A Personal Testimony of How God Has Been Crafting
My Life As A Writer
It is 40 years since I came to Christ.
April 1986.
I was 16 years old and in year 12 at school.
I had been writing for a few years ...
In my formative years I had always enjoyed
telling stories, often with my brother late at night as we wrestled together
with our Dad’s sickness. These stories were often didactic fables or adventure
stories, bringing comfort, giving hope, building resilience. God was helping to
write the story of my life as my author. I didn’t know Him yet, but He knew me.
When Dad’s sickness took a turn for worse,
stories were there to help me dive deeper into a growth curve catalyzed by my
Grandfather. His inspiration to discover the meaning of words I did not know by
finding their definitions in the dictionary lead me to reading the dictionary
from the beginning to end to encounter and learn and document and utilize each
new word in speech and stories and writing. I was in year 7 (primary school). I
became dux that year, even though it was a new school for me. I was awakened to
a God who seemed to be interested in caring for me. He was watching me. But who
was He?
My high school music teacher, musical director
and family friend took me under wing as part of our school musical team to
write multiple scripts for comical and dramatic dialogue. She released
something in me that propelled a self-recognition of a gift that I was happy to
intentionally craft. I took whatever opportunity there was to develop my skills
at school: a brief foray into the debating team, writing and making mini
movies, and developing multimedia storied projects. These were all foundational
as I had well begun writing, producing, and directing a huge school wide movie
project for my senior year project when my attention was captured by The LORD. I was born again. God was my Saviour. Jesus
saved me.
The Creator was creating in me
My salvation occurred in the maelstrom of year 12 including the movie project, a core role in the school musical “Godspell” (I played Judas), deciding on career paths, navigating relationships, Dad’s ongoing illness, adolescence, my own deep - sometimes dystopic and dark- perspectives on life, and an autodidactic survivalist sensibility. Godspell helped to disciple me in the narrative, parables, and chronicling of the book of Matthew. My new life disciplined hope out of despair. It was this year that I began writing what has become my major (still ongoing) writing project. An adult adventure coming-of-age trilogy. The Creator was creating in me all the right stuff. He had been doing it all along.
As year 12 finished I took on summer work as a kid’s
holiday program worker. I wrote the formative explorations into characters and
plot of my trilogy. A group of young friends surviving a “Lord of the
Flies”-meets- “Tomorrow When the War Began” experience. I hadn’t even engaged
with these materials, but there was something in the zeitgeist and my own
psycho-social experiences that was crafting these narratives. As my university studies
started, I shelved my creative writing to dive into my science academics. I
even contemplated discarding my stories. Creativity found me though. In the
margins of lecture notes about the chemical compositions of soils and rocks,
hydrology equations, biological nomenclature, physics theorem, and sociological
philosophy, there emerged plot ideas, sketches of characters, maps, landscape
features, poems, songs, sayings and quips. Our fledgling university Christian
group discipled me in pioneering, prayer, purpose and pursuing Christ in
mission. A good mate saw me scribbling story notes one day on the back of one
of our computer syntax printouts. We soon had a fledgling indie production
company started and I wrote the screen play for a Christian movie we hoped to
produce.
Can my creative story telling serve Jesus’ mission well?
Uni continued, youth programs were created,
manuals of discipleship were written. The movie was pitched to potential sponsors;
it had variable support. Pre-production artistry was undertaken and then the
story of my life turned with economic difficulties that necessitated a radical
resolution, repositioning, and reframing. A year off uni, and a brave family
move to a regional town. I held all my creative work in my hands prepared to
relinquish it to the cleanout bonfire and I found myself caught by God’s attention.
“Hold on to it. It has a purpose”. I
wrestled with this idea for many years though : “Can my creative story telling
serve Jesus’ mission well? Could my writing have a purpose?” It took many years
for me to see how God saw my writing. I think I needed to see my creativity
from a re-created position, and that has taken time.
Uni was completed a year later. I was engaged
to be married (my beautiful wife and I met in that regional town). Employment
was gained. I was writing as part of my role working in a school and in youth
and children’s ministry. Discipline policies, newsletters, articles, programs,
discipleship materials. I could not let go of the scibbled and formative notes
I had made over the many years. They sat in an archive box awaiting their
purposeful revealing.
God has led and leads and wants me to be shaped by His creativity
Many more years. Ministries. Moves. Mission
opportunities. Our precious children were in school. During an appointment with one of the young men
I was discipling, a fresh plot line and character was awakened. I rushed home,
grabbed a pen and note paper and began writing and reframing the material in
that archive box. I discovered new characters and narratives that have now
formed a significant body of work that has been underway for a couple of
decades. Age, time and experiences have produced wisdom, deepened my
relationship with Jesus, and insights for my story telling. I am now in a season
(amongst other responsibilities) where I have dedicated and concerted space and
time for beginning to bring all this work to some kind of completeness. It may
still take some time (I hope it is not another 40 years) until it is published.
I am happy for how God has led and leads and wants me to be shaped by His
creativity and timings for my life.
My history is a story of God’s crafting
There have been tough and joyous experiences
that have honed my hope. My parents have passed. Our children have married. Our
daughter fought and conquered cancer. They have produced beautiful
grandchildren. Life goes on.
I am truly grateful for every plot turn, twist,
trouble, trial and triumph.
My life is His Story.
He is my author and perfector. I have related
how it is a special milestone to have been journeying with Jesus for 40 years,
but I honestly and heartily believe He was journeying with me before then. He
was and is designing my journey.
He is writing the story of my life.
I am forever thankful for His crafting of my
life. This testimonial is simply a brief expression of thanks to our Maker. There seems always more to express (write).
The times of my life are in His hands. I am
intently aware of His penmanship in my own writing journey too.
One day the story I have been writing (that trilogy) will be finished. In God’s time, in His way and how He wants it completed. Blood, sweat and tears. Other works are being formed and expressed regularly. Examples are the research and writing of a biography of a missionary, articles for encouraging missionaries in their journeys, support letters, research works, creative inspirations. There is much writing to be done, but the real writing (the most crucial one for my own personal journey) is to allow the story of my life to be written by the hand and heart of God.
I hope to encourage us all to know this.
May we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher (perfector) of our faith
(Hebrews 12:2).
He is well able to complete the good work He has begun!
(Philippians 1:6).
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