Joshual 24:15, NLT. 

Recently, President Barak Obama announced his support of marriage between same-sex couples. Although he initially did not support same-sex marriage, he recently announced the change on his position based on the following reasons:

1. Personal values – “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

2. Friends & Family – Long a proponent of civil unions, President Obama said his views had changed in part because of prodding by friends who are gay and by conversations with his wife and daughters.

4. The Golden Rule – “The thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the golden rule – you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated,” he said. “And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids, and that’s what motivates me as President.”

When I review the factors above that led to our President’s decision, I realize an important factor is missing in the equation – the Word of God. For our President would have found the Bible is clear that homosexuality is a sin, like any other sin, and marriage between same-sex individuals is wrong in the sight of God (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27). Instead he chose to bow to personal and public opinion in his decision to support same-sex marriage.

Like our President, there are many choices you will have to make as a Christian writer living in a depraved world. How will you choose when deciding between the popular opinion of the day or God’s holy word? As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.

Writing for Him,

Jeaninne

Then the Lord told Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. Genesis 12:1, NLT.

God told Abraham he would make him the father of a great nation. But before it could happen, he had to leave everything – his home, his homeland and his relatives and travel to a new land. And Abraham did exactly what God asked him to do.

Is God calling you to write for the Christian market? Is he asking you to leave anything behind to write for him? A secure job? Climbing the career ladder? Less time in front of the TV or computer?

The call to write for the kingdom will take some sacrifice on your part. But if you’re willing to leave something behind to pursue the call of Christian writing, God has a future blessing in store for you, just like he had for Abraham.

What will you leave behind today to write for the kingdom?

Sharing the journey,

 Jeaninne

Writer to Writer:

Name one thing you believe God is asking you to  leave behind so you can have time to write for the kingdom?

 Writer’s prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to leave behind anything that would hinder me from writing for you.

 Contact Information:

Jeaninne Stokes writes devotional materials to help her readers grow and mature in the Christian faith. Along with writing this devotional blog for Christian Writers, she also writes an online devotional for the general Christian public and is the author of a book of inspirational devotional poetry. She enjoys educating others and teaches writing seminars on the writing craft and publishing process.  If you’d like to contact her  to speak at your church, writing conference or to your writing group, please email her at jeaninnestokes@yahoo.com.:

Recently I spoke with a young lady who is writing her fourth book. “What a wonderful achievement as a writer to be completing your fourth book. Who’s your publisher?” And she replied. ”I have written four books, but none of them are published.”

In the above passage, Jesus reminds Christians they are the light of the world. But as Christians, he says they must be careful not to hide their light out of fear.  Similarly, we must be careful not to hide our light as Christian writers because of fear of what publishers may say. No matter how good our manuscripts are, no one will see them if they are stashed somewhere in our desk drawer or in a computer file. Sooner or later, we’ve got to overcome our fear and submit our manuscripts to a targeted publisher for their review.

So stop hiding those completed manuscripts Christian writers, wherever they are, for it’s time to let your light shine for all the world to see.

Sharing the writing journey,

 Jeaninne 

Writer to Writer: What steps will you take today to submit your completed manuscript to a prospective publisher?

Christian writer’s prayer: Heavenly Father, I want my light to shine as a Christian writer. Please help me not to hide my writings under the bushel of fear, but to get them published for all the world to see.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:17, NIV).

Many times I hear people say they are going to write a book someday. And my immediate response is:  "Writing a book someday is a noble goal, but what are you doing today to make it happen?"

I’d like to pose the same question to you, dear writer.  If it is your desire to write a book, are you doing anything today to make it happen? Are you training to become a professional writer? Are you reading books on the writing craft? Are you writing regularly?

Those of us who are given the charge to write a book for the kingdom must demonstrate that belief by our actions today. For example, Noah, being warned of God that he would destroy the world, acted by preparing an ark to save his family.  Likewise, Abraham, when told he would be the Father of a great nation, acted by packing up his belongings to move to a foreign land. And finally Rahab, after being told her city would be destroyed by the Israelite army, acted by gathering all of her family under her roof, and hanging a scarlet cord from a window so they could be delivered.

Is it your dream someday to write and publish a book? Then make sure your daily actions demonstrate your belief in your dream, and you’ll find your someday is not very far away.

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Writer to Writer:

Name at least three actions you are doing today to prepare for the publication of your first book?

Writer’s prayer:

Heavenly Father, may my daily actions as a writer demonstrate my belief in the promise you have given me to become a Christian author.

Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice In Wonderland, perfectly illustrates the importance of goal setting during  an exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat

Alice asks, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”

The cat replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

“I don’t much care where—“

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

“—so long as I get somewhere.”

Getting somewhere may have been okay for Alice, but just getting somewhere isn’t enough if you’re serious about becoming a published Christian writer. You will need concrete and specific goals on how you plan to get there.  In an article  by Heather Kreke called Setting S.M.A.R. T goals, she challenges writers to use the following strategies to help them achieve their writing goals:

• Specific: Know what you want. “I want to write” is too broad. Do you want to write stories, non-fiction, a novel, a devotional, or articles? Do you want to write 300 or 30,000 words?

• Measurable: Set goals that will produce results you can see. Measure your progress in daily or weekly word counts, or as your number of submissions grows.

• Attainable: “I will write 10,000 words a day for a month,” is not likely attainable. Make your goals reasonable. When you accomplish them, you will feel the excitement. If you set the bar too high you may end up being discouraged.

• Realistic: Dreaming big is good. But, when you set goals to obtain those dreams, keep a firm grasp on reality. Know your limits. Know when to ask for help.

• Timely: Set or accept only reasonable deadlines, given your other commitments.  Too soon and you’ll be stressed. Too long and you’ll procrastinate.

Christian writer, don’t  just wander aimlessly on the road to publication.  Choose to be S.M.A.R.T instead in achieving your writing goals.

Sharing the  journey,

Jeaninne

Christian writer’s prayer: Heavenly father, thank you for the “sheep” you have given me to take care of as a Christian writer. May I continue to be faithful to the daily task of writing for your kingdom.

Paul sailed to Rome to stand trial before Caesar because he was accused by the Jews of being an insurrectionist. But during his journey, he experienced several days of rough sailing. Eventually his ship sank, and he swam to shore on planks and debris.

Like Paul, maybe your journey wasn’t as smooth as you expected it to be in 2011 as you sought to write for the kingdom. You may have experienced some stormy seas while on your journey towards publication.. Your “writing ship” may have even sank as it was hit with rejection after rejection. However rough your journey was on the road to publication, be sure to thank God for bringing you safely ashore to another year of writing. Even if you came in on planks and debris.

Sharing the journey,
Jeaninne

Christian writer’s prayer: Thank you lord for bringing me safely ashore to another year of writing for your kingdom.

Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. Psalms 103:2, NLT.

I was talking with my prayer partner and asked her to pray for me as I determined what to accomplish in the upcoming year as a Christian writer.  Before she would pray with me about the new goals I wanted to accomplish, she asked me a very interesting question:  "Jeaninne, what goals did you accomplish this year?"

What a great question.  For many times I  begin a new year of setting goals without evaluating first what I have already accomplished on my writing journey. Many times I am critical about what I haven’t accomplished and forget to praise myself for what I have accomplished.  But I know I’m not the only one.  As a Christian writer, you may also forget  to rehearse what you have accomplished on your writing journey, and criticize yourself for what you haven’t accomplished.  So as the year closes, I encourage you to take a moment and ask yourself the same question my prayer partner asked me, along with an additional one I’ve added:

 1)What goals did I accomplish this year as a Christian writer?

2)Have I praised myself for the goals I achieved this past year?

It’s always good to see another year approaching, because it’s another year of opportunity to achieve our writing goals.  But before we’re off and running in 2012, let’s be sure to first evaluate what God has already done in our lives as Christian writers.  We may find we’re a whole lot further along on our journey than we ever thought we would be.

Happy new year,

Jeaninne

Christian writer’s prayer: Thank you God for all that you allowed me to accomplish this past year as a Christian writer. I look forward to the new opportunities you will give me in the upcoming year.

Christian writer, life can be like that as you seek to write and publish for the kingdom. As you “drive” the route to get to your destination of publication, sometimes obstacles arise. For example, you might encounter the obstacle of completing your manuscript but not feeling it’s good enough to submit to a publisher. Or you might encounter the obstacle of having your manuscript finished but not having the funds to self-publish. Or you might encounter the obstacle of not having enough time anymore to complete a manuscript you’ve started.

When obstacles arise on the journey of writing and publication, you have a choice like the driver of the car – to let them impede you from reaching your destination or to take another way. For example, if your manuscript was rejected by one publisher, send it to another publisher. If you don’t have the funds to self-publish, submit your manuscript to a traditional publisher. If your regular schedule is not allowing you time to finish your manuscript, schedule some personal time to get it completed.

Overcoming obstacles will always be a part of the road to publication. But when you run up against an obstacle that you can’t overcome while on your writing journey, remember there’s always another way to get to your destination.

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

There’s an old mantra in the exercise world that says,”No pain, no gain”. It means you have to be willing to endure pain during your exercise before you can see the results of your workout. If your muscles don’t hurt after you’ve exercised, you will not gain any additional muscle.

I believe this same mantra applies to us as Christian writers. We must train to become excellent writers for the kingdom. But before we can achieve our goal, we have to be willing to endure some pain. The pain of rising up early or staying up late to write. The pain of devoting time outside of our busy schedules to study our craft. The pain of criticism from others of our work and rejection from various publishers. But just like you cannot gain strong muscles if you don’t feel any pain as you physically exercise, you also can’t gain any writing muscles if you are not willing to endure the pain that comes from training to become a professional writer.

So yes, your training may be painful, Christian writer,  as you stretch your writing muscles, but after the pain comes the gain!

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne