Today’s moment is the second in a series of brief meditations I’ve created based on my new book, Sacred Margins: On the Spiritual Life of a Writer. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

The transcript of the video is below. If you cannot see the video, click through to our website or to YouTube, where you can view it.

The book itself will be released on May 19th in paperback, ebook, and audio formats. You can preorder the book here: https://amzn.to/3P5jVj8.

The first episode, “Why the Margins Are Sacred,” can be found on YouTube channel; click this link. (Subscribe when you visit to get early access to new episodes as they are uploaded.)

Transcript:

Today’s episode is called “A Fire in the Bones.”

If you could stop writing and be at peace …
you would have already done it.

Some people write because they want to.

Others write because they have to.

The words just don’t leave them alone.

At first, they whisper.
Then they press.
And eventually, they demand release.

The prophet Jeremiah described it this way in chapter 20, verse 9:
“There is in my heart, as it were, a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”

That fire isn’t ambition.
It isn’t ego.

It is a sacred compulsion.

Writing is often not something you choose.

It is something you surrender to.

Some writers release words in a rush.
For others it is one careful sentence or one word at a time.

But all are haunted by what remains unwritten.

And here’s an important thought.

That fire is not conceit, as if you know more than others do.

It is stewardship.

God does not ignite the fire without purpose.

If you feel this pressure—
this holy restlessness—
the question should not be, “Do I have enough talent?”

The question is,
“Will I be faithful enough to write it?”

Thank you for listening.
Until next time—write faithfully.