By Tara Johnson One of my favorite stories in the Bible is God’s encounter with Hagar. This slave girl was mistreated and unloved, forced to play a role she didn’t ask for. She had no rights and no one to speak on her behalf. She was invisible to those around her…until she met El Roi. After running away from Sarai, …
Writing in the Midst of Chaos, Pandemics, and Life
by Kimberley Woodhouse The past few months have been weird. There, I said it. Of course, I don’t think any of us will soon forget COVID-19, coronavirus, stay-at-home orders, masks, church services all moving to online, or any of the other oddities that became normal parts of our everyday life during this pandemic. And it’s not over. To be honest, …
Writing Quotes
by Henry McLaughlin Many of us have writing quotes to inspire or nag us. Or to nudge us to keep writing. A few of my favorites include: “If my family didn’t want me to write about them, they should’ve behaved better.” – Anne Lamott “First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!” – Ray Bradbury “I love …
Creativity—Keeping it Pure
by Terri Gillespie “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1, TLV Creativity. Taking nothing and making something. Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” I love that. The Creator of the Universe—our Heavenly Father—sure has fun with creativity. Look at the giraffe. What is amazing as writers, authors, artists, musicians, and those who live …
How Can YOU Reach a Broader Audience?
By Mesu Andrews When I was choosing dates to write for the ACFW blog, I noticed that today, May 21st, is Ascension Day. Now, I’m a theological mutt. Mom’s charismatic. Dad was Quaker. My grandparents were Pilgrim Holiness ordained ministers—both grandpa AND grandma even way back when. Since my spiritual heritage is Evangelical, I don’t know much about Ascension Day. …
Confined in Spring
by Elizabeth Musser Lord, how can I complain when I’m confined in Spring? When a chateau sits in my backyard When snow white calla lilies curl towards the sun And lilacs bloom and tulips tilt their crimson heads And butterflies, like wind, like Spirit, flit to who-knows-where? When everything outside proclaims this simple truth: Life wins! So may I not …
Sheltered by the Resurrection
By Christine Sunderland Christian writers shelter their stories, then baptize them with resurrection life. We have been sheltering-in-place in the San Francisco Bay Area this 2020 Lenten season, hoping to slow the flu virus Covid-19, and staying home has provided an appropriate time to reflect, to pray, in effect, to observe a better, greater Lent. In going through some old …
Needing to be seen
By Lana Christian Writing is largely a solitary proposition. Then comes the need to be seen. But the coronavirus has limited us in ways we never could have imagined. Countless book launches have been canceled. Authors fear their years of work may never be seen. Their collective cries blanket social media. How can I get people to notice me and …
Passed Over
by Terri Gillespie “For the vision is yet for an appointed time. It hastens to the end and will not fail. If it should be slow in coming, wait for it, for it will surely come—it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3, TLV Do you remember your first manuscript rejection? (I know, what a jolly way to begin a blog.) That …
I Know the Plans I Have for You …
by Deb Haggerty How many times do we rush blindly into our days, perhaps breathing a brief “God guide me” on our way out of the bedroom to get coffee and dive into our plans? I was reminded recently our ideas may not be the plans God has for us. I was scheduled for a left knee replacement March 10, …