Tuesday Tidbit: Where do you find the guts to climb over or break through or dig under?

Reading time: 55 seconds

Following up on Thursday’s post, Even if I must drag myself on bleeding hands and knees to get there, yesterday David Ramos, Author, spoke to exactly where I find myself:

"The three ingredients for a miracle:

Start where you are

Be thankful for what you have

Give everything you’ve got.

So often we think we’ve hit a dead-end

When in reality, the wall isn’t telling us to turn around.

It’s seeing if we have the guts to climb over

Or break through

Or dig under.

Miracles don’t happen when there are other, safe, more practical options on the table.

They show up for those who have nothing left

The ones who show up in obedience

Raised their arms in courage

And spoke out in faith.

You are not stuck.

When you can’t seem to find a way out

That’s when you need to start paying attention to how God is finding His way in."

And dear Chuck Swindoll—yesterday he, too, encouraged me. He writes:

“If you want to . . . replace excuses with fresh determination and procrastination with tough-minded perseverance, you need discipline. Winners know that disciplined persistence must be a major part of their training. That’s the only way victory becomes an attainable reality rather than a distant dream.”

You and I can do this!

Let's remember God's encouragement:

Don't panic. I am with you.

There's no need to fear for I am your God.

I'll give you strength.

I'll help you.

I'll hold you steady,

keep a firm grip on you.

Isaiah 41:10, The Message

With God’s help—

and with each other’s prayers and practical help—

we can publish our memoirs!

We will publish our memoirs!

Even if I must drag myself on bleeding hands and knees to get there

Reading time: 1 minute, 51 seconds

My memoir should have been in print months ago.

I’ve fought hard to finish this book, keeping my eyes always on the mountaintop—that sometimes-elusive “Published!”—hiking foothills, surmounting rocky outcroppings, enduring loneliness, slogging through inevitable valleys between peaks, persevering despite summer’s heat and winter’s ice.

Standing victoriously on that topmost peak requires a ton of hard work.

Like Vince Lombardi said, “The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.” (Duh. . . .)

It’s a struggle. A fight. Sometimes it’s an all-out war.

And my battle has tuckered me out.

I gave myself a couple of months to catch my breath, to regain strength and enthusiasm.

Now the time has come to throw myself back into this culminating scramble—to tackle the final sheer vertical ascent to that mountaintop.

But technical problems have left me immobilized. I struggle to pick myself up and fight the final challenge, to finish. I’m stuck.

Maybe you’re stuck, too.

A few weeks ago on Facebook, Mick Silva of Higher Purpose Writers wrote, “Mondays can come with a hefty dose of guilt and shame for once again having to concede you don’t have a work completed. . . .”

He nailed it. And the ridiculous thing is that, if I worked diligently, I could have this memoir ready to publish in less than a week!

Yes, I feel the guilt and shame.

But I don’t want to give up!

I want to conquer—to stand atop that mountain peak named “Published!” even if I must drag myself on bleeding hands and knees to get there.

And so I pray a lot, and I cling to God and a number of Bible verses. 

I hope these will strengthen you, too:

• Let’s approach God’s throne boldly and confidently, trusting Him, because there we’ll find mercy and grace to help when we’re in need. Hebrews 4:16
• Help me, O Lord my God! Ps 106:26a
• God is . . . an ever-present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1
• It is God who strengthens me. 2 Samuel 22:33
• God is my helper, the One who sustains me. Psalm 54:4
• Don’t panic. I am with you. There’s no need to fear for I am your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Isaiah 41:10, The Message
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
• You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you. Isaiah 26:3, GNT

So, Friends, continue climbing those rocky, steep mountains!

Keep praying.

Trust God with all your heart.

With His strong assistance, scale those scary crags.

Clamber.

Persevere.

Prevail.

Triumph!

If you’re struggling to complete your memoir,

let us know how we can pray for you.

Leave a comment below on the blog,

or on Spiritual Memoirs 101 Facebook Page,

or send a private message.

When did you do it trembling and afraid?

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face,” said Eleanor Roosevelt. “... You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

For years, Eleanor’s words have bolstered me. They changed my life because I acted on them. When faced with doing a few somethings that scared me, I carried them out even while I was still frightened.

Emmet Fox says it this way: “Do it trembling if you must, but do it.”

What about you? Think back: When did you stare down fear and do that thing you thought you could not do?

And then, climb up to the next step. What can your kids, grandkids, and other readers learn from you about taking a wild-eyed, white-knuckled leap of faith?

Dread can hinder potential and keep people from living a full life. What stories can you write about staring down cowardice, worry, and anxiety?

What stories can you write about refusing to let fear cripple you? Paralyze you?

Read the quotes below, s l o w l y. What stories do they revive? Take as much time as you need to rediscover them. They might be experiences you forgot years ago.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” (Nelson Mandela)

“The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be… because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap!” Mary Anne Radmacher, Live with Intention

“True faith, by a mighty effort of the will, fixes its gaze on our Divine Helper, and there finds it possible and wise to lose its fears. It is madness to say, ‘I will not be afraid’; it is wisdom and peace to say, ‘I will trust and not be afraid.’” Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910)

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Karl Barth  

“…Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will go with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

What courageous act have you carried out? Maybe only you know that story. Or perhaps others watched. What did you experience while overcoming your fright? Did it help you choose bravery in the future? Did it help you mature? Did it open up new opportunities, jobs, or relationships for you?

On the other hand, maybe you recall a time when you let fear get the better of you, a time when you chose not to take a leap of faith. How did that impact your future?

What Bible verses pertain to your story?

How did God help you deal with your anxiety? As a result, how did your relationship with Him change?

Turn your experiences into life lessons 

for kids, grandkids, future generations, 

and all your readers.

Be intentional about writing your stories.

Think about those who will read your memoir—

your offspring, nieces and nephews, 

great-grandkids, friends, colleagues, and even strangers.  

They all will face times that scare them. 

Their courage and faith will wobble. 

And your story could serve as a lifeline 

and make all the difference in the outcome.

We need stories about what genuine happiness is

This well-known New Year’s Prayer could serve as a framework (or pattern, or outline) for a memoir.

I hope you’ll consider using it for writing your memoir, or your next memoir.

New Year’s Prayer

May God make your year a happy one!

Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,

But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;

Not by making your paths easy,

But by making you sturdy to travel any path;

Not by taking hardships from you,

But by taking fear from your heart;

Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,

But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;

Not by making your life always pleasant,

But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,

and by making you anxious to be there to help.

God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.

~ Author unknown; adapted by Debra Mooney

Read the poem again, pondering each point. What experiences have you had, or have you witnessed in others, that illustrate the following:

Happiness came not necessarily from being free of sorrow and pain, but from God strengthening you to bear the grief and hurt that came to you. What Bible verses come to mind?

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-10, Paul tells us that “the God of all comfort . . . comforts us in all our troubles….” He tells of his “hardships . . . suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God….” (See also 2 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 119:28; Isaiah 41:10; Ephesians 3:16.)

Happiness came not necessarily by making your paths (your life) easy, but because God enabled you to travel down potentially hazardous “paths” with strength and sturdiness, despite blows, overwhelming challenges, and unwelcome surprises. (See Psalm 40:2, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Also see Psalm 56:13, 66:9, 73:2, 119:105.)

Happiness came not necessarily because God took hardships from you, but because—rather than cowering in fear—you trusted Him and moved forward, facing the fear. (See Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Also see Psalm 56:3-4, Proverbs 3:21-26; Matthew 8:26, 10:29-31; John 14:27.)

Happiness came not because God gave you only days of “unbroken sunshine” (days and years with no hindrances, no hardships, no sadness, no loss) but because God put hope and joy in your heart despite experiences or people that were contrary, despite troubles, despite unkindness, despite sorrows. (See Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” See also Psalm 40:2-3, 42:5, 62:5-6; 96:1-4, Psalm 146; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Romans 12:12, 15:13.)

Happiness came not because God always made your life pleasant (see above for references) or because you focused on making your life pleasant, but because you did what God urges and desires: that we love others. (See Mark 12:28-31 when one of the teachers of the law asked Jesus which commandment was most important. “‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this . . . “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’” Such service to others is a result of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Such service is the overflow of our hearts. See also Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:7-10.)

Your stories are important. Think of them within the context of what Peter Mommsen said: “If we are going to live with courage and joy and integrity, we need honest, true-to-life stories to show us how.” Your stories can do that!

“The unmistakable mark of divine contrivance”

“Event after event has the unmistakable mark of divine contrivance,” writes Lawrence Kushner. Divine contrivance! He writes about recognizing “it is all the doing of the Holy One.” (Eyes Remade for Wonder).

Kushner was writing about what was true in Biblical times, yet it’s still true in our times—but we often overlook the ways God is with us in our everyday comings and goings.

Too frequently we fail to recognize He’s busily at work—that He has the big picture in mind and is taking steps to make important things (often disguised as small details or coincidences) fall into place.

Memoirists need to catch glimpses of God at work. We need to notice His loving care and help in our tragedies and failures and heartaches—our huge defining moments (or months, or years)—but also in our day-to-day activities and relationships and opportunities.

And so, today I hope and pray the words below will stir up story ideas for your memoir—that they will lead you to think deeply and discover “divine contrivances” and “doings of the Holy One.”

Before you read these words I have compiled for you:

• get out a pencil and paper (or sit down in front of your computer),
• read the first quote slowly,
• ask yourself what experience (yours or someone else’s) it reminds you of,
• and jot down a few notes.
• Read the rest of the quotes, doing the same exercise listed above,
• then use your notes to craft stories for your memoir.

Okay, let’s get started with the quotes: 

“God has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

“When I looked back at the years of struggle, I realized they all took part in the beautiful pattern that became my miracle and it would not have been possible without the struggle.” (Lene Fogelberg)

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” Walt Disney

“Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.” (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking)

“We are all brave men and we are all afraid, and what the world calls a brave man, he too is brave and afraid like all the rest of us. Only he is brave for five minutes longer.” (Alistair MacLean)

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NLT).

“Do it trembling if you must, but do it!” (Emmet Fox)

“We are all travelers in what John Bunyan calls the wilderness of this world… and the best that we can find in our travels is an honest friend. He is a fortunate voyager who finds many.” (Robert Lewis Stevenson)

“It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. To do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life.” (Oswald Chambers)

“God is already working on Plan B even as Plan A lies in shambles around your feet.” (John Claypool)

“It’s one thing to say God is a way-maker. It’s another thing to see Him make a way.” (Tony Evans)

“'Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24a).

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” Mary Oliver

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5).

“What we need is a hope that’s more than wishful thinking or blind expectation that everything will work out smoothly. We need a hope that is vibrant in pain, consistent in grief, indefatigable when people break our hearts, unassailable in disappointment, and unflagging in life’s pressure…. True hope… does not come from searching for hope. It grows out of two basic convictions: that God is in charge and that He intervenes.”(Lloyd John Ogilvie, God’s Best for My Life)

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life or death to you.” (C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed) 

“…Our Lord never wastes times of testing. The pain and struggles and confusion connected with my circumstances only seemed futile and unfair.” (Charles R. Swindoll, Come Before Winter and Share My Hope) 

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

Notice God

doing major things

during momentous, life-changing events,

but also search to discover

God doing major things

in what you thought were everyday,

even trivial,

activities.

“Father…You met me

at every fork of the road

with clear guidance

and fresh grace.

I beheld Your glory.”

(Lloyd John Ogilvie, Quiet Moments with God;

emphasis mine)

Your stories are important. Your memoir can be a life-giving handbook.

It can offer readers:

hard-earned wisdom, 

hope, 

guidance, 

courage, 

joy, 

a hand up, 

a warning, 

a smile, 

a good cry, 

a more meaningful life, 

a solution to a problem, 

help in making a decision, 

faith in God, 

determination to keep a promise, 

and so much more.

Understanding epignosis can help you write your memoir

Epignosis: experiential knowledge

I asked my son the professor (and now the chair of the Educational Foundations Department) to explain epignosis in language we all can understand, and here’s what he said:

Epignosis is a Greek word for “to know” but it carries a depth and dynamic that our English word for “to know” does not have. When you gnosis something, it is like studying all about bungee jumping from a book, talking to bungee-jumpers, and maybe even watching bungee-jumpers. From all that, you would know, or gnosis, bungee jumping.

However, once you [know all that] and you actually bungee jump, you would truly epignosis what bungee jumping is. There can be a big difference between gnosis and epignosis, yet in English they both come across as “to know.” Both are ways of knowing about bungee jumping, but the doing provides a special kind of knowing (epignosis) that the gnosis alone probably would not convey.

John and Paul both talk yearningly about knowing the reality of Christ in our lives, but the word often used is not gnosis only, but rather it is epignosis: to truly, fully, and experientially know and love Christ. This is where our faith becomes fully authentic.…  Often it comes from the scary steps of faith and obedience, which is why the bungee jumping metaphor works well. Everything else is only gnosis which does not carry the fullness of life that Christ brought and makes available to us. (Matt Thomas, Ph.D.)

Thanks, Matt!

Here’s another example: We can hear a sermon about prayer, read a book about prayer, and take a class about prayer, but in all those activities the learning is merely gnosis, head knowledge. On the other hand, epignosis, real experiential knowledge of prayer, comes only when we actually pray.

Over at my other blog, Grandma’s Letters from Africa,* I wrote:

After I slept in a tent for six weeks with lions or leopards prowling on the other side of the tent wall, I can tell you I’ve experienced the truth of Psalm 91:4-5, “[God’s] faithfulness will be your shield.… You will not fear the terror of the night,” and verses 9-11, “If you make the Most High your dwelling, then no harm … no disaster will come near your tent.” *

Believe me, that tent wall was skimpy. (Here's a picture from my scrapbook.) It did not keep out big cat sounds just inches away on the other side. Were they lions? Leopards? I’ll never know. I saw only their paw prints in the dust the next morning, but by God’s grace, I lived to tell about it! *

Because I lived to tell about it, I can say, along with David, that though I walked in the midst of trouble, God preserved my life (Psalm 138:7). I knew because I’d experienced it. 

People who live to tell about it have moved beyond gnosis, beyond mere head knowledge. They have lived the reality. Epignosis: to know by experience.

God invites us to move beyond gnosis—beyond head knowledge: He offers us a chance to epignosis—to live out the reality of Himself and His Word.

Within the stories of your life, I hope you recognize you have received one opportunity after another to truly, fully, experientially know God!

That is the place from which you write your stories!

Maybe you have written a vignette about a scary situation; you thought you couldn’t endure it, but God gave you strength beyond yourself and you did get through it. Within that vignette, probably in your summary, tell your readers something like this: “God says, ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10), and the Bible says, ‘Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint’ (Isaiah 40:31). I know God can and does give us strength beyond ourselves because, as I’ve told you in this story, God has done that for me. When you go through difficult times, when you think you have no more strength, I encourage you to trust God to help you.”

You want your readers to more than gnosis (know about) God—you want them to epignosis (personally experience) God. Your stories can encourage them to do so.

Epignosis—how cool is that?!*

*Related posts and links:

Grandma's Letters from Africa,

http://www.amazon.com/Grandmas-Letters-Africa-Linda-Thomas/dp/1440191476

Because we lived to tell about it,

http://grandmaslettersfromafrica.blogspot.com/2010/06/because-we-lived-to-tell-about-it_07.html

The pad, pad of invisible feet,

http://grandmaslettersfromafrica.blogspot.com/2010/06/pad-pad-of-invisible-feet.html

Epignosis—how cool is that?!

http://grandmaslettersfromafrica.blogspot.com/2010/06/epignosishow-cool-is-this.html

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