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

A Different Dream for My Child: Jolene Philo Shares

Jolene Philo has written a much needed book to encourage parents and family members of chronically ill children.  A Different Dream for My Child exemplifies the call of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Jolene knows what it’s like to be in the shoes of those she aims to comfort.  In this short interview, Jolene opens a window into the heart of a parent but also the heart of a Servant Writer who’s using her story to serve the needs of others.  Leave a comment or a question for Jolene at the end of this interview and enter to win one of three copies of A Different Dream for My Child.

Can you briefly tell our readers what inspired you to write A Different Dream for My Child? 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

Why I Write…

“Words are powerful. They help us process both the joys and the struggles of life. That’s why I write.

Words reflect who we are: parents, teachers, sons, daughters, children of the King. Words revive us when the hard bits of life, the struggles and the sorrows, tempt us to despair. Words allow us to rejoice and to share the lessons we learn in every circumstance, even the hard ones.”

~ Jolene Philo
www.jolenephilo.com

Stay tuned for an upcoming glimpse into Jolene’s first book, A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children, scheduled for release in September 2009 by Discovery House Publishers.

Question: Why do you write? Share your thoughts below.

Related Reading:

1. The Dusty Drawer: A Call to Write

2. Communicating the Vision: An Interview with Kathi Macias

3. From ‘Samaritan Woman’ to ‘Anna’: An Interview with Jeanne Sant

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

The Power of a Personal Letter

You can follow me on Twitter

With Twitter, Facebook, and email always at our fingertips, personal letters are a rarity. Yet, we all love to receive them. Today, putting away my textbooks and teaching notes to begin my teaching sabbatical (to fully enjoy my daughter’s last year of high school), I was moved — again — by a handwritten note from one of my students: “Thank you for sharing your dreams and struggles. Knowing them makes you more approachable and helps me when I struggle because I know you really understand me.” 

Her note, like others I’ve received over the years, was inspired by a letter I wrote for my College Composition students and share with them the first week of the semester:   Read more

Ambushed by Grace: An Interview with Shelly Beach

In “Five Reasons to Unleashed the Servant Writer in You,” I suggested that tragedy, pain, or discouragement don’t have to be wasted years or detours.  They can be a source of hope and encouragement because these experiences give us the empathy and love to serve others who are experiencing similar circumstances.  That’s exactly what Shelly Beach has done with her latest book, Ambushed by Grace.  Writing from her own experience as a caregiver for parents with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s in her home, Shelly has written a practical book of hope and encouragement for those on the caregiving journey, a journey that can be laden with fear, anger, exhaustion, confusion, and every emotion imaginable.

I’m thrilled to bring you this exclusive interview with Shelly Beach, a kindred spirit who models for us the discipline of writing to serve — to bless others with the story and life experiences God has entrusted with us.  May this conversation inspire you to pick up her book and use it as a roadmap for the one you can write one day and as the perfect gift for the weary caregiver in your life. 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

Author Beginnings: When God Plants a Dream

Editor’s Note: This is a guest article by award-winning Christian author and speaker, Dianne Neal Matthews.  Her passion for the dream God has planted in her heart and her obedience to pursue that dream will inspire you to continue your Servant Writer journey.

Ever since I picked up my first chunky pencil, I have adored the simple act of writing. My first-grade teacher told my parents that one day I would be an author. In fourth grade, the teacher saved time at the end of the day for a “reading” whenever someone told her that I had written a story. But as I moved toward my teen years, my self-confidence in all areas dissolved and I limited my writing efforts to school assignments.

Daydreams

Even though I minored in English in college, the idea of taking a creative writing course terrified me. What if I couldn’t come up with ideas to write about? How could I risk having work critiqued in class? I probably didn’t have any real talent anyway. So my creative writing was done in my head. It was safer that way. And I found pleasure in fantasizing about being a writer — sort of like pulling out a much-loved blanket when I needed comfort. As long as it remained just a dream, nothing could take it away from me. Read more

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