SINGING IN THE SHADOWS

This morning in my devotional time I read Psalm 63:7 which says, “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” Simple words with extraordinary meaning for me right now. I dare say, for you as well.

He doesn’t say that we are to sing only when things are going well. When life is easy and comfortable. When pain and suffering are far away. When fear is not lurking behind every turn. Just sing!

Basking in the warmth of sunlight darkness becomes only a dim memory we quickly brush aside, and the joy that feeds our song bursts forth with little effort. But what of the deep shadows? They will return, no doubt, and we must be prepared. If we waste those lovely rays of liquid gold instead of storing them up for later, the night will be dark indeed and our voices silent. What a joy to know He never leads where His grace cannot sustain!

Abiding in the shadow of His wings is quite a different place than simply dwelling where there is no light. Living in close union with Him, angels surround us as His personal messengers of peace and courage and their wings protect our steps as directed by the Holy Spirit. There we find all the wisdom, comfort, and discernment needed to live as He intends. He truly is our helper and thus we can sing praise in spite of the circumstances.

As writers we have the ability to “sing” in a powerful way to bring Him honor, regardless of the adversity and chaos raging around us. We see His purpose fulfilled in our obedience and we grow in faith and understanding through it. Our calling is to write; publication is in His hands. Even through our difficult times He can receive glory, and we rest in the peace that comes from knowing He has used our gift once more.

During this special time of year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and the Savior of our souls, it is my longing more than ever to write as He would have me do. Perhaps it is in bowing my knee to the Prince of Peace and the King Above All Kings once again as the shepherds and wise men did so long ago that He reawakened that calling. In addition, facing the reality of the coming new year in just over a week, this yearning has intensified into a drive that is rapidly taking on a life of its own, stronger and more determined than ever before. I hope you will continue to join me here at Showers of Blessings throughout 2012 to discover with me more about writing and faith, how they intertwine so clearly, and the ways in which God can bless our love for the written word!

Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Year’s to each of you!

GLITCHES IN WRITING

How many times do writers write themselves into a corner because they haven’t researched a topic/place/event/time period carefully enough ahead of time? No one really knows the answer but I would imagine it happens quite often. The excitement of the story line compels us to type faster and faster and . . . before you know it, we don’t even recognize the plot thread any longer and have no idea where it is going!

That is why the delete key was invented! Do you know how many wasted pieces of paper authors used to have, wadded up in the trash can next to the desk or littering the floor, before the computer came along and changed everything? When I was in college, the one thing I dreaded more than anything was proofing a paper one last time and finding a typo or overlooked footnote that would require typing perhaps not just that one page over again but the whole thing. Oh, how I could have used a delete button back then!

When in the early stages of writing my just-finished novel, I dreamed of writing about the Cherokees. That was pre-Internet for one thing but with only a small amount of effort in researching this tribe I could have easily discovered the story would not fit these great people. Fulfilling a long-term dream, I finally had the opportunity to visit the Tsa-la-Gi Ancient Village in Tahlequah (OK), where they have recreated a Cherokee village and illustrated their history in a variety of ways. It did not take me ten minutes to realize I had the wrong tribe for my story! A sinking feeling overwhelmed me that day and I felt I had wasted so much time and energy going in the wrong direction for this book. Would it even be worth salvaging if I searched for another tribe to write about? Or would it be a false story shaped to fit the history instead of the other way around?

Within a few months and after much prayer and contemplating the future of my novel, I determined that it would, indeed, be valid if told from another tribe’s point of view. Apparently it had never been His intention that I pursue my idea, and somehow I had missed that message. Nothing in the plot, however, dictated a particular group of people, only the need to relate the tale of love, intrigue, forgiveness, and victory born out of deep tragedy that God had placed on my heart long ago and still begged for an outlet. One night while searching—this time online—I realized I had found the right tribe, the one God intended for me to honor all along! It came through a true story detailed on a website, about a white woman who was reared a Kiowa and never knew Christ until she was grown and quite elderly in fact. Totally caught up in her life’s experiences, I just knew in my heart that this was the right direction to go.

From there I spent about four years researching the Kiowa people and their history, culminating in being honored to meet a Kiowa woman greatly esteemed in her tribe today who also loves the Lord. She was the key to my book getting written with historical detail and authentic accuracy. No more glitches for this book!

It was not through my own cleverness that I was able to write myself out of this corner, believe me. Coming through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, He rescued me and this tale, hopefully for posterity once it is published. His is the power to resolve glitches and smooth over mistakes, leaving the slate sparkling clean in His wake. I never cease to be amazed at how that works when He is behind a project, whether it be a book or a work of art or musical composition or a sewing project (I am not the greatest seamstress in the world!). Reshaping a partially-done anything is His specialty!

If you are laboring right now under the impression that you can only come to Him when you have cleaned up your act and have finally gotten it all done perfectly right, have I got a story of inspiration for you! He offers hope when the world takes it away with its condemnation, and brings peace when life threatens to destroy the very ground beneath your feet. First you must admit that you need His power, then sit back and watch how He reshapes your future! No less a miracle than what He did for me with this book.

And the title of this reworked novel? Very appropriate for its history—From Now Until Forever. Our God not only works in this world but also for all of eternity. What a thrill to anticipate what lies ahead when we know this to be true, know there will be no "glitches" with Him in control.

WRITING AND WAITING


For the past several months God has been refining my ability to wait patiently for Him to act regarding my husband’s health situation. The challenge at times has been overwhelming but He remains as faithful as ever, not once turning His back on me but pushing for excellence rather than mediocrity. He won’t let me get away with offering only an average effort because He is not an “average” God!

During this chapter of my life, I decided to put aside my writing for a while because I felt I could not give it my best when so distracted by this one issue and all its ramifications. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that was a mistake of huge proportions. To think I might get by without responding to God’s call on me to write for Him, even for a very good reason and even for a short time, turned out to be a joke—except there wasn’t anything funny about it. Being called to write is rather like being “sorta pregnant”—either you are or you are not! No half way. He called and I answered but when did He rescind that call? Or even agree to put it on hold?

After a few miserable weeks I slowly changed my mind. To appease my restless mind and body, I began to consider an alternative. Perhaps I could write while caring for my husband as we endure this endless waiting we have been required to do. Reluctantly at first I wandered back to the computer for something more than checking e-mail. Though it had not been a long absence, I have to admit I had already forgotten the excitement that wells up somewhere deep inside when presented with a plot idea. My fingers literally itch to start creating! Not an easy task, mind you, but a necessary one for my emotional survival.

And I will not make that mistake again, believe me. Now I am up to my computer screen in character sketches, research on the history and peoples of the region to be featured, and a detailed outline of events in my new novel. It is to be the first in a four-part series and I am amazed that God believes me capable of such an enormous task. I’ve never reached this far professionally before. How far can God stretch me before I break? Much further than I imagine going, I’m afraid. Yet I have nothing to fear for He is right there beside me holding me up, both going before me and serving as my rear guard. Daily I remind Him that I cannot do this but He can through me, so I ask that He use my desire to tell a story with His wisdom and words to bring to life these people He’s created in my mind. If this is accomplished in my own strength, where is the miracle? I have to step back and allow Him room to work.

Echoing the sentiments of a lady I recently heard speak to a writing group, I claim the opportunity to allow God to write this story on my heart even when I am not seated at the computer. Whether I’m folding clothes, driving to a doctor’s appointment, or fixing a meal, I try to remain open to His inspiration at all moments. With children, we call those teachable moments. So I humbly ask that God give me a teachable spirit so I can write even when I am not writing. It’s all in His hands anyway!

Problems With the "Followers" Feature!

I'm not sure what has happened but apparently Blogspot is having trouble with "losing" the list of Followers on many blogs and they seem unable or unwilling to respond to questions as well as unable or unwilling to attempt to resolve the issue. If you have tried to follow my blog but have been unable to do so for any reason, please leave me a comment to that effect. I may have to invent my own customized feature on here to allow people to list their info that way instead of the regular way, if this problem cannot be fixed long-term. I apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this may have caused any of you and do hope you will persevere with me in spite of it! I am most eager to have you feel welcome on my blog site and to be able to participate fully in it as you desire. Without YOU, my readers, this project is a waste of time and effort!! Thanks again for hanging in there with me. God has plenty of showers of blessings to share with all of us yet!

God’s Waiting Room

Are you in a waiting room right now? Perhaps you sit beside a loved one in anticipation of the results of an exam or the completion of a test or surgery, or maybe you wait for the doctor’s nurse to call your name to check out a disturbing symptom or other physical concern. You feel that loss of control, the helplessness that comes from not knowing and being unable to hurry things along. Well, I can relate!

For the past several months as we have been getting closer to having Gary qualified for the liver transplant list, there have been several lengthy times of waiting we have had to endure. Sometimes we’ve been here at home waiting on the phone to ring. Others we have been at a hospital waiting for the doctor to come tell us news. Let me tell you, this particular aspect of the whole transplant process I am not crazy about!

Last week while once more doing this, my least favorite thing, it dawned on me that we all spend time in waiting rooms of various sorts from time to time. Moving from one event in life to another, God requires many periods of waiting. He seldom hands us an answer on a silver platter, for instance, with all the loose ends neatly tied up in pretty bows, all perfect and attractive. Mine are usually disheveled and smudged, evidence of the normal hassles of life. Why can’t they look like those out of Southern Living? The “plate” is most often a hard wooden or plastic seat in a place where whiffs of various odors waft through unbidden. Why do they constantly assault my senses like they do?

At those moments we are inactive, forced to sit still while others are busy working presumably on our behalf, we can do nothing else. They will get to us when they can but meantime, we are perched on the edges of those seats wondering if the news will be good or bad or somewhere in between. Ours lately have not been particularly good, but I’m also keenly aware how much worse they could be, and I take whatever crumbs I can gather and paste a smile on my face and determine to give God the glory. I’m not being false or hypocritical here, just honest. We are called to hope, not to blindness or being brain dead! I can honor Him even when my heart is breaking.

As an author I also find myself waiting. Recently I submitted a Proposal to a prospective literary agent and sure enough, then I had to—wait! For twelve long, agonizing weeks. Without knowing a thing about its status. Wondering if she liked the story or was impressed by my marketing plan or repelled by my lack of experience in the publishing field. It was her prerogative to meet my implied questions with silence, and that is what she chose to do. I may never know why she rejected the Proposal and thus the manuscript. How can I improve if I don’t know what was wrong? I knew the risks when I sent it in but when that date passed without any word, I have to admit it still hurt. For a writer, this situation is replicated many times over and can feed your paranoia if you don’t know how to trust in God’s goodness. So I plow ahead, prepare the manuscript for yet another agent, and have faith in the Lord’s ultimate plan for the story to be told . . . someday!

After all, isn’t that the point? God requires us to trust Him. That means not knowing yet remaining confident He has everything under control. Whether it is a medical test result, news about a job interview, reply from a publisher, or a phone call from an estranged loved one, we all must wait from time to time. And trust. And believe. Hebrews 1:11 defines faith as “. . . being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In other words, it’s not faith if we know ahead of time what’s going to happen! It takes time to develop friendships and it takes time to grow in maturity and knowledge. These waiting rooms are hard to go through but well worth the effort. For as we wait patiently, God is growing us in dependence on Him rather than on our own efforts. He hears our prayers and will act; we just have to take courage and have faith in His timing.

So as you sit in your waiting rooms this week, ponder what a blessing we possess in belonging to a God whose sovereignty trumps all ignorance or disaster!

God and Feet, Part Three

The last installment in this series is taken from the book Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper. Again, I urge you to read the entire book to grasp the fullness of the author’s purpose, to show women today from lives of women of the past the importance of following this extraordinary God wherever He leads.

As a child I attended the movies one time to see “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness” which is the story of Gladys Aylward who served as a missionary in China for many years. This film had a profound impact on my life and formed the basis in later years for a sensitivity to missions in that country a long time before such an effort was possible from a political/governmental view. I find it interesting how God has used that for the past 50+ years to shape my desire to pray and give to missions, even though He has never opened the doors to my going.

For a long time, the same thing happened in Gladys’ life. She was poor, uneducated, and without any resources whatsoever to go to China; yet, she felt God had impressed on her heart this was where He desired her to serve Him. Gladys was born in 1902 in a poor section of London, did not like school at all and eventually dropped out to become a parlor maid in wealthy households. Through many of these contacts, God began shaping her life to experience Him in a real and personal way she never dreamed possible. He prepared her carefully for her future but for quite a while she had no idea where her future lay. Once it became clear how He had equipped her spiritually, she began wondering how He would manage the financial aspect. It cost a great deal to travel to China back then and no missionary group would commission her. That didn’t concern her, though, because she knew God had called her and He would provide—somehow. Of that, she was absolutely certain. How was up to Him.

Eventually she was hired as a maid by a famous adventurer who had explored much of China and Tibet. How’s that for God’s purposes being fulfilled? The day after she arrived, she prayed once more about her desire to go to Asia to share the Gospel there and then laid out on the bed all her money at that point, promising God that if He continued to call her, she would go even with this meager provision. A moment later, she got word her new mistress wanted to see her. With great anxiety she entered the room but the kindness of the lady of the house soon dispelled all her fears. She repaid Gladys the money she’d been out to get to their home and within seconds, through no effort of her own, God managed to increase her savings more than a thousand percent! The goal was still a long ways off but this excited young woman took it as a sign that God would, indeed, provide the way for His calling on her life.

And indeed, He did. She eventually went (the story of her journey itself is amazing!) and through great difficulties, tremendous danger, and apparently insurmountable odds over the next twenty years, accomplished acts of service that truly seem more the stuff of Hollywood than the people of God! Hers is a breathtaking story of excitement, frustrations, anxiety, starvation, and hiding from authorities to avoid execution, and even a bittersweet love story. Most importantly, it is a tale of God’s provision far beyond the human ability to see how He has planned for it, and not once but many, many times during her lifetime.

At one point Gladys led more than 100 children on foot over mountains and rough terrain to avoid Japanese soldiers during the war in order to deliver them safely to an orphanage that had agreed to take them, achieving through sheer determination in following God’s leadership what man said could not be done. Another time she was called by the local mandarin to quell a prison riot and soon found herself in grave danger amongst society’s worst in horrific circumstances, yet God used her to bring peace to these men that opened the door to her service among the people for years to come. Soon after arriving she was appointed Foot Inspector and this unique position allowed her to minister God’s Word throughout the region unfettered and with the authority of the government as she freed young girls from the horror of foot binding wherever she went. Our God is, indeed, a mighty Sovereign!

God used the lowly foot to provide an opportunity for Gladys to share Christ in amazing ways among the Chinese people, even as He put feet to her desire to take her Savior to the lowliest of the low in that society. Many footsteps were taken over those dangerous and enemy-filled mountains in her daring rescue of the children, with some leading directly to Heaven through loss of life and others leading eventually to a new home far away from the sounds of war. But always, she managed to follow in His footsteps.

Can we do any less with our humble lives? We may not be called to China or ever experience the horror of war. But God has a plan for my life—and for your life—and if we are willing to go, He will provide the way and the direction, of that we can rest assured. Over the seas, over the mountains, over the rough terrain of any unknown place—these are the steps God shows us and calls us to follow, even right here in our own country. Let Gladys Aylward’s life serve as an example when you take those steps today that lead you closer to what God has planned for your future, either as a Christian or as a writer or as both!

God and Deep Waters, Part Two

Another aspect of the book Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper that I would like to share with you was also found in the story of Lilias Trotter’s life, in addition to my last post about her. As she struggled to find ways to make contacts with the Arab women in Algeria more than 150 years ago, she faced many setbacks and times of discouragement, as you can well imagine. One of the first challenges was learning to speak Arabic.

Back then, there were no language schools for missionaries so Lilias scrambled to learn as best she could from listening to it daily in the marketplace or in homes or on the streets. She developed embroidery classes for girls when she realized the children were the key to reaching the mothers. In addition, she held Bible classes for the girls and women alike, since most were illiterate and not permitted to attend schools. When invited into homes, she fellowshipped with the women as is done all over the world: chatting about parenting, satisfying curiosity about the world outside their city, and discovering similarities with these women to whom God had called her. She dreamed of Christian literature being made available to them where they could learn on their own and in their native language, a dream that came true finally in the early 1900s much to the delight of this energetic and dedicated missionary lady.

As she and her fellow laborers for Christ learned more about the culture in which they lived, the more evil reared its ugly head on every side. She described at one point how our enemy seems ever ready with a counter-move to every move God makes! Strange illnesses manifested themselves everywhere and many appeared to be more a case of demon possession than true sickness. It was an oppressive environment but God continued to bring victories in spite of it all.

One particular lesson I gleaned from reading about her amazing life in service to our Lord came in an example she drew from studying Scripture references to shallow waters versus deep ones. For you see, in shallow waters you can neither sink nor swim! Their very nature won’t permit anything but plodding through them. Not much danger but then, neither is the triumph important in the end. Anyone can manage to do that, putting one foot in front of the other and maintaining your balance so as not to get soaked.

It is when you encounter the deep waters that the real test of faith emerges. When you suddenly realize, as you lose your footing on the bottom, that you are in over your head and the imminent peril from drowning screams out at you with each desperate gasp for air, that is when your need for a Savior, a Deliverer, is essential! You cry out for Him to set your feet on a rock that will hold you above the waves; you cry out for rescue to keep you alive; you cry out for an ability beyond your own to survive this threat—and He answers! That answer might be in a reminder of how to quickly move out of the danger by swimming for safety. Or, He might reach out His hand as Jesus did to Peter one time and lift you into a place of safety without any effort on your part. But more than likely, it will require you to do something, even in a leap of faith and trust, to bring about your safety.

Do not rail against the shallows for they give you opportunity to strengthen your muscles and ability to trust in a compassionate God who sees and cares! And do not panic when you find yourself in over your head. It is then our God’s power can best be shown, through our weakness and helplessness. Lilias Trotter learned to accept both and the successes God earned through her efforts were tremendous and are still today being felt by missionaries everywhere.

God is faithful in the shallow waters as well as the deep ones. It is up to us to discover this truth whenever our pathway leads us to them. God is always faithful!