Photobucket

August 22, 2013

the Solid Rock

My Hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

August 17, 2013

ellipsis...

As a child, I never would have guessed where my writing would have taken me, how far I would come in the simplest things such as spelling or metaphorical speech, nor how close I could be to actually becoming an author.

I began this novel in 2005 on my grandmother's beautiful typewriter when I was eleven. It was based on a dream, based on a video game, and it was the beginning of something marvelous. Countless drafts and eight years later, I am six chapters completed with my novel. Never have I been so determined to finish it, to publish it, to hold its bound pages in my hands. I want to fulfill my lifelong dream of typing out the words, 'The End' and someday putting my work-well-done on my bookshelf, alongside The Goose Girl and The Healer's Apprentice and Redwall, and all of the books that have made me who I am today.

I always am encouraging my fellow writers to continue writing. There is no other hobby or talent from which I derive more pleasure than writing, and it is lovely to watch others develop their dreams and stories along with me. We all see things differently; we all look at a painting and arrive at a completely different idea of what the story is behind the artist's craft.

I find myself presently at the same point every writer inevitably meets along the winding road of literary choreography and revision: I am residing within the confines of an ellipsis, three small dots oft used to represent a continued thought, or the cliff of a sentence yet to jump off of to reach the other side.

...

Where shall I go next? My story is thirsting for more, crying out to have its ending revealed. I know the ending. Arriving at that end is the issue. There are so many distractions, so many other activities and necessities in life to make time for. But, Lord willing, I will finish my novel. He is the highest Author, who writes the story of every person alive, and I endeavor to have all that I write give Him the glory always.

If you are a writer, do not give up. Do not be exasperated when it seems there is not enough time for you to pursue your writing; do not feel dejected when others criticize your work or tell you what you love is not good enough; do not grow lazy; do not grow discouraged when you think others do so much better than you; do not even despair when what you write does not sound the way you had hoped or planned...

Write. Rewrite. Determine to see your writing to the end. It does not matter how long it takes. (Good grief, it has already been over eight years for me!) Trudge through your 'ellipsis'. After all of the sweat and tears, you can take a nice long hot shower and reward yourself with a little snack (kiwi, Junior Mints, a Klondike bar, or whatever you like), but for now, keep working. Keep writing.
It will be worth it.

August 14, 2013

the simplicity of joy

I never grow tired of autumn's glory. The seasons change and the weather receives a fresh chill, the plants burst forth with flaming colors against the broad blue sky, and the whole world acts as though it is falling asleep. Here I sit, breathing it all in, looking back on the memories made over the summer, looking at where I am now, hoping for the future, and thanking the Lord for all He has done.

"This is the day that the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 118:24

August 13, 2013

dependent soul

When the things of this life which we cling to are ripped from our hands, when dreams and aspirations are placed just out of reach, when doors are closed, when our hopes are dashed... where else can we turn but to Christ? If we do not depend on Him, surely we will fall. A Christian might be dragged along and eventually come to the end of God's path, but scarred and having lost all opportunities to live righteously and store up treasure in heaven.

Everyone depends on something. Circumstances, dreams, money, pets, people... the list is endless. But the Christian must learn not to grasp these fleeting things, but depend only upon the Lord. Just like Peter, when walking on water towards Christ looked about at the storm all around him began to sink, so we, if we turn our eyes from God's will revealed in His Word, feel ourselves begin to drown.

I was drowning. I had to cry out for Christ to save me, and He pulled me up and out of the flood. I almost found it funny; my stupidity, that I had fallen yet again. Lord, how many time have You proved Your power and love to me? Countless times! And yet I still doubt. You let me go under only long enough to remind me that I need to depend on You alone. And then You always rescue me. Thank You, Lord!

People can tell themselves they don't depend on anything, but believe me, everyone does. It can be life itself, it can be the prospect of a brighter tomorrow, it can even be revenge... we've all seen the movies. Everyone wants something, everyone is driven by some desire and depends upon the arrival to their personal end. We are dependent souls. And because I can't stress it enough, I will repeat: unless a person depends only upon the Lord Jesus Christ, they will find themselves falling, and falling hard, drowning in the sin of selfish ambition and not fulfilling the glorious purpose of every man: living to give God glory.

Last week, as part of a testimony of things God has been teaching them recently, some dear friends of mine confessed a need for this dependence. I have been feeling the same absence of this Christian attribute in my life, and was grateful to see the Lord working to point out the same want in the lives of my brethren. We are wholly united; in our weaknesses, in the love and power of God, in the most certain hope of heaven. And this is to me a great comfort.

Yet, there has been no greater comfort than to know that God is with me. I depend on Him.
data:newerpagetitle data:olderpagetitle data:homemsg