. Changed. My. Life. If it had not been for the conference, I would never have met the people who were instrumental in launching my career. I was shy at first but BAM! Success happens. Attending a conference is the best way to network, to begin to land on the radar of editors and other authors who can make a difference. Facebook is great but there ain’t nothing better than face-to-face.

So let’s look at the words Writer’s Conference and see what we can find.

WRITERS. Well stating the obvious is of course the word writer. And you know who you are. You know how many times you think, wow, that’s a great idea or I should really write a story or a book and then sadly the moment is quickly replaced by say, a screaming child or a flat tire. Well, here’s the thing, attending a writer’s conference is the one place a writer can be a writer. When that instant of inspiration or a light bulb turns on, you can simply reach out and touch another writer who would just love to talk about it with you. Even help you get it on paper. Not to mention the amazing opportunities for a WRITER to bring his or her stuff to a place and have it read by some really talented people.

Embedded in WRITERS is the word in TER, as in deter. How many times have you been deterred from writing? From starting that novel, finishing that story or submitting? Life is full of detriments to a creative life, but here’s the thing, coming to a conference will be the one place you go this year where you will not find things to deter you but things to TER you on and find your words inTEResting and help you determine where and when to submit.

Now let’s look at the word CONFERENCE. Hoki smoke Bullwinkle, lots of good stuff here. CONFER, yes! It means to grant or bestow. Here’s the thing, I hereby bestow and grant unto you the title of WRITER EXTRAORDINAIRE. And where do writers go? Conferences. That’s right.

Ah, but what if we shorten it and wind up with the word CON? Oh boy, how many times have you felt like con artist, a fraud, a person without talent, a person your family kind of humors until you walk away. Here’s the thing—we all feel that way. Even authors who have published dozens of books feel like a con sometimes. But, attending a conference will do so much to help you feel, well, bestowed upon, granted the title of writer—even if you still have a hard time wearing yourWRITER badge at home. We’ll let you take it out, polish it to a fine patina and proudly wear it.

And that brings us to the back end of the word—ENCE. As in: CONFIDENCE. Yeah we can get you some of that. But you have to come and please, whatever you do, don’t leave your words at home. Bring them. We’d love to see what you’re working on.

Some more words to consider:

AUDIENCE—Ain’t nothing wrong with having an audience or sitting in the audience and listening to some really amazing speakers. It’s good for you.

BIOLUMINESCENCE—Okay, maybe a stretch but think about it. The word simply means to make your own light and let it shine in dark places. Umm, isn’t that kind of the point?

EXCELLENCE—Personally one of my favorite words. I believe all artists, writers need to strive for excellence. And let me tell you, a conference is the best place to make some headway there.

Now I could go on but maybe you should find some of your own words. In fact why not write them down and bring them. Maybe we can find a place to display them. What’s your ENCE or TER?

Seriously, the July 29 – August 1  Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference is the place to be this summer.

___________________
Joyce Magnin is the author of nine books including two middle grade novels. Her most recent middle grade was awarded a Kirkus Starred review. She says, “I never wanted to do anything else but write and every day I wake up astonished that I get to do what I always dreamed about.” Joyce will be teaching three workshops at the 2015 conference: “Let’s Focus on Your Fiction,”  “The Sound of Your Story,” and “The Truth about Sow Don’t Tell.” She is also one of the instructors for Teens Write on Thursday, July 30. Visit Joyce’s blogs at www.joycemagnin.blogspot.com  and www.joycewritesforyoungpeople.blogspot.com.

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Nepal – How we can help

Posted in Uncategorized on April 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

HimalayasPlease pray and ask Father how He would have you respond to this message from my friend, MK, a missionary to the Himalayas who has spoken at the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Judith Dupree, serves on MK’s board. She says: “MK is a worker of miracles, a veritable Paul or Peter to the people there. I have been with her for years, and am increasingly amazed at the way HE has used her!”

Greetings from the Himalayas!

Thanks to those of you who inquired about how to help and where to send funds. Your concern is greatly appreciated! It is extremely important that the people see us as God’s hands extended. Aid is coming in from all over the world but the people need to see the love of the Lord in this relief. That means those of us who live here and reach out are key!

This morning the newspaper said the death toll has reached nearly 3000 which means probably 3500 by now and the injured at close to 7000!    For the injured there is still time but we need to act .

UNICEF estimates 1 million children in urgent need of food, water, shelter and blankets. Just today one of my colleagues in the capitol informed me that he and his wife and 18 month old baby were living outside due to their home being severely damaged! The aftershocks  could cause it to collapse. I felt so helpless and began to count our resources to see how we can help him and others get into another place.

I m also very concerned about the children as their lives are at stake in smaller villages where many were killed and injured. My asst and social worker comes from one of those villages that was hit very hard!

To answer  the question as to how to give: 1. You may send a check to us at the address below to our PO Box or  2.  The easiest way for you to give is to clic on the link below and paste into your browser and go to our youcaring.com site of : crisisofhimalyanmt girls. Here is the link below.

www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/emergency-crisis-of-himalayan-mt-girls-/300578

Thank you for caring and may God bless you!

MK
Brand New Images
P.O. Box 50582
Colorado Springs, Colo. 80949

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When Words Don’t Come | News You Can Use

Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Pondering Biblical Truth, Publishing journey, Uncategorized, Writer's Life on March 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

pen & inkwellWhen Words Don’t Come

Guest post by
Starr Ayers

If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3 NLT

Staying in tune with God can be difficult … especially when we don’t hear anything. As I drove my daughter, who has Down Syndrome, to an appointment, she listened to her favorite station through her headphones. Before long, she huffed and began thumping on her radio.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She gave no reply but continued to thump her radio in frustration.

“What’s wrong? Isn’t your radio working?”

“No.”

“How long has it not been working?” I asked.

No answer.

“Did it work yesterday?”

“No.”

“Did it work the day before?”

“No.”

“Did you wear your headphones at work anyway?”

“Yes.”

My heart broke. After my daughter’s appointment, I stopped at the store for batteries, replaced the old ones in her radio, and drove her back to work. When I left, she was wearing her headset and was working to the beat of the music once more. As I climbed into my car, God whispered, “She didn’t hear anything, but she kept on listening. You should too.”

Once again, my daughter was the teacher. I was the student. Sometimes, God is silent. During those times, the temptation to change the channel is great. We want to remedy the situation ourselves. Search in other directions. Fill the dead air with the sound of our own voice or the voices of others, or simply “thump” in frustration.

Although the words of today’s text may not be the words we want to hear, they do give us some much-needed insight. Listen. Keep watch. Remain steadfast. Live in expectancy. God will speak. He won’t remain silent forever. Although He may not rush in with His answer as quickly as I supplied the batteries for my daughter’s radio, His timing will be perfect.

Don’t grow weary and lose heart, my friend. Keep on listening. God’s words will come, and you’ll be dancing to the rhythm of His beat once more.

 

StarrAyers

Starr Ayers is a third-generation artist, writer, and speaker. The mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, her heart is to encourage the acceptance of those with life-challenging disabilities and to inspire others to embrace their own uniqueness in Christ. Starr is a contributor to the book Hopelifter: Creative Ways to Spread Hope When Life Hurts and is published monthly in Thrive magazine. Connect with Starr at http://bringinglifeintofocus2.blogspot.com, or starrayers@triad.rr.com.

First appeared in www.christiandevotions.us. Used with permission of Christian Devotions Ministries.

Thank you, Starr, for this important reminder of the verse that comes before Habakkuk 2:2, the theme of the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conferences. And thank you, Cindy Sproles, for your ministry through http://www.christiandevotions.us and giving me permission to reprint this. You can meet Cindy at the July 29-August 1 Greater Philly conference and the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries, Eddie Jones, at the May 13-16 Colorado Christian Writers Conference. I want to encourage you to subscribe to these daily devotions and to check out their helpful guidelines for writers.

 

News You Can Use

Set of multicolored big buttons made of glass or plastic with metallic borders

Leading Hearts Magazine

ASKS:

“Is God Calling You to Write?”

Wish You Had Your Own Writing Coach?

Now that could make THE difference to help you answer your call. Right?

This is exactly is why authors Angela  Breidenbach and Linda Evans Shepherd are presenting a live webinar called Secrets to a Successful Writing Career. And the best news is that even if you can’t make it to the live class — if you sign up, you will automatically get a recording of the class.  To Register: Click HERE.

The class will cover:

The big picture – What you need to know – to embark on the journey to publishing and readership.

  • Which key tools do you need to help you in your journey?
  • How do you get, find, and keep an editor or agent?
  • Finding a publisher and other publishing ops.
  • What is ‘platform’ and how do you build one?
  • What do you need to be writing now?
  • How do you write like a pro anyway?  What do you need to do in order to create excellence in your work?

We will cover this and a lot more to help you not only get published, but build an audience and an enduring readership – so you can answer your call to write.

Webinar Details:

When:  Thursday, March 12

Time:  9:00 pm EST, 8:00 pm CST, 7:00 pm MST, 6:00 pm PST

Where:  Watch our live Webinar on your own computer; or sign up and you will automatically get the replay to watch at your convenience.

NOTE:  Students will receive handouts plus, Angie and Linda will be live, in person, to answer your questions.

To Register: Click HERE.

About our Presenters:Angela Breidenbach

Angela Breidenbach is a captivating speaker, coach, and author. Angela serves nationally as the Christian Author Network’s (CAN) president. With a volume of appearances online and on television, stage, and radio Angela loves to share her knowledge to build up others. (And yes, she’s Writer in the #Muse & Writer comedy duo.)

linda shepherd hi res 2 from we bLinda Evans Shepherd is an award-winning, best-selling author of over 30 books.  She’s the president of Right to the Heart, the publisher of Leading Hearts Magazine, an international speaker as well as the director of Instant Writers Conference and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). Linda will give a keynote, “Write, and Speak, His Answer . . . Prayerfully” at the May 13-16 Colorado Christian Writers Conference. She will also teach the continuing session, “Reaching Women through Writing and More.”

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Elie Wiesel, Joe Lieberman and Alan Dershowitz call on Democrats to attend Israeli Prime Minister’s speech to Congress next week. (Please call your Congressman and urge him/her to attend.)

Posted in Uncategorized on February 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Friends, it is critical that we stand with Israel. I encourage you to subscribe to Joel Rosenberg’s blog.

joelcrosenberg's avatarJoel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Elie Wisel, the heroic survivor of Auschwitz, is calling on Democrats to attend the Israeli Prime Minister's speech to Congress. Elie Wisel, the heroic survivor of Auschwitz, is calling on Democrats to attend the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech to Congress.

(Nashville, Tennessee) — The train wreck in U.S.-Israel relations I have been warning about for several years has, tragically, arrived.

The President of the United States and his administration refuse to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week when he addresses a Joint Session of Congress. Rather, even as they negotiate a disastrous nuclear deal with Iran, administration officials are trying to persuade Congressional Democrats to boycott the speech. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama’s political strategists are currently in Israel actively working for the defeat Netanyahu and his party in the March 17th elections.

Without question, this is the worst crisis in U.S.-Israel relations in 67 years. Yet I thank God that some courageous voices on the Left — including Elie Wisel, the heroic survivor of Auschwitz, brilliant author and Nobel Prize Winner — are speaking out and calling…

View original post 604 more words

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Opportunities for Writers!

Posted in Uncategorized on February 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Yes, I really did learn to type on a manual typewriter!

Yes, I really did learn to type on a manual typewriter!

Remember the Good Old Days?

I’ve been writing for publication for over 40 years. There have been many changes since my first devotional was accepted by The Secret Place in 1972. That was back in the days of the electric typewriter. I remember the L O N G query letters I used to write to editors. When I’d get near the bottom of a sheet of paper, I’d tape it to the platen so it would not slip and cause my last sentences to go downhill.

Remember changing ribbons and untangling keys?

Remember changing ribbons and untangling keys?

Well, truth be known, lots of my query and cover letters did go downhill! Maybe someday I’ll share my “how-not-to” examples or you can listen to me read some of them on my CD, Put Your Best Foot Forward. They really are hilarious. I even told an editor that I was willing to pay the postage. Would he be willing to read my article? (He wasn’t!)

Selectric type ballWhen the Selectric typewriter was introduced, I was ecstatic and fascinated by the little type ball that spun around. My speed doubled but probably not my accuracy. 😦 Never did I imagine how far technology would take us and bless us. Truly these are exciting days filled with opportunities for writers.

 

How to Create Ebooks Webinar – February 19

mouse & books

You don’t want to miss out on the growing ebook trend, do you? Perhaps you haven’t joined in because you didn’t know where to start? This webinar will put an end to your lack of know-how and will make it possible for you to create ebooks, too! In our class, How to Create Ebooks, you will discover how you can convert your manuscripts, reports, speeches or out-of-print works into ebooks. Learn how you can create ebooks to instantly reach new audiences waiting to read your words.  After all, technology is changing the way people read books and it’s time you learned how you can join the bandwagon and capitalize on and influence this growing market.

Join CCWC keynoter Linda Evans Shepherd from the Advanced Writers’s and Speaker’s Association’s Instant Writers Conference and Cheri Cowell, the owner of EAbooks, February 19 – 9:00 pm Eastern, 8:00 pm Central, 7:00 pm Mountain, 6:00 pm Pacific. Sign up and you’ll be able to watch the replay even if you miss the class! Click here to register.

 

Rupert Conference-2015

How One Day Can Change Your Life as a Writer
February 28 Writers on the Rock Conference

If you are a Colorado or Wyoming writer who wants your words to make a difference, you won’t want to miss this one-day conference. Join more than 100 others from all along the Front Range.

www.writersontherock.com

 

Lancaster Christian Writers Fellowship LCW 2 Super Saturday 2015 Flyer
Super Saturday, April 11, 8:30 – 4:30
Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, PA

Super Saturday is a one-day conference for writers of all genres, from beginning writers to published authors. This conference includes both fiction and non-fiction workshops.

Click here for more info.

 

CCWC brochure coverColorado Christian Writers Conference
May 13-16

Email mbagnull@aol.com for our 16-page brochure if you’ve not yet received it.
colorado.writehisanswer.com

 

Banner 2015 GPCWC
Presently in planning stage.
Registration opens April 1.
philadelphia.writehisanswer.com

 

Father, help us to believe and act on  Your promise.
 “Now you have every grace and blessing;
every spiritual gift and power for doing his will are yours
during this time of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
1 Corinthians 1:7 TLB

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Tempted to Give Up?

Posted in Called to write, God's promises, Overcoming self-doubts, Uncategorized, Writer's Life on February 13, 2015| 9 Comments »

Faith rock
I will commit everything I do to the Lord.
I will trust Him to help me do it and He will.
(See Psalm 37:5)

 

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.

Yes, there have been many times when I’ve doubted and when, as my friend and writing mentor Lee Roddy admonished me years ago, I’ve “listened to the wrong voices.” The accuser still taunts me. “You’re not smart enough. You can’t do this.” And that’s true. What the Lord asks me to do is so far beyond my abilities. I can easily become overwhelmed and stressed. Like dangling my little toe in quicksand, I can get sucked down into that dark place of doubt and fear. It happened again just yesterday.

“Worship Me,” I felt the Lord say. “Put on a CD and worship Me.” To be honest, it would have been easier to continue wallowing in the quicksand. But I obeyed. The darkness began to lift. And then a friend called. I confessed how I was struggling and she prayed for me. And Father answered and reminded me of lessons I thought I’d learned and even written about in my book,  Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers).

I need, we need to …

Keep our eyes on the Lord, on how far we’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. Paul 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 our 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 of his firsthand experience of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Don’t grieve the Lord by our lack of faith. Although sometimes it may 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 our 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 for ministries that have been abandoned because of the evil one’s accusations. I pray for those who are frustrated and discouraged by the need to build their platform and questioning their call to “write His answer.” Friends, we must not leave God out of the equation. Instead we need to affirm His promise that 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 fears. 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).

What promise do you claim when you are tempted to give up?


I keep an excerpt from Write His Answer
taped to the cabinet next to my desk.
When discouragement sets in,
when the loneliness of writing and the
enormity of the task threatens to overwhelm me,
Write His Answer spurs me on. I can think
of no better resource for helping a writer
maintain a biblical perspective than this book. 

Linda J. White
Christian Author & Speaker
www.lindajwhite.com

 

For 24 years Write His Answer has encouraged writers.
This new edition of 176 pages includes updated resources.
Autographed copy available for only $10.
Click here for excerpts and to order.
E-book available through Amazon.com.

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Joel Rosenberg says, “I have just interviewed an Iraqi pastor on the terrible persecution Christians in Iraq are facing. Please listen & share with others.”

Posted in Our Christian witness, Persecution of Christians, Uncategorized on August 14, 2014| 1 Comment »

Lord Jesus, please help believers worldwide not to close our eyes and hearts to the horror of what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Iraq – and to the children. Move us to pray and to speak on behalf of the 100,000 Christians and 50,000 Yazidis who have been forced to flee for their lives. Help us to believe that we can make a difference through our prayers, through sharing the need with others, through urging our government to help, and through our gifts of financial assistance.

Friends, please make time to read the article below by Joel Rosenberg, to listen to his interview with an Iraqi pastor, and to pray with this pastor for “courage and wisdom.”

joelcrosenberg's avatarJoel C. Rosenberg's Blog

iraq-map2

(Washington, D.C.) — Right now, we are witnessing horrific war and bloodshed and lawlessness in the epicenter. We are seeing some of the worst persecution in the modern history of the Middle East unfold before our eyes. Radical Islamic extremists are crucifying and beheading Christians, forcing followers of Christ to convert or die, driving Christians from their homes and looting all their possessions. This is particularly true in Iraq and Syria, where genocidal conditions are emerging.

Much of the world is silent, but the Church must not be. We must stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ — pray for them, love them, stand with them, encourage them, and help them in every practical way we can. We also need to love and care for Muslims and others who are being mercilessly attacked by the Radicals. They are sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless.

We must urge world leaders to take decisive actions to…

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