Meeting this Saturday

Come Saturday, December 1, 10 to noon. 

Members & visitors are invited to our monthly meeting and Christmas Non-Brunch.

Photo compliments of Pixabay.

Breaking from our traditional Christmas Brunch, we will have a non-brunch with coffee, tea and any finger-food items you bring - crackers, nuts, mini-muffins, etc.

Please be prepared for a writing exercise. Members are invited to bring two pages for critique, but please follow the guidelines on our website. Below is November's Focus Point.

I hope to see you Saturday,
Barbara
barbarahigbyhope.com

The Inception and Birth of Brilliance

The verses I’m going to share are from a familiar Psalm. I’m sure you’ve read them, probably many times, but today we will see what they can teach us about writing. Psalm 139:13-16:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

We were in the mind of God before we were created by Him. His knowledge of us is not like that of a parent or friend who learns about us by watching and conversing with us. He knew us before we said or did anything to indicate our personality, character, or potential. God knew us first, and then He created us.

We have previously acknowledged that being made in Creator God’s image is the source of our creativity. These verses give insight to God’s creative process and affirm what we already know—creativity begins in the mind. Before we lived and breathed we existed in the mind of God. So too, our books, poems, and blog posts live in our minds before they are birthed.

This raises three issues:

• Am I allowing, honoring time for creative thinking? Do I make space for solitude and reflection?
• Do my activities inspire or hinder creativity? Am I reading, watching, listening to venues that expand my mind, fuel my interests, and feed my creativity?
• Do I overthink and thereby procrastinate productivity? Does fear or perfectionism get in my way? 

Takeaway: The creative process begins in my mind—how am I nurturing that aspect of creativity?

Story Callout - Women's Devotional

Abba's Heart

Cross River Media

Submit to submissions@crossrivermedia.com

Many of us struggle with grasping God’s unconditional love. This thirty-day devotional offers the freedom that comes with accepting God’s infinite love, igniting a woman’s relationship with Christ and opening the door to a deeper more fulfilling relationship with Him.

We are looking for first-person, true stories of how God has demonstrated His love for you. In other words, how did you come to fully grasp God’s unconditional love?

Abba’s Heart: the Love of the Father is a compilation project contracted with CrossRiver Media and has a tentative release date of February 2020.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Deadline for submissions is February 1, 2019.
• Devotions must include a verse along with the true story, practical application commentary, and suggested prayer topic.
• Please include a brief bio and professional photo to be included with the devotional.
• Word count should be between 750 and 1000 words.
• You may submit original or reprinted work; however if it is a reprint, please tell us where and when it was published and assure us you own the reprint rights.
• We will edit selected stories for clarity, consistency, and style. We will not change factual information. If you are unwilling to allow edits, please do not submit.
• If your story is selected, we will notify you by email by March 2019.
• Contributors will receive a contributor credit along with one free copy of Abba’s Heart (working title). Author will also be able to order additional copies at a significantly discounted rate.

• Please send submissions to submissions@crossrivermedia.com.