Darlene Franklin: Take It Out of the Drawer

Bible Portion: Matthew 25:1-46


The servant given one thousand said, “Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.” - Matthew 25:24-25

Today’s portion includes parables about the coming kingdom, including the story about the talents (called “dollars” in The Message, a sum of money). It reads a bit like choose your own adventure. How much will you receive as seed money? How will you spend it?

Two of the recipients took the money and doubled it. Fear of failure kept the third from doing anything. He hid the money until his master returned.

His reasons resonate with me as a writer. Publishers expect manuscripts that are free of grammatical and spelling errors. They demand a high quality of writing, that they believe readers will buy, and that the authors will help market. Even established authors receive rejection letters.

As readers, how many of us have read books that make us wince with the mistakes? Many bestsellers make me question what readers want. Where is the “quality” I strive for?

They worked because their authors took a risk in spite of their imperfections. They wrote books that touched the world with the good news of the kingdom. They are living proof that the most successful writers aren’t necessarily the best writers; they are the ones who took risks and persisted.

Unlike the third servant, who left her manuscript in a computer file. As one of my best friends said, “God didn’t give you that story to leave it in the drawer.”

Does God expect our best? Perhaps, but even our best won’t be error free. Obedience counts more than nitpicking. Faith trumps works every time, but the work of showing our service to others is an act of faith.

In this parable, God wants us to use our gifts. “If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?”

The book club I worked with for the past ten years recently closed its doors. I am faced with, what next? Is now the time God wants me to stop writing?

No. God still wants me to use the gifts He has given in. He will see to the increase.

Whatever your gift(s) is, put it to use. God will multiply it.

About Darlene Franklin:

Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. She lives in Oklahoma, near her son and his family, and continues her interests in playing the piano and singing, books, good fellowship, and reality TV in addition to writing. She has written over thirty books and has written more than 250 devotionals. Her historical fiction ranges from the Revolutionary War to World War II, from Texas to Vermont. You can find Darlene online elsewhere at https://www.facebook.com/Poet.Darlene.Franklin.


The devotion above is taken from A Reader's Journey through Matthew,

A Reader's Journey through Matthew is written by and for avid readers and writers of literature. This seven-week devotional is perfect for a Lenten study or any time of year.

It is available FREE through Wednesday, Feb. 17th.

Marianne Evans: Be Still...and Know...

Marianne Evans

Some days, my inbox just swirls, a never-ending delivery system of opportunities good and bad. A lot of the junk mail is easy to toss—those winning lottery notifications from Nigeria, the ads for hair care, medications, dating sites. But along come the ones worth exploring: invitations to book launches for authors I love, invitations to speak at events, invitations from supportive booksellers who want to host signings.

One missive in particular ended my scrolling. It originated from my home church in Southeast Michigan. ‘Come to our three-day Lenten retreat and get in touch with the stillness of God’s presence!’

The message made me think. God. Stillness. How can I make them blend and harmonize in the midst of a world bent on supersonic speed, instant gratification, instant and quantifiable results?

I read through the registration information, and there came no twitches of excitement and eagerness. Rather, I sighed—and wilted at the keyboard. Defeat seeped in. I wanted to go, certainly. The offering was meaningful. But along came a spike in anxiety, a never ending battle to reconcile what I can do with what I can’t—no matter how enriching.

I’m ashamed to say my first thought was this: If I give up three nights during my overcrowded work week to attend this mission, how would I find the time and energy to pay attention to everything else that needed ‘doing’ in my life?

To be blunt, and perfectly honest, stillness is a precious commodity in my life. Professional obligations crowd in against my family life, my writing ministry, time spent with friends. Additionally, I find technology and its outpouring of information to be a blessing and a curse. So many wonderful opportunities vie for my attention. There are days I drink it in and find myself graced with spiritual growth. Other days, I just drown. So much to do, so little time. So many worthwhile endeavors, so spare my ability to spread thin and do it all.

When I become overwhelmed, prayer life suffers. Meditation suffers. Stillness and relationship with God suffers. None of that can stand. First of all, how could I have ever looked at this mission as ‘giving up’ time? That revised attitude followed me into the mission, which I gratefully attended. After all, nothing is ‘given up’ when I immerse myself in worship, in thanksgiving, in the restorative energy and vitality of God’s Word.

Attending the retreat at my church was a treat—an illuminating trio of evenings where I laughed, was touched, and grew in my faith. I was refreshed and renewed. Why? Because I stopped. I went still. I prayed. I focused—focused on the God who loves me, and provides for me always.

I needed that Lenten lesson, very much.

Scriptural Reflection and Prayer:

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Let the words sink in. Absorb them. When life overwhelms, the most effective solution is often times the most difficult: Step back. Breathe.  Pray. Don’t be afraid to rest and reflect.

Lord, the assurance of Your provision is founded in the truth of Your Word. Help us always to know that You are watching over us, You are guiding our very footsteps toward greater life, and love, in You.


Marianne Evans is a multi-award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Readers laud her work as: ‘Riveting.’ ‘Realistic and true to heart.’ ‘Compelling.’

Marianne’s novel, Devotion earned the prestigious Bookseller’s Best Award from Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America as well as Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements from the ACRA, a chapter of RWA.  Hearts Communion earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors in the Romance category as well as Best Inspirational Romance from ACRA. Her novella Finding Home earned the Selah Award for excellence in Christian fiction and Evans has also earned acclaim in such RWA contests as The International Digital Awards, The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence where she has been a finalist twice, and the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence contest.

Happily married and the mother of two, Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan who is active in a number of a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. She’s also active in American Christian Fiction Writers and the Michigan Literary Network.

Connect at:

Website

Blog

FacebookReader Page

Twitter

Amazon AuthorPage

Marianne's upcoming release,
JODIE'S SONG,

coming April 14th:

Nothing fills Jodie Cunningham's spirit like sharing contemporary Christian music and scriptural insights on her morning drive radio show at KWJD. But lately, she’s overwhelmed and depleted by family circumstances that have led her from Dallas to Angel Falls, Texas and Heart's Haven apartment complex.

Kevin Mitchell is the groundskeeper at Heart's Haven—a place famous for angelic intercession and loving connections. His uncle owns the facility, but he's ailing. Kevin eagerly chips in, and as he prepares the grounds for a spring wedding, he meets Jodie. They begin to work together to make Heart's Haven sparkle.

But just as Kevin succeeds at coaxing Jodie's heart to bloom, tragedy strikes in a double dose that tests both their strength of faith and the love they've found.

Purchase Link:

Pelican Book Group

Delia Latham: A Devotion for Writers

                                            

Making Something Out of Nothing

Genesis 1:1—In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God put His “Seal of Approval” on creativity from the start.

He brought forth the earth and seas and sky and everything above, below and in between…out of “thin air,” as the saying goes. But it wasn’t magic. It was creation (the act of producing or causing to exist, according to Dictionary.com).

And it wasn’t easy. God needed rest after he’d finished His work. The first verse in the Bible is most likely the ultimate understatement of all time. I’m convinced those six days of

intense creation entailed far more thought and planning than scripture reveals. Is it possible there might even have been a “do-over” or two?

We’re allowed to see only the finished product of God’s original creative process. He kept specific details—the “making of” the making of the world—to Himself. Just handed us the complete, finished work to enjoy.

Isn’t that what we do as writers?

Our Father taught us by example, and we’d do well to follow the Leader:

·         Start with a blank canvas. Nothing there. Just an empty page and the desire to turn it into something magnificent.

·         Let there be light. Come up with a bright idea and shine it into some kind of outline, plan, synopsis, scribbled overview…whatever works best for each individual.

·         Bring in the atmosphere. God placed the sky between the heavens and the earth. We create a mood…a blue sky or a dark one. The atmosphere that will have a bearing on every page of our creation.

·         Fill the pages with life.

o   God put plants and trees in the land He’d created. We insert situations that make readers want to know what happens next.

o   He overhung all those growing things with the sun, moon and stars. (Aha! Our Father knew we would need a bit of spark in our lives.) Writers must also set off some fireworks that liven the atmosphere and make hearts pound a little harder.

o   He then filled the land, sea and sky with life—sea creatures, birds, animals…and man. Yep, characters, human and otherwise.

Writers are a far cry from being God…but we are made in His image, and our writing should reflect that image, as well. What better role model could we possibly have than our heavenly Father, the God who made something (read that “everything) out of nothing at all?

Reflection:  As you “create” new worlds, people it with characters and plant it with gripping situations, do you make a conscious effort to follow the Leader’s example every step of the way, every word of the day?

Father, You’ve called me to write, and I will. But please give me the anointing to turn the written word into an anointed creation, to make something out of nothing, just as You did. I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Name above all names. Amen.

Delia Latham

© 2012