More than Writers

  As Advent marks the start of the Christian year, I love re-visiting those treasured gospel stories of anticipation and challenge, remembering Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, and John the Baptist. I think again about my own new beginnings, including in writing.   Sometimes, however firm our resolve, we find ourselves stuck. This could be when we’re first thinking about starting to write, or much later.   Sometimes finishing a long-term project can leave us feeling lost, not sure what to do next. Or life events can take over and writing is relegated to the backburner. Writing was a childhood ambition for me. I took the plunge in my early forties, partly prompted by a letter in a writing magazine. The writer had met someone at a party and introduced themselves as a writer. The new acquaintance said they planned to write in retirement. The writer challenged readers to start now , not to wait. That letter gave me the jolt to begin. Wondering where to start, I...

Episode 1’s title, ‘Four Crowns, One King,’ is a gift for preachers, and Paul, the minister at Cheddar Baptist, pounced as any hungry predator would. Amongst the various theological points, he pointed out that the studio floor was no doubt awash with unused, edited out, material. Five years of filming, submitted to the editorial team. The final version broadcast contains only the footage that f its the narrative ; the rest was discarded, never to be seen. A process, as writers, we know all too well. Writing has its solitary side, but once the pen is down, a whole team of editors goes to work. Beta readers, Grammarly, structural and line editors, re-drafting…eventually something emerges that fits the narrative , the rest lies in the bin. My apologies to Paul, but the rest of his sermon suffered from my editorial mind, which had drifted to an ‘Aha!’ moment. God is our editor. If we have submitted our lives to Christ and if we are His workmanship, His letter, and His poem, we have submit...

Image by MusikschuleMOI from Pixabay It's my habit to have several Advent books on the go. Here's this year's list: • Donkey Roads and Camel Treks by Gemma Simmonds • Beginnings and Endings by Maggi Dawn • Christ Illuminated by Joy Margetts, fellow ACW writer • O Come Emmanuel, a beautiful little anthology on the Advent antiphons (look them up!), delicately illustrated by Korean artist SunYoung Kim. The contributors include Tanya Marlow, who will be well known to many ACW members, and whose own Advent book, Those Who Wait , is also on my reading list. • Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Episcopal priest Fleming Rutledge, a collection of her excellent Advent sermons over some 20 years. It’s a big, fat book but not difficult to read, I just dip in and find something juicy to get my teeth into. Advent is such a rich season, biblically and liturgically. As I often remind people in my own sermons, Advent is as much about our Lord’s Secon...

                                                                      Picture credit: The New York Times  In this community, I feel I can safely confess an addiction. I’m sure I’m among friends and that some of you are fellow addicts. Yes, I’m hopelessly dependent on... Wordle . My day just isn’t the same if I miss it. A few years ago, my dealer, in the sweet and innocent form of my youngest daughter, lured me into having a go on her phone. She knew what she was doing. With one free sample, I was hooked. That’s how it works, folks. Now I must secure my fix every day. Preying on my weaknesses, the same dealer ruthlessly introduced me to Connections , and I fell for it again, so now I have two addictions. I’ve resisted her wicked insistence that I try Spelling Bee. I don’t kno...

  Before writing my blog for this month, I was thinking about a documentary that was on television some years ago in the 1960’s/70’s (showing my age now), that was called “7 Up” which followed a group of children from the age of 7, and then every 7 years after throughout their lives. I highly recommend it if you can get to watch it. I think the last series was “63 Up”.    It was apparently inspired by the quote which is said to be attributed to both Aristotle and St Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order (also known as The Society of Jesus) - “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man”.   The quote also reminds me of a lovely, very powerful Bible verse that I pray as a blessing for my son, and have done so from the day he was born, and now also for my grandchildren: “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it”. Proverbs 22:6. While searching for the series “7 Up” I came across an article tit...

  As I type this blog post, it’s getting dark outside, which shouldn’t surprise me, as it seems at this time of year that it’s rare that it’s not dark outside!  Looking at the world around me, and the circumstances of those close to me, it feels like more than just a physical darkness. So many are suffering and struggling, longing for light.  During Advent, it is common to reflect on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, and it strikes me that these things are exactly what those around us need. It prompted me to think about how we can use our writing to point people to hope, joy, peace, and love in Jesus this Advent.  Hope   “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:5 NLT)  When you’re walking in darkness, even a tiny bit of light can bring hope. Whether it’s sharing a story of hope, writing a post that points to hope in Jesus, or simply sending an encouraging note or text to someone going through a ...