Some insight from Penelope Stokes, author of The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling the Christian Novel:

“Readers know the difference between religiosity that is pasted on and true spirituality that rises from deep within. They can discern integrity, even if they cannot articulate what it is. And they are looking for real fruit—the kind of spiritual truth that is rooted in reality and natural to the characters and plotlines we ask them to accept.”

Ah, and this:

“True spiritual content in a novel grows out of the story from deep within, the way sap rises up through the root system of a tree to produce leaves and flowers and fruit.”

If spiritual imagery infuses our story, it has to flow from the ‘reservoirs’ of our own experience with God, Stokes reminds us. Readers can sense when we’ve merely peppered our prose with God-talk. But a genuine faith permeates all that we do, especially our writing.

Do we not write to make a difference in the hearts of our readers? Then our stories must bear the mark of our King, carrying eternal significance by always writing with spiritual integrity as our undercurrent.

Something to think about, anyway.

“Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.” ~ author unknown

“Dreaming about a thing in order to do it properly is right, but dreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong.” ~Oswald Chambers

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” ~ Carl Sandburg

To see why, read here .

“God calls each of us to a life of stewardship. The Bible teaches us that everything we have—our time, skills, and abilities, relationships, money and material resources, and the message of the gospel itself—are gifts God entrusts to us to manage and use wisely for the good of his kingdom.” ~ Kevin & Kay Marie Brennfleck

Right now, I’m taking time to be with hubby and work on wedding plans for our youngest son. A very busy, emotional time, but I’ll be back in a few days, Lord willing. Feel free to peruse the archives and leave comments.

Blessings to all who visit here.

“Beware of anything that competes with loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him…The one aim of the call of God is the satisfaction of God, not a call to do something for Him.” ~ Oswald Chambers

We may be writing good things for good reasons, yet feel a frenzy coming on. After all, we’ve got some competition out there, right? A gentle reminder to the faith-writer: We’re in the world, not *of* the world.

According to Gordon MacDonald, here are characteristics of stressed and driven people:

- Value accomplishments and results above everything else.
- Seek to acquire things that represent power and status.
- Strive for involvement in increasingly bigger and more visible endeavors.
- Demonstrate a highly competitive spirit.
- Try to impress people with our schedule and how busy we are.
- Spend little time pursuing relationships with our spouse, family, friends, and especially, with God.

(Gordon MacDonald, from Ordering Your Private World, pg.33-37)

Sometimes we become driven when we listen to our fears. We wrestle with the drive to achieve. “Living in a competitive world where achievement is almost everything, it would be easy to…be driven, to hold on, to protect, to dominate. And I might even find myself doing those sorts of things while telling myself that I was doing God’s work.” ~ Gordon MacDonald.

Ah, but this quote puts us on the right path:

“His power within us enables us to exchange our frenetic life of achievement, acquisition, and activity for a life centered on pleasing the Audience of One.” ~ Kevin & Kay Marie Brennfleck, authors of Live Your Calling

Friends, the antidote to every human tendency is to turn our hearts towards God. His love, grace, and truth will not only guide us, but banish all our fears. Our calling is not writing. Our calling is to know and follow Christ.

Whether we work at home or at the office, the attribute of graciousness still applies to us. Our sphere of influence is far-reaching:

“Any job, regardless of how well it fits, gives us an opportunity to live our primary calling by being God’s representative in the workplace. In any job, we are called daily to exhibit a gracious attitude of service toward our boss, coworkers, customers, and others. We are called to avoid gossiping, complaining, speaking unkindly about people, lying, and cheating by not working diligently and to the best of our ability. . . In our job, as in every aspect of our lives, we are called to be God’s people.” ~ Kevin & Kay Marie Brennfleck, authors of Live Your Calling

“I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on, I go into another room and read a good book.” ~ Groucho Marx

It’s a radical concept. Some call it weird. But you can do it - unplug the TV. Never mind the brief withdrawal. Think of all the writing you’ll get done! It’s the one way I know to carve a kazillion extra hours out of my week. I’m not saying that watching TV is wrong, but it’s a time killer. And sometimes our time is better spent elsewhere.

“Our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically a problem of priorities. We confess, ‘We have left undone those things that we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.’”