More than Writers

I can remember going to a 'Kingdom Faith Week' run by Colin Urquhart and Bob Gordon in the 1980s. One evening in the main event, Bob, asked us all a series of questions. I am almost certainly remembering the exact questions incorrectly but it went something like this.  "Who here thinks the Bible is the most important book in the world?" Most, if not all, of us put up our hands. "Who here thinks the Bible is the inspired Word of God? Again most of us put up our hands. "Who here has read a book, any book at all, from cover to cover" By now most of us were beginning to realise where this was going and we all put up our hands. "Who here has read the whole Bible from cover to cover?" Only a few of us were able to put up our hands. I couldn't. "You mean to say, you think the Bible is the most important book in the world. You think it is the inspired Word of God and you haven't read it?" Sc...

Words, words, words. As wordsmiths, we dabble, we play, we agonise, we yearn over the tools of our trade.  When we speak, our tongues can drip poison and hurt people, or our speech may be seasoned with salt to bless. There's often little time to think about the effect of what we say. How many times do we wish we could take back the words that have left our lips? Even bad news is hard to give: once we've spoken and seen the light go out of someone's eyes we can never unsay that thing. Writing words down is easier. There is time to craft the sentences and ensure the meaning we intend is coming across. All of our words, whether pouring from lips or hands, come directly from our hearts. What do our hearts say about us? What subtleties of our inner lives do we unwittingly display through our words? I remember how horrified I was at coming back to a fiction blog I'd posted online a few years ago where I'd unknowingly spilled across the screen so many of my '...

Why do we write? Is the world a better place because our words are in it? I want to encourage us to be the best we can be in whatever genre we favour. King Solomon urged the readers of his day to do with all your might whatever your hands find to do. Very applicable to writers! Go for it. Don't be timid or half-hearted, full of doubt. If a thing is worth writing, then do it to the best of your ability. Believe in the gift God has given you. But don't strive about it, enjoy what you do. We are free to enjoy writing because the Father planned good works for us to do long before we were born. He knew perfectly what would suit us, and chose the most fulfilling ministry for us. This is where we can bear fruit that will last for ever. We have the power to influence, encourage, teach, bless.... The list goes on. But we can also tear down, discourage and influence for bad. The choice is ours. Writing is a noble calling because it comes from the Most High. He loves us and w...

On Sunday a couple of weeks ago my vicar preached a sermon that really spoke to me. He was preaching from John 21 when the disciples have returned to fishing after the exciting events of the crucifixion and resurrection. The disciples are in the boat and see Jesus on the shore.   'Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.'    John 21:6 NLT       My vicar was challenging us to try something different. Apparently fishermen would not have fished from the right side of the boat, so the right side was the wrong side. I really felt God was speaking to me personally through this verse about change - a need to do something a new way. I am praying into this verse now and await more input from the Holy Spirit. Isn't it exciting when you know that the Creator of the Universe is speaking you.  This h...

Adrian and I visited the Big Bang Data Exhibition in London over New Year. For a non-geek it was far more interesting than I'd anticipated. One of the exhibits was a diagram of a slave ship. From reading Roots a few years ago I knew that conditions on slave ships were horrific but this diagram showed 'the unbearably tiny spaces allocated to the slaves onboard'.   This diagram obviously made a significant impact on the people of its day. There was power in seeing and reading about the conditions that helped abolish the African slave trade.   For myself, certain books have changed the way I think. John Grisham's The Street Lawyer opened my eyes to the fact that homeless people are just like me. Their lives have as much value as mine. They shouldn't be considered worthless or invisible because they are different to me. These ideas percolated for a few years (I can sometimes be quite slow on the uptake....) but God used a novel to bring about a change in m...

As I read Mary & Martha's story ( Luke 10:38-42 ) over and over in preparation for my latest talk , I was personally struck by Jesus' words "but few things are needed - indeed only one." Not so long ago Fiona Veitch-Smith, in her article ' Strings, bows and hats ', talked about the many hats she wears in the busyness of different roles  We live in such a fast world, where along with the different job roles Fiona talks about are our roles as parent, spouse, friend, supporter, cleaner, cook, taxi driver, dog walker and insert your own!  There are many daily demands on our time before 'work' even begins. I think we all recognise what it means to be living a busy, distracted and worrying Martha life. One thing! Is that even possible? In September as I started my Theology course I decided to put everything else down so I could solely concentrate on college work. My half written book remains unopened, though I often think about it. Requests to speak ...

I have always loved words. Apparently my first word was “cardigan”, spoken when my mother covered me with hers in the pram one chilly day. From the moment I could hold a pencil I was copying letters, and could write in whole sentences before I started school at the age of 5. This was not, by the way, a harbinger of genius; it was actually the ONLY thing I could do! I have been writing stories and poetry for as long as I remember, and even as a child occasionally sent submissions to publishers and magazines, with my first article published at age sixteen. So imagine the impact of being told that my second child probably hadn’t the intelligence ever to learn any speech. I couldn’t imagine the horror of a life without words and at first found this far more distressing than her physical disabilities. As she grew older, she showed signs of understanding, which gave me hope that her cognitive abilities were greater than the doctors thought. I remember her first word. She poin...