Listen Now

Hit play and/or read along. I thought I’d share my approach to writing time, but the truth is, my writing time approaches me. I’m merely up for a good time. I love those invitations to a one of a kind hangout—an open field of thought and imagination, and an open conversation with the characters I create and the One who created me. Writing time can be some secret place you go, a spot reserved in a favorite coffee shop corner, or injected into open moments as you work to cover the bills. Being a writer is a life on the road. It has been an event and it has slapped me out of the clear blue sky of a day spent doing other things. Writing can be frivolous and it can be life affirming, and often not a bit of writing at all. Whether I have something to say doesn’t matter so much as knowing I’m exactly where God moved time and space for me to be. That counts for more than all the words in the world. Notes that don’t make sense when I take them down and miraculously do one day, they renew my calling with the love packed into the intricate and intimate planning of each surprise bit. See, I know anything of value comes from above. Those occasions I do feel the thoughts bubbling as they ready to overflow, I literally put up a sign that says, “WINDOW CLOSED”, and I mean that junk. I get alone with the Lord and with the story He’s making from the me He’s making and the thoughts He orchestrates through the events He allows to take place. Watching how the Lord reclaims each hurt, hurdle, and subsequent healing is my approach to being a writer—documenting our time together talking about the meaning of life and whatnot. I find purpose in being purposeful to stop the world when He comes to call. Knowing I was designed to pick up this secret language we share is what it means to be a writer. My writing time is worship, and it’s laughter, and it’s simply delighting in my Lord. It’s retrospective, and it’s introspective, and it’s a glimpse into Eternity, too. Just chilling with Jesus is everything I love my writing to be. Whether we watch a movie and talk about its parallels to the greatest of all stories, or we’re at the fast and furious work of typing in letters as the thoughts come in paragraphs—my writing time is best spent at the very throne of God. I watch the story God has been writing all over my existence come into focus like an old forgotten film and try to keep up with the plot as the imagery overwhelms my sense of being. I

Hit play and/or read along. I’m writing a book. I’ve started a couple in my life, but this one is different. This story is a part of me and begs to be told. I’m all in…even if I’m not doing literal writing as much as I thought came with the gig. I’d love to just sit somewhere cozy, sip too much coffee, and type as fast as the caffeine’d allow me. Alas, I’m learning to embrace ideas, random sentences, and watching as the story develops. That’s how writing is supposed to happen. For me. For now, at least. A story develops. That’s the word God spoke over my year, “develop”. Just as He’s done with each of the past 5 years, the Lord has been faithful to provide much and varied teaching on the individual words I’ve heard Him breathe into my life. Twenty-six weeks in, and I’ve probably learned as many lessons on the concept. Still, I know so little. About as much as I know about the photo development process, so stick with me while I pontificate. I’m figuring out developing requires a lot of wait and see, but it also means clocking hours in the darkroom and shutting out the rest of life while things happen. Maybe it’s time to do some mixing, or swishing, or hanging a thought out to dry. Whatever the process looks like for you, the big picture you’re waiting to reveal has been there from the moment you heard that first click. It’s waiting around for you to make it awesome. You’ll bring out just the right shades of each hue, with just the right focus, and in just the right time. Or you’ll rush the process and spoil the good thing you began with, if you’re not purposeful in allowing each frame to come into view before bringing it to light. You can mess up the art of capturing a picture in a thousand words by handling it too much, just as you can a photograph. Too much editing, or too little. Too much time staring at a screen and too little spent setting up the perfect shot. Okay, I’m getting way into this writing/photography analogy. If you feel stuck in your writing, try stepping away from the words and daydreaming the scene. Contemplate the characters and their character and think of how they might respond to the context around them and the company they keep. Gather inspiration and take some field trips. Imagine little nuances and silly quirks that add dimension to the people you create. Talk to people who share much in common with the heroes and heroines you depict. Listen to what God has to teach you about