Tag: fellowship

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Writing in Service of God

I work with fellow writers in God's service

Last weekend, I attended She Speaks 2024 online. One big lesson I learned came not only from the many wonderful speakers but also from the attendees.

Success scares us.

My thoughts tread along a steep, rocky path of fear: If I become published, do I have to live in the spotlight of social media rather than in my cozy wallflower home? What if I botch the message I want to share? What if God calls me to reveal something deeply personal?

For these questions, I found encouragement in 1 Corinthians 3 about our work as God’s servants. First and foremost…

  1. we are all servants of God (v. 5). We belong to a community of like-minded believers, writers wanting to nurture our readers with God’s truth, a truth we can plant alone but not nurture alone. As part of God’s ministry team…
  2. we have built-in writing support (v. 6). This team supports us in our writing and we support their writing as well (through critique groups, through book launch teams, on social media, through prayer, etc.). By tending to our own stories as well as contributing to others’ writing journeys…
  3. we work together in God’s service (v. 9). Our writing offers fields of nourishment, for example, a soldier might write a book of their experiences with PTSD that provides spiritual nourishment for other soldiers. Our writing offers a shelter of understanding, for example, a blogger whom God has healed from alcoholism might build a shelter for an alcoholic seeking refuge from temptation. Our writing ministry combined with others’ expands our Kingdom reach.

When we write in fear of success, our work may stay merely a seed in the ground. And seeds that stay in the ground end up rotting. Instead, let’s call upon our fellow workers to help us build stories on the foundation of Christ. Let’s come together in his name to grow bountiful fields and to build useful buildings. Let’s turn the spotlight from us to God, whose love helps us grow through our community and uses our writing as part of his ministry.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (ESV)—For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
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The Bible: Our Saguaro Cactus

Saguaro cacti in Saguaro National Park 
Jeremiah 17:7–8 (NIV)— “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Several years ago, my husband and I road-tripped to Arizona for Thanksgiving with family. Along the way, we stopped at sites such as the White Sands National Monument (now a national park), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, and Saguaro National Park. I had no idea the height of saguaro cacti until I stood next to one, gazing up in awe and slight disbelief. And once I did some research, I found this cactus to be a great example of the power of God’s Word.

The saguaro cactus is like a well of living water in the dry, arid desert. This cactus absorbs and stores rainwater for use over time. Woodpeckers, elf owls, and other birds build nests inside the cactus. Wildlife visit the cactus to partake of its pollen, nectar, and fruit. Others such as jackrabbits and mule deer eat its flesh when food and water are scarce.

The Bible is our saguaro cactus in the desert, a source of life, a well of living water. When we drink of the water, we can know the power of our living God. God’s Word prepares us for all situations in our lives from losing a job to starting a new one, from building a new friendship to losing an old one, from grieving someone’s death to celebrating a baby’s birth.

The Scriptures feed us courage in the face of fear: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NIV).

The Scriptures strengthen our faith when we make a home for his Word in our minds: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17, NIV).

The Scriptures feed our fellowship with other believers: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV).

The Scriptures are our living water in the desert. The Holy Spirit feeds our minds with information we need to live according to God’s Word, and when we drink, we become stronger in mind, faith, and fellowship.

Saguaro cacti in Saguaro National Park