The book is coming along. Sort of.

God provided a wonderful group of Christian authors. We meet once a week on Zoom (three in Minnesota, one in Wisconsin, three in Iowa) where we hold one another accountable, setting weekly commitments and determining what prayer needs we should bring before the throne. Sacred Scribers is the name we adopted.

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I would work much better with a framework. I decided to create an outline, so I’ll know where the story is starting, where it is ending and how it should progress in between. That may seem pretty elementary, but I am new to this. I’ve written articles, short stories, and blog posts. I’ve even started a children’s book. But this is the first writing I’ve done of this magnitude.

My outline is in progress. Even it seems to ramble about. My weekly commitments have increased to two hours. That’s two hours per week. Out of a possible 168 hours, I’ve committed to use two of them for writing. Wow. I think I’m on track to finish the book in about twenty years. But I’m just starting out. It takes me some time to get warmed up.

This morning, God began the heating process. Maybe heating me like silver in a crucible.

It all started during my private devotion time. We’ve been working through a study of Noah in my Sunday class. This morning, a couple of points stuck out at me (as you’ll notice from the highlighting and circling):

I may be the only who singled out that particular phrase to underline. I now know it was because God was pointing me to it.

It became ever more discernible to me farther down in the study:

Write my story.

I continued on with my morning, getting ready for church. As I was driving in, enjoying my own private little concert in the car as I sang along with the songs on the radio, I was nearly stopped by the lyrics of one of the songs. “Thankful for the Scars”, by I Am They was playing.
“These wounds are a story You’ll use…. I know they’ll always tell of who You are.”

I am listening, God.

Then the next song came on: “The Only Name”, by Big Daddy Weave.
“When I wake up in the land of glory, with the saints I will tell my story.”

At this point I nearly have tears in my eyes. I have no doubt God is trying to tell me to quit piddling around and get my book written.

When Miss Brandy, our worship leader, prayed, she did, in fact, pray about telling our story.

I am home now. And I am working on that book.