Routine

Packing, packing, packing. I'm in the busy process of packing up 7 years of work and family to move to a new home and job in Redcliffe Qld. It's been sad to leave north Qld, a place that has embraced us and been very fruitful in our lives and ministry. All ten of my publications have taken place while up here! We do look forward to the new phase of our life and what God has in store for us.

Perhaps the hardest bit for me these past 4 months is being out of routine. I don't want to sound like an anal kinda person, but being out of routine has been unsettling. I find the simple routine of having a purpose and direction and working towards that each day and week grounds me. With a move on the horizon the vision has an ending and a new beginning, a new beginning you can't properly start till after the move.

Everything is 'up in the air'. Things ending, things beginning. I couldn't sit in my groove [not rut] and work and write as efficiently and carelessly as before. So one of the things I am looking forward to is being settled, and getting back into routine.

What has this to do with writing? My writing needs routine! I've been writing less, feeling less motivated to write and having less ideas. I'm actually also anticipating the opportunity to get into a new routine where writing is a more prominent feature of my week.

I'm in the privileged position of being in a 'writing' occupation as a minister - meaning I have to write something inspiring each week - it's expected so I'm given the time for this. This is a fantastic thing [apart from the fact that I'm passionate about the good news] it means I am constantly developing my writing, thinking and ideas.

But while sermon writing is part of my routine, other writing has been squeezed in. Now, with the blessing of my new congregation, my other writing will be given time in my routine. Wow, what a blessing!

At the early stages of my writing I would wait for the inspiration to flow and then sit down and write. But with writing a big part of my occupation I can't sit and wait for the 'inspiration' which sometimes is really just 'feeling like it'. I don't have the luxury of 'feeling like it' - I've got an every week deadline, publishers, magazines, kids and radio looking for stuff. Now I find that it's the other way. I need to sit at my desk, work at my prayer, research, thinking, dreaming, and often simply start writing, get some thoughts and words down, and then the inspiration flows. [I still do get up at 5am or midnight to write from inspiration from time to time, or file these ideas in my head for a later time when I'm awake!]

I would encourage you to develop a routine where you write regularly, not just on times of inspiration. Agatha Christie reflected that her first few novels were a delight, a hobby, a joy - after that it was work. [I'm sure work she enjoyed and delighted in, but work.]

As an aside it's like falling in love. At first all the emotions flood you so that you love your husband or wife by opening doors, saying nice things, spending time with them. After a time the emotions reduce, so you can fail to do all these things for your spouse. But if you work on it, if you choose to do the love actions even if you don't feel like it, suddenly all the love emotions come flooding back.

Pack, pack, clean. We are now entering the cleaning phase - M-day is less than 2 weeks away! While the move has put me out of routine, it has given me a forced holiday from many things, so I anticipate arriving in Redcliffe, fresh, feeling good and with lots of energy to get back in routine and go!

Cheers everyone and have a great Christmas!