While We Are Here, We Share
The room was not too crowded that we could not find a seat; yet still, there were enough filled seats that we needed to “look” for chairs where we could be comfortable. As we registered and walked toward the open door, I said: “Sarah, I like to sit up close to the front, on the right side. Is this okay with you?”
She shook her head and spoke, “Yes,” as we passed through the door and began to search for two open seats. They were easy enough to find because (as you know) most do not necessarily enjoy sitting close to the front.
Now, I am not shy, so walking down the center aisle, where others are already seated, and looking for two open seats located on the right side of the room became an easy-enough task. In just a short amount of time, we were seated up close and ready for the KY Writer’s Workshop, and clearly, as I began to look around at those who were seated close, I saw an eclectic group of individuals.
- Many wore tattoos on their arms, others not.
- Some wore glasses, others not.
- A few were ‘dressed up’ as my friend Sarah, but most of us were clad in comfortable jeans.
- Several held laptops and electronic devices, and a few held a writing pad, as the one I held in my hand.
For years, I have known that my most productive writing & creative processes come when the paper is yellow and the pen held in my hand flows smoothly across the surface of the fresh piece of paper. Thus, I carried my binder filled with a yellow legal pad, hopeful.
- Today, I was not here to write but to learn HOW to PUBLISH.
- Today, I was not here to teach but to learn as a student.
- Today, though, I was here to grow, to change and not to remain as I was when I arrived.
In the Bible, we are reminded of the time when Jesus called His followers, when He gave them the choice to lay down that which they knew and to step into the ‘new.’
“Now after John [the Baptist] had been taken into custody,
(The Gospel According to Mark 1: 14-17a NAS)
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
and saying,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee,
He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them,
“Follow Me, . . .”
- Jesus does not expect us to always know: all the answers to all the questions others may ask.
- Jesus only expects us to know: Why we follow Him. &
Jesus expects Us to Share our Story, While We Are Here.
After his calling, in the Bible, we see Simon Peter’s confession of faith, his story (his testimony). As we read, we come to better understand Peter’s commitment: to lay down the life he knew, to put down his fishing nets, and to step into the NEW LIFE JESUS OFFERED HIM.
On a particular day, Jesus had been teaching how He was the “bread of life.”
“As a result of this
(The Gospel According to John 6: 66-69 NAS)
many of His disciples withdrew and
were not walking with Him anymore.
So Jesus said to the twelve,
“You do not want to go away also, do you?”
Simon Peter answered Him,
“Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have words of eternal life.
We have believed and have come to know that
You are the Holy One of God.”
Our story, our testimony, our spoken witness shares the gospel, the salvation the LORD has hidden inside us. We are afforded so many times throughout our days to speak JESUS, and we are commissioned to share JESUS as we go.
Throughout the day, several times during the writing conference, we were afforded a break, one that allowed us to stretch our legs, use the facilities, and network with the other writers in the room. As mentioned before, I am not terribly shy, so the blessing of these breaks was an opportunity to chat with others. Along the way, I met a former homicide detective, a daughter of a pastor, and a young writer who had been working on her manuscript for the last eight years. During each conversation, certain questions were asked and answered:
- Where do you call home?
- What is your career? &
- What genre do you write?
Fantasy. Science Fiction. Romance. Horror. Historical Fiction. Non-fiction Memoir. Non-fiction Business. Graphic Novels. Children’s Picture Books. The room was filled with aspiring writers, all hopeful that one day they would see their work (their baby) published and sitting on a bookstore shelf.
As I chatted during the breaks and asked the questions to others, each, in turn, asked the same of me. By the end of the conference, I realized how I was the only person attending who wrote the genre: Christian Non-Fiction.
- I did not ‘pitch’ my idea to the agents during yesterday’s conference.
- I did not take the first pages of my manuscript for anyone to read. &
- I did not share my hope of becoming published, for my manuscript has yet to be written.
What I did share as I spoke of my home, my career, and my genre was my love for Jesus, my Lord, and reflecting now upon the events of the writing conference, I realize:
God prepared us before we were born, to be right here—right now—living in this generation, living in this time, living in this place—of history (His Story).
- Many speak of God. &
- Some have heard of Jesus Christ.
BUT
- A vast majority do not know Jesus brings eternal life.
THEREFORE
We are reminded of our Lord’s calling on our lives.
“And Jesus said to them,
(The Gospel According to Mark 1: 17 NAS)
“Follow Me,
and I will make you become
fishers of men.”
- We have believed.
- We have come to know Jesus is the Holy One sent by God.
- We did not need to know anything other than that we believed in Jesus when we first trusted, for it is Jesus who will make us become that which He wants us to be!
We rejoice, & We praise God, & We share our testimony, ‘our story’ as we go through life.
We do not wish to leave His presence, to go any other place than heaven when we die, & to not go away from Christ while we live here on earth—
for we know that we know that we know:
“You have words of eternal life.”
(The Gospel According to John 6: 68b NAS)