Happy New Year... and happy writing!

The first 2016 NJCWG 

is this Saturday, January 2, 10 am til noon.

Be prepared to share specific writing goals for 2016.

Location details and critique guidelines are on our website: njcwg.blogspot.com

Christmas Brunch Reminder

Please join us for our annual Christmas brunch. 
Sat. Dec. 5 ... 10am-12pm

Bring a Christmas reading to share 

along with something tasty to eat! 

(We have bagels, dessert and pasta salad so far.)

RSVP to Susan :: panzica.susan@gmail.com. 

Next meeting: Annual Christmas Brunch

Please join us for our annual Christmas brunch. 
Sat. Dec. 5 ... 10am-12pm

Bring a Christmas reading to share 

along with something tasty to eat! 

(We have bagels, dessert and pasta salad so far.)

RSVP to Susan :: panzica.susan@gmail.com. 

Meeting this Saturday

Our next meeting

Saturday, November 7
10 am - noon

North Haledon Church of the Nazarene

(address on our website)

Saturday's focus: 

Tell me a story!

Bring your notebook (paper or electronic) along with your most colorful adjectives, strongest verbs, and greatest story lines.

If you have work for critique, 

please follow guidelines on our website.

Beautiful Words

From NJCWG member, Maude Carolan Pych

A friend came up to me at church one Sunday (She’s a woman who studies Scripture in depth and who also enjoys my poetry.) and said, “You are of the tribe of Napthali.” I asked what made her say that and she referred me to Gen 49:21: “Napthali is a doe let loose. He gives beautiful words.”

This verse comes from the “Blessing of Jacob,” the longest poem in Genesis, in which Jacob blesses each of his twelve sons with the appropriate blessing for each of them.

A few interesting points: Napthali, being a “son” of Jacob is described as a doe. The reason given by Rabbi David (I couldn’t make out his first name) on the “Hebrew Nation” website is that the female deer is swifter than the male. The rabbi also said that the Hebrew for “beautiful words” is Imrei shefer, which speak of musical ability and natural eloquence and that the word shefer is related to shofar, an instrument that may be used to issue warning and alarm.

Also, while looking at this verse online, I found that other versions translate “beautiful words” as “gives goodly words.” “John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible” says this verse looks ahead to the New Testament and refers to good tidings of good things (the Gospel). He says it points to the people of Christ’s time who were swift to run after Jesus and hear him; panted after him as the hart after the water brooks. The people who received and gave out the goodly words of the Gospel were made free and became like a hind let loose.

The verse caused me to think of the beautiful words/goodly words in Scripture that we use and write about. Here are examples:

Grace, salvation, holiness, righteousness, purity, Jesus, living water, eternity, eternal life, glory, forgiveness, resurrection, love, mercy, truth.

I’m sure you can think of more “beautiful words.” Use them as a springboard to write a prayer, a poem, an article, haiku, etc.

                                                                                    Maude Carolan Pych