Rock, Paper. . . and Pen
My mom gave me a phenomenal Christmas present this year. She registered us for the 2015 West Coast Christian Writers Conference.
We weren't first-timers. She and I had been once before, back in 2006, I think it was. Back then, Lee Roddy was keynote speaker, Jon Drury was Director, it was held under the name "Christian Writers Seminar" in Castro Valley, and I was working on a contemporary novel. This past weekend, Kathi Lipp was keynote, Susy Flory was Director, we met in Fremont, and I was a little stuck on the non-fiction project I have poured myself into for the past two years.
There are so many things to share about the conference, and maybe in the future I will write more about those. Today, though, I want to tell you about something very personal that happened to us. Something that felt, in a sea of strangers, like it was meant just for us.
My mom and I are both working on projects, and had a hard time selecting a conference track based on the course descriptions. I picked one Friday night, but it was quickly obvious that it wasn't the best fit for us.
So, the next session, my mom picked one with an author we didn't know and a subject area we weren't sure about. . . and it turned out to be outstanding. We stayed in that track--Marci Seither's--for the rest of the conference.
An accomplished author, Marci is knowledgeable about writing, marketing and publishing and is passionate about God. We learned so much and were definitely energized. The coolness and frustration I felt as I wrestled in "home stretch" moments with my manuscript faded. I felt renewed passion for my project.
What is that project?
A few of you may remember a blog post I wrote last year, on the word, "Pause." (http://www.janinethrossel.com/2014/01/welcoming-new-year.html) It included the following brief line: "I am excited about the book of stories that my husband and I are writing." Well, that book is about to be completed.
I wasn't sure that I wanted to write about Bolivia or my years as a missionary there. I had been asked to do so several times, even before I had left the US for South America! But I wasn't sure if I wanted to--or should.
Two years ago, though, in early 2013, God put a book very specifically into motion in my heart. I have worked on it ever since and, like I said, we are in the home stretch.
The title and concept come from a sermon my husband preached back in 2010. It was from Joshua, chapter 4, about God calling the ancient Israelites to set up a pile of stones to remember his power. My husband shared how, in his life, he has metaphorical piles of stones like that. When he questions his calling, God's ability to provide, or even his salvation as a child of God, he goes back to those moments when God has already shown himself powerful, loving, and faithful.
Thirteen years as missionaries to South America gave us a lot of rocks for our memorial piles. God didn't ask me to write our biography, though. He didn't ask me to write about our jobs, what we did for people in Bolivia, or the history of our mission organization.
He asked me to write about Him, and how he has showed himself faithful as we worked in Mexico, Costa Rica, the US, and eventually Bolivia. It is all about Him. From witnessed miracles to tragedies and hard lessons, He has always been faithful.
We have been writing about that.
So, fast forward to this past weekend. I've been pushing through editing and marketing and blah-blah-blah. I've been wondering a lot about how the book will be received. Will anyone be interested? Will anyone buy it? Will anyone be mad that I wrote it? Is it worth the time away from my family? Isn't it silly that I have written a book about fear, faithfulness, etc., and then find myself circling back to questions of doubt again? Sigh.
And then, in the last few minutes of Marci's last class, my mom and I find ourselves taken by surprise. Because Marci begins to share about the way ancient Israelites marked memories of God's faithfulness.
She tells of water split in two. The feet on dry ground. The pile of stones. And then, Marci--completely unaware of my name, let alone my story--is giving me a present.
A rock.
A memorial stone.
And it's one of those slow-motion moments, and I see my mom's awestruck, open smile. I've studied writing for publication for more than 20 years and have never heard this story used in this way. Not a coincidence. It can't be.
I hear almost nothing Marci says for the rest of the class. And I want to tell her how significant this is for me. But she is gifted and brilliant, and people huddle around her after she says goodbye. I hang back a few minutes waiting for the crowd to clear, but it doesn't.
So, I head to the next session.
This one is with the riveting Kathi Lipp. We laugh at her stories and listen to her wisdom and I think how sad it is that this is the last session of the conference and we don't get to hear her speak again. And then comes a moment where she is about to wrap up with a big conclusion and I feel like--don't judge me; it's true--God nudges my heart to turn on my recorder.
Kathi is talking about procrastinating. Not waiting for the perfect moment to write; just do what you are called to do.
And then, she says this:
And then, I have in my hand another gift.
Another stone.
And I ask God for his words to write on it, as Kathi suggests. What is "something" in my life that was impossible without God, and yet now is already accomplished?
And here were those words.
Thirteen years of ministry as a missionary to South America.
That was impossible for me without God.
But God was Immanuel. He was with me. And He accomplished it.
And now, He is still Immanuel. He is still with me. And the same God who walked us through our story will help us tell our story.
I am so excited to share it soon with you. Please pray for us to finish it all well.
How about you? Are you looking at something that you think you are supposed to do that seems impossible? Or is there somewhere God has already shown that he can do the impossible for you?
Would you leave a note in the comments about it?
Luke 1:37
"For with God nothing will be impossible.”
I Samuel 17:24
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'"
Joshua 4:6-7a
"We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them. . . . "
We weren't first-timers. She and I had been once before, back in 2006, I think it was. Back then, Lee Roddy was keynote speaker, Jon Drury was Director, it was held under the name "Christian Writers Seminar" in Castro Valley, and I was working on a contemporary novel. This past weekend, Kathi Lipp was keynote, Susy Flory was Director, we met in Fremont, and I was a little stuck on the non-fiction project I have poured myself into for the past two years.
There are so many things to share about the conference, and maybe in the future I will write more about those. Today, though, I want to tell you about something very personal that happened to us. Something that felt, in a sea of strangers, like it was meant just for us.
 |
| Road trip selfie |
My mom and I are both working on projects, and had a hard time selecting a conference track based on the course descriptions. I picked one Friday night, but it was quickly obvious that it wasn't the best fit for us.
So, the next session, my mom picked one with an author we didn't know and a subject area we weren't sure about. . . and it turned out to be outstanding. We stayed in that track--Marci Seither's--for the rest of the conference.
An accomplished author, Marci is knowledgeable about writing, marketing and publishing and is passionate about God. We learned so much and were definitely energized. The coolness and frustration I felt as I wrestled in "home stretch" moments with my manuscript faded. I felt renewed passion for my project.
A few of you may remember a blog post I wrote last year, on the word, "Pause." (http://www.janinethrossel.com/2014/01/welcoming-new-year.html) It included the following brief line: "I am excited about the book of stories that my husband and I are writing." Well, that book is about to be completed.
I wasn't sure that I wanted to write about Bolivia or my years as a missionary there. I had been asked to do so several times, even before I had left the US for South America! But I wasn't sure if I wanted to--or should.
Two years ago, though, in early 2013, God put a book very specifically into motion in my heart. I have worked on it ever since and, like I said, we are in the home stretch.
The title and concept come from a sermon my husband preached back in 2010. It was from Joshua, chapter 4, about God calling the ancient Israelites to set up a pile of stones to remember his power. My husband shared how, in his life, he has metaphorical piles of stones like that. When he questions his calling, God's ability to provide, or even his salvation as a child of God, he goes back to those moments when God has already shown himself powerful, loving, and faithful.
Thirteen years as missionaries to South America gave us a lot of rocks for our memorial piles. God didn't ask me to write our biography, though. He didn't ask me to write about our jobs, what we did for people in Bolivia, or the history of our mission organization.
He asked me to write about Him, and how he has showed himself faithful as we worked in Mexico, Costa Rica, the US, and eventually Bolivia. It is all about Him. From witnessed miracles to tragedies and hard lessons, He has always been faithful.
We have been writing about that.
And then, in the last few minutes of Marci's last class, my mom and I find ourselves taken by surprise. Because Marci begins to share about the way ancient Israelites marked memories of God's faithfulness.
She tells of water split in two. The feet on dry ground. The pile of stones. And then, Marci--completely unaware of my name, let alone my story--is giving me a present.
A rock.
A memorial stone.
And it's one of those slow-motion moments, and I see my mom's awestruck, open smile. I've studied writing for publication for more than 20 years and have never heard this story used in this way. Not a coincidence. It can't be.
I hear almost nothing Marci says for the rest of the class. And I want to tell her how significant this is for me. But she is gifted and brilliant, and people huddle around her after she says goodbye. I hang back a few minutes waiting for the crowd to clear, but it doesn't.
So, I head to the next session.
This one is with the riveting Kathi Lipp. We laugh at her stories and listen to her wisdom and I think how sad it is that this is the last session of the conference and we don't get to hear her speak again. And then comes a moment where she is about to wrap up with a big conclusion and I feel like--don't judge me; it's true--God nudges my heart to turn on my recorder.
Kathi is talking about procrastinating. Not waiting for the perfect moment to write; just do what you are called to do.
And then, she says this:
". . . In the old testament, we had a very specific way of marking. . . what God has done. . . . . And we're told about the Ebenezer stone (I Samuel 7:12). . . Where has God already helped? . . . You're gonna' come up against these writing situations and you're gonna think this is impossible. Or your going to come up against life situations and you're saying, "This writing thing is impossible.' . . I want you to spend a moment asking God, 'Remind me of the things that you have done where you have already taken care of the impossible. I need to be reminded.' . . . .So, when you come back against the impossible situation in your writing, in your life, the thing that's keeping you from doing the extraordinary work of God, then you can be reminded that God has already conquered the impossible."
And then, I have in my hand another gift.
Another stone.
And I ask God for his words to write on it, as Kathi suggests. What is "something" in my life that was impossible without God, and yet now is already accomplished?
And here were those words.
That was impossible for me without God.
But God was Immanuel. He was with me. And He accomplished it.
And now, He is still Immanuel. He is still with me. And the same God who walked us through our story will help us tell our story.
I am so excited to share it soon with you. Please pray for us to finish it all well.
How about you? Are you looking at something that you think you are supposed to do that seems impossible? Or is there somewhere God has already shown that he can do the impossible for you?
Would you leave a note in the comments about it?
Luke 1:37
"For with God nothing will be impossible.”
I Samuel 17:24
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'"
Joshua 4:6-7a
"We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them. . . . "
Comments
Post a Comment
Have something to say? Say it here! But watch your language, or it might be deleted! And please...no spam.