Following is the devotional from our June meeting.
Writing prompts are all around
us. Life abounds with inspiration for that next story, essay, poem or book. We
simply need to keep our eyes open, our ears tuned and a notepad in our pocket.
As Christian writers we have an even wider field because we see life in two
dimensions, physical and spiritual.
The stories we tell, regardless
of genre or format, are public declarations of what resides deep within. In its
own way, each is a testimony - “a formal statement about something
that we saw, know, or experienced” (Macmillan Dictionary). Convictions of the heart,
things we know to be true by what we saw or experienced provide writing prompts
we may overlook or dismiss.
In Cecil Murphey’s blog post of June
16, 2015, he wrote:
My biggest
obstacle is to keep writing, even now, because I'm tempted to hit the delete
key a dozen times a day. I constantly think, This is garbage and everybody
knows it.
My late wife, Shirley, used to say to me,
"Because you think about it all the time, you assume everyone knows it.
But they haven't read it the way you write it." (see blog)
How true! God speaks to us and through us in unique ways. Our personal understanding of an event or truth is expressed from an individual voice that is ours alone.
God has made precious deposits in us. Let’s
not overlook writing prompts of the heart. The psalmist gives us several in
Psalm 71:15-18:
My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your
salvation all day long...
I will … proclaim your mighty acts, O
Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteousness...
I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O
God, till I declare
your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.
What has God shown you of His righteousness, salvation,
mighty acts, marvelous deeds, power and might that you can write about?
Take away thought: I will tune my heart to the writing prompts of the Holy
Spirit.
