Lord God Adonai,
I am about to write.
I have nothing to say,
nothing to offer.
I am a poor writer,
and an even poorer Christian.
And yet I must try
to find words
that will bring into being
something that has never been before.
Help me, Lord.
Inspire me.
Empower me.
Flow through me.
Grant that I may write
better than I can write,
and thus know that
all the honor and glory and thanks
belong to you,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
Theology
The Heavenly Minded Author
Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., was quite a guy. A prominent, influential physician and writer, his friends included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was born in 1809 and died in 1894. His son was Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., who fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the …
Impossible Books
There are a lot of hard things in life. Some are downright impossible. Entrepreneur and media guru Patrick Bet-David says the ten hardest things in life are: Getting Married Parenting Becoming an entrepreneur Keeping your health Overcoming addiction The loss of a loved one Leaving people behind Handling success Trusting others Massive failure Many say the most difficult thing to do in all sports …
The Ephesians 4 Author
While many writers set out writing for the sake of writing, without much thought to an endgame, Christian writers have biblical foundations in their lives and work, which affect how they do things. Today I will look at one chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as a possible roadmap to being the kind of author that reflects Christ in what you do. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, the …
When God Calls
Recently, I was on a work trip to Richmond, VA, to visit the International Mission Board. As a military missionary, the work of vocational mission training is at my very core. My heart is for the nations, and I pray often that revival will sweep through the warrior class today. While touring the building, I came across a wall of honor. These carefully curated memorials cause onlookers to pause and …
Handling Disappointment
I do not like to experience disappointment. I do not like rejection, even when it isn’t my personal project being turned down. I do not like to be the bearer of bad news. And yet I do experience disappointment, rejection, and the telling of bad news–every week. That is the nature of the arts. The arts (meaning music, writing, dance, and painting) are comprised of thousands of hours of …
20 Books That Molded Me
I’ve read thousands of books in my lifetime. I’ve written on this blog about why I read and about my annual reading plan. I’ve posted about how to read more. So, yeah, I read a lot. Wanna make something of it? Where was I? Oh yeah. Over the course of my decades of reading, I’ve even kept a record of the books I’ve read. So, not only can I tell you (if not by memory at least by a quick …
Voices of Experience: Why Mature Christian Writers Are Important
This is the sixth and final in a series of posts on various types of writers worth giving our attention to. Those with military and missionary service in their backgrounds, young writers, creative writers, and humble writers can each contribute to the conversation within the church as they each have valuable perspectives. Many writers are a combination of these types, and today’s focus can also be …
The Never-Ending Stories
One of the reasons Christian authors can run out of things to write about is they write only from personal experience. Personal experiences are finite, and you are bound to run out of material. Your personal experiences give you one thing that can be used to write a hundred books: a perspective on God and living the Christian life, not only the actual things to write about. So, Christian writers …
A Maundy Thursday Writer’s Prayer
Lord, at your last meal with your closest friends and followers, you wrapped the servant’s towel around your waist, and washed your disciples’ feet. And though Peter objected at first, he submitted, saying, “Then, Lord … not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:9, NIV). Like Peter, Lord, I shudder to submit myself and my writing to your cleansing work. But I know I …











