Where Is Your Focus?
Have you ever taken a picture using “portrait mode”? On my phone’s camera, it is an effect that essentially sharpens the focus on what is exactly in front of the lens and blurs the background a...
Continue ReadingWhy Context Matters When We Write About God’s Word
A few years ago, I drove past a billboard that screamed “WPS!” in giant letters, with the name of a heating and air company along the bottom. If you were visiting my area and saw that...
Continue ReadingWhat Is Entrusted to You?
“By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you." (2 Timothy 1:14, ESV) The blank screen on my desk taunts me. I hear whispers from...
Continue ReadingA Disciplined Draft-by-Draft Process
A quote pinned to the bulletin board in front of my desk reminds me that writing is a process. “Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it.” —Emma Coats Continue Reading
The Story I Never Should Have Told
Recently, I spoke to a women’s Bible study and opened with this story.
I spent five summers lifeguarding back when we reached for baby oil instead of sunscreen. Now, I schedule regular skin cancer screenings.
5 Ways You Know You Are Called To Write
As I typed the words on the paper, mixed emotions filled my mind. Were my words worth it? Did they make any difference? The sacrifices made felt weighty in the moment, and the sting of a...
Continue ReadingPerfectionism, a Beginner’s Plight
In high school I enrolled in many art classes, and as a natural procrastinator, I was often behind on projects. One day, in an effort to catch up, I hastily swiped 20 strokes of charcoal...
Continue ReadingDon’t Let the Doubt Stop You
Throughout the entire writer's conference, I'd learned a great deal about various types of writing. By the last day, I felt tired and ready to go home, but one remaining breakout session still called my name:...
Continue ReadingYou are not “Just a Writer”
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” I wrote this quote from Hemingway on a small, pink piece of paper. It’s been on my fridge for...
Continue ReadingMeanwhile, God …
This was not my finest hour. When the “update” hit my inbox, I was ready and waiting. Out of all submissions of late, I knew I’d nailed this one. I just knew...
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