This Saturday, October 1
Usual time: 10 am - noon
New location: Cornerstone Christian Church, Wyckoff (directions are on our website)
We will continue to look at Active vs. Passive voice. If you were present in September, please bring your homework paragraph, creatively edited in active voice. All pages for critique should adhere to the guidelines on our website.
I'll be looking for you on Saturday,
Barbara
barbarahigbyhope.com
September's Focus Point:
Passive vs. Active
I will never pretend to
understand the book of Ezekiel—I only started reading it because my pastor is
preaching from it this fall. The first day I began reading this complex
book, I journaled a disclaimer: I do not assume to understand the imagery in
Ezekiel; I will simply note what speaks to me. And in chapter one, the words
spoke to my heart. I share this because the focus of our meeting is Passive vs.
Active, and that’s exactly the area I was challenged in—living
actively rather than passively.
Ezekiel saw a vision of four
creatures and this is what he wrote (taken from 1:10-21):
Their faces looked like this:
Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face
of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an
eagle…. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would
go, without turning as they went.… As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a
wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.… When the living
creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures
rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they
would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the
living creatures was in the wheels.
This passage encourages me to an
active, rather than a passive lifestyle, in three ways.
- Each of the four creatures had four faces, but each one moved straight ahead, without turning. Writing is one of many hats, or faces, I wear. This verse encourages me to be present and forward-looking with whichever role I’m walking in at the moment. If I have a message to write, I must intentionally face forward, write diligently and not allow my other roles to distract me.
- The passage also tells of following the spirit, going wherever the spirit goes. This speaks to me of an undivided heart―one that is not passive but responsive and active. I want to be sensitive and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in my life.
- Their own spirit was in the wheels and the wheels followed them as they followed the Spirit, not visa versa. I confess that too often I follow my own spirit and ask the Holy Spirit to bless me―kind of expecting Him to lead from behind. I need to trust that as I follow Him, my own spirit will fall in place.
As men and women with a message
and the gift to write it, we cannot passively wait for the right mood, time or
inspiration, but actively press on. That’s what this writing group is about—giving the inspiration,
encouragement and accountability to do just that.
Take away thought: I will do my best to follow the leading of God’s Spirit and take my spirit out of the leadership role—in my writing and in all the roles I fill.
