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The Beauty of Meanwhile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Grace Fox with a devotional thought to start your week.

Sometimes life leaves us baffled or bruised. We wonder if God is as wise as He claims to be, and we question why circumstances don’t happen how and when we wish they would. When I feel this way, I take courage from the Scriptures.

Recently I read about the prophet Samuel’s boyhood. One word—meanwhile—popped up several times in the account. It reminded me that, no matter what life looks like, God’s at work behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes. 

•  “And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:21).
• “Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the LORD and with the people” (1 Samuel 2:26).
• “Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon” (1 Samuel 3:1).

Events both good and bad unfurled on a daily basis at that time. Meanwhile, God was quietly raising up a prophet who would honor Him and faithfully proclaim His word.

The beauty of meanwhile remains true today. A couple years ago, Stonecroft Ministries asked me to produce a DVD-based Bible study to accompany my book, Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation. I had no funds and no clue how to do this. The thought of producing such a resource made good sense, but it also unnerved me. And so I prayed: “God, if You want this project done, then You’ll need to bring me a team of skilled people to help. And you’ll need to work out all the details including funding.” 

For the next year, I went about my usual business of writing, speaking, and ministering overseas. Meanwhile, the bi-weekly women’s Bible study that my daughter-in-law organized lost its teacher.  “Can you teach it now, Mom?” asked Cheryl. “Preparations won’t take long if you teach from Moving from Fear to Freedom because you already know the material.” I thought about the DVD study. Using this opportunity as a test run seemed divinely orchestrated, so I agreed and started writing the lessons. 

Meanwhile, I met a man in my church who’d specialized in audio-visual work while a missionary in Africa many years prior. He had a local friend who owned two filming cameras. Both agreed to help. 

Meanwhile, a national women’s ministry set aside money for projects such as this. One day the president handed me an envelope containing a grant application. “Fill out the form and ask for funding,” she said. I applied, and the committee approved. Within a year, the DVD-based Bible study became a reality. 

Perhaps you’re facing a challenge today. You’re not sure what’s goin’ on, and life looks like a puzzle with a few pieces missing. Pray and take courage in the Scriptures, especially in the word meanwhile.

You work. You wait. Meanwhile, God is on the move behind the scenes to fulfill His plan.

 

Visit www.gracefox.com/blog for more devotional thoughts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling Weary?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The word weary has captured my interest. This is likely because I recently spent hours preparing a retreat package based on Isaiah 40:28-31. Beautiful verses, they are:

“Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (NLT)

I travel across Canada and oversea for ministry purposes. Everywhere I go, women tell me their stories. Some accounts thrill me; others break my heart. I especially feel for those who are weary from the inside out due to difficult circumstances, major changes, criticism, or interpersonal conflict at home, church, or in the workplace. These gals are tired—bone tired—and hoping for reprieve to show up soon.

I can relate to their feelings. I recall the days spent raising three preschoolers. Life was busy and loud at any given time, but it included the additional stress of one child having special needs that required weekly occupational therapy and frequent hospitalizations. Weary seemed tattooed on my forehead.

My kids are grown and gone now, but I still experience weary from time to time. As a writer, speaker, and missionary, I travel across time zones frequently. This means sleeping in many different beds, eating at odd times, being flexible with schedules, and trying to communicate with people whose first language differs from mine. It also means sitting for hours at my desk pecking on my computer keyboard, researching, and revising.

When weary sets in, I recall Isaiah 40:28-31 and find encouragement in its words. God—the one who never grows weary—knows our limitations. He also knows that our source of strength is found not in our own efforts, but in Him.

“Wait on Me,” He says. “Commune with Me. Be entwined with Me. And as you do, you’ll find your strength renewed. Your energy restored. Your weary diminished.”

I’ve found this to be true. When weary sets in, I seek silence with God. I bask in His presence. I thank Him for the strength He provides. And I praise Him for the depths of His understanding and His immeasurable power. My soul is renewed and my strength restored.

Are you feeling weary today? God knows. He cares. Spend some time in His presence, draw from His strength, and you’ll find restoration.  

Read more devotional blogs at www.gracefox.com

 

Before He Went Away, Part 12

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

John 15:5

Good Monday morning from Elizabeth Baker! As wordsmiths and lovers of letters, authors often have a unique way of looking at the world. I suspect we tend to dig a little deeper and look for answers even when others are not asking questions!

One of the first things a writer learns is to continually ask, “So, what?” For every article, every speech, every motivation of a fictional character, asking “So, what?” is critical to literary success. No matter how well placed the modifiers or how skillfully crafted each sentence, if there is no answer to that question, readers will drift off and soon lose interest.

I suppose that’s what instantly drew me to today’s verse. The “So, what?” answers fairly jump from the page promising not only logical solutions to practical problems but what writers call, “high take-away value” as well.

The first answer is the reality of fruit. It is actually possible to have more love, more joy, more peace, more patience and all those other delightful tidbits Paul identified as the fruits of the Spirit. [1] These are not pie-in-the-sky or wishful thinking or day-dreams. They’re real things that make a real difference. That is a big, “So, what?” because having more of that kind of fruit will change my world!

The second, “So, what?” is perhaps the most significant of all. It’s the good news that I don’t have to work up these good things on my own. I can get off the treadmill, leave the rat-race, rest. It no more depends on my efforts to grow fruit than it depends on the efforts of a branch to grow grapes. The effort and power come from the vine. A vine can get along without the branch just fine but the branch without the vine is dead before it hits the ground.

And, the last really big “So, what?” is the other side of that coin. While the fruit does not depend on me, that doesn’t mean I’m useless. I have a significant responsibility. I contribute to the process. If I don’t do my part, I won’t share in the benefits of fruit production. Other branches will take my place. They and the vine will go on without me. My job is to cling tightly to the vine. I don’t focus on fruit production, I focus on the vine and fruit comes as a byproduct.

Unfortunately, it is possible to be a Christian attend church and even read the Bible but stopped asking the question, “So, what?” When that happens, faith becomes disjointed from daily life; religion separates from living, and experiencing the dynamic flow from the Vine slows to a trickle.

How sad! For the solution to the problem is simple. Jesus told us about it before he left. We make it our business to firmly hang on to the Vine and a good way to do that is to keep asking the question, “So, what?”

 [1] Galatians 5:28

 

Writing and the Red Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HI! Grace Fox here, newest member of the Monday blogging team. 

As a writer, I believe God has given me the assignment of communicating truth through the written word. Some days I feel confident of my call. Ideas flow, and fingers fly across the keyboard. An editor accepts an article. A royalty check arrives. And a reader emails, “Your book changed my life. Please keep writing.”

Other days…well, other days the computer screen stares at me in silence. My fingers hover over the keyboard awaiting a divine download. I pour a cup of coffee. A rejection hits my inbox. More coffee. I check my Amazon stats, and I entertain thoughts about getting a real job.

Sometimes I feel as though accomplishing this assignment borders on the brink of impossibility, and I think of Moses. How did he feel when he stood on the shore of the Red Sea with more than three million people depending on him for their well-being? His was a God-given assignment, too, but as waves wet his feet perhaps he questioned his ability to fulfill it.

I stand on the shore of my own Red Sea wondering how to best tackle a task fraught with challenges including…

How can I present my idea in a unique way?

How can I turn my idea into a compelling sentence or two?

How can I develop that sentence into an irresistible query or proposal?

What’s the right market for that query or proposal?

How can I ensure my work passes the slush pile and lands on the editor’s desk?

How can I overcome the pain of rejection or disappointment?

How do I find an agent?

What’s the best publishing option for my book?

How do I negotiate a contract without an agent?

What marketing and publicity strategies are most effective for my book?

How do I best utilize social media marketing?

How can I build my platform?

Writing for publication, especially considering the industry’s constant, rapid changes, is not an easy task. It’s vital that we, as writers, focus not on the Red Sea before us but on the One who’s able to part the waters and show us the way through them. Several weeks ago I discovered these verses, and I’ve found them encouraging in this context:

“When the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths. The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed. Your thunder roared from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook. Your road led through the sea, your pathways through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there! You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds” (Psalm 77:16-20). 

God gave Moses a seemingly impossible task and then made the way to accomplish it. He’ll do the same for us as we seek to communicate messages of hope and healing to a hurting world. Let’s be faithful to do what He’s called us to do with excellence and enthusiasm, and let’s trust Him to make a way through the publishing Red Sea for our messages to reach those who need them most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Author's Time ~ People Time

Greetings from contemporary fiction author, Deborah Vogts. If you're reading this, chances are you are part of the writing profession, and you understand how this activity fills nearly every nook and cranny of your life in one way or another. Because of this, it's easy for our lives to become lopsided, neglecting one or more ingredients that will make them richer, and will actually enhance our ability to "write" more effectively.

This month, I want to consider the importance of spending time with other people--or more specifically, other writers.

A Labor of Love

Dianne Neal Matthews with an encouraging word for the second Monday of the month. Ever since I attended my first conference, I’ve heard people compare writing a book to giving birth. The more I write, the more I see how appropriate that analogy can be.

Writing for an Audience of One

Hi, Dan Walsh here in Daytona Beach with, hopefully, some fresh encouragement for Christian writers.

I’d like to offer a reminder that there is One who sees all we do and all that we write, and this One has a different way of measuring its value. I remember a worship song a few years back titled, "Audience of One.” I loved it immediately because it reminded me of what Jesus said was the first and greatest commandment.

Roller Coaster Expectations

Hi, Dan Walsh here, writing from Daytona Beach.

As I look back on my “journey to publication” and the journey I’ve been on since, I’ve been reflecting lately on the topic of expectations. Specifically, their tendency to be out of sync with real life. It doesn’t just happen occasionally. I almost never get them right. And when life doesn’t line up, add up, or live up to my expectations, my heart falls into discouragement.

What Matters Most

Dan Walsh here, writing from Daytona Beach, FL.

I know some of you were able to attend ACFW’s annual conference a few weeks ago in Indianapolis. Many who could not, have probably read some of the great articles written about the wonderful time we had (just remembered that old postcard line: “Good time was had by all”).

Love or Clanging Cymbals?

 

 Jeanne Gowen Dennis here. I've been pondering how we can put people first in our writing, marketing, and speaking. Honestly, right now I just want to put myself first and get some rest as I continue trying to get over bronchitis--which brings me to my first point. As writers and speakers we have deadlines we have to meet. Except in rare cases of extreme illness, a death in the family, or something equally as serious, we cannot just tell meeting planners, publishers, or interviewers, "Sorry, but I won't be able to fulfill the commitment I made to you." When we promise something, we have to do all we can with the help of God to follow through. I know one author who at her own expense got a second airplane ticket and left on her trip a day early so that a blizzard would not prevent her from speaking in another state. God moved mightily in her meetings and people were saved. What if she had just cancelled or taken a chance on missing the meetings because of weather-related delays or cancellations?