The Creative Power of Words by David Kitz

Psalm 33

(Verses 6-9)

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm. (NIV)

Have you ever considered the creative power of words? Words change the world. They bring order out of chaos. Words shine the light of day into the darkness of this world. From the very beginning words have been imbued with divine power. The psalmist reminds us, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."

But it's not only God's words that have this vast power. Our words—human words, whether spoken or written have enormous power too. Adam's first job assignment was to speak words—to name the animals. Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals (Genesis 2: 19-20).

Strangely, God did not do what every parent does. He did not tell Adam what the animals were called. Adam told God their names. By so doing, God vested mankind with the power of language. Life is what we call it.

Our words describe the world and give meaning to it. Through our words we bring order and make sense of the world around us. As a writer, I am continually processing and attempting to make sense of this chaotic thing called life. I do it with words. That's what we are called to do.

With our words we shine the light of truth onto a situation. With words we write laws, administer justice and design our government. Our words create imaginary realms into which we can travel—words that transport. With our words we have the power to elevate the human spirit, or crush someone to the point of suicide. 

Finally, there is something innately prophetic about our words. What we speak and write is potent. It has within in it the latent ability to become reality. Therefore, we need to guard our lips and weave our words with love and care. See James 3:1-12. The psalmist reminds us not only of the power of the word of the LORD, but also our own words. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

 

The Joy of Writing and Weaving Words Ruth Smith Meyer

Sometimes when a topic is brought to our minds, it grabs our attention and lurks in our thoughts for an extended period. Since last month’s blog topic of Who we are and what we write, I have been thinking about how much satisfaction I reap from writing and which of my writing is the most rewarding for me. Is it the articles or books that I write?  Is it the short stories I fashion for my writers’ group? Is it the devotions I create?  All these are deeply satisfying—especially if I hear from readers that what I have written has been helpful to them in their daily living.

Today as I designed personalized birthday cards for the family and friends who will be celebrating another milestone in the next two months, it became abundantly clear. Let me take you back to when I first started on this path.

One Christmas, when my husband’s family decided to give each other handmade gifts, I struggled as to what I could give my fifteen year-old nephew whose name I had drawn.  His self-esteem, like many young teen-agers, wasn’t exactly at an all-time high.  How could I encourage him with my gift?  

At a craft store, I saw on the bargain table a wood-burning kit, and on impulse bought it. I thought perhaps I could use it to make something for him. With an addition to their home, my nephew had just acquired a room of his own to decorate as he desired. 

Finally I asked my husband to fashion a large wooden plaque on which I burned a picture and an encouraging quote.  When I was finished, I still had the longing to personalize it to a greater extent.  I practiced on paper writing and rewriting a note to burn on the back, telling him why I had chosen that quote for him and letting him know the gifts I saw in him.  I studied each word to examine whether it fully expressed my sentiment. When my words didn’t quite articulate what I wanted to convey, I got out my thesaurus and searched until I felt a reassuring “Yes! That’s it!” When I was satisfied, I seared it on the back of the plaque, finished the whole plaque with varnish and wrapped it.

When that special young man opened his gift and read the messages, front and back, I could tell by his eyes that I had hit the mark. I was hooked!  After that initial plaque, I must have made almost a hundred as gifts—always with the personalized message on the back.  Once I was asked to bring my plaques to a craft sale.  I took perhaps fifteen and went.  I sold quite a few of them, but that was the last craft sale for me.  There wasn’t half the satisfaction in selling them, as there was when I made it with the recipient in mind and therefore could individualize it.

I started to put the same kind of care into wording cards of thanks, random notes of encouragement and then birthday or anniversary cards that I fashion by hand or computer. The act of finding the exact right words to convey my thoughts and appreciation helps me to discover how much I value the person to whom I am writing and increases the delight and pleasure I take in my friendship or connection with that individual.  It has become a very enriching and fulfilling exercise—probably my favorite kind of writing.   

After I sent such a missive to one friend, I got a note back.  “What a wonderful weaver of words you are, and what encouragement your bring to many through your gift,” it said.  That was great affirmation and just stirred me to keep on giving people a lift whenever I can.  Yes, indeed, it has become my favorite kind of writing—writing that will never be published in a book, but on hearts that will feel lighter, more valued and confident to face their days.

Why not let that encouraging activity be a tool for improving your writing too?  You’ll find it good exercise that will pay liberal dividends. 

When things take us by surprise—Carolyn R. Wilker

This week has been one of surprises and evidence of change in our lives—some of which does not come entirely by surprise. You see those little signs of those changes, if you look for them, but others, such as a death, can completely turn your world upside down and change the landscape around you.

Earlier on Friday, Heather came for a visit, one that we’d planned weeks ago. We talked about our work and other activities we’re engaged in and how those events shape our lives and contribute to both health and happiness or stress and distress. And since we both enjoy word games, I brought out my Scrabble board and letter tiles and we played a game.

 Before the visit was over, I received a phone call from someone who asked me to sit down before she relayed her news. Surprises, and yet in some ways we might have seen this coming. But still I was not ready to hear it. I had to deal with that at the moment and then, because I had a guest in my home and an event to host that evening, I had to set that news aside or at least try to.

On our way to storytelling, my friend Judy and I talked about events and circumstances that could take over the rest of our lives. She called it compartmentalize, which means to set something into its own space, then deal with it at a separate time.

We had a good evening of storytelling at The Button Factory, with engaged listeners and a great variety of stories, including two of the musical variety. It was my first time to host, and it had gone well. I had been able to focus, to tell my stories and lead the evening, with only a hint to a fellow storyteller that other things had absorbed my attention and, therefore, I hadn’t much time to feel nervous. But my stories were ready and I was ready to tell them.

Home again, and nearly ready to settle in for the night, I quickly checked email on my Playbook, for it was 11:00 p.m. by that time. While sipping on a last cup of tea, I checked if anything of an urgent nature had come up. One email caught my eye and seemed more prominent than the rest. Had I read it correctly? I scanned the email again and tried to shut out everything else from the day. Denise’s husband had died. I didn’t know Dennis, but I know his wife Denise. Through The Word Guild, through Write! Canada and events I’ve attended where she’s been there also.

Compartmentalize again. I decided to send a card to Denise since I couldn’t get to the funeral. I want her to know she’s in my thoughts and prayers, especially now.

In my dreams all those pieces of news swirled around and around, my weary brain trying to sort everything out and put it into order.

 As I process all this news and think of the implications, I remember again that God is with us wherever we are. He knows our thoughts, our worries, our concerns and our delight.

 I must admit that I have a hard time putting my worries in his lap and leaving them there, but I try again. Nothing will bring Dennis back, but we have the certainty of knowing he is with God now. That much will be a relief to his family in this sad time.

While other matters seem to be unsettled, we will eventually deal with those too. Perhaps compartmentalize is the best word after all, that and accepting the grace available to us, through no actions of our own. God with us.

Carolyn R. Wilker, editor, writer, storyteller

www.carolynwilker.ca

From Losing to Finding My Voice - HIRD

By Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

I remember when I lost my voice for 18 months back in 1980.  I will never forget resigning my position at St. Philip’s Dunbar, going on sick leave, driving to the Employment Insurance office only to find out that our diocese did not have any long-term disability insurance.

 The condition is called ‘spasmodic dysphonia’  .  It was caused by a rare viral throat infection which happens statistically to one in five million people, something like winning the lottery in reverse. Spasmodic Dysphonia causes the vocal chords to overadduct (overshut) on a spasmodic or intermittent basis, cutting off words or parts of sentences. Spasmodic Dysphonia is not caused by stress, but sometimes is more noticeable under stress.

During those eighteen months, I read sixty books on public speaking and writing.  It taught me so much about clarity and focus, giving me a passion to communicate, making the most of what I had.

On May 25^th 1982, I had surgery at VGH by Dr. Murray Morrison in a successful operation that allowed me to speak again and go back preaching after being off for a year. My GP thought that I would never preach again, and he would have been correct, except for having had this surgery. They cut the left laryngeal nerve of the left vocal chord, which stopped the adducting/shutting of that chord. As the right chord still overadducted/overshut, it balanced out. After my surgery, my voice was free of the spasms, but was initially much quieter and more breathy.

From 1982 to 1987, I served as the assistant priest at St. Matthew’s Abbotsford. As Abbotsford was a bible belt, they had a spiritual column in the local newspaper which I began to write in.  Around 80,000 people read my columns, giving me significant feedback, mostly positive.  People have said to me for years that I should write books. They also encouraged me to get my doctorate.

In 1987, I became the Rector of St. Simon’s North Vancouver.  The local Deep Cove Crier newspaper asked me in 1988 if I would start up a spiritual column.  Little did I know that I would still be writing for this monthly newspaper twenty-six years later.  I was also privileged to co-ordinate a weekly ‘Spiritually Speaking’ column for the North Shore News from the years 2,000 to 2010.  With well over 300 articles published, God helped me develop my passion for writing.  People kept encouraging me to write another book.  In 2006, Battle for the Soul of Canada was written, receiving an award from The Word Guild.  I was privileged to be interviewed about my book and the Anglican situation on most major Canadian TV, radio and newspaper stations.

I have been working for the past number of years writing the sequel book on Titus ‘Restoring Health: Body, Mind and Spirit’.  During that time, I finished my Doctor of Divinity on the area of Strengthening Marriage: Bridging Emotional Cutoff.  With what I have learned about writing from the Write! Canada conferences and The Word Guild, it enabled me to finish my part-time doctorate in just four years.  A huge part of finishing a doctorate is writing numerous essays, including a final 300-page Doctoral Thesis.

With the growth of social media and the internet, over 635,000 people have read my four hundred articles online.  Writing and communication is continually to be radically impacted by the hi-tech revolution.  Nothing is remaining static.

Through extensive coaching with Dr. Terry Walling, I have mapped my potential next six books, using the umbrella concept “Strengthening a new generation of healthy leaders’.   Losing my voice helped me find my writing voice.  Everything that is against us can be turned by Jesus to our advantage.  While God did not give me spasmodic dysphonia, I am grateful that God has brought much good from this trauma over the years.

The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in Canada

http://edhird.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 PAYPALusing 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

Why should we believe in a merely natural origin for human life? - Denyse O'Leary

Last time, I mentioned starting a series on what we really know about human evolution, following on what we really know about origin of life and origin of the universe. None of it supports modern materialism or atheism.

Here are the first two installments in the human evolution series:

     Late last year, it was announced that the oldest assumed human sequence then published (400 kya) baffles experts because it belongs to an unknown group, one more like Denisovans (an extinct type of human) than Neanderthals. The DNA results from the “Pit of Bones” site in Spain were described as baffling (Nature), perplexing (BBC), hard to make sense of (The Scientist ), don’t quite know what to make of it (New Scientist), and creating new mysteries (New York Times) instead of neatly clarifying human evolution. October of that year had already brought the news that the human remains found at Dmanisi, Georgia, showed that many “separate species of human ancestors” never really existed and “may now have to be wiped from the textbooks.”

     “Separate species” of human ancestors (that nonetheless interbreed)? There are many definitions of “species,” so the term can be flung around freely, if accompanied by suitable credentials.

     One researcher in a discipline that tries to keep track of the general direction of findings (theoretical anthropogeny) recently found no consensus as to when the human race arose, after he offered colleagues a spread ranging from ~60,000 to ~500,000 years ago. In this context, it hardly seems worth mentioning that no known hominin (assumed human) is clearly an ancestor of both Neanderthals and current humans.

For all practical purposes, today’s humans are orphans, seeking our roots via scraps and artifacts, many of unknown authenticity or significance. If we are convinced that any discovery we make is better than uncertainty, we are in a suitable frame of mind to explore the questions. More.

      The search for our earliest ancestors: signals in the noise. Now and then, a signal rises above the noise. From surprisingly early periods, we encounter special respect for the dead and a sense of the divine. Meanwhile, because we keep finding artifacts and organized activities from earlier periods than “expected,” the half human creature we were originally seeking continues to elude us. More.

     Science-Fictions-square.gif Note:The Science Fictions – cosmology series  is here.  The Science Fictions – origin of life series  is here.

Denyse O’Leary is a Canadian journalist, author, and blogger. She lives in Ottawa and attends Annunciation church.

THIS NEW YEAR by Sally Meadows

Last January, I quit my day job – cold turkey.

There was nothing terribly wrong with where I was working. But after years of pushing myself beyond my limits, I was exhausted. Whereas the thrill of working on my music and writing ministry – on top of my day job – once gave me energy, now I struggled, hampered by health issues that reared their ugly head mid-2012 and couldn’t seem to resolve even with medical intervention.

Deep down in my heart I knew that God had something better for me.

So I quit. I needed to rest. And I needed to find out God’s unique plan for my life.

The very day after I quit, I wrote a song called "This New Year". As difficult as the previous year was, I know I would never have come up with this song without going through what I had.

Writing a song is a process. It can draw on many aspects of your life. At the time, I was in the midst of a yearlong bible study on Genesis. My small group leader happened to email me around the time I quit with this phrase of scripture: “…where have you come from, and where are you going?” (Genesis 16:8). She said she thought of me when she read it. It impressed upon me so much that I have included this line in the chorus of my song.

This scripture came from the story of Hagar. In the quote above, the angel of the Lord was asking Hagar, pregnant with Abram’s child, why she was running away from her mistress, Sarai, Abram’s wife. The angel of the Lord (on behalf of God) commanded her to go back. Then He blessed her with an incredible promise of fruitfulness – uncountable descendants.

Hagar’s response was both simple and profound: “You are the God who sees me…” (Genesis 16:13) She recognized Him for who He was. It reminds us that no matter what our circumstances, God sees us. We need to remember that.

Unlike Hagar, I didn’t have a choice to go back. It wasn’t the right choice for me anyway. Yet God still has a great blessing for me. I know it in my heart – He has already given me a glimpse.

I am not advocating quitting your job, your relationships, your project, or whatever it is that is challenging you in your life today. I AM encouraging you to seek God’s voice whatever your circumstances. So whether God is calling you in 2014 to “go back” or “move forward”, I pray that you are obedient. I pray you seek the will of God for your life earnestly, and often. He is and always will be a God of possibilities. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

He is also a God who “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Here is the song the Lord gave me the day after I quit work. “This New Year” tells the story of a woman who leaves her past behind and follows her dreams. While the song tells my own personal story, I’m sure you can relate. You have your own hopes and dreams for your future.

May you continue to pursue those hopes and dreams this New Year.

To view the video for “This New Year”, please go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psz10ElkvYo

website: http://sallymeadows.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SallyMeadowsMusic

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/SallyMeadowsMusic 

Twitter: @SallyMeadows 

Spring – Reviving and Renewing (Peter Black)

No doubt about it – winter’s past and spring has sprung. We waited long and hard. . . endured – put up with it, because we had no option. After an interminably long and cold hard winter nature’s busy hailing the message that springtime is alive and well.

See it all around us in field and forest, wayside ditches and urban gardens. Hear it from the birds in their singing and courting calls, and observe their industrious nest-building.

Who hasn’t longed to flee the land of ice and snow for a breakaway to a tropical paradise? What an attractive prospect in winter – the thought of sipping cool drinks, munching tropical fruits and reclining under the shade of stately palm trees on white sandy beaches by blue lagoons! But, the marvels of changing seasons and the respite they bring are climatic events I’m sure I would miss, if I lived in those equatorial climes that have perennial summertime.

It’s amazing how quickly some of us who find the cold and dark of winter a harrowing experience can get over it. I sensed that process happening once spring decidedly asserted itself and demonstrated its power to renew the natural world around us and revive the spirit within us.

This, I declare, is a benefit of the northern hemisphere. Whereas a season may bring its own discomforts for some of us the anticipation and eventual realization of moving into the next season can be truly refreshing. For example, when transitioning from a bitterly cold winter to spring, or from a stifling hot summer to fall.

 The saying, a change is as good as a rest, while not fitting every situation, still quite often holds relevance.

Recently my collegial friend Kim reflected in her blog post about a trip to Israel she made last year. She tells of her tour group’s visit to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, which some believe may be the true site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection.

Numerous groups from various countries sang and prayed in their own languages, and yet all were there for the same purpose – to commemorate our Saviour’s death and burial and to celebrate His resurrection. The experience moved her deeply, and she felt it gave her a foretaste of what heaven must be like. Her experience stirred my memories of also being at the Garden Tomb, quite some years ago.  

May and I left Ontario’s late January ice and snow and, after catching the tour flight in New York, landed at Tel Aviv, Israel, in spring-like weather. The change had begun, although the tour was extremely busy, with 6AM rises and constant travelling, walking and sightseeing from morning until night. So much for the change, but what about the rest? That came more in an emotional and spiritual way, than in the physical.

The tour took us to places we’d read about – historical places and archaeological digs. Our basic knowledge of Bible characters and events was enhanced by our visiting those sites that attested to their historical veracity. The pages of Scripture came alive to us in a fresh way. It was exhilarating and faith affirming.

Reminds me of the old hymn: My faith has found a resting place / Not in device nor creed  / I trust the Ever-living One / His wounds for me shall plead. // I need no other argument / I need no other plea / It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.*

*L.H. Edmonds; Public Domain.

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Peter A. Black is a freelance writer in Southwestern Ontario, and is author of “Parables from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in orientation, character reinforcing). Finalist – Word Alive Press. ISBN: 1897373-21-X. The book has found a place in various settings with a readership ranging from kids to senior adults.

His inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate (of Southwestern Ontario). His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario. Peter’s current book project comprises a collection of 52 column articles, interspersed at points with brief inspirational statements of encouragement.

The original edition of the above post was written for and published May 1, 2014, in The Guide.

Blog: raiseyourgaze
Contributor: Family and Faith Matters
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What Am I Doing? - Eleanor Shepherd

     

At times I wonder if I am crazy, as I rush around trying to fulfill all my professional responsibilities at a time in life when I could be taking lengthy vacations to Florida, spending hours discovering the world with my grandchild, reading the stack of books on my bedside table or knitting for charity.

While I have a certain yearning to do these things, I also feel a greater pull.  The pull evoked a “yes” from me a year ago, when I was asked if I was willing to take on the responsibility as the pastor of our congregation.  That “yes” was simply an echo of a “yes” that I gave at the age of fourteen, when I sensed a calling from God to show my love for Him by working to build His church.  

As a result, today I find myself in the midst of a huge move.  No, I am not leaving the retirement condo that we bought in Montreal, but the church that I lead is moving.  For six years, since we left the exquisite church building downtown where our congregation was housed for sixty years, we have operated our of a renovated windowless warehouse.  Now we have bought a building with windows looking out into our neighbourhood.  The contractors will complete the renovations this week and on Friday we move in to our new home.  On Sunday, we will worship there for the first time.  

That means that during this week we are in the frenzy of packing up everything and getting ready for the movers who arrive early Friday morning.  I am trying not to panic, but you can imagine the allure of the more relaxed life that I could be enjoying right now. 

It is not like I did not know what I was getting into when I said “yes.”  I grew up in the home of parents who spent their whole lives in ministry.  While they did not share with me their concerns, I knew they had them. Yet I also saw the joy that was theirs.  I knew they found great satisfaction in what they did and I wanted to do something meaningful too.  Thus, I felt little hesitation when, as an adolescent I sensed a calling to ministry. 

I must admit that at the time, I never envisioned myself as taking on the full responsibility of a pastorate.  My idea was that I would do this together with my husband, although at that time, I had no idea who he would be.  That was what happened.  The path was a circuitous one, but in my mid-thirties, I found myself sharing with my husband, the pastorate of a church in a small city in southern Alberta.  I had finally arrived at the destination of my dreams.  However, it did not last long. 

After two years there, our denomination put the finger on us for more administrative positions and that was how we spent the next twenty-eight years. Then the day came when we felt the urge from God to choose an early retirement, and move into other areas of ministry. 

Shortly after our retirement, we again found ourselves together in pastoral ministry in our home congregation, as the denomination needed the pastors leading our church elsewhere.  So for one year we shared this responsibility with another couple on a part time basis, since we were all working full time or part time in other areas. After a year, we were replaced by another full time pastoral couple who did a great job in building up our congregation. 

Then in June of last year, they moved to other positions and our denominational leaders asked if I would pastor the congregation.  This congregation is dear to my heart.  It has been the focus of my prayers for many years.  It is the family that bore witness to our marriage forty-five years ago.  These were the people we thought of through the years whenever we talked of “home.”  How could I say anything but “yes” with all of this history? 

However, that “yes” has put me in the place where, today. I am stretched to the limit by the challenges and the opportunities that are mine.  However, I am finding true what has always been the case. When we say, “yes” to a request prompted by a divine nudge, God provides the resources for us.  I have an incredible team of people around me who help make it possible for me to serve our congregation.  Above everything else I know I am blessed.  So the retirement joys can remain on hold for a while and when the door opens my response to that will also be an unhesitating “yes.”

Word Guild Award
2011

Word Guild Award
2009

Award Winning Author 
http://emshepherd.blogspot.com