. . . And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~ I Corinthians 13

Calling all writers! From my Cup of Comfort mailbag:

Love is central to our lives. One of the great journeys we take is the search for that special someone. We have all experienced the initial butterflies when we fall in love, the deepening of that affection as we pass the years together, and the challenges that couples go through as life, well, happens. This quest is exhilarating, profound, and full of sincere and honest stories. Which Cup of Comfort and REDBOOK would love to hear.

The publishers of Cup of Comfort and REDBOOK Magazine are pleased to announce the Your Love Story Contest!

From now until April 20th, readers are encouraged to enter their 1,000 – 2,000 word true love stories. Topics can range from falling in love, celebrating love, experiences that couples have overcome, and more, as long as the love story speaks to the joys or challenges of a romantic partnership.

For more details, click HERE for contest rules, how to submit, prize money.

“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” ~ Thomas Mann

“Writing is a craft, as well as an art, and that craft takes time to develop. Forget genius, forget inspiration. It takes time - measured not in weeks or months, but years.” ~ Dennis Palumbo

“All serious daring starts from within.” ~ Eudora Welty

“I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.” ~ E.B. White

“I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.”~ Pearl Buck

“When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner’s pick, a woodcarver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year.” ~ Annie Dillard

“God has promised forgiveness to your repentance; but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.” ~ St. Augustine

Are you writing?

“For what I received, I passed on to you …” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:3

Previously, we looked at ten commands for the Christian writer. Great general guidelines. The prerequisite, of course, is an intimate knowledge of Christ. To grow as His scribes, we must be growing in grace. Our part is simply to abide; He does the growing.

It also seems we best express the truths of the Kingdom when we’re walking in them. Otherwise, we only parrot what we’ve yet to understand, and hurting people can sense a lack of authenticity. So, to “write down the revelation and make it plain,” we begin with surrendered hearts, attuned to His Spirit.

Bearing this in mind, I remember:

We’ll write humbly, rightly divide the word of truth, disciple without preaching, and honor God when we’re writing from the place of grace. Knowledge puffs up, but God is glorified as Christ’s Spirit is allowed to reign in us. No need to be perfect. He anoints writing as He sees fit, to touch the hearts of every reader who needs Him.

But it’s relationship that gets us there, not all the rules. ♥

“God will teach you more than even the most mature Christian could. He will teach you better than all the books in the world could. Why are you so eager to chase after knowledge? Don’t you realize that all you need is to be poor in spirit, and to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified?” Fenelon

Many years ago, more than I care to count, I clipped a little sidebar entitled, “The Ten CWG Commands.” Can’t remember where it came from. I’d love to credit the author, but the only clues left are the yellowed dog-eared corners, and a couple of dried coffee stains.

Back then, I was dead serious - about life, the written word, my Christian duty. I stressed myself out, trying to “rightly divide the word of truth.” In some ways, these writing commands seem akin to Mosaic Law; they remind me how much I need God to equip and enable me on a daily basis. While others fair enormously well with their gifts and talents, I can do nothing apart from His Holy Spirit.

Take a look at these; see what you think. Next post we’ll discuss which ones I’d change. Can you guess? Praying that God will fulfill His purposes in us as we abide in Him, not just for writing, but all of life.

1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and let that love precede all you do or say. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Every word you write shall be offered in a spirit of love and respect for your readers. (Matthew 22:37-39

2. Your words shall help make disciples of your readers; you will use Scripture to teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded. (Matthew 29:18-20)

3. You shall be a perpetual, disciplined student of the Word of God, one who daily immerses himself in the truth, rather than one who merely tastes of it. (Isaiah 50:4)

4. You shall pray regularly and fervently for God’s wisdom and direction, for your readers, and for the editors to whom you write. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

5. You shall remain humble in the knowledge that you are redeemed by Grace and that what you write glorifies the Father, not yourself. (1 Cor. 14:37)

6. You shall “rightly handle the Word of God.” (II Timothy 2:15)

7. You shall not bore your reader; but you shall be intellectually challenging, presenting your writing skillfully and in a timely manner. (Romans 15:15)

8. You shall not preach to your reader; rather, establish common ground, presenting your writing skillfully and in a timely manner. (I Corinthians 9:19-23)

9. You shall avoid divisiveness among Christians; rather, encourage unity among believers of all Christians denominations. (Romans 16:17-18)

10. You shall be well-read, a student of many great writers, both secular and religious. (Proverb 1:5.7)

What new thing is God calling you to do this year that requires creativity? What about this week?

I think about this a lot lately. Your family and certain friends may not understand, but I understand. More importantly, God understands. And no wonder:

“The Spirit moves in us, giving us the mind of Christ that feeds our creative life. This abundance is scary; it is deeper than we can imagine. What would we do if we were epxeriencing God continually, available in every minute to use our abilities fully for him? It is too much for our little selves to handle. So don’t handle it. Do the thing God has put in front of you. Start there and be fully available to the new thing he will acomplish as you do it.” ~

The Creative Life: A Workbook for Unearthing the Christian Imagination

“Faith in small things has repercussions that ripple all the way out. In a huge, dark room a little match can light up a place.” ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

“You will find as you look back upon your life, that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.” ~ Henry Drummond

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love.” ~ Sophia Loren

“Take your needle, my child, and work at your patten; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that; one stitch at a time taken patiently, and the pattern will come out all right like embroidery.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift - there is nothing small about it.” ~Florence Nightingale

“Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher