One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Colossians 3. Yes, the whole chapter. It’s one of those pages in my Bible that is heavily marked brackets, underlining, asterisks, arrows to a repeated thought, boxes drawn around key points like Christ is all and in all, exclamation points in the margins.
You may not appreciate the idea of marking up your Bible, but that’s how I study, dive in, digest.
Colossians 3 talks about new life, about setting our mind on things above, and our real life hidden with Christ in God. It looks at the subject of Christ’s return and our responsibilities before Him. It encourages us to live differently as proof of what God has done in our lives. It teaches us to clothe ourselves as God’s chosen ones with mercy, patience, gentleness, love. Colossians 3 is one of the places where God through the biblical writer assures us we can know peace. It instructs us to let the Word of God have its home in our hearts.
And…
And, it says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him”
Tucked into all the rich teachings and encouragement of Colossians 3 is the theme for the 2010 ACFW conference Serving Him in WORD and deed.
I spoke with a publishing house representative today who said that if she could share one mentoring tip with new writers, it would be this:
“Understand that if you think seeing your name on the cover of a book is the goal of writing and publishing, you will be disappointed. Writing is serving.”
Jesus came to seek, to save, to serve.
After publication, you don’t “move up” to something higher than serving. Servant is the highest rank in God’s kingdom. It’s an honor He bestowed on His Son.
The ACFW organization is an exercise in serving Him and one another, as is our annual conference. Come see how that fleshes out in our conversations, our critiques, our classes, in the worship times and workshops, the keynotes and awards, the bookstore and author corners, the halls and foyers and while waiting in line. Come learn from experienced authors who have discovered that all the hard work is worth it because joy is a byproduct of serving Him in word and deed.
Cynthia Ruchti
Available Now: They Almost Always Come Home (Abingdon Press)
Coming Soon: The Heart’s Harbor in A Door County Christmas (Barbour Publishing)
Stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark
Great post. It’s easy for the writer to forget humility and to lose focus. Best to keep the mind dwelling on the overall picture, bringing it all back to the reminder of the true purpose for writing christian fiction. Also, isn’t the true fun in the journey, not the goal?
I’ll be attending the conference for the first time this year. I’ve moved past being afraid of it and am now getting really excited!!
Great piece. I needed to hear that today. Been feeling a bit down lately. I agree. Writing is serving. The reward is having the finished product on book shelves, but I’ve also learned the biggest reward of all is seeing that what you are writing is connecting to your readers. Someone asked me, “I thought writing was fun?”
I said, “It is fun, but it is also work.”
I never thought of it as serving. Thanks for the perspective.
Thank you for your comments on Patti Lacy’s blog! Wow, I love Col.3 too. Also Philliipians 4 (the whole chapter)!! Rejoice, give thanks, have peace, don’t be anxious… Blessings!