A Writer's Love

This post is for the Christian Writer.


These are the notes from my writer’s group on 5/5/11. We are studying from the Heart of the Artist, which is now our bible study for writers.



Memory Verse: Matthew 13:44-45. This is how I interrupted this verse: We are the Pearl of Great Price. Jesus sold everything in order to obtain us. Now some will say the Pearl is the Kingdom of God or we are the merchants and He is the pearl, but we are the Pearl that He sold everything for just to get us. Some folks don’t like that because it means that before we were saved, we were valuable (precious, expensive, costly, priceless, dear, important) to God. Some folks think we became valuable after we got saved or that we’re still not valuable to God. Being valuable before being saved means that God saw us as valuable the second after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. If we are God’s Pearl, then why in the world do we struggle to make it to the top, when we sit at the top of God’s list? There’s a saying, some have climbed the ladder of success only to find their ladder was against the wrong wall. Don’t put your ladder against the wrong wall thinking it will get you to success. Put your ladder against God and let Him help you climb it.


Roman’s 12:2 says And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good. Don’t remain in fear, doubt, unbelief, greed, jealousy, all things that are opposite to God. But as the verse says, if we renew our mind, we’ll be transformed into what God wants us to be. But if we choose to believe and renew our minds as to who we are in Christ, then it will be easier for us to be those ministers of Christ. Tolkien always said LOTR was not an allegory to Christ. But it BECAME an allegory to Christ b/c Tolkien belonged to Christ. Jesus naturally flowed out of Tolkien and LOTR became an allegory. We too can have our books become allegories of God because of Christ in us. The more we walk as God has called us to walk, the easier it will get for us to allow God to write through us.


2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension (a way of behaving that is intended to impress other people but seems false or too deliberate) that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. So we demolish any arguments that come up in ourselves about who God is and what we know about Him and that look at me attitude, and we take very negative, mean, nasty, bad, irresponsible thought and put it through the God Word grinder, making it line up with God’s word. The reason why we want all this junk from man is because we don’t realize we got it from God. God loves, cherishes, adores, favors His kids. But if we don’t realize this, then we’ll crave it from the world. Always remember the Jesus is your Knight in Shining armor who rescued you from the pit and will always rescue you from every single problem that we run into.


Questions from the book:


1) What would Jesus be like at a writing session? Pastor asks us to write the Christmas play. Each person has a different idea and each one thinks theirs’ is the best. Some motives are very selfish, yet some motives are thought to be of God. So how would Jesus act at this meeting?

2) How would Jesus act at the writing session? Would He think His ideas are the best of all? Would He want His ideas to shine out from others? Would He see this as a spring board for His career? On page 62, the author talks about Jesus washing others’ feet. Since we don’t do this, it was a bit hard for me to understand it. Then God showed me, Imagine you go to a dinner at the White House. You and president sit in the dinning room and Jesus is your waiter, He is your servant serving the meal. Imagine a pierced hand reaching beside you to put a glass of water on the table, or getting you butter for your bread, or a clean fork? In the same way, we need to serve each other, our readers, our publishers, agents and book store owners. Serve your readers by avoiding anything that can make them stumble. Be excited for your fellow writers even if they publish something on Amazon.com’s self-publishing section or createspace. com. Encourage them, listen to them and put them first over you. In the writing world, you’re not considered a ‘true writer’ until you have at least 5 books under your belt. That’s not how God works. Jealousy, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness are like cutting your soul; they only hurt you in the long run. Not worth it.


3) Can you think of someone in your life who’s been a positive example of servant hood for you? Remember what the book p 64- says: The church bookstore does not exist solely as your personal platform. Let’s not get stuck on how great we are because it doesn’t compare to God’s greatness.

4) Where would you put yourself on the humility Continuum? You’re either think you are God’s gift to the world, or you think you are a piece of scum saved by grace. The author in our book had said, just say thanks, not I’m no good anyway type of things. I kinda think this needs to be a personal question that should be examined in private.

5) Volunteers vs Ministry: Pge 70 in the book: Since my group doesn’t have any opportunities to use our writings in the church in general, I decided to change this up a bit. We are just writers trying to sell our books.

a) Some writers see their involvement at church as a community service, but writers called of God see it as ministry.
b) Some writers whine about what it’s going to cost to serve other writers by helping them to learn to write, but writers called of God are committed to serving their fellow writers.
c) Some writers shrink back from resolving relational conflict, such as what theme to use for Christmas plays, children’s plays, criticism, etc. But the writer called of God seeks to resolve relational conflict for the sake of unity in the church.
d) Some writers look upon rewrites or research or helping with the Children’s play or helping another writer as another commitment they’re obliged to fulfill, but the writer called of God looks forward to these things as an opportunity to be used by God.
e) Some writers don’t feel the need to study technique because they are already ‘great writers’, but writers called by God try to be prepared for anything.
f) Some writers are not open to constructive criticism, they get defensive about it. But the writer called by God is grateful for the feedback because they want to be the best they can be.
g) Some writers feel threatened by the talent of other writers, but the writer called by God praises Him for distributing gifts and talents as He chooses.
h) Some writers quit at the first rejection slip or the first criticism, but the writer called by God hangs in there.
i) Some writers find their fulfillment in their writing talent only, but writers called by God know that being used of God is the most fulfilling thing you can do in your life.
j) Some writers can’t handle being put into situations in which they’re going to be stretched, but the writer called by God response to God’s call with humble dependence on Him.

6) What kinds of things keep writers from being able to serve an audience on One, meaning we write for God only, not for the approval of man or to make a dollar.
a) Wanting the approval of others. –We are approved by God 1 Thes 2:4
b) Want the favor of others. God gives us favor.
c) Want to be noticed. Of course God notices us. We are accepted in the Beloved. Eph 1:6
d) All of this can be destroyed by knowing who you are in Christ Jesus.

7) Why is it hard to have healthy boundaries? When do we say no to all the projects that keep coming up?
Because we don’t know how to say no and feel guilty when we do say no. Be lead by God.

8 ) Can a writer be a confident person and still have a servant’s heart? Yes, of course you can. Confidence means you’re assured that God is doing His thing through you. As long as you remember it’s Him who brought you here.

9) What Advice I would give to a newbie Christian writer?
a) Remember it’s Jesus who gave you this ability so give glory to Him.
b) Read Judges 13-16. God gave Sampson abilities and a calling and instead he wasted it on woman and pleasing himself. Now read 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1 Chronicles, the whole chapter. Look at how David used his abilities and calling to serve God. Don’t get your approval from man or crave his attention. Get your approval and attention from God. Someone had once said: Don’t squander your gifts on personal gratifications.

10) Added question: What is your motivation for writing?