The Window: A Glimpse of God's Calling by Ann Wayne

A year and a half ago, I made plans to remodel my master bathroom. The builder came by, measured the room and discussed the details. I excitedly pointed out to him that I wanted a small window cut into the exterior wall. You see, no window existed in this bathroom.

When the builder left that day, I stood there and imagined looking out the window and seeing God’s creation in the back yard. The tall oak trees towering in the woods, the deer that pass by occasionally; and now I would be able to hear the sounds of the finches chirping as they hang on the swinging bag of thistle seed, filling their bellies to the brim.

When the remodel was complete, this small window became my favorite addition to the room. It reminded me of God’s calling on those of us who write and speak. For the past several years, God has given me opportunities to attend conferences and fine tune these skills, a little at a time. He hasn’t opened any big doors yet, but I know that He will in the right time. For most of us, these skills are developed over the years through life experiences and continuing education. There are some who are fortunate enough to use their journalism degree to lay their foundation of writing on. But I think it is so cool when someone says, “I have known for years that God has called me to write; I am just getting the opportunity to work on the skills.”

In Psalm 102:18 ( NKJ), the psalmist writes “This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” This is so exciting to me, that not only are we using our gifts to glorify God, but our children and grandchildren will read what we have written and praise the Lord. I think that this is one of the main reasons that God is calling me to write, so that I can share the hope and victories of trials with the generations to come. Notice that the psalmist didn’t say that it should be written, but that it will be written. Now brothers and sisters, the word of God is not to be compromised. We are supposed to act upon what we read in His word. So get busy and write! Or maybe you are supposed to be speaking too!

I struggle at times trying to figure out what I am supposed to write, finding the time to write and how best to hone the skills that are waiting to jump out on the paper. I would like to share a few strategies with you that are helping me to go forward.

Journal, journal, journal- This is one of the best ways to capture your thoughts each day. It’s amazing what the Lord can reveal to you in your quiet time. You may write only a few short notes, but you will realize that what you write today may be just the script you need later for an article or even a book. I even have a voice recorder that I carry with me in my purse. Sometimes, driving down the road, I will have a brainstorm with ideas for writing or speaking. Or maybe even a life experience is so unique that it will be recorded. My handy voice recorder captures the thoughts I wouldn’t be able to stop and write down. The Lord also gives me glimpses of opportunity as I communicate with Him through prayer.

Attend conferences or take classes- We wouldn’t expect a child to learn his alphabet or how to count by figuring it out on his own. The same principle applies to writing and speaking. We must seek out different venues for training so that we can develop our skills. There are many Christian conferences and retreats all over the country. Even the community colleges offer writing classes. There are also writing mentorship programs that are very helpful and some even offer certificates and diplomas. Yes, they cost something, but doesn’t anything in life worthwhile? The old saying goes something like this. “You get out of it what you put into it.”

Join a Writer’s Group- A group of like-minded writers can be a great support group to encourage, critique and share ideas for getting published. This is an excellent way to network and get leads to writing projects too. Check your local library or church to see if they host a writer’s group.

Subscriptions and Publications- The Christian and secular media is saturated with all types of publications to enhance writing and speaking. Looks for annual publications, monthly or quarterly magazines, online publications and free material that is handed out at some of the conferences. These are great avenues to make connections with the niche you are looking for to help develop your skills.
I hope that these bits of information are helpful, especially to the amateur writer and speaker. I enjoy looking out my small window each morning as I prepare for the day. Through nature, God reminds me that He is in control of every moment of my life.

Look for windows of opportunity in your life; don’t try to walk through doors yet. Wait for God to open the door; it will be in His perfect timing.

Twilight by Jan Darnell

Edward Cullen, a dreamy vampire in the movie Twilight, asks the smitten Isabella Swan, “What did you expect, dungeons and coffins and moats?” Isabella answers, “No, not the moats.” Twilight is a fantasy that develops relations between a teenage girl, Swan and the handsome vampire, Cullen. At box offices on opening day, the Twilight movie grossed $35.7 million dollars in the United States and $384,997,808 worldwide. All ages have been drawn into this recent craze of vampire novels and movies, the most popular being “Twilight” and its sequel “New Moon.”

These stories, you understand, are not synonymous to those of the past where vampires drained blood from the arteries of their victims. No, these portray vampires as attractive and romantically inclined, which is precisely the infatuation that has captivated so many. Evil is depicted as good rather than intrinsically wicked and thus more palatable. Should this be? Can we just swab the deck of depravity with a deceptive whitewash of charm and purify hidden murderous intentions with romantic resolve? It would seem so by our standards today, but what would the righteous heart of Almighty God, the Judge of all the earth, say about it? How would our Creator and LORD evaluate any romanticizing of evil?

I have a bit of prophetic gifting in me that is difficult to assess at times because my views usually contradict mainstream opinions. Please understand that my driving passion is to present Jesus Christ as He is, so that salvation is both sure and secure to those who believe. I do not mean to offend and, for the sake of Christ, would not flirt with offense unless the greater transgression would be against God if I didn’t.

With that in mind, I am compelled to refute the recent trend of romanticizing evil. Our 2010 culture already preaches that morality is subjective to personal individual whims. Government decisions and rulings continue to remove Christianity as the founding faith of this nation, eroding our roots in Christ and eliminating the righteous laws of His Kingdom from our lives. Romantic terminology like “tolerance” and “peace” are being utilized to cover up America’s evil in forsaking God. In addition, those who adhere to the laws of His Kingdom are being tagged as criminals of “hate crimes” and viewed publicly as “intolerant,” even “violent.” This is the day in which we now live.

In response to this erosion of Christianity in America, love has emerged as a theme song in the Church to draw us all together, the godly and godless alike. God is love (1 John 4:8). Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7). But what kind of love is this that is emerging? Is it a pure, righteous love or a covering of sin and romanticizing of evil flying under a flag of love?

God will have to be the Judge of that. His righteous Kingdom has righteous standards for living. The book of 1 John also says, Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him (1 John 2:29). If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6). Jesus Himself said, If you love Me, you will keep My commandments (John 14:15).

If we are willing to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds, then we must be willing to follow and keep His commandments. Then we will love one another rightly, not immorally or impurely by selfish standards, but by a higher standard that requires us to forgive and care for one another. And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you (Col. 3:12-13).

With our culture courting and romanticizing evil, the word “sin” is also fading from Church vocabularies, sermons and literature. This tragic mistake will thrust our already “dark” world into deeper depravity, because when the doctrine of sin is removed, then we have removed the reason for the sacrifice of Christ, the ultimate expression of God’s love.

You see, there is another twilight, one that came without deception in presentation. This twilight ordinance completely removes our bondage to evil, sin and death rather than covering it up. We saw the first glimpse of this freedom when God delivered Israel from Egyptian oppression and instituted the Passover feast for them to observe throughout their generations. With great signs and wonders, God brought His people out of Egypt in the last of ten plagues if they sacrificed an unblemished lamb at twilight and sprinkled their doorposts with the blood (Ex. 12). There is a distinction to be made between the twilight sacrilege that takes life and the twilight sacrifice that gives life. The vampire eventually drains the life blood from us, yet the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, shed His life blood for us. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Sin must not be covered up or romanticized by the Church of Jesus Christ. The consequence of sin is always death, which is why we are to follow God’s commands and righteous ways (Ro. 6:23). As the vampire destroys life, sin does too. That is the reality of both. But there is good news for the sinner. When we see our sinfulness and choose to look for true love, then Jesus Christ can be found by all who seek Him. He doesn’t hide sin. He removes it. That is God’s Twilight love story and one that we can believe, receive and pursue with confidence in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ!

The Twelve Stones by Christina Darnell

I am really selfish. God began to gently lead me to this truth (like it was some big surprise) last year. I knew that my prayer life wasn’t supposed to be all about me, but I also wanted to cry out to God with my issues as opposed to turning elsewhere. What was missing was both praise to God and interceding for others. For the sake of this moment, I’m going to focus on my lessons in praising God. I often wondered why I was still full of anxiety and fear regarding my future when I spent so much time praying about it. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Um, so where was my peace? Did it get lost in some epic battle on its way down from heaven? Doubtful.

But my prayers were more focused on my problems than they were on God’s power. I was looking at the size of my problem instead of the greatness of God. Even though I said “thank you” to God often, I wasn’t focused on His goodness. That “with thanksgiving” section of the passage was more crucial than I knew. I needed to focus on praising God, but there was a disconnect for me. I still thought of praise as fancy church words that hold little meaning for me or thought of it as lots and lots of singing. There was so much more to it, I knew, but I wasn’t sure what it was. So I turned to the Psalms. If anyone was known for praising God well, it was David, and he wrote the majority of the book.

I noticed Psalms to have a number of common threads. It’s amazing that after growing up in a Christian home, and walking with God for years, there is still so much to learn. Psalms has taught me that praise is so much different from my mindset about it. First, David praises God by proclaiming his desperate need for Him. No matter how comfortable we are in life, we cannot do nothing nor have anything of everlasting value without Christ. Secondly, David recognized God as sovereign. While most of us would look to other people, circumstances, or even ourselves, David saw God as in control. His victories against the enemies were up to God. Also, he found his fulfillment in God. Psalm 16:5 says, “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.” David expected great things from God. By doing so, he showed his faith that God was able to do all that He had promised. How often do I go to God sheepishly, afraid to ask too much? God desires to do great things for us as we place Him first. Lastly, I noticed that the writers praise God for specific works He has performed. They actually boast in and dwell on God’s greatness in creation, Scriptures, and personal and national victories.

Chapters 3 and 4 in Joshua highlight this truth. Joshua leads the people of Israel across the Jordan River to fight for the Promised Land after God instructs them. God stopped the sea (can you imagine?) so they could all cross over on dry ground. While they crossed, 12 of the men, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, each took a stone from the bed of the dry sea. They were to serve as reminders; mementos of God’s incredible faithfulness. Children from generations following would see those stones and ask about them, encouraging the story to be told over and over again.

What an incredible principle. The more I focus on God’s faithfulness and power, the less I focus on myself and my worries…and the more my needs are met. Praising God increases our faith because we focus on His ability instead of our inability, His sovereignty instead of our lack of control, and His life instead of our sin. God has done so many wonders in my own life. I can remember, after years of facing doubt about my salvation, sitting on my bed crying before God. I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me, revealing the source of my doubts, and freeing me from that bondage. It was amazing, and I can remember it vividly. I was compelled to share it with others, and it was wonderful to praise God about it with them. There are so many of those turning points in my life that are as monumental as those stones were to the people of Israelite. It’s my turn to set up reminders of God’s miracles. They will be both reminders of the works of God and reminders to focus on Him instead of myself.