The writer formerly known as Saul, by Veronica Zundel

I can just see it. The fanatical rabbi, former persecutor of heretics, pacing up and down his cell, dictating to a faithful friend. The words tumble over each other as he seeks to challenge and encourage the congregations he has founded as a new, passionate believer in Jesus the Jewish Messiah - and not just that, but saviour and Lord of the world. Sometimes he digresses, following a fascinating thought down its tempting side road - till he recalls his original purpose and pulls himself back to his main point. He is dealing with big ideas, but he wants to make them accessible to all – young, old, educated, illiterate. He also wants to greet friends, friends he has met and friends he hopes to meet, his fellow believers and disciples of Jesus. And all the time his scribe, recruited perhaps because of Paul’s poor eyesight (or was it arthritis in his writing hand?) struggles to keep up with the flow of powerful language. Just occasionally, he signs off with his own hand, in big letters that anyone can read.

Did Paul know he was writing Holy Scripture? I doubt it - he probably thought he was just writing letters. That doesn't detract from the authority of his writings - Jeremiah or Isaiah probably didn't know they were writing Holy Scripture either. We cannot know, while we are writing them, the impact or long term value of our words. Occasionally I meet someone who read something I wrote or heard something I said thirty or more years ago, something I had completely forgotten, which they say has stayed with them throughout their lives. I don't aspire to be writing new Scripture, but I do hope I am sometimes inspired by the same Spirit that inspired the Bible.

That Paul was inspired in a unique way, doesn't mean we can't take him as a model for our writing. With all his quirks and digressions, he wrote in a markedly powerful and passionate style - putting his whole heart and mind into his letters. He thought about his particular audience and their local needs,

but he also thought about the situations and needs of all humankind. And he made huge efforts to find the right words for the ineffable, brand new ideas he wanted to convey - perhaps even making up words, or giving them new meaning, when he needed to.

It's not just Paul, of course. We can seek to imitate John's simplicity, or the poetic style of Hebrews, possibly written by the early church leader Priscilla. While we're on women writers, we could also learn from the prophetic contrasts of Mary's great prophecy we call the Magnificat. Indeed, we can even take Jesus himself as a model for our writing - though he only wrote once, and that was in sand. We can remember that when we call his stories parables, we are using a word related to 'parabola', a curve -- he was throwing his hearers curve balls. Can we, too, be as innovative in  telling stories and making our stories telling? We have the best of examples to follow.

Veronica Zundel is a freelance writer whose latest book is Everything I know about God, I've learned from being a parent (BRF 2013). She also writes a column for Woman Alive magazine, and Bible notes for BRF's New Daylight. Veronica used to belong to what was, before it closed, the only non-conservative, English speaking Mennonite church in the UK, and is currently playing at being a high Anglican. She also blogs (rather occasionally!) at reversedstandard.com