Like Waiting for Rain in a Drought

In our culture, I think it's easy to get the idea that fame and fortune is the ultimate measure of success. Especially for writers, artists, musicians and others in creative professions and hobbies. If you're not getting accolades, and if your target audience don't recognise your name, some might suggest you're not doing the 'platform' thing properly. The juicy carrot is always dangling a few inches beyond your reach. Yet you assume the goal of fame must be achievable, because you see others in your same field taking great, crunchy bites of their own magnificent carrots. Sometimes that encourages you to never give up, and other times, if you're honest, it makes you envious because the quality of their offerings seems to be no better (or maybe even worse) than yours.

Many of us are probably familiar with the author Julia Cameron, who helped several creative people break out of their non-productive ruts with her book, 'The Artist's Way.' She suggests that longing for fame feels a bit like waiting for rain in a drought. 'We keep squinting toward the horizon, jealous of our luckier neighbours and dissatisfied with our own condition,' she says. Her words gave me funny images of Elijah asking his servant, 'Can you see anything yet?'

Can you imagine this? After several fruitless looks, the young man replies, 'Yes, there are a couple of new reviews on Goodreads and a slight increase in your Amazon sales ranking.'

Well, we know what happened in the Bible. Elijah and his servant rushed out in order to beat the soaking deluge they'd already predicted to King Ahab. So in our analogy, we grasp these measly signs and push on, trying to prepare ourselves for the downpour of sales, ads, notoriety and money we hope will follow. But maybe in our case, the small cloud will just waft away. 'Hey,' we complain. 'That's not what happened with Elijah!'

Julia Cameron goes on to muse that our culture has taught us to think of fame as a necessary by-product, but she also suggests that it's full of empty calories with no nutritional value. We are taught even by some Christian media moguls to keep seeking the amazing breakthrough, after which our lives will be abundantly blessed. But we need only look at the sad revelations, not to mention several premature deaths, of many celebrities who seemed to have it all to see that fame is not all it's cracked up to be.

'Not all artists will lead public lives,' Cameron goes on to say. 'Many of us as talented as those who fame strikes may toil out our own days in relative anonymity.' And that's okay, because it may not even be healthy for us. I'm reminded of another article, this time written by Ann Voskamp, in which she argues convincingly that the human soul isn't really even designed for fame.

So this sort of message encourages us to make sure we're listening to our Creator rather than our culture. Keeping in mind how easy it is to get the two mixed up may be a key to help. I appreciate anything that may clear my mind in this confusing world where we're brought up not to be attention seekers as children, and then later, chastised for not seeking attention in the adult world of self-promotion. Let's enjoy any praise and accolades that come our way, but not at the cost of forgetting to stay focused on the main thing. If our love for God, others, and the joy of our work is what drives us, then our lives are full of what matters most regardless of the fame and attention we're receiving from other people.

Paula Vince is a South Australian author of contemporary, inspirational fiction. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, with its four distinct seasons, and loves to use her environment as settings for her stories. Her novel, 'Picking up the Pieces' won the religious fiction section of the International Book Awards in 2011, and 'Best Forgotten' was winner of the CALEB prize the same year. She is also one of the four authors of 'The Greenfield Legacy', Australia's first and only collaborated Christian novel. Her most recent novel, 'Imogen's Chance' was published April 2014. For more of Paula's reflections, you may like to visit her book review blog, The Vince Review.

 

Becoming an Elephant

I stumbled across an old email the other day—it hinted at a true story about elephants. I’ve always been fascinated by these creatures (who abounded in the land of my birth), so I eagerly read on. What an intriguing tale! Lawrence Anthony, nicknamed ‘The Elephant Whisperer’ had been an international conservationist, environmentalist, explorer and bestselling author. I quote from the narrative:

“On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons, and numerous elephants”, italics mine.

How did those ‘numerous elephants’ show that they remembered him?
How did we know that they did?
But first, what had they to remember of him?

Lawrence Anthony had been a legend. Rogue elephants who would usually have been put down, had been calmed, rescued and given refuge in a large sanctuary he established for them. Anthony was known to be exceptional in caring for traumatised elephants. When the ‘Elephant Whisperer’ died, something mysterious and profound took place. From miles away, wild elephants—dozens of them, silently began a long trek to his home, in solemn single file, taking at least 12 hours to reach. They stayed for two days, refusing to eat or drink, saying goodbye to the man who had championed their cause.

What an amazing story! And what a brilliant example of remembering. How did they even know he had died? We human beings are good at recalling the bad done to us. Do we also bring to mind often the acts of kindness we’ve received? I've been inspired by the life of King David as I've studied it recently. I was struck also by an occurrence that took place when King Saul died. Men in the small town of Jabesh Gilead came stealthily at dead of night, and took his body away with them so that his enemies would not taunt his body. These valiant men risked their lives for a dead king, because years before, King Saul had helped them. They too had remembered.

Would you like to be an elephant today? Not in size of course. Nor in looks, so you can rest easy. But would you like to be an elephant today in the act of remembering?

WHAT CAN WE, WHO CALL OURSELVES CHRISTIAN WRITERS, REMEMBER?
1. That Jesus bought us life, freedom and salvation. Praise Him.

2. The inspiring books we’ve read and how we’ve been changed through them.

3. Writers, role models and teachers in our writing sphere who have taught us, shaped our writing and grown us. Let’s appreciate them.

4. That our dreams, talents, abilities, time and even opportunities to write, all come from Him who reigns over all. We are stewards. We owe it all to our Lord.

5. That everything we’ve achieved are gifts from Him, so any praise directed at our writing and speaking efforts should be boomeranged back to our Creator.

6. The encouraging ways that God came through for us in the past, so with grateful hearts, we can entrust the future of our creativity to Him.

7. The deep joy we have in being writers called of God—how thrilling the journey. Let us never take our calling for granted.

And so today, I pause, reflect and give thanks. To God—for calling me to write for Him, for His guidance and inspiration. To you, my fellow writers who’ve taught me over the years and encouraged me stay on course. To those whose insightful books have showered God’s truth over my being. I look forward to new mountains yet to climb, because all I know of our God tells me that if He’s come through for me in the past, I can count on His faithfulness in the future.

I’d like to be an Elephant today.
Would you care to join me?

And now my Christian Writer Friends, this is for you:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 1:3-6


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. Please stop by at her website Dancing in the Rain to say G’day. She’d love to see you.

Follow that Shepherd by Anusha Atukorala

I've been re-reading the Christmas narrative and studying it over the last few weeks. What a compelling story! Can you imagine the thrill in the heavenly realms as God and the angels prepared for the birth of the Son of God? Picture the stage being set. Lights out. A flickering lamp in a stable. The innkeeper’s wife scurries around with hot water and swaddling clothes. Joseph paces outside, along the cobbled path, his heart pounding. A donkey brays, loud and harsh in the still night air. Stars come out one by one; winds murmur in the trees. Mary writhes in agony, sweat pouring down her sweet face. And then … and then … we hear a wail, a baby’s cry. In an instant, God has entered our world.

Joseph gently wipes the sweat off Mary’s face. She smiles at him, then gazes at her infant, mesmerised. He is the most beautiful baby in the world. His name is Jesus. A short distance away, shepherds are keeping watch over their sheep. A bright light dazzles. Abel jumps out of his skin … almost. Noah’s mouth opens wide but no sound comes out. Adam’s hand clutches his long beard. He is staring wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before them. Angels—a mighty host of of them are singing in the heavenly realms. The shepherds move back in fear. But an angel speaks. “Don’t be afraid.” His voice is clear, low, melodious. “For I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people. Unto you is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”.

Wouldn’t you like to have been there?

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending an Elton John concert. It was a fabulous night and the music was full, rich and intoxicating. But an hour before the event, as we stood outside, waiting for the doors of the Entertainment Centre to be opened, three people ranted at us, placards in hand, belting out a gospel message. But oh! It annoyed me immensely and made my blood boil. I wanted to march up to them and ask them to shut up. I prayed for the listeners that they would find God in spite of what was being shared. It shocked me that Christians could sound as they did. A good message but mouthed in the worst possible manner. Enough to put a saint off!

As a writer, I too need to be careful about how I come across to my readers. Those defenders of the gospel drew people away from God rather than towards Him. Did they glorify God? Hardly. When I read Luke’s gospel last week, I found some helpful pointers for my writing journey (chapter 2:15-20) from what happened that Christmas night.

1. The shepherds were faithful to their calling, doing what they should be doing, so the angels knew where to locate them. What about me? Am I doing today what He asked of me? Am I in the right place so I can be found by Him?
2. They listened to the Angels’ message. Am I hearing God about my writing?
3. They obeyed. They took the angel’s word seriously. Have I obeyed Him this year in my writing journey? What about the year ahead? What does he require of me?
4. They spread the word. I found it interesting that the angels didn’t ask them to share the good news. All they were told to do was to go and find baby Jesus, the Saviour of the world. But when they did, they couldn’t stop themselves from sharing. It was an overflow of the joy of meeting Jesus. Have I met with Jesus lately? Am I consumed with the desire to use my writing and my life to share God’s truth in the genre He’s called me to write?
5. All who heard the shepherds were amazed. Have people been smitten by God through my writing? Have they discovered who He is because of what I write?
6. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Is praise a big part of my life? Do I glorify God through my life and through my writing?
7. And then there was Mary. She pondered over all she heard and treasured it in her heart. How much do I ponder over the God’s truths? Do I treasure it? How often do I marvel over the Good News? Does it change my life?

The shepherds were unschooled men. But that didn’t prevent them sharing the Good News far and wide. We read in Luke’s gospel that they discovered the stable scene just as it was told them. And that is our starting point too. The faithfulness of God. He who calls us can be wholly trusted. This Christmas let’s follow the shepherds in how they responded to God’s call. And don’t forget we have a Good Shepherd who has laid down his life for us. Let us follow Him. He came that the world may be drawn back to God.

Warmest greetings to you all for a very Blessed Christmas!

Anusha Atukorala has two places she calls home, the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, and this very special land Down Under. She loves writing in any form, be it creative writing, composing songs and poetry, or simply emailing family and friends. She also enjoys reading, walking, singing, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, making friends and sharing the love of Jesus. Her first book, 'Enjoying the Journey' is a collection of 75 little stories of God's reality in every day life. Do drop in at her website to say G’day. She’ll be very happy to see you. Dancing in the Rain

That Sad Old 'RE' Word

I’d been through 6 weeks of it and managed very well, even if I say so myself. Six weeks spent mostly in bed, unable to do much except RE-lax, RE-ad and be RE-stored. I see you’ve been smart enough to notice there were three words starting with the letters ‘RE” in the previous sentence! You are very observant. I would even guess that you are a Writer. Am I right?

RE-laxing was great! RE-ading was wonderful! Being RE-stored was brilliant! I was deeply content. But then ….came one little hitch. Another ‘RE’ word came into my line of vision. That ‘RE’ word was not as RE-freshing or RE-storative as the other ‘RE’ words. Any guesses as to what it was? It’s one most of us writers are well versed in, having experienced it time and time again.

Yes, the word is RE-jection. Ah! Does it ring any bells?

After the Euphoria of my wonderfully RE-laxing 6 weeks came a week of RE-jection. My book, my baby, my life… was tossed out like a precious, beautifully wrapped gift that was thrown away even before it was opened. My latest book, one I’d worked very hard on for months on end – burning the midnight oil – hoping it would win a competition – didn’t make it after all. I had been sure that God had use of it out there in the big wide world. But – no – there was one winner and that winner wasn’t me!

REJECTION! In my book, RE-jection often equals DEJECTION! It makes me place my tail between my legs and slink away into a corner to brood deeply and to shed a few tears. I confess that I’ve had a number of rejections as a writer. Every single time it hurt. Ouch! Each time it felt like the end of the world – well not quite the end of the world…. .but you know what I am talking about, don’t you?

Over the past few weeks, I have been looking at that ‘RE’ word a bit more closely. And I found something interesting. Viewed through God’s eyes it looks a bit different. It is not painted in dark black letters anymore. Instead, it’s like a prism - displaying to my heart a myriad beautiful colours. Because of course, everything through God lenses are much much much brighter. And so much more beautiful.

Firstly, the RE-jection of my books is not about me. It feels it is. But isn’t. It is about my writing. And I can do something about that. I can strive to improve. Secondly, if God is leading me on – this RE-jection I face is part of His plan for me. If being in God’s will is the most important thing in my life, (and I believe it is) then – even a RE-jection can be viewed differently. Not a sad occurrence after all. But one that together with all else, works things out for my good.

Thirdly, every RE-jection teaches me something new. It helps me RE-focus. My latest RE-jection helped me RE-think my plans for 2013. I am now excited about the change of plans and the direction this year’s sun-dial is pointing.

Finally and most importantly – any guesses as to who faced the biggest rejection of all? Yes, of course! Jesus Himself. As we celebrate the most important event in the Christian calendar this week, we cannot help but be amazed at His sacrifice for us. He came to His own and His own received Him not. He came to share God’s love and what did we do? We hung Him on a cross.

If his RE-jection and death ended in an amazing RE-surrection, bringing RE-newal and RE-storation of all things – perhaps there is a lesson you and I can learn? Perhaps RE-jection is not such a sad little word at all?

Perhaps it will bring me hope, humility and the best way forward?

Here’s wishing all of us writers only the good kinds of ‘RE’ words. Words like RE-newal, RE-storation, RE-building, RE-st and RE-laxation! Words like the RE-jections that He plans for our lives – so we might be truly RE-juvenated! We could perhaps Re-word that RE-jection so both our Writing and our Lives RE-bound to the glory of our RE-deemer!



Anusha delights in many things – life, the love of Jesus, people, the beauty of God’s Creation. She writes mostly for pleasure. Her first book 'Enjoying the Journey' is a book of 75 God thoughts and lessons learnt through every day life. She has decided never to grow old in spite of a body that is already defying her intentions! She enjoys the finer things of life including friendship and chocolate!

Singing, walking, connecting with people and sharing God’s love are her some of her deepest passions. Like her writing, she is a work in progress! Please drop in to say Hello to her at her website Dancing in the Rain at http://anusha-atukorala.webnode.com/

A Loss or a GIFT?

I’d bought it for $12.00 at the village – a small shiny silver elephant brooch. I thought it would look perfect on my black jumper. And so the very next Sunday, I wore it to church. The striking contrast of a shiny little silver elephant against a black jumper caused many friends to notice and admire it. Yes, it was twelve dollars well spent.

I wore it again and again. But guess what. The clasp behind the elephant didn’t work very well. So practically every time I wore it, I’d lose the brooch in a few hours. The very first time it occurred, I’d given it up for lost, when a lady placed it under my nose, asking me ‘Is this yours”? “Yes” I exclaimed in glad surprise. How did she know? Perhaps the little elephant’s fame had spread far and wide.

Another time I lost it only to find it a few days later, reposing on the floor of my car. A third time, a friend found it and returned it to me. Yay! Every single time I lost it – it somehow found its way back to me. Returned. Reclaimed. Re-owned. Amazing! (I think that little Elephant was determined to stay under my loving care. Don’t you agree?)

As a follower of Jesus, when I think of lost and found items, the parable of the lost sheep leaps to mind. All of us Christian writers have been like this little lost sheep at some point in our lives, haven’t we? And God has found us. How blessed we are!

I wonder if you have lost something this past year? Was 2012 a difficult year for you? Did you feel glad to see the back of it? Did you lose a relationship that was close to you? Or did you lose something tangible that was dear to your heart? Did you lose a dream? Did life perform an unwelcome series of antics in your presence and steal some of your joy? Did Satan trample hard on your desires? Did you lose your hope? Or courage?

I have good news for you. For a Disciple of Jesus – God’s Word holds out many blessed promises to all who grieve. Comfort, Strength; a New Beginning. Jesus Himself and His presence with us. Hope. So I’d like to assure you today that God has promised to return to you what was lost. Sometimes He replaces it with something far better.

As a Christian Writer – is there something you’d like to reclaim today? Inspiration? Fresh ideas? Readers to buy your books? New ways of promoting your wares? A way to push out of writer’s block? Courage to stay true to your calling?

As I write this today, on the 11th of January 2013, I am about to lose something precious. My independence. In 6 days time, I will be on an operating table. My right foot will be subject to lots of torture. Well, not torture but surgery. (Same thing, isn’t it?) An ugly bunion will be sliced and corrected. A badly dislocated toe will be shortened and re-made. Tendons and ligaments will be sewn up. And then for two long weeks, I will not just be house-bound but also bed bound. Not allowed to do anything apart from gazing at the ceiling with my foot raised above my heart.

On the whole, it’s not my favourite way to live.

But wait a minute. Perhaps it will be just what God Himself ordered. I’m sure it will be an unforgettable experience. Perhaps when the worst is over, I might even write a book about it. Perhaps after the pain has lessened, I will gain lots of pleasurable time to dream, to plan, to read, to write, to spend with God. My loss of independence will be difficult. But I might have a perfect little Writer’s Retreat during those 3 months, when I can write to my heart’s content and read to my heart’s content too – all in a wonderful guilt free mode. I have to admit that it’s sounding better by the minute!

What have you lost today? Is God calling you to something new through what you lost? Often our losses bring new blessings gift-wrapped in God’s special wrapping paper. I pray that you will find the package God is delivering to you in 2013 marked with Your Name – a special parcel filled with Hopes and Dreams for you alone, and God’s loving signature written with heavenly flourish, stamped all over it.

May your loss compel you to reach up to receive a brand new Gift from Him today.
Reach up and claim it dear Friend. It is yours.

And perhaps you can write a best seller about it one day to bless your world!
What do you think?

PS It's now 12 days since my operation. I have been under the surgeon's knife. Yes, it's hard being totally dependent on others for ALL of my needs. But - I have been deeply blessed. I am presently into my 13th day post op - and it has been a wonderful, restorative, restful 13 days. Many refreshing times with the Lord and my cup overflows. It was indeed a precious gift from Him. I pray that your loss too will be the same - an amazing gift from our Father God.

Anusha loves life and loves people. She’s passionate about Jesus and the difference He has made in her life. She has always been fascinated by the English language and enjoys playing with words. She also loves to inspire and bless her world through her written word and through her life. You can visit her at her website ‘Dancing in the Rain’
at http://anusha-atukorala.webnode.com/

Begin with thanks

I'm beginning 2013 with thankfulness.

I'm being very intentional about thankfulness this year after having read a wonderful book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Hers is a story of growing from bitterness to joy through giving thanks for the gifts she found around her in everyday life. She says, "A friend dare me to start counting one thousand things I loved. I took the dare, acepted the challenge, kept track of one thousand things, one thousand gifts - a thousand graces - on a quiet, anassuming blog. Before I knew it, thankfulness to God began to fully change me."

I found this a really inspiring story and a great challenge. I have so much to be thankful for. It's not hard to find things, small and great, every day, that I can give thanks for, even in the midst of frustrations, struggles, or even pain and tragedy. In fact to focus on those gifts really does change my reactions to the hard things of life. There is always something to give thanks for and Ann's book and her journey show that it is so often through gratitude that God can do a wonderful work in our lives. I've taken up the challenge to write down a thousand gifts over the coming months and am already finding it an attitude changer.

This month I've had the perfect opportunity to be thankful as I've just returned from ten days in Cambodia and this has heightened my awareness of how gifted my life here in Australia is. We spent time in a small village which our church supports and I found the people in that seemingly deprived and poverty stricken place, really do understand the graces of God and truly appreciate what we would see as small, almost insignificant gifts.



Happy children despite having so little

 

Three generations in a country where this is rare



Being with these people was truly challenging and inspiring. So what can I do but humbly give thanks and pray we all have a year of seeing the grace of God in all things.

Carol Preston has written a series of historica novels, based on her family history.
The fourth book in this series, Truly Free, will be released in March this year -
for which she is TRULY THANKFUL. 
www.carolpreston.com.au 
www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston