starting your own. Even meeting regularly with one person to share and dis-cuss;writing;will;sharpen;skills;and;of-fers;a;fresh;perspective;on;work.
4. Make Serving God Your
Supreme Joy
I get frustrated when I receive rejec-tion;letters;from;publishers.;Thankfully,
God showed me that I was falling more
in love with being published than with
Him.;It’s;fine;to;work;toward;publication,
but serving God must be the Christian
writer’s;source;of;contentment.;If;honor-ing God is the goal, we always succeed,
whether one person or billions of people
read;our;work.
One;exercise;I;try;to;undertake;regu-larly is to engage in writing that offers no
financial compensation or widespread
recognition.;For;me,;this;includes;keep-ing a private prayer journal and composing letters to others. A simple note of en-couragement;or;thanks;not;only;blesses
someone, but it also cleanses the heart
from preoccupation with self.
5. Consider the Responsibility
of Writing
There’s;more;to;writing;than;a;functional
laptop. Prayer and contemplation are
the bread and butter of effective writing. There is a need for these spiritual
disciplines (especially before writing in
a;public;forum);because;people;are;likely
to;read;and;reread;our;written;work.;The
more;you;write,;the;more;you;are;likely
to;influence;others.
Don’t underestimate the power your
writing has to bring hope or diminish
it. One time on the Web I impulsively
wrote critical remarks. Thankfully, the
person who hosted the site agreed to delete my comments. Writing is something
we need to do with a degree of fear and
trembling,;knowing;we’re;accountable;to
God for everything we say.
A gifted writer can easily fall prey to
putting down others. Christians are not
immune to “trash talk.” We can be so
in love with an ideal or even a ministry
that;we;dirty;others’;names;to;forward
our cause. There are times when writing
something factual to expose false teach-
ing is necessary, but our pleasure must
be focused on glorifying God, not on de-
grading;others.;Proverbs;24: 17;says,;“Re-
joice not when thine enemy falleth, and
let not thine heart be glad when he stum-
bleth.” Even;when;the;wicked;fall,;a;writ-
er’s;words;must;be;seasoned;with;grace.
6. Having God as Your Audience
There;is;never;a;time;when;God’s;glory;is
irrelevant to writing. Does this mean all
writing;must;be;overtly;Christian?;I;don’t
think;so.;Our;daily;conversations;are;not
always about God; the same is true for
writing.;This;doesn’t;mean;God;is;left;out.
God is still our audience, and His Word
must shape the voice of our writing. Some
fiction;may;not;mention;Jesus;but;can;be
so;drenched;with;Biblical;truth;that;the
reader is given a sense of the sublime.
That being said, Christian writing
more often than not should unashamedly
direct;a;reader’s;mind;to;Christ.;Remem-ber;that;it’s;Jesus;Who;changes;lives—not
creative writing. Men will not come to
Christ through good stories alone, but
through the proclamation of the Word of
God.;If;we;love;God’s;Word;and;have;a
passion to write, why not bring these two
loves together as often as possible?
7. Be Heavenly-Minded
Vincent Van Gogh sold one painting in
his lifetime, even though he created hun-dreds,;because;others;recognized;his;ge-nius;only;after;Van;Gogh’s;death.;Many
writers;today;may;be;overlooked;by;the
world but be encouraged that anything
done;in;Christ’s;name;will;be;remem-bered in heaven. Matthew 10: 42 says,
“And whosoever shall give to drink unto
one of these little ones a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple, verily I say
unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” Whenever we cross a T or dot an
I;to;elevate;God’s;name,;we;are;storing
treasures in heaven. What pleasure could
be;greater;than;to;hear;“Well;done”;from
the One Who matters most?
Randy Saller and his wife Amy Jo home-
school their three children in Lake Villa,
Illinois. Randy is a learning disabilities
specialist for a public school and a freelance
writer. He has written for Turtle;Magazine,
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, and
Chicago;Special;Parent. For more informa-
tion about the author, you may contact him
via email at rsaller1@yahoo.com or visit his
website at www.randysaller.com.
Endnote:
1.;Scripture;taken;from;the;New;King;James;Ver-
sion®.;Copyright;©;1982;by;Thomas;Nelson,;Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com;Grooming;Great;Writers;•;Annual;Print;Book;2014;125
If;we;love;God’s;Word;and;have;a;passion;to;write,
why not bring these two loves together as often as possible?
