DOING MINISTRY DIFFERENTLY - Eleanor Shepherd

            After five years of active retirement, during which I pursued part time and full time employment in a variety of non-profit organizations, I decided to return to my first love, pastoral ministry.  On Sunday, I again stood before the congregation to lead in worship.  However, I have learned a few things over the years and I will no longer be doing pastoral ministry the way that I did when we started out over thirty years ago. The world in which I will be ministering has changed significantly and so have I. 

            What obvious change am I making?  I decided rather than stand behind the pulpit to proclaim the Word of the Lord, I am choosing to sit on a stool at the front of the congregation and chat to them as if they were in my living room.  The content of my message may not be changed significantly.  I will present to them the things I discover as I delve into the Bible to try to understand its meaning for our lives.  I will make suggestions and recommendations based my understanding of the Bible.  I believe these can help those who are present to try to learn to live out their faith in a practical way from day to day.  I will speak of my own experiences and those of others who have inspired me.  This seems like an appropriate approach in an era where people do not want to be talked to but rather to enter into dialogue.  If what I am presenting is true, and I believe that it is, they will be able to recognize that and apply it to their own lives as they are seeking anchors for challenging circumstances. 

            Another change I have opted for is to create an opportunity for interaction from the congregation at the conclusion of my sermon.  When I listen to the radio every morning, as I am preparing for the day, I have noted that after item that is presented, the announcer requested response from the listeners and suggests the various ways available for that.  Listeners are requested to tweet, email, go to the Facebook page, or call a number and leave their response to the subject matter.  Interaction is encouraged.  To adapt to the way things are being done, is actually Biblical.  One great example of this is the Apostle Paul, who went to where people were gathering to have philosophical discussions, which were a favourite pastime of his day.  There he presented the Gospel so others could consider and respond to what he said. 

            Attempting to attune myself to what is happening today, I have decided to invite interaction to my messages.  I invite people to raise questions or give comments related to the material that I have presented.  On occasions that I have done this so far, the results have been quite positive. 

            One unintended benefit that I see from this is a possible greater level of communication within the congregation.  As someone raises a question or concern, it is possible that there is someone else present who has been thinking along the same lines.  During the coffee time, after the service the two of them may get together and take the conversation further, enabling them to converse about faith issues at a deeper level and build community. 

          

  Another change that I want to implement as I undertake these pastoral responsibilities, is to try to minister from my strengths.  The more time that I spend in doing the things that I am able to do well, the greater will be the contribution that I can make.  However, of course I must not neglect those things that must be done for the effective operating of the congregation, for which I am not particularly gifted.  What I hope to do is to be able to encourage the concept of shared leadership with the congregation, so that others who are gifted in areas where I am not will be able to assist me in these areas.  This way we can be more efficient and each free to offer to the congregation those things that we do well. 

            I am aware that a rare opportunity is mine.  I am able to have a second chance to do at sixty what I tried to do at thirty.  However, I now have thirty years of living and learning, making good choices and bad ones and learning to some degree how to discern between the significant and the important.  I am not sure what all the consequences of these changes will be but I am excited to find out. 

Word Guild Award
201

Word Guild Award
2009

http://emshepherd.blogspot.com 

CHRISTIAN FAITH AND CHRISTIAN LIFE -- Alan Reynolds

A Meditation on John 15:1-11

Like love and marriage, horse and carriage, Christian faith and Christian life go together. Both are important.  Both are essential.

 As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you [be fruitful, productive] unless you abide in me.
(Note John 15:1-8).

Faith and life are like the way the branch is part of the vine: Christian faith is "life in Christ," an integral, living relationship.  But Christian living is evidence of that faith in the fruit which the branch bears.

Christian faith and Christian life.  Both are necessary.  And yet we are continually trying to separate them.

 Christian Life without Christian Faith

Some things stick in your memory.  I was a young minister, no doubt quite idealistic.  She was one of the key people in my congregation, involved, committed, and responsible. Then one day she said to me, "Oh, I’m a church member, but I wouldn’t say that I'm a Christian." I was shocked. If she would not call herself Christian, what about other members of the congregation?

 There are many people, perhaps you are one of them, who believe that Christian life can be separated from Christian faith.  "I live by the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, but I don't see any need to go to church, to be part of a community of faith." Essentially they are saying, "I accept Christian principles and ideals, but I can't say that I believe all the stuff you're supposed to believe if you're a Christian!"  "I believe in Christianity, but I don't believe in Christ."

 This kind of attitude was more possible a few years back when it was assumed that Canada was a Christian country and most people who lived here were at least nominally Christian; when there was a more-or-less accepted standard of respectable living which was equated with Christian living. As long as you didn't get drunk on Saturday night and beat your wife and children, or get caught stealing from the company, as long as you went to church when it was reasonably convenient, you were looked upon as a Christian.

 That day is gone.  Long gone!

Being a Christian in today's world is no simple thing.  It's not something you can take for granted.  You have to be able to give a reason for your faith.

 More and more we're realizing that Christian life cannot be separated from Christian faith; Christian principles from Christian belief.  If you're in, you're in, and you need to mean it.  You can't be a Christian on your own, just by living a respectable life.  You need the support of "faith" (a living relationship with the living Christ), and the support of the community of faith, as the branch is part of the vine

A Rose Cut Off 

When you cut off Christian life from Christian faith, you attempt a division that is as fatal as cutting roses from a bush and placing then in a vase of water in the house.  For a while they seem to keep on growing, the leaves continue green and the buds open to full bloom.  But we know that when we have cut them off from the bush, they will not continue to live very long.

  In the early spring, we sometimes cut boughs from the forsythia bush and bring them into the house, put them in water and rejoice in the still dark days to see them spring to sprays of glorious yellow.  But much too soon, the flowers die and the petals fall. The death sentence is pronounced when the branch is cut from the bush.  Even while they are still blooming, they are dying, because they've been cut off from the source of their life.

 When we try to live by the morals and principles and ideals of Christian life without the practices and habits of the faith which sustain them, we may bloom and flourish for a period of time, but in the long run the principles and ideals will die, because they have been cut off from their source of life.

 This is the point of the words of Jesus recorded in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John:

 Abide in me, as I abide in you.  The branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it stays on the vine.  So you cannot bear fruit unless you abide in me.  I am the vine.  You are the branches.  Whoever abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit.  For without Me, you can do nothing (John 15:4-5).

 Not a put-down.  Just a statement of fact.

 True of society

What is true of the individual is true of society as a whole.

 As a Canadian, I am proud of my country, its roots and traditions.  Rightly so. In the past, we have called Canada "a Christian country." But insofar as Canada has been a Christian country, it has been, in our time, an uprooted Christian culture, what Elton Trueblood has called "a cut-flower civilization," cut off from its roots, from the vine which has nourished it.

T. S. Eliot wrote, in that strong, stark poem he called "The Wasteland,"

 What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish?  Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. . . .
He who was living is now dead.
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience

 (lines 19 and 328).

Economists (e.g. Barbara Ward) have told us that the "technological explosion" of the last one hundred years and more was made possible by the accumulation of economic capital through the thrift and industriousness of our Puritan forbears.  If they hadn't worked so hard and saved so much, our present standard of living would not have been possible.

 Are we not like the son who, having been given the family business, does not work to add to the capital passed on to him but instead depletes it and fritters it away?

 Are we not a culture living on the "spiritual capital” of the past?  We have been given a trust, the wealth of a heritage of those spiritual values and ideals we call "Christian."  But in the past century we have neglected the foundation on which these values are founded.  We have tried to live as branches cut off from the vine.  Do we really believe that we can continue to bear the fruit?

 Christian Faith without Christian Life

But the point of Jesus' image is that the branches must abide in the vine in order that they may bear the fruit.

 In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit. . . .  Every branch that bears no fruit He cuts away.  And those bearing fruit He prunes that they bear more fruit  (John 15:8 & 2).

 Let's face it.  Perhaps the number one reason why some people say they live by Christian principles but not by Christian faith is that they see so many pious people who do not exhibit much of the grace of God.  Some of the people who are most religious are nevertheless lacking in the qualities Jesus most emphasized - justice, and mercy.

 It is written; "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).

I have no doubt that each one of us can think of people who claim the Spirit of Christ but who do not exhibit to any noticeable degree that "fruit" of the Spirit by which God is glorified. On the other hand, we can point to some people who are all those things we say a Christian should be but who make no claim to faith.

 However, these may be the exceptions that prove the rule.  In general, I must say that I find that the kindest, gentlest, most gracious people I know are people who claim faith and live by it.  These too, I would say, are the ones who have the greatest joy in life, not always the joie de vivre which comes and goes, but the joy that
abides even in the face of discouragement and difficulty.

And when I look back on the older folk I knew as a child, those who have passed on to us the life we now know, for all their faults, they were a pretty fine group of people and they gave us a goodly heritage.  They were ones, for the most part, who combined their faith and their life, branches that held fast to the vine and who did bear much fruit.

More Comfortable; Talk About God vs With God

But in the deepest sense, don't we make the separation between faith and life because it's more comfortable that way?  It's more comfortable to claim the life than it is to live the faith. It's easier to talk about God than it is to talk with God.  It is a fearful thing to face the living God. These "Christian principles" we talk about, they are really ideals, beyond our doing.  The living of the Christian life is an ideal and we all fall short.

 It's comparatively easy to accept what we call “Christian principles" and to feel good about ourselves because we do this.  It's comparatively easy to say, "I live by the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule" and interpret them in your own way to say what you want them to say.  But when Jesus interprets them in the Sermon on the Mount, when He gives us the command to "love God with all our heart and strength, and our neighbour as our self," such complete commitment is more than we can profess to keep.  It's much more difficult to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of our life and to acknowledge His unconditional claim over all that we have and are.

 We take a commandment of the Old Testament, "You shall not commit adultery," and we say, "Well, I've never done that!"  Then along comes Jesus and says, "If you have looked at a woman with lust, you have committed adultery with her already in your heart."

 The Old Testament says, "Give ten percent to the Lord!" But the New Testament says, "All we have is the Lord's."  If we acknowledge that one hundred percent belongs to God and in everything (time, talent and treasure) we are accountable to God, then we have much greater cause for humility.

 It is precisely because we do not live as we should by the teaching, the principles and ideals of the Spirit of Jesus our Lord, that we are driven of necessity to cling to the vine. The life that He asks of us requires of us that the branches abide in the vine.

 Separated from life, Christian faith becomes phoney. But separated from faith, Christian living is not really possible.  Christian life must be a part of Christian faith. They go together, like love and marriage, horse and carriage.

 When I was a boy, growing up in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, the farmers would go out into their orchards in the spring of the year to prune their fruit trees.  They would cut out the branches that weren't producing any fruit and pile them in great piles by the edge of the orchard.  On late spring nights, sometimes the darkness of the night would be dotted by bonfires, here and there, as the farmers burned the branches that had been cut away.

 Anyone who does not abide in me is thrown away like a dead branch; and these are gathered together and thrown on the fire and burned (John 15:6).

                          Those who have ears to hear let them hear!

                                                         ~ ~ ~ 

Removing Fences in Writing/MANN

Recently, I parked the car in a side lot of a small rural church, facing a cemetery. Over the years, I had stood there as family or friend to say goodbye to a loved one. I had also stood as pastor offering words of condolences and Jesus’ words of eternal life. However, I hadn't been here in several years and noticed that even parked where I was, I felt a part of the total property.

There was something special about the cemetery today, and I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I wondered if it was because the trees surrounding the property were in full leaf, forming a canopy over the grounds, or maybe my eyes noticed the white, red and other flowers perhaps left from a recent funeral. The tombstones stood symmetrically like guardians watching over their loved ones, speaking volumes of heritage and tradition.

I continued to wonder. Suddenly, I realized why everything stood out clearly, colourful and welcoming: someone had removed the front fence. Maybe it hadn't been there for years, but I noticed it—today. A large open fenced acreage to my right looked inviting.

It was this last realization that caused me to reflect on previous writing I have done over the years. Some time ago, I wrote a blog that encouraged writers to bring out those old pieces of work and look at them with a new perspective—in other words, remove the fences, the expectations and the verdict we might have given them. I had stated that life experiences and new perspectives gave a clearer vision of the purpose of previous work.

When I do this, I am always pleasantly surprised. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, “Why would I have written this story with such a limited audience in mind?” Even as I read these pieces, I add snippets in the margins of new insight I've gained since the last write. Occasionally I stroke out complete sentences or paragraph, admitting that my theology or perspective of Godly opportunities and guidance has changed from the time I initially wrote the work.

Is this refreshing? Indeed it is. By removing some fences, I add a completely new perspective to the work. In this way, writing can become more welcoming to the stranger who might find us by surfing the Internet, to a visitor who stumbles upon our blog or even to a regular supporter who always feels included in whatever we write. Removing fences doesn't mean we compromise individual beliefs or personal convictions—it might just mean that colours are distinguishable, parameters are clear, and we are able to define what is important to us in a way that creates a large circle of readers.

I liken this in some ways to church lawn signs, “Everyone is Welcome.” I’m never sure if that actually means everybody, or if it means, ‘if you’re like the rest of us.” Therein offers my writing challenge.

Blessings,
Donna

http://www.donnamann.org

Aggie’s Voice: The Stratford Years is the third YA novel in the Agnes Macphail trilogy, coming early fall 2013 (Brucedale Press)

A Rare Find: Ethel Bullymore—Legend of an Epic Canadian Midwife, coming October 15, 2013 (Castle Books Books Canada). 

Summer Solstice---Carolyn R. Wilker

Summer Solstice for the Cambridge Toastmasters, of Cambridge, Ontario, is traditionally an outdoor meeting in a park with an author. This June, I was that invited writer with my book, Once Upon Sandbox. The last time I was their guest, the anthology, Wisdom of Old Souls, had recently been published.

I arrived to find a small group of parents with their children playing at the splash pad—a relatively new addition to the park—and members setting up for the outdoor meeting in the band shell. 

We were ready for the mosquitoes, but I suspect not for quite so much action around us—parents talking, children splashing and playing, and a lawnmower running nearby. Also, the usual traffic of trucks, motorcycles and cars on the main street. More sound apparently than is usual. Perhaps the light breeze kept mosquitoes at bay, though it flipped the club banner a few times and sent it to a crumpled  heap on the platform where we were sitting.

 A young boy of 4 or 5 years of age ran up the ramp a number of times, curious about what we were doing. Each time an adult scooped him up and took him back to play. One of the members said, “ Bring him back when he’s about 10 years older.” He corrected himself among us, “Maybe 12 years older,” for membership starts at 18 years of age for those who are interested.

Toastmasters, challenged to make themselves heard, carried on with their meeting, without a microphone, including a lively table topics session on vehicle of choice, a given amount of money and a summer vacation. There was an award presentation to the current president of the club and his challenge was to give an acceptance speech off the cuff. An educational session on impromptu speaking  was delivered by the member who had been sitting next to me in the circle.

In time the lawnmower was done with his task, the children went home with their parents, and the traffic seemed a little lighter. Now I was sure I could be heard. At least I hoped so.

My reading “What a Car!” seemed appropriate to this group and place, the beginning of summer when people often go for a drive. During my time at the lectern, when I read about buying my first new car, only a few loud motors sounded on the main street. For that I was grateful.

Evaluations completed, the chairperson thanked everyone for coming, including me as their guest. He said, with a grin, just before closing the meeting, ``Carolyn still has a few payments left on that car and those who want to buy a book are to see her."

The meeting was adjourned, and indeed I sold several books, including to our affable chairperson, Dave. Members planned where they'd meet afterwards—at a local pub for refreshments—as  the chair put it to me in an earlier email, "for a wee dram."

They betook themselves to their location and I drove home reflecting on the two years of promotion of this book and all the experiences and fun I`ve had in the process, at my own club, other Toastmaster clubs, and with other organizations. It was a privilege to join this group n their meeting, and I`m so glad that I went to Toastmasters long before this promotion process began. It's made the process so much more enjoyable.

 www.carolynwilker.ca

The Medical Benefits of Prayer -HIRD

By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird  

Many of us put prayer in one category, and medicine in a totally separate category.  What if they could work together to help people become healthier?  There are a few misguided people who have suggested that we should only rely on prayer, and not go to medical doctors.  They forget that two of the books of the Bible were written by a medical doctor, St. Luke the Physician.  Luke included many specific medical terms in the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.  Other people think that with advances in medical science that prayer is no longer relevant.  Both attitudes are short-sighted.  When we are battling serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, we need all the resources working together for our healing.

                Many churches regularly pray for those who are sick.  At St. Simon’s NV, we often give thanks for answered prayer, particularly in the area of healing in body, mind or spirit.  Healing prayer is mysterious in its effect.  In recent years, there have been a number of studies on the effects of healing prayer.  Dr. Candy Brown wrote a ground-breaking book entitled “Testing Prayer” which gave preliminary indications that there is a measurable impact in healing prayer.  Her research involved the ethnographic approaches of participant-observation, written surveys and oral interviews, clinical measurements and statistical tests, and narrative analysis and archival research.  Dr. Brown’s team of researchers used audiometers and vision charts to test hearing and vision before and after times of healing prayer.  Many but not all participants in healing prayer showed significant improved function in the post-prayer diagnostic tests.  Dr. Brown suggested that the empirically observable effect deserves more research and followup, involving larger-scale more-refined clinical trials of the effects of healing prayer.

               Science cannot prove why healing prayer works, but it can measure its effects in helpful ways.  The founder of Christianity, Jesus, was consistently involved in teaching, preaching and healing the sick.  His early followers regularly participated in healing prayer.  For over two thousand years, healing prayers have been offered up for those in need.  It is encouraging that careful research is being done, indicating that healing prayer makes an empirical difference.  My expectation over the next number of years is that many more scientific tests will be done, that will teach us a lot more about the empirical nature of healing prayer.

                Through decades of healing prayer, I have seen many people transformed in body, mind or spirit.  My prayer for those reading this article is that many of us will see similar breakthroughs in our areas of need.

The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector

BSW, MDiv, DMin

St. Simon’s Church, North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-an article for the July 2013 Deep Cove Crier

-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.

-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada

You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide

New at The Best Schools - an education blog - Denyse O’Leary

Enjoy!  The best advice you will ever hear about how to be a good writer

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Religious schools facing chillier climes in U.S.?

 Students, relax: Abe Lincoln was considered an idiot in his day

 Did you ever wonder where the term “wave of the future” originated?

 What goes wrong when you don’t study geography

 Avoiding student debt: Author offers sensible strategies

Nursing pays best as college degree?

Want a career in social work? Learn about and avoid pathological altruism

 Should our concept of intelligence be mechanical and less human-based?

 Is university just glorified technical training now?

ONE FOR THE PODCAST QUEEN...

by Linda Hall

I’m pretty much known in my local group of writers as the podcast queen or the podcast groupie. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I plug myself into my iPhone when I’m walking, working out at the gym, baking or cooking, or at night when I’m lying there and can’t sleep. (I used to lie there and just lie there and just lie there - some of you know the drill?) 

I listen to some news and politics podcasts, a few on health, a few more which review movies, a devotional one - and a whole lot on writing and stories.

Because I didn’t attend Write Canada this year - and for that I sadly cannot come with memories and things I learned - I thought I would share here a few of my favorite writing podcasts. 

One of the earliest podcasts I tuned into - even before I had an iPod and merely listened on my computer while I did busy work - is Writers on Writing out of California with Barbara DeMarco Barrett. When I first started listening it was affiliated with U of C in Irvine, but I think through the years it has morphed into a podcast on its own. Barbara interviews literary agents and authors and is aways very interesting. Her interviews are more on the literary side, but I have ‘met’ some fascinating authors and learned a whole lot from the agents and editors she has interviewed.

Another I really enjoy is The Creative Penn  with Joanna Penn. All about indie publishing and marketing, she is on the other end of the spectrum from Barbara. I have learned a lot about genre writing from her. Plus, she is spunky and fun and you’ll love her Aussie accent. 

The Narrative Breakdown is great fun to listen to. The two hosts dissect movies and books as they talk about craft. Recent episodes have been about craft, revision techniques, subtext, irony and point of view. 

And it goes without saying that CBC’s The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers is always at the top of my list. You also might enjoy Writers and Company there, as well, and Canada Reads. 

I also listen to stories. Every month The New Yorker,  Alfred Hitchcock Magazine and Ellery Queens Magazine present one of their stories in audible form as a podcast. I’m first in line for those each month. I also enjoy the short, short stories at Bound Off  Plus, did you know all of the Dave and Morley stories are available as podcasts? They are faves of Rik and me as we travel. (And if you don’t know who Dave and Morley are I will ask you to turn in your Canadian membership card immediately!)

I also listen to the short stories at Selected Shorts.  The beauty of these is that they are read by well known actors, so it’s more like listening to a professional audio book. 

A brand new one I've just discovered is Kindle Love Stories, sponsored by Amazon to showcase some of their new writers.

There may be more. I am only scratching the surface. If any of you have favorite podcasts, can you share them here? I'd love to add them to my Playlist!

I’ve given you the web addresses of the various podcasts, but they are all on iTunes, and you can more easily subscribe to them there - just follow the directions for your particular device, whether it be iPhone, android, Blackberry etc, or just a plain old computer. And most of all they are free.

Happy listening.

Cleaning Up

   

by Glynis M. Belec

     The day started magnificently as brilliant rays of sunshine penetrated the living room window, hinting at the necessity to clean soon. I smiled and put the task on my mental to-do list. The sunshine was a lovely reprieve after the rains and the chilly temperatures. All seemed well.

    Still shimmering from last week’s Write! Canada Conference, my motivation was high and I was keen to get marketing my new book; I had blogs to write, articles to complete and my regular column to attend to.

      Last evening as I flitted from Facebook to email; from blogs to my idea file [as my brain is wont to do] I noticed a random toolbar that had somehow attached itself to my Google homepage. I cannot stand clutter in my techno space unless it is intentional clutter, and I hadn't a clue how it had attached itself – supposedly uninvited. I wanted to eliminate it.

     Long story short, it seems some things are harder to get rid of than others. Sometimes I can be creating a lengthy Facebook post or a thoughtful response to another ‘friend’s’ post, and for no obvious reason other than my sausage fingers, it disappears in a wink without warning.

     But the doggone toolbar, which I didn’t even invite on board, was not going anywhere. I tried everything. I searched high and low in the add and install programs part numerous times. I finally came across something that looked suspect, so in my impatience to zap the annoying toolbar into cyberspace, I clicked on uninstall. When it opened I panicked for a split second thinking I might be messing where I shouldn't. I pressed cancel and then basically gave up, resigning myself to thinking that I would ask someone later who might be more in the know. It was bedtime anyway.

     Next day when I went to my office and pressed the power button, I never gave things a second thought. I didn't even remember the annoying hitch-hiker toolbar that gave me so much grief the night before. I watched my computer boot. As I tried to get into my email program and then Word and then Google and then Facebook and then - PANIC! Error messages slapped me in the face. I finally got Google opened in a roundabout way and there it was - that wretched toolbar gawking and guffawing in a technological sort of way as my body stiffened. I didn't know what to do but all sorts of odd thoughts pushed me over the edge of appropriate behaviour. I am usually a positive thinker but when it comes to my writing and my computer, I go into hyperventilate mode. My writing life was crumbling in front of me and I convinced myself that all my files and emails were gone.

 I finally gathered my wits and started to plan. I decided it was time to implement the rule of three that I usually do when in computer panic:

1. Ask God if it is okay [odd, weird, selfish] to pray for my computer and then do it.
2. Call Gilles and go through a tirade of 'what ifs' and how my writing life is over because everything I need is on my laptop
3. Call Ben. Ben is the sweetest, nicest, most patient technological master ever

     I am sure when Ben hears my voice, he rolls his eyes. I am almost positive when I call he sits down because he knows there is going to be a long, dramatic song and dance as I try to explain what happened.

     So this afternoon I will entrust my laptop baby to Ben, who said he will more than likely recover much if not everything [Does he know I had 7,000+ emails?] He told me not to panic; he said it was highly unlikely that I lost everything. He's a nice fellow, that Ben guy. His calming ways is a nice balance to my Tigger type personality.

     Meanwhile my techno life continues on my desk top and Blackberry. But all the important stuff is on my laptop. What if...

     Maybe this is just God's way of telling me to cull the ridiculous amount of emails and stop the information overload that happens on my laptop. It's good to find a lesson in every experience - right? But what if my files are really lost? What if all my emails have been blasted into never-never cyberland? What if...


Okay that's it. Where's the Windex? I'm gonna go clean some windows!

You Know It's A Good Conference When... den Boer

Every session you attend teaches you something you didn't know before.

You like all the food.

You make new friends.

You reconnect with old friends.

You buy books.

You buy more books.

The books you buy are tax deductible.

You sell books.

You sell your own books.

You enjoy your volunteer position so much you have to be told to tone down.

You meet editors who might want to work with you.

You come out of your faculty appointment with hope in your heart.

You read from your WIP at an Early Bird session and people laugh at the right places.

One of the keynote speakers is the twin of a friend back home.

You realize your WIP needs a ton of work and you're not even upset.

You come home and supper is on the table and the house is cleaner than when you left.

That was a good conference.

Thank you Write! Canada.


Marian den Boer is the author of Blooming, This Pilgrim's Progress. You can follow her current WIP, Minnie Goes to Heaven, on her blog.