March 31, 2009

By Vonda Skelton

Posted in: Ramblings | Christian Living | Writing Instruction | Jesus

Fellowship with the Word by Guest Blogger Jean Davis

Well, this is the fifth Tuesday of the month, so you know what that means--Guest Blogger Day! I'm thrilled to introduce you to writer and Christian Writer's Den reader, Jean Davis. Jean and I met several years ago when I was teaching at the Delaware Christian Writer's Conference. While we were getting to know each other, we discovered that both of us had stories about our dads in the anthology, Embrace of a Father. (How cool is that?) Jean's devotionals have been published in Devo’zine, The Upper Room, and Cup of Comfort Devotional for Women. She also has stories included in The Heart of A Mother and Whispering in God’s Ear. I hope you'll check out her blogs at www.iwitnesslife.com and www.writersadvance.blogspot.com. And if you'd like some copies of Embrace of a Father for Father's Day or for any man in your life, please visit my Bookstore! ;-)

I know you're going to enjoy Jean's blog today. It's a message we all need to hear!

Fellowship with the Word
by Jean Davis

The last Delmarva Christian Writers Fellowship I attended, our leader, Candy Abbott, gave us a Scripture to consider and fifteen minutes to write. She e-mailed the verse to us ahead of time so we could meditate on it, but she wanted our writing that morning to be spontaneous. When time was up, each person had opportunity to read his work.

Poems, devotionals, and essays emerged during the allotted time. A few writings sounded like journal entries. Some authors skipped over the more personal parts.  Aware of our diverse backgrounds, we were still amazed to discover how remarkably different and how exceptional the pieces were.

After Ben read, someone asked, "You wrote that just now in fifteen minutes? Really? How did you do that?"

Ben's answer was immediate.  "I just said, ‘God, help me.'"

Oh. I see how this works. Ben cheated. He asked for and received some help as he wrote on assignment. He hooked up to the Helper, the Teacher, the Creator, the Author and Finisher of our faith. His writing was a collaborative effort. (Note to self: Memorize Ben's prayer.)

Betsy's composition touched something deep within me. I wanted my own copy so I could take time to study her words. I started to ask, but I don't know Betsy that well and didn't want to seem nervy.    

When Candy read her devotional, the young woman sitting next to her, Cathie, said she'd like to have a copy, especially for the prayer Candy included. "I'd like a copy, too," I said, "for my daughter." Then Leslie, fifty-something, asked Marshall, all of twelve years old, if he would write out his poem for her. She wanted to share it with her Bible study group the next evening. Who knows how far-reaching this endeavor will prove to be?
That afternoon when I got home, as soon as I took my coat off and checked e-mails, I heard a knock at the door. My neighbor Dena stood timidly on the porch. "Would you like to come in?" I asked. I felt a sense of urgency.

(Photos are of the Delmarva Christian Writers Fellowship)

We sat at the kitchen table.  Lord, give me the words. I reached my hands out toward her, palms up, hoping she'd put her hands in mine. I wasn't disappointed.
    
"Would it be okay if I prayed with you?" I asked. I'd wanted to pray with her rather than for her since we met more than two months earlier.

"Sure," she said. "I don't mind." As we talked later, we both got a little teary. She was able to share a difficult circumstance and her faith in God. I was able to share my love for her and God's faithfulness.

"I've been waiting for you all day," she said. "I just knew I had to come see you today."

After Dena left, I brought a load of clothes in from the laundry room and accidentally bumped a bookend on the filing cabinet with the laundry basket. Papers I needed to file hit the floor. When I stooped to pick them up, on top of the stack were some tracts I'd made eight years ago. I flipped through the titles: "Recognizing and Dealing With the Spirit of Fear," "All Is Well," "What Jesus Lives For," "When Life Seems Hard."  I'd written the last three. The first I'd prepared from transcribed notes from our pastor's sermon. Considering my earlier conversation with Dena, I knew these topics would be perfect for her.

Later, I thumbed through a book on my shelf, a devotional for women published in 2005. I had four devotionals included. More than eighty writers shared precious gems in that volume, all meditations on Scripture. I know! I thought. I'll give my extra copy to Dena.   

If we release the words God gives us, either through writing or speaking or through prayer, we can be assured they'll find their mark. After all, they are not our words. And if words previously published sit on a filing cabinet or book shelf for years while we wonder if their purpose is over, we might be surprised when opportunity to share them comes knocking at our door.

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Thank you, Jean, for sharing this message from your heart. I look forward to hearing more good things God is doing in your writing life!

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Remember--Book Give Away Winner to be Announced Next Week! Be sure to check back then.

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Focus

And this week, as I gaze over the vastness of the sea, I'm in awe of it all. The beauty...the power...the majesty of the One Who spoke it all into being.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

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4 Comments

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#1 Cheryl Barker — http://cherylbarker.blogspot.com/

Jean, I loved your note to self to memorize your friend's prayer -- God, help me. :) A touch of humor, but oh, so simple and true to what we writers need. May God continue to bless your writing efforts!

#2 Renae — http://www.renaebrumbaugh.com

Great words, Jean! I'm reminded of Isaiah 55:10 - 11:

As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

#3 Jean Davis

Thanks, Cheryl. I enjoyed visiting your web site. It's so nice to meet new writer friends.

#4 Jean Davis

Thanks, Renae. I particularly enjoyed your March 31 blog entry, On the Job Training. The Holy Spirit is the best teacher, isn't He?

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