2 Reasons Voice is Important to Writers

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:4-5 (NIV)

Throughout my years of teaching—whether at a Christian Writers Conference or a Bible study—probably the question I’ve been asked the most has been, “How do I know it’s really God speaking to me?” The answer is at once very simple and very hard. You can tell it’s God’s voice, because you recognize it. 

Book-Worthy Letters

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

And I wrote to you as I did…for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 

2 Corinthians 2:3

The cardboard box was soft around the edges, fibers broken down by attic heat and time. I opened the floppy flaps to find a treasure of written letters, blooming with the handwriting of my youth. Across the ocean they had flown, from Japan to the United States. From Kenya. From England. From Colombia, Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Scotland. These tucked-away letters told the story of faith and obedience, fear and hope. My life story recorded in bleeding ink.

Do the Right Write

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

They tried not to, but they just couldn’t help themselves. 

Writers, Armor Up

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

At every game, he armored up.

Our son and daughter-in-law’s middle child loves T-ball. When things changed where my wife and I had more free time in the evenings, we planned to attend his final few games of the season. We had seen pictures of him, but nothing suffices for in-person observations. 

We eased into the parking lot and waited for our son and his family to arrive. When they did, our son opened the door and let our grandson out. Sure enough, he looked just as the pictures had portrayed: white pants, a blue team shirt, cleats, and a backpack full of accessories. 

The Gift of Possible for Writers

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

What is impossible for mere humans is possible with God (Luke 18:27).

There are so many reasons camels couldn’t possibly walk through the eye of a needle. For one, they are clumsy and awkward. Even if the eye of the needle was the sizem of aedieval city gate, the gangly camel would have to be cajoled, pulled, and coaxed to make it through the opening. And then he would probably just stand there, impersonating a stubborn mule.

Working like a Well-Oiled Machine

Edie here. I want to congratulate Martin on his newest book, Don't Just Live...Really Live! All the info is at the end of the post, so be sure and give him a shout out!

Working Like a Well-Oiled Machine

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 NLT

Their schedule worked like a well-oiled machine. 

Learn to be a Writer with a Hammer

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

For my teacher, Jerry Jenkins, who is showing me to how write with a hammer without destroying grace in the process. (I’m sure he can take a hammer to this post and make it more succinct.)

There was a time when names carried destiny. I believe they still do in the hands of Providence.

According to the custom among Jews in his era, Gospel author John Mark had both a Hebrew name (John, meaning ‘God is gracious’) and a Roman name (Mark, meaning ‘large hammer’). It is commonly believed that he wrote the book of Mark to a Roman audience, hence the use of his Roman name. The Hammer had much to say about God’s grace.

What an amazing combination! Maybe that is why Mark was the shortest, most succinct of the four Gospel accounts—half the length of Luke. The Hammer knew how to kill his darlings to make his point with precision and force without shattering grace.

What can we writers learn from the Hammer?

Dive right in to the deep end.

From verse one, Mark seizes our attention. We know what this story is about, and we want to know what happens.

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way”—

“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.’”

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness…

(Mark 1:1-4)

Mark teases the reader from the start by making a flash reference to Jesus, then making us wait to meet Him.

Condense context so we can get right to the story.

It’s pretty astonishing to me that Mark, who never attended Jerry’s Guild or Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass, knew how to incorporate over seven centuries of context in two sentences. What a relief! Let’s get on with the story! I see. Jesus was the Promise-Fulfiller, the Messiah, the Good News we have been waiting for all this time. I can’t wait to learn more.

(See how many sentences it took me to say all that. Anyone got a hammer?)

Don’t shrink from failure.

Failure is a theme through Mark’s gospel. Failure of the disciples to understand Jesus’ teaching and purpose (Mark 4:13; 7:18). Failure of the scribes and Pharisees to understand who Jesus really was (Mark 8:11; 10:12). Failure of Jesus’ followers to endure to the end (Mark 14:50). Failure of the women at the tomb on Resurrection morning to push past their fears and declare the good news that He is Risen, Indeed (Mark 16:8)! 

Was Mark acquainted with failure in his own life? What made him so sensitive, so observant of the failures in those around Jesus? Many scholars agree the young man who ran after Jesus on the night of His arrest, only to flee from authorities naked in the end, was in fact a cameo the author included of his own greatest failure (Mark 14:51-52).

Perhaps the Hammer might also rightly be called the Writer Whose Words were Remembered Despite his Failures.

Hmmm…. Our Hammer is living up to his other name, God is Gracious.

Mark inspires us to push past our failures with hammer force, grabbing hold of Grace Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, the protagonist in Mark’s great work of non-fiction.

God’s Grace Hammer brings hope to the failed writer, help to the procrastinator (go ahead and write that first sentence with power!), and perspective to our POV. 

Out of our failures, Jesus gives us words that change lives.

Jesus is our Power and our Perspective, and with Him, we can write words that will be remembered long after we are gone.

Lord, teach me to be a better writer. Use my failures to tell the true story of Your great grace. Amen.

TWEETABLE

Learn to be a Writer with a Hammer - insight from @AudreyCFrank on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.

Audrey is the author of Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World (Harvest House Publishers), an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, Covered Glory illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Available at favorite booksellers: BARNES & NOBLE , BOOKS A MILLION, AMAZON.

Searching for Guilt

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

“In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found.” Jeremiah 50:20 NIV

I once searched for snakes…poisonous ones. 

Writing Lessons from a Camera

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson 

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

When hubby and I go hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains and I always bring my camera. And I usually take a LOT of pictures. But I never know exactly what I'm going to end up with when I get home and see the pictures on my computer screen. They rarely turn out as I expect. Sometimes they're better and sometimes they're a disappointment.

When the Plans Change

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. Romans 1:13 NLT

Transverse lie. I had never heard the term before. 

Breech I had heard of, but not transverse lie. “It’s when the baby is sideways and facing up,” my wife explained. And this was the condition of our fifth grandson, Silas.

What God Has Made Crooked

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? Ecclesiastes 7:13

 

The twisting, crooked roads of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa don’t allow for speedy driving. Travelers must take it slow. Over the decades, many impatient, hasty drivers have plummeted to their deaths over the steep cliffs. 

 

Driving slowly transforms life-threatening danger into breathtaking vistas of God’s beauty and power. The cautious, careful sojourner is gifted with glory on the journey. She arrives at her destination filled with awe and wonder.

Giving an Encouraging Word

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

I ignored the call, imagining it just another spam call from someone who wanted to ruin my Saturday morning with their nonsense. 

Writers’ conferences present a double-edged sword. I hang on every word from speakers, authors, and editors who are more experienced than I. Experts who share their journeys and help me with mine. I hear their instructions and cautions. Be patient. The publishing world takes time. 

Writing from the Comfort You Have Received

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

 

Each month, we tuck a bit of money back into our savings account. It’s automatic and has been a great help in times of need.

 

God’s comfort is much like our savings account. When we turn to Him in our struggles, when we trust His promises during suffering, He comforts us. What we may not realize is that in the process, we are accruing a surplus for a later time of need. 

 

But unlike my bank savings account, God’s comfort account is intended for others. Hurting people who will come into my life needing the comfort God once gave me.

 

You see, what we receive from God is not only for our good but for the good of humanity. 

 

As writers, we have a long reach into the world.

When God Surprises

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” John 20:2 NLT

She knew what she was doing; I had no idea.

My wife and I—along with about one hundred other guests—sat under a large tent at our daughter’s wedding reception. Only the wedding had taken place four months earlier, courtesy of COVID. 

The Power of Lament in a Writer’s Life

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Inspired by Psalm 40

 

I waited patiently for the Lord

            to open a door for my manuscript

He turned to me and heard my cry;

            he brought me up out of the slush pile,

            out of the miry clay of anonymity.

Keeping Cool When the Meal’s Overdue

by Martin Wiles @LinesFrom God

A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them. Proverbs 15:18 NLT

“I’d like to take ya’ll to lunch at _________. Would that be okay?”

When the lead teacher sent the email, excitement crept over me. I enjoyed our In-Service day since I needed time to catch up on grading papers and to complete a few other writing projects. But since we only had a few parent-teacher conferences scheduled, the day was beginning to drag. I quickly accepted—as did all the other teachers.

A Time of Spiritual Molting

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

If you're like most of us, this past year has left us feeling stuck in one place. Forward momentum has been replaced with chaos, detours and roadblocks. Perhaps we can take some inspiration of how to cope from God's creation.

God in the Seasons

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night. Genesis 8:22 NLT

Only two remained. 

As I sat on my old antique porch glider, I watched as two hummingbirds fought over the one feeder that hung just outside my den window. Just a few days before, I had cleaned all my feeders but only returned one to the backyard. And just a few weeks prior, a dozen hummingbirds had created a war zone in the back and side yards as they fought for nectar from the three feeders placed strategically around the yard. Now, everything was changing.

Do What is Possible

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth to Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her. Firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping with her their flocks at night (Luke 2:4-8).

It is most often when we are doing what is possible that the impossible happens.

Take a Slow Ride

by Martin Wile @LinesFrom God

Rarely did the speedometer register over twenty-five miles per hour in any old pickup he drove.

As long as I knew him, my maternal grandfather—Pappy we called him—never got in a hurry. He didn’t have to punch a time clock—he was a farmer. But he did have somewhat of a schedule. He got up at five every morning, dressed, drank a cup of Sanka instant coffee, and went to the wrap-around porch of his old farmhouse—the house he and my grandmother had once rented, but now owned.