Omega Writers Conference 2026 - It's a Wrap!

 

What do you get when you add 125 Christian authors, tons of helpful input from Australian and overseas presenters, a beautiful location, lots of prayer, unity in the Spirit, and all underpinned by God's leading and care? Our biennial Omega Christian Writers conference of course. This year's event was held at the Nunyara Conference Centre, situated on a hill overlooking Adelaide. The theme was 'Building Blocks and Pathways', and there was something for everyone, no matter where they were in their writing journey.

Australian Presenters

Publisher and author Rochelle Stephens led a pre-conference workshop on children's writing, which was greatly appreciated. Our two friendly lecturers from Tabor College's Creative Writing Department, Dr James Cooper and Dr Pete Court, ran beginner's workshops on fiction and nonfiction respectively. Other workshops focused on writing for children and young adults (Rochelle Stephens), bringing history to life (Katrina Roe), editing (Nola Passmore), and sci-fi/fantasy (Adam Collings). One of our past presidents, Penny Reeve, gave an inspiring talk on unexpected turns in the writing journey and the goodness of God. Quite a variety!

Overseas Presenters

We were also blessed with two overseas speakers. Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith is an American physician, speaker and writer with a passion for helping people to live out their God-given destiny. She gave keynotes on rhythms of grace and the importance of seven different types of rest in the writer's life. She also gave a couple of talks on marketing based on Biblical principles. We really appreciated her warmth, expertise and quirky humour. If you would like to hear a sample of Dr Saundra's teaching, click here for a short YouTube clip. You can access many more videos, including interviews, on YouTube.

British comedian, preacher and evangelist Mark Ritchie gave an inspiring talk on how God led him to pursue humour as a way of presenting the gospel in surprising places. Many have become Christians through his comedy gigs. He also gave a workshop on how to use humour in your writing. If you'd like to hear more of his heart for sharing the gospel through comedy, click here for a short YouTube interview.

Prayer and Worship

We had some beautiful times of worship, led by Steph Penny and Jenni Mills. Our Sunday morning service was particularly moving, as Chaplain Raewyn Elsegood shared from the heart about following God even when the music of your life changes. Chaplaincy was a key part of the weekend, with several chaplains helping out at the conference, including Tamika Spaulding and Karen Roper. A prayer room was available for people to talk to someone or to pray or meditate alone.

Genre Groups, Chapter Groups and the Hub

Times were also set aside for genre groups to get together to chat about their writing and build connections. While everyone benefitted from these, they were especially useful for the many new people who were attending their first Omega conference. We can never underestimate the value of the connections formed at events like this. Thank you to all of the genre group facilitators.

I think all of the Omega chapters were also represented, including a huge contingent from Melbourne shown in this photo.

As part of the HUB, delegates could also make appointments with industry experts, including publishers, editors, agents and other mentors. Thank you to the coordinators, those who gave appointments and those who were willing to 'put themselves out there' and talk to someone about their writing projects.

CALEB Awards

This year's CALEB Awards for published books was also incorporated into the program. CALEB is an acronym that stands for 'Christian Authors Lifting Each Other's Books', and there were certainly a lot of great books nominated. And the winners are:

• Adult fiction - 'El Roi' by Jo Wanmer
• Memoir and biography - 'Encounter: A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion' by Ian Reilly
• Non-fiction - 'Epiphany and the Shopping Trolley' by Catherine Bradshaw
• Young adult fiction - 'Last Chance Joey' by Meredith Resce
• Children's fiction - 'Renegade Time Officer' by Bethany Loveridge
• Picture book - 'Moxie vs Cat Memes' by Andrew Dittmer
• The Mary Hawkins Award for Christian Writing - 'Wow God! Thank You, Sorry, Please: A Kid's Guide to Prayer' by Simon Camilleri

Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees. Those who were able to attend the conference are shown in the photo below. Also a big shoutout to Tamara Wenham and her team for the huge job of coordinating the awards and to all of the judges in the various categories. It was a stellar effort.

Also, thank you to:

• Our brilliant conference coordinator and past president Meredith Resce.
• Our Omega president Carolyn Tonkin, Secretary Karen Roper, Treasurer Amanda Deed and all of the committee members.
• Our volunteer book fairies.
• The folk at the Nunyara Conference Centre, including the caterers.
• Everyone who came along and made it such a great event. 

One of the dangers in writing a blog like this is that I may have inadvertently left someone out who should have been thanked. So please let me know and I can include them, or please add a note in the comments.  

Apart from the scheduled conference activities, there was also some great camaraderie, networking, inspiration, firing of creative juices and a general feeling that we are all part of something bigger. I look forward to seeing the fruit of what God has birthed in each person during the conference.

And of course the biggest thanks goes to our precious Father from whom all creativity flows. May we use our creative gifts for His glory.

Where Next?

In 2027, we will have an online retreat. These have been  extremely valuable in the past, so it's well worth attending.

It was also announced that the 2028 face-to-face conference will be held in Queensland.

More details about both of these events will be announced on the Omega website in due course, so stay tuned!

If you attended the conference, what is something that God showed you over the weekend and what were the highlights for you? We'd love to hear your comments.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) loves weaving words of faith, courage and hope. She has had more than 150 short pieces published, including fiction, memoir, devotions, and poetry. Her inspirational novel Scattered was a finalist in the 2021 CALEB Awards. Her devotional book Comfort Zone was published in 2025, with No Standing Zone published in 2026. She also loves helping other authors through The Write Flourish—a freelance writing and editing business she and her husband Tim have run since 2013.

Photo Credits

Thank you to the following people for your photos: Anusha Atukorala (group inside chapel, the Nunyara grounds, and prayer pebbles); Carolyn Tonkin (Penny Reeves speaking); Barbara McKay (Nola Passmore speaking; and James Cooper, Pete Court and Barbara); Tamika Spaulding (Mark Ritchie speaking); Louise Tonna (Melbourne chapter group); Alison Lloyd (CALEB winners and nominees); and Nola Passmore (photo of Dr Shauna and Nola).

The Beauty of Words

by Anusha Atukorala

I was eleven years old when I first read “Anne of Green Gables”. It was a book like no other! I was hooked. Totally! So of course, in no time at all, I’d feasted on the entire series, smacking my reader’s lips over every morsel, relishing every word, hungry for more, a child who’d not had a decent meal for a week and couldn’t get enough soul-food in! My heart was filled to overflowing, with a story seeped in beauty and wonder and the love of life. Anne fans would understand, I know. Since then, as you might guess, I’ve read through the entire series countless times.

A few weeks ago, I was hunting for an audio book to enjoy. Usually, when doing boring chores around the house, it seems a good time to fill my soul with eternal treasures so I choose Christian books. I found the audio version of Anne of Green Gables on offer, so I decided to give it a go. How I revelled in it ... and surprisingly, I enjoyed even more than when I’d read the book from cover to cover. Rachel McAdams did a perfect job of reading it. 

The exquisiteness of L.M. Montgomery’s words filled me with joy, her themes revived me and the relationships she’d created blessed me. For days after I finished it, I continued to savour it. It is a story that contains beauty, humour, life, varying seasons, courage, forgiveness, love. And more. Beauty, truth and goodness.

 

So what is my takeaway as a reader? 

What is my takeaway as a writer?

Despite it not strictly being Christian fiction, the timeless truths of Jesus and His loving plans for His world, resonated in every page,  ‘Anne of Green Gables’ expressed eloquently that our lives are filled with of all kinds of everything. Seasons of growth and learning, quieter seasons when nothing grand occurs. There are seasons of joy but also seasons of pain. There was the sweetness of Anne winning the Avery scholarship and the delight it brought her and Matthew and Marilla. But very soon after, too soon in fact, her beloved Matthew died. I shed tears for them. Our writing lives too have many seasons, as you have no doubt discovered. Creativity one moment. A dead end the next!

I enjoyed 10 grand years being a writer on steroids, enjoying every moment, until my chronic illness got so bad, that I couldn’t do much –  on days I had time to write, my fatigue and pain didn’t give my brain any ability to function. That started 9 ½ years ago. This past year, I’ve responded to God’s call to get back in harness, so I pray He will give me more energetic days which I can put to good use, both in writing and in blessing His world. In fact, by faith, I’ve booked for the Omega Writer’s conference in October! And Yay! I am so excited!

I wonder what your own season is like, dear writer friend? I’d like to re-assure you that all of it matters – the thriving times, the sleepy times, the arid times, the hard times, the good times, the creative juice flowing times. All of it! In God’s economy, nothing is wasted. In my almost 10 years of doing less, God has been working in me … and I have collected plenty of research I can use in my next book or two. Or three. I’d love to encourage anyone who has been struggling. Better days are ahead. No matter what today looks like, our faithful God continues to walk beside you and work out His plans for you, even if they are different to your own.

As a reader, I learnt from Anne of Green Gables, that you can shout out what God is like through your story, without mentioning Him often. Lucy Maud Montgomery had a wonderful gift, not just in the delightful stories that she weaved in her head, but also, having at her fingertips, words that enthral and create enchanting pictures in our mind’s eyes. It was like cool water, that refreshed me. I laughed aloud, far more than I’d done when reading the book. I realised again, the beauty of words and ideas. The Word of God is alive today. And His divine life permeates each of us writers, so we can communicate His words to His world. 

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness." 2 Peter 1:3

 

Anne was transformed from a chattering, emotional, expressive little 11 year old to a thoughtful, caring, beautiful 16 year old by the time the book ended. Her own story was transformed when she learn to forgive Gilbert and a beautiful friendship she'd thwarted for far too long, was begun. Transformation. For us, believers, that’s surely what life is about, don’t you think? When Jesus transforms us from the inside out, the words we share and the books we write will be transformed as well. Which means that if God is keeping you on the backburner for a little while, it’s OK. He knows what He is doing.

I believe He is working all things together for good in your life and in mine, just as He promises, to all who love Him. And so dear friend, let’s use the words, ideas, stories that God’s given us, to build God’s kingdom, one day at a time. One sentence at a time. One prayer at a time. And may all that we write, be used by Jesus to glorify His Name, as we yield our pens to Him, the Author of each of our stories. 

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

 

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book ‘Dancing in the Rain’ brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, ‘Sharing the Journey’ is a sequel to 'Enjoying the Journey'.

                                             

'

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain 

Light in the Darkness 

 

 

 

Creative Seasons

I know it's autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere - but in the creative space, I feel like I'm emerging from a long winter. Not a Brisbane winter, where the trees keep their leaves, and wattle and poinsettia splash flamboyant colour against the cloudless cobalt blue of the sky. More a Melbourne winter, with grey low skies, dizzling rain and the cold that seeps deep into your bones. 

The main reason for this long winter over the last few years, where everything seems an effort and motivation is hard to come by, was grief due to family drama (which I won't go into). It was hard to focus on the complexity of my characters' journey and intricate plots when my heart was dealing with the jagged edges of emotional pain.

Thank God for short stories - that keep the creative juices going - and poetry. And time and healing and mending.

Short stories are bite sized - though mine tend to be giant-sized bites - with simplier arcs and shorter timelines. Poetry is even more condensed, where every word can matter - and can express emotion in a way prose can struggle to do.

Despite a hiatus of a couple weeks travelling, I participated in the Month of Poetry again this January - with a special challenge each Saturday - ranging from ekphrastic poems inspired by an art work (sculpture, painting, photograph etc), writing a poem inspired by or in the voice of a favourite book character, writing a compunctual poem (two poems interlaced in interaction with each other - hard to do), a poem inspired by a line of poetry you admire, and finally, a poem about what poetry means to you (Five Saturdays in January this year). 

I also went to my very first Genre-Con this year - on the theme of Inklings - and it was particularly inspiring. Apparently even after 15 years of seriously pursuing writing and getting a Masters in writing, there are indeed new things to learn. I loved the Manga stream under Professor Belne from Japan with a hands-on workshop. The three golden nuggets I took away from the weekend (as Lori-Jay Ellis encouraged us to look for)

1 ) the comparion of the 3 Act Hero's Journey popular in the West with both the lesser known Heroine's Journey and the 4 Act Eastern Kishōtenketsu (with a unexpected asteroid-sized shift in Act 3) (Thanks Belne, Queenie Chan, Genieve Flynn and L.E. Daniels).
2) Scott Wilson's enthuiasm was uplifting as he explained the making of the Indigiverse - and how the powers of his superheros are based on the character and strengths of his great-grandmother, mother, and other people important in his life.
3) I also enjoyed Michelle Birrell's demonstration of using mind-maps to take an idea of a story to one with legs (or rather characters, conflict and context).

And the whole weekend was so much better sharing it with a friend.

Filling the creative well helps keep the creatve spark alive (to mix metaphors).

Though, in many ways, it's also time and God's healing presence that mends. 

I prefer to avoid pain, like things to be easy - yet life isn't easy and sometimes it can break you. God walks with us even when we can't feel his presence, maybe especially then. And it's often in those dark winter fallow times when nothing (or very little) seems to be happening, that the soil is broken up and enriched and the seed grows.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases:
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV*

Have you experienced fallow times - what has helped renew your creativity?

P. S. here's two of my poems form MOP (I resisted the urge to share a third) - the first on the stillness of cats, the other an acrotic on inspiration. Enjoy.

The Stillness of Cats

The stillness of cats
a movable feast of perfected rest
stretched out trapeze like to impossible length,
curled pretzel close, nose to tail,
spine twisted in unlikely spiral,
or paws curled in post-mortem pose
not a whisker or a muscle twitching
as still as death, yet replete with curled up life
a fracture in reality and time.

The stillness of cats, majestic, magical, mystical
suspends time, tears at the curtain of reality

triggering inexplicable yearning

like the infinite arch of the blue, blue sky
the effortless stretch of the restless ocean
the song of the wind dancing between the leaves,
whistling whistling across country,
the slow sink of the sun, the rise of the plump fullfaced moon
the exuberant splatter of stars against the purple-black sky
the wonder and thisness of the world
stirring emotions hard to name, an unspoken promise
unreachable perfection wrapped in eternity
the great beyond calling, calling, calling
further up and further in.

28 January ©  Jeanette O’Hagan

Inspiration - an Acrostic

Inhale the shy sparks of imagination
Nourishment for mind and soul
Simmering, swirling, unspooling
Percolating in quiet places and the routine
Incubating in dreams, in the shower, on walks
Reverberating with rhyme and rhythm and rhetoric
Activating, unannounced, in media res, bums on seats
Torrents of creation causing creek banks to overflow
Incited by the everyday, the minutiae of living
Outrageous too, sparked by the weird, the wonderful
New emerging like phoenix from the cinders of the old. 

2 Jan 2026 ©  Jeanette O’Hagan

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad’s Legacy series and more recently, Rise of the Consortium. Her story in Stepping Sideways, 'In a League of Her Own' won the 2024 Aurealis Award for YA Short Stories & 'Anomalies at Prospero Base' (in Rise of the Consortium) was shortlisted in the 2025 Aurealis Awards.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and writing. She loves reading, painting, travel, and pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane.

*Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 

Creativity's Path

 

Creativity—reflecting and embodying our destiny as made in the image of our Creator triune God, author, artist, designer, engineer, composer extraordinaire.

Creativity - a torch lit within and fanned by others.

One of the highlights of my childhood was winning the first prize  in an art competition (in  Grade 3). I loved to draw and paint as a child. I also had a passion for reading inspired by my parents reading the the Chronicles of Narnia to my brothers and me each night.

Lewis’ imaginative stories transported me to another world, their strong symbolism and courage an inspiration. Shortly after, I discovered the school library. Reading books especially by Lewis and Patricia St John helped me understand my faith. Stories gave flesh and blood and motions to the biblical truths I’d learnt from the cradle. They helped me understand grace and God’s great love and power. They encouraged me to appreciate other people, their perspectives and motivations.

I was nine when my family uprooted and travelled to Africa – a process that took four months from leaving Mt Isa and arriving by train in Kitwe. Around this time, I began daydreaming characters and adventures in my own world. I was inspired by Narnia, Last of the Mohicans, and later, by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and the many other books I read. My own inner storytelling grew and expanded from one small island and a handful of characters, to continents and peoples and various nations. It was some years before I told anyone about it, though I did draw pictures, make notes and maps and genealogies, invented an alphabet and language.

While in Zambia, one of the missionaries took an interest in my world-building and encouraged me to write my stories down. I did make a series of paintings based on my world and write a short story set in it, but it wasn’t until my late teens, early twenties that wrote my first attempt at a novel.

Creativity can have twists and turns and lay-bys

Over the next couple of years, I rewrote and edited the novel, got a nibble from a publisher, wrote some short stories, but put it all one side when my life took a different tack. Over the next fifteen years, I put all my energy into post-graduate study, lecturing, church, husband and children and the challenges along the way. Writing, apart from lecture notes, student handbooks, promotional brochures, research papers, course outlines, newsletters and articles, was decidedly on the backburner. 

I invested many years of my life, my heart and soul into theological study and lecturing. Yet, due to restructuring, other people’s decisions, health challenges, and family demands, I came to the point where I had to let it go, and I was shattered. A combination of burn-out and loss of a long held and cherished dream left me empty, depressed and my faith shaken. Always before this, troubles had thrown me closer to God. Now I felt abandoned, left on the shelf, shunned. I struggled through dark days, but in midst of that darkness, God whispered to me. At a woman's camp, He whispered ‘I have a new dream for you.’ It took me three years and an amazing God-encounter in one of my darkest moments before I could hear His words, and more to the point, accept them.

But then, one day, God had other plans.

God had called me to ‘feeding his sheep’ and opened the doors to lecturing in a theological college. Then he was called me to write the stories He’d given me. I enrolled in a Master of Creative writing and, through a writers’ conference, connected with other Christian writers. I dusted off my old novel and began writing new stories and poetry. I learned new ways of writing (styles change over time) and gained a greater understanding of how story works. Gradually, my poems and shorts stories were accepted for publication and I launched out as an Indie author. I have a half-shelf of books - anthologies and sole-authored books.

Being an author is hard work. Sometimes it feels like shouting into the abyss, desperate to hear even the faintest echo return - a sale, a review, someone inspired or comforted or entertained by what one has written. Don't get me wrong, I've had many sales, reviews and people excited about my stories - but also long periods of silence in which it is easy to allow doubts to flourish.

As an introvert (as so many of us are), the constant effort to be seen and noticed can become wearying to the soul. It's easy to lose the original motivation to write, especially when life and friends and family also brings more hard knocks and disappointments. 

I write in a genre many Christians don’t understand (despite the greats like C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Madeleine D’Engle or even John Bunyan). These were stories captured my imagination as a child, that strengthened and enlivened my faith. And these are the stories I believe God has given me to write.

Being creative, being a story-teller, (or an artist or musician), pointing to the light in the darkness, are these not reflections of God, at least part of what it means to be made in His image?

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Ruhanna's Flight and Other Stories, Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad's Legacy series - and new short story in the Starlit Realms: Fantasy anthology.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life.

Facebook |Jeanette O'Hagan Writes | Twitter | Instagram

The Curious Convergence of Chaos and Creativity.

Mazzy Adams

The human brain is amazing; intricate elements function as purposed, follow patterns and procedures ordered by nature and nurture, send signals that keep our bodies alive, absorb new information, drive the development of new skills, and power creative endeavours.

Pixabay Image by Charles Thonney

With time, patience, practice, and persistence, our brains can establish alternative neural pathways when existing ones are damaged or adjust to ongoing disfunction; something I’ve experienced.

My persistent brain glitch limits sensation in my left leg, and hinders my immediate short-term recall, a challenge when up-skilling in the age of video tutorials. My work-around of printed instructions and scribbled notes quickly clutters my desk.

While I focused on the final onslaught of Indie Publishing Licence to Die, the hotchpotch of folders, images, and documents filling my computer’s ‘desktop’ screen mirrored the paper jungle overtaking my desk. 

Despite that, with focussed persistence, (and a willingness to read or listen to the same instruction six or sixteen times if necessary) the final product emerged FROM CHAOS, complete, published, and ready for the reading world. 

Did I have to work hard to make it happen? Yes. Was it difficult or challenging? Frequently. Did it bring me joy? Yes (between the tears and the teeth-grinding). Will I keep writing, keep producing chaotic first drafts, edit them, submit them to scrutiny, edit them again, typeset them, design covers and promotional material, and fulfil the million-and-one other requirements for bringing a new book into the world? While God directs and guides me to do so, yes.

Why? Because I was created to fulfil my God-given purpose which, at this time, includes writing and publishing.

If you’re reading this blog, it’s extremely likely you share a similar God-given purpose. (And that’s exciting!)  

Pixabay Image by Arek Socha

Referencing Genesis 1:2 and 2:15, Author, Tim Challies, expounds two important principles in his blog, The High Calling of Bringing Order from Chaos. He explains, “God knows all about order and chaos … As God began to move in his week of creation, he brought order from … disorder. He organized, he formed, he made, he filled. From that unformed substance emerged the beauty, the order, of this world. But it emerged only by his effort, his will, his handiwork.” Challies also says, ‘bringing order from chaos is dignified … God-assigned work.’

(As an aside, if you’d like to explore the alternative translation of Genesis 1:2 which renders the Hebrew words,  tohu v’vohu (formless and void) as ‘uninhabitable chaos and emptiness’, I believe you’ll be blessed and encouraged, as I was, by Sarah E. Fisher’s inspiring lesson at hebrewwordlessons.com)

We are indeed privileged to engage in God-authored (and anchored) activity that begets order and productivity, to reflect our Creator’s image by functioning as He intended we should from the beginning.

Back to that word, ‘chaos’.

When God spoke, chaos conformed to His will. Not so, my messy desk and desktop! Licence to Die may have emerged from that developing chaos, but when it came to drafting this blog post, my inbuilt chaos meter had become overloaded and off the scale. My grey matter may not have been scattered willy-nilly across the jumbled universe of notes, instruction sheets, reminders, works-in-progress, bills-to-pay, records to … record, and other items directing my to-do list, but my free flow of fresh ideas was tangled up and stuck in that inglorious mess. It was time to clear the decks! Re-establish order from chaos! Make way for new creative endeavours.

My efforts left me with an improved desktop presentation ...

(I said improved, not perfect!)

and two ordered stacks of paper; this one awaits a second level sort. I'll recycle the other pile for new notes and reminders. 

Controlled Chaos: MazArt by Catie J

The act of tidying the desk helped tidy my mind too, triggering these thoughts about the relationship between chaos and creativity. I looked up the dictionary definition of ‘chaos’ and got creative with it. Here’s the result:

Chaotic Chaos: MazArt by Catie J

If you enjoy solving puzzles, feel free to decipher (order) the definition of chaos from the word jumble I created. (Or you could just read it for yourself on Dictionary.com)

Either way, it’s good to recognise, and acknowledge daily, the relationship God established between chaos and creativity:

• When God spoke, formless chaos conformed to His creative will, unleashing life.
• When Adam rebelled, chaos regained its foothold, unleashing death and destruction.
• When Jesus obeyed, surrendering His own will to God, He defeated and disarmed chaos and death.
• When Jesus returns, we’ll see the full manifestation of His magnificent restoration of God’s perfect creation. 

Till then, may we each continue, day by day, in our calling to ‘tidy’ the corner where we are, creatively partnering with God to produce and maintain order and fruitfulness that blesses the world we live in. 

Have you experienced a productive or unexpected result when chaos and creativity converge? Perhaps you could tell us about it in the comments.

Mazzy Adams ~ Author ~ Genre Rebel

Intrigue and Inspiration with an Upmarket Down Under Vibe.

A published author of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction with a passion for words, pictures, and the positive potential in people, Mazzy's debut thriller, Licence to Die (GRUnGE.001) has just been released. 

Discover more about Mazzy at https://mazzyadams.com/

Scripture version referenced via BibleHub.Com links are from The Peshitta Holy Bible Translated by Glenn David Bauscher Lulu Publishing Copyright © 2018 3rd edition Copyright © 2019

Are You being Wooed?

 by Anusha Atukorala

The business from whom I buy travel insurance sent me an email.

“It’s been a while since you travelled with us. We have a very special offer to welcome you back. Buy now and save 10%* on your travel insurance. Let’s go somewhere.”

 

Let’s go somewhere? What a novel idea! But … with covid rampant? 

Hmm ... I don’t think so!

 

I have not been overseas or interstate since THE virus entered my world in January 2020. Fortunately, we’d enjoyed a fabulous vacation in Sri Lanka just before we were grounded, so it hasn’t been the least bit difficult for us to stay put. In fact, I feel I am on holiday when I’m home—peaceful mountain views serenade me all day long, I have a little den where I can write to my heart’s content, and our lovely backyard brings me into God’s sweet presence.

The world calls out to us on a daily basis. Advertisers seduce us to do things we don’t want to do, to buy things we do not need. Who gets our attention? Whose voice sounds loudest in our ears?

 

God woos us. Time and time again. Like children following the Pied Piper when he played his flute, we too are summoned to follow our Creator. He will lead us into a road off the beaten track, to creative paths, to scenic locations and also into rough and tough terrain, where we’re forced to learn more of Him as we lean into the unforced rhythms of grace.

 Where is God calling you to this season? More breathing? More being? More reflection? More writing? More living? More doing? The call of that advertisement to ‘go somewhere’ made me think of places I can spend time in, even during covid times.  

 

The first place God woos me is into His loving heart. He calls me to become a worshipper, to spend time with Him, to know Him more and to grow in my love for Him. The next place He woos me into is into character growth. James 1:2-4 reminds us to consider trials as joy - as pure, unadulterated joy! But … how do we find joy in hard times? Perhaps the way forward is by focussing on heaven’s perspective, and not our own! Colossians 3:1-4 is a great place to start.

 

The third place God woos me into, is to bless others. Covid may have made us a little more selfish – we’ve been forced to care for ourselves and to keep away from others. This Christmas, I felt guilty that it was a self-centred kind of season. But then, as I sought God, He showed me what I could do. I could care for one person at a time, in any way possible. It opened my eyes and my heart. I was blessed as He led me and it was a rich season, as I connected in varied ways to reach and touch others.

 

The fourth place God woos me is in my creative journey. My writing has taken a backseat in the past few years. But this year is going to be different! I will be more disciplined. I will WRITE! Every. Day. Does that sound familiar? Will you join me?

 

The final place God woos me into is a place of rest. A little girl trusts her Daddy when he leads her into difficult places, full of the unexpected and the unknown. I too likewise am learning to trust Him in the rough moments and seasons. Like a baby learning to walk who falls time and time again, I have often failed! But the beauty life with Jesus is that He never condemns, only encourages us as I get up and try again.

 

To what kind of places and spaces has God been wooing you? I’d love to hear of your journey. Like a row of skittles being struck down by a great black bowling ball, Covid has thrown us all helter skelter! However, even if you have been sent reeling into a dark corner, be assured that God has not abandoned you. From that place, He will woo you into godly spaces. He woos us gently into learning to live from the heart, to discovering more of His goodness, His grace, His love and most of all that He is enough, because He alone is the All Sufficient One. 

He alone is the One our souls thirst for!

 

Come join me as we follow the Heavenly Pied Piper into the adventures of a New Year. 

Wherever He leads us is the best place to be! 

May 2022 find us writing well, living well and loving well.

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

 

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book ‘Dancing in the Rain’ brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, ‘Sharing the Journey’ is a sequel to 'Enjoying the Journey' and was released in March 2020.

 

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain - https://anusha-atukorala.webnode.com/

Light in the Darkness- https://light-in-the-darkness00.webnode.com/

 

 

Dancing in the Rain: https://www.booktopia.com.au/dancing-in-the-rain-anusha-atukorala/book/9781925380118.html

Sharing the Journey: https://www.booktopia.com.au/sharing-the-journey-anusha-atukorala/book/9780648713869.html

 

Finding Inspiration

 

 

Normally, this time of year I’m travelling. Autumn in the northern hemisphere is my favourite time to travel. Italy, France, Norway, Finland, Vermont, Maine, and Canada are all beautiful in the fall. 

 

For the last fifteen years, I’ve travelled for at least two months of every year and every time, my mind was expanded as I experienced new languages, new places, and met new people. 

 

My writing is inspired when I am experiencing new things. 

 

My faith also informs my writing. Ideas that are God-breathed and God-inspired flow out of my soul like no other.

 

Things in everyday life inspire me–people I meet and things that happen all spark my creativity and inform my writing.

 

I guess we writers are like magpies. We collect inspiration in so many ways.  We catch snippets of conversation, enjoy art, watch movies, see plays, read widely, get intrigued by news items, laugh at, or thoughtfully consider, Instagram memes, and so much more. 

 

Sometimes though, we need to be intentional about inspiration. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdowns, and travel restrictions, I found the well of my inspiration running a little dry. 

 

So, I’ve done a few things lately to try and inject a little more inspiration into my life. Here are four things that have been inspiring me: 

 1. Volunteer: I’ve begun a volunteer job at my local church in their community services department. In this role, I interview people who need emergency relief. The church provides food vouchers, help with bill paying, fuel vouchers, and referrals to others services if required. 

 

Of course, I didn’t just do this to inspire my writing. Writing is a big part of my life but doing something in my community to help others is something I love doing. I’m sure that a by-product of the experiences of working in this environment will inspire something in my writing. 

2. Attend A Workshop or Retreat (in-person or online): Recently, I attended a workshop on the topic of writing your story with self-compassion. During the day, I was able to write a new ending for a novel I've been working on for years. 

As we shared our writing in small groups, I was inspired by the other writers in the group. I was challenged when I shared my own work. I still feel nervous tension when reading my work aloud, but I love being challenged to keep stretching and dreaming.

The Omega Writers Conference is running an online retreat on October 8 and 9. Why not consider signing up and joining others to be inspired? 

3. Do Something Way Out of Your Comfort Zone: In August, I signed up for a songwriting course. I’m not a singer or a musician, in fact, I’m the only non-musician in the group. Why on earth am I doing this? 

I thought it might help me to look at writing in a different way. I think doing the course will help develop my writing brain in a new way. Perhaps it will help make my writing more poetic and rhythmic. Perhaps something will be sparked as I listen to other's stories, songs, and music.

The last week of the course requires us to perform the song we’ve written. I’m not sure how I’ll fulfil that requirement but there are some helpful people in the class who said they will help me. 

 

4. Study Something New: Next term, I begin Italian lessons. Since I can’t travel to Italy at the moment, I thought that I’d learn more of the language before I go back one day.

 

There’s so much that has been taken away from us during the Covid-19 pandemic but it doesn’t mean that we can’t still be inspired. We just have to find different ways to live a life filled with inspiration.

 

Do you need a creativity boost? Why not try doing something new that will push you out of your normal routines?   

 

What have you been doing that inspires your creativity lately?