Happy Treasure Hunt Tuesday! I’m sharing a few blessings and treasures each week that I hope can be encouraging to you, and I pray they can spur you on to pause, notice, and give thanks for the treasures in your own daily life, too.
This week has been another cold and dreary one weather-wise, but I am always grateful for glimpses of beauty like this sunrise from Sunday morning.
As much as I personally would love to skip winter altogether and fast forward to summer, or at least to Daylight Savings Time (March 10thif anyone’s counting down with me), I’ve also been reminded not to rush this season. While winter is important for the earth and part of God’s design for creation, I keep coming back to the truth that winter seasons are good and purposeful for my soul as well. God is always working something beautiful even in what feels dormant, cold, and unseen.
In the meantime, I’m encouraged by J.P. Pokluda’s exhortation in his recent interview with Annie F. Downs to leverage whatever season you’re in for kingdom purposes rather than rushing on to the next one. His prayer when he first felt called to ministry sticks with me from that conversation as well: “Lord, put me where You want me, and help me find contentment there.”
Amen.
A Few Writing-Related Treasures
It seems this week has also been filled with some great encouragement for writers (or wanna-be writers), so I wanted to share a few of the goodies with you…
Born to Create Podcast: Why You Should Write a Book (by Kent Sanders with Eric Elder)
This episode is actually a fantastic listen even if you don’t think you want to write a book. The interview was from a conference with a Q & A at the end, and one of the attendees said he didn’t raise his hand at the beginning of the session as someone who wanted to eventually write a book, but by the end he had changed his mind. Maybe you will, too! At the very least you can get some ideas for different ways to share and repurpose content to help and encourage more people and leave a legacy for future generations.
Jon Acuff’s “Write a Book” Instagram Story
If you do think you might like to write a book or are curious about the process, author and speaker Jon Acuff shared his book-writing approach on Instagram stories last week and saved it as a highlight called “Write a Book.” It’s a short overview but always interesting to get a sneak peek into how an experienced writer tackles such a daunting task, and he shows real examples from his current book-in-progress.
My personal draw to writing is something that, ironically enough, I have a hard time putting into words. It just seems that over and over again, God nudges my heart back to this method of processing but doesn’t let me be content keeping it to myself. I’m reminded time after time how sharing our stories and what God is teaching us matters in the world even if we don’t always see the impact first-hand.
I love how a hope*writer friend articulated her thoughts that convey how I feel in writing, too: “I write for my own sanity, but I share with hope that I can help yours.” (Read the full post by Jodi Arndt here.)
When I take the time and effort to put actual words on a page or screen to express what I’m processing or learning, the treasures somehow find a deeper way to my heart, and it’s always my prayer that the ones I share will resonate with you, too.
Many times when I feel words failing, I’ve found such relief when I’ve been able to read something that supplies the words I’m lacking to give voice to my thoughts or emotions. Whether it’s a Psalm or another Scripture, or even a line or two from a blog post or a book, I feel an instant connection and a lifting of my burden when the words fit and the unknown becomes known. Naming that unnamed stirring can help us feel seen, understood, and not alone–a treasure indeed.
One more bonus for writers: I’d be remiss if I didn’t share that Hope*Writers is open for new memberships January 22-25 only. You can find more information here if you’re interested in joining this community and gaining access to their valuable resources. You can also check out the free replay of Emily P. Freeman’s hope*writer masterclass on how to be a wholehearted, creative, authentic working writer without selling your soul or self-promoting–but it’s only available through Friday!
A Closing Song of Worship and Prayer
I love when a worship song, whether old, new, or somewhere in-between like this one, gets stuck in my head and leads me back to prayer over and over. What a blessing to get to play and sing it Sunday, too…
Spirit of the Living God by Vertical Worship (click to listen)
Truly when the Holy Spirit takes over, He changes what we see and what we seek. Let it be, Lord. “We only want to hear Your voice. We’re hanging on every Word.”
As always, I’d love to hear some of your recent treasures, too! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message. May God’s grace and blessings surprise you in this season, maybe like the unexpected gift of getting to pet a wild animal on someone’s porch! (Some treasures aren’t the kind to elaborate on here, but I still want to remember…)
Ruth, thanks for the shout-out! Glad you enjoyed the interview with Eric Elder.
Thanks, Kent! It was great!