Helper, Missionary, Prophet, Teacher: Write to Serve

A guest post by Dan and Denise Harmer:

His writing has been translated into hundreds of languages, sold more than any in history, and touched untold millions of lives, yet we don’t even know his name. Our mystery servant writer was none other than the faithful amanuensis (scribe) of the apostle Paul. At times this author labored in a dank prison cell recording each word. Talk about a collaboration. The Holy Spirit working through Paul while this guy jots down each line, lifting his feet on occasion to allow the rats to scurry by.

Fast forward two thousand years. I would give away body parts to have a drop of that impact and influence for Christ, yet since the time I first conceived this post, I have realized struggles with my own servant’s heart attitude. My pastor is fond of saying “If you want to check to see if you have a servant’s heart, take note of how you react when someone treats you like one.”

Ouch!

I have the honor, right now, of collaborating with a Marine. An officer serving his second stint in Afghanistan. Read more

The Marriage Code & the Life of a Servant Writer/Speaker Couple

Bill and Pam Farrel are best-selling authors and international speakers.  With 30 book to their credit, inlcuding Men Are Like Waffeles and Women Are Like Spagetti, they are still fired up about helping marriages thrive. What I most appreaciate about this Servant Writer/Speaker couple is their passion to help build strong marriages and guide up-and-coming writers whom they mentor.  With a packed writing and international speaking schedule, Bill and Pam still make time to help those of us who share a calling to serve God and others through the power of the written and spoken word.  In this interview, Bill and Pam share about their writing and speaking life and why they are excited about what their new book, The Marriage Code, will do for marriages around the world.

Why do you see yourselves as servant writers?

Writing (and speaking) to serve isn’t glamorous; but we do it to serve God and others. Maybe this true story will illustrate a typical day in the life of a Servant Writer/Speaker Couple: Read more

The Most Important Question We Will Ever Ask

“Why?”

Yes, the most important question we will ever ask is “why?”  Or better yet, “Can you help me understand?”

If you read my recent book review of The Noticer by Andy Andrews, and the subsequent update I added yesterday, you’ll discover that today’s post echoes the central theme of the book: “Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.”

For the last five years, I have been trying to influence college students to question what they see, hear, or read. When we question — in the true spirit of wanting to know and understand — we are willing to withhold judgment until we have a complete picture or a clear perspective.

Today, with Andy’s permission, I want to share a note he wrote back when I asked “why?” At first, I tried to excerpt the note to give you the gist of his response, but then I realized that the sincerity and concern with which he wrote would be lost.  So I include the entire piece.

Why share this personal note? Read on… Read more

Updated Book Review: The Noticer by Andy Andrews

I just finished reading The Noticer by Andy Andrews. It is a quick read packed with uplifting and thought-provoking vignettes.  The narrative that unifies them revolves around Jones, a wise and whimsical old man, whose gift is “to notice things that other people overlook.”  He shows up in the most unexpected places — and auspicious moments — to provide those he meets a new way of looking at their circumstances — a new perspective that transforms their lives as they reflect on some of these insights:

• “When you focus on the things you need, you’ll find those needs increasing.” (p.13)
• “What is it about me that other people would change if they could?” (p.15)
• “It’s time to stop letting your history control your destiny.” (p.51)
• “Many people who worry too much say that they cannot focus…. Worry is focus! But it is focus on the wrong things.” (p. 56)
• “Wisdom will allow a person to split the hair of a choice so accurately that most men would say it is impossible.” (p. 65)
• “Who gave you permission to decide that you had nothing more to do, nothing more to offer?” (p. 81)

A Partial Perspective

As a lover of literature and books, I know that a book published by a Christian publisher, like Thomas Nelson, doesn’t need to present an overt Christian message or theme for it to inspire reflection or add value to a person’s life or spiritual journey.  Subtlety has merit.  Read more

Imitating Ezra: Spiritually Preparing Myself to Serve Others

Editor’s Note: This is a guest article by Christian author and speaker, Kathy Howard, who challenges us with a timely message for every aspiring or seasoned author.

One of my heroes is a writer named Ezra, who lived about 450 years before the birth of Christ. The Bible describes this priest and scribe as a man who “had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the LORD and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10, NIV). Ezra passionately pursued God through the study and obedience of His Word. As he learned from God, Ezra then taught others and helped them apply God’s Word to their lives.

God has led me along a similar path. He gave me an insatiable desire to study His Word. As I study, His Word disciplines and refines me. God is faithfully shaping me into the woman He wants me to be. Meanwhile, He regularly brings teaching opportunities my way to share what He has taught me. Writing Bible studies allows me to teach the truth of God’s Word to a much larger classroom.

Why I Write

I usually write to meet specific needs in the church. For instance, a number of years ago, God began to bring adults to our church that had never studied the Bible before, but wanted to. I immediately found some material and began a short-term class. I soon realized that this material was insufficient to meet their needs. After teaching several of these classes, I began to write a curriculum specifically geared to this unique market. Read more

The Dusty Drawer: A Call to Write

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Teresa Cook, a Servant Writer and speaker who ministers to parents and youth through Porn Proof Your Child.

My husband and I stared at our eighteen-year-old son. What did he say? Addicted to what? Then the words spilled out again.

 ”I’m addicted to pornography.” Brandon raised his head to look at us, his eyes brimming with tears. “I sat down to watch TV one day when I was home alone and accidentally entered the wrong number on the remote. A porn channel came on.”

Both mesmerized and shocked by what he saw that day, Brandon promised himself he would never watch the programs again. Yet he felt drawn back as if by a magnet. He admitted he’d been watching the partially scrambled cable station at every opportunity for more than a year, sometimes sneaking from his room in the middle of the night.

 ”I’ve tried over and over to stop, but I can’t.” Brandon began to sob. “I need help!” Read more

Five Reasons to Unleash the “Servant Writer” in You

I’m on a mission to start a “Writing to Serve” movement across this country — to ignite a fire to unleash every Servant Writer.  

First, let me clarify what I mean by a “Servant Writer.”  A Servant Writer is one who writes first and foremost with the goal to serve the needs of others, to make a difference, and to bring glory to God — the source of every gift and blessing we have.  Publication, notoriety, monetary success, and self-expression are perks, which may or may not be part of the reward package for your effort.

If you are not already writing to serve, you may be reading these words, mumbling to yourself, “I’m not a writer… I’ve never written anything… In fact, I hate writing… writing is not my thing…writing takes too much time… too much work…too much energy…” Or worse yet, “I do want to write — it has been a secret dream, but… I’m not a good writer…. I’m too old to learn… I don’t have time to learn… I don’t have time to write…”

Let me give you five compelling reasons why I believe there’s a Servant Writer in you.  If you can agree with at least one of them, I have a challenge for you… Read more

Goals, Habits, and Process of a Servant Writer

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by writer and speaker Dawn Wilson of Heart Choices Ministries

When I write, three goals, inspired by Scripture, focus my writing — I want to glorify God (I Corinthians 10:31), support the saints (Galatians 6:10), and win the world (Mark 16:15). Regardless of the topic, these goals always give me direction. 

When I was asked to speak about my writing habits, I realized that although I’m not mechanical about them, I like to slow down and examine my work to see if I’m meeting at least two of my goals, one of which should always be to bring honor and glory to the Lord.

Luke tells us that as Jesus grew into manhood, He developed mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially (2:52), so my passion in writing is to teach and encourage for growth and change. I keep my readers’ growth potential firmly in mind as I write — I can inspire the spirit by using the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through the Scriptures. I can inform the mind by teaching old truths in new ways, to capture a person’s imagination for God and build a biblical worldview. I can involve the heart by telling my stories with simplicity and authenticity, so people can identify and connect with my message. I can influence the will by offering choices that reflect the perspective and priorities of God.

“…as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  (Galatians 6:10)

Everything else is process — the vehicle that helps me achieve these goals and minister to my readers. My writing process includes four habits: research, record, rewrite, and refine. Read more

Writing and Thinking: An Important Connection

Working as a writing tutor during my first year in graduate school I learned to perform triage.  

The writing lab, you see, was a busy place, very much like a hospital’s emergency room.  Many students walked in at the last minute in a state of panic, hoping to have their papers edited right before they were due. The role of the writing tutor, however, was not to give quick fixes, but to give guidance and strategies to help improve writing skills. But because we had limited time and staffing resources, tutors had a clear purpose: find the bleeding in the writing and help stop it. 

But to find this bleeding, I first had to rely on the writer’s feedback.  ”What do you think is the problem with this paper?” I’d ask.

Nine out of ten writers offered the same response: “Grammar.” I’d believe them, of course, and quickly proceeded to read their work in search for the grammar hemorrhage. Soon I realized that, in most cases, grammar was the least of the their problems.  Eventually, I also learned a most profound lesson — one that deeply influenced the way I teach writing — that gibberish can be perfectly grammatical. Believe me, I have proof.   

Why is this concept important for the servant writer?  Read more