“In Raise Up A
Standard—A Challenge to Christian Writers,
Michael Phillips asks,
‘Do we want to write
the sensational or
the significant?
He challenges
Christian writers
‘to be on the
cutting edge, not of trends,
not of what’s going
on in publishing . . .
but to be on the
cutting edge
of what’s going on
in God’s heart. . . .
If you believe in
your message,
don’t give up on it.
Don’t water it down.
Don’t sensationalize
it
just to get
published
or to try to make it
a best-seller.
Stand firm, in
integrity and truthfulness,
for what God has
given you to communicate.’”
(Eureka, CA: Sunrise
Books, pp. 29-31).”
A Bible Study for
Christian Writers.)
I like that: In
writing memoir, let’s “be on the cutting edge of what’s going on in God’s
heart.”
After all, here at
SM 101, we consider our writing to be a ministry, not a hobby. (Be sure to
click on Do you think of yourself as an ordained writer?)
Remember what Deuteronomy
4:9 says: “Always remember what you’ve seen God do and be sure to tell your
children and grandchildren.”
And in Luke 8:39,
Jesus said, “Go, tell your family everything God has done for you.”
Accomplishing that,
however, can be a daunting task.
How can any mere human
do what Michael Phillips said:
to know, and then to
write, on the cutting edge
of what’s going on
in God’s heart?
Henri Nouwen tells
us how to begin, how to end, and how to accomplish everything in between. He uses
the word “solitude.”
“. . We are usually surrounded by so much outer
noise that it is hard to truly hear our God. . . . We need to learn to listen
to God, who constantly speaks but whom we seldom hear.”
We need, he says, “a
life in which there is some free inner space where we can listen to our God and
follow His guidance. . . .
“Solitude begins
with a time and a place for God,
and God alone. . . .
We need to set aside
a time and space
to give God our
undivided attention.
(Matthew 6:6)”
(Henry J.W. Nouwen, Making All Things New and Other Classics)
(Also click on “Bringing
Solitude Into Our Lives,
Excerpts from MAKING
ALL THINGS New”.)
Always remember: Your
story is important. God can use it to shape the lives of your children,
grandchildren, great-grands, and anyone else who reads your story, including
the “spiritual” children God has given you. Not all of us have children, but we
all have “spiritual” children who look up to us and model their lives after
ours—more than we realize.
You know from experience
how powerful other
people’s stories can be.
Many of them
inspired you,
opened new worlds,
sent you in
different and better directions,
and made you who you
are today.
Believe this:
Your story can
impact your readers
in the same way.
While you write the
rough draft of your memoir,
ask God to show you
what He wants you to communicate.
Set aside time for
listening to God for His answer.
Take Henri Nouwen’s
advice:
Make time to spend
quality time with God,
in solitude with
Him.
Give Him your
undivided attention.
And then write your
stories.