Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Christ our Lord
is risen
in each of us each day,
and neither gravity
nor a cruel grave
can keep us down.
by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, from her book of prayers, poems, and contemporary psalms, PRAISE! published by Cladach Publishing
…
April 17, 2017
April 11, 2017
Jesus Journey
With the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary as His parents, Jesus became a unique person – fully human and fully God. In the Jesus Journey, which Zondervan kindly sent me to review, pastor-author Trent Sheppard presents the human side of Jesus in a reader-friendly, conversational way that helps us relate to Jesus by demonstrating how much and how often Jesus relates to us, particularly in these five areas:
“Part 1, ‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,’ focuses on Jesus’ family life with special attention given to the unique relationship he had with his mother.
Part 2, ‘Jesus and Abba,” looks at the remarkable way Jesus interacted with God – intimate, compelling, and controversial all at once.
Part 3, ‘Jesus and His Friends,’ explores the journey of discipleship that Jesus shared with those who knew him best, his friends and followers.
Part 4, ‘Blood, Sweat, and Tears,’ considers the crucifixion, reflecting on Jesus’ trust and determination in the face of confusion, fear, and pain.
Part 5, ‘Breakfast on the Beach,’ is all about the bodily resurrection of Jesus, what it means for us now and for the future.”
Beginning with scripture, each chapter has a reflection followed by a call to “Ponder, Pray, Practice.”
The idea to keep in mind and spirit, however, is this: “we can come to Jesus with our messy, broken, sinful lives because Jesus knows how hard it is to be human, because he knows obedience is a battle.”
If this is news to you and, especially, good news for you, the Jesus Journey will take you on a journey you’ll want to explore.
Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer
Jesus Journey, paperback
…
“Part 1, ‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,’ focuses on Jesus’ family life with special attention given to the unique relationship he had with his mother.
Part 2, ‘Jesus and Abba,” looks at the remarkable way Jesus interacted with God – intimate, compelling, and controversial all at once.
Part 3, ‘Jesus and His Friends,’ explores the journey of discipleship that Jesus shared with those who knew him best, his friends and followers.
Part 4, ‘Blood, Sweat, and Tears,’ considers the crucifixion, reflecting on Jesus’ trust and determination in the face of confusion, fear, and pain.
Part 5, ‘Breakfast on the Beach,’ is all about the bodily resurrection of Jesus, what it means for us now and for the future.”
Beginning with scripture, each chapter has a reflection followed by a call to “Ponder, Pray, Practice.”
The idea to keep in mind and spirit, however, is this: “we can come to Jesus with our messy, broken, sinful lives because Jesus knows how hard it is to be human, because he knows obedience is a battle.”
If this is news to you and, especially, good news for you, the Jesus Journey will take you on a journey you’ll want to explore.
Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer
Jesus Journey, paperback
…
April 3, 2017
Trying to keep my eyes on Jesus - with or without clouds
The life of a Christian poet-writer is often clouded with interruptions and disturbances – some desirable, some not!
After a wonderful sisters’ cruise to the Bahamas in mid-March, I came home with a head cold aka sinus infection, both of which kept my eyes looking behind me as I tried to move forward and catch up.
Then, the very day my book of contemporary psalms and free verse poems PRAISE! was to be released by Cladach Publishing, my computer refused to work in total disregard of my plans for promotionals.
As soon as a new keyboard solved my pc problem, I resolved to blab about my book all over the Internet – a smart marketing approach for Christian poets and writers who hope people will actually read what they have written.
New book….
Fun time with siblings….
Head cold….
Fritzed keyboard….
Each caught my attention. Each clouded my focus, and yet each drew me back to prayer and a greater appreciation of the Lord in my life.
Praise the Lord for keeping life lively!
Praise the Lord for scriptures that draw us closer to Christ.
Praise God for speaking to and through us in what we’ve been given to write:
Cloud bank
Around us a cloud –
witnesses
of the faith –
and our faith rising
like cloud wisps
forming Jesus’ face –
a reminder of The One
toward Whom we run
as we leave behind
all hindrances –
obstructions, interruptions –
and open our own
luggage
to be searched by none
but Christ on the throne.
by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, poet-writer who based the above on Hebrews 12:1-2, today’s Bible verse in a variety of translations from Bible Gateway
…
January 25, 2017
Relearning how to think
The Bible encourages us to have the mind of Christ, but how does that happen? How do we trade dark thoughts for light or exchange ill thoughts for good?
Effective change comes about through the grace of God, prayer, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless our own choices and actions have a part in this too. For example, Philippians 4:8 tells us what we can do to reshape and reform our thinking as this prayer-a-phrase will hopefully show:
From now on,
think about
what’s actually true –
which may require research,
study, and an open mind –
free of prejudice to find out.
From now on, notice
whatever is honorable –
and honestly worthy
of time and attention.
From now on, think about
whatever is just –
right, fair, equal, unbiased.
From now on, be attentive
to whatever is pure –
as shown by pure motives,
selflessness, and empathy
toward others.
From now on, contemplate
whatever is lovely –
beautiful sounds in psalms,
poetry, prayer, music –
beautiful art and religious icons
with which to meditate –
beautiful variety in God's creation.
From now on, put your thoughts on
whatever is commendable –
of good repute, of good report –
of Good News.
Finally, if you see any
excellence anywhere,
anything worthy of praise,
think about those things –
dwell on the excellent,
inhabit the virtuous,
live in God’s praise.
Philippians 4:8 prayer-a-phrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, using translations found on Bible Gateway
…
Effective change comes about through the grace of God, prayer, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless our own choices and actions have a part in this too. For example, Philippians 4:8 tells us what we can do to reshape and reform our thinking as this prayer-a-phrase will hopefully show:
From now on,
think about
what’s actually true –
which may require research,
study, and an open mind –
free of prejudice to find out.
From now on, notice
whatever is honorable –
and honestly worthy
of time and attention.
From now on, think about
whatever is just –
right, fair, equal, unbiased.
From now on, be attentive
to whatever is pure –
as shown by pure motives,
selflessness, and empathy
toward others.
From now on, contemplate
whatever is lovely –
beautiful sounds in psalms,
poetry, prayer, music –
beautiful art and religious icons
with which to meditate –
beautiful variety in God's creation.
From now on, put your thoughts on
whatever is commendable –
of good repute, of good report –
of Good News.
Finally, if you see any
excellence anywhere,
anything worthy of praise,
think about those things –
dwell on the excellent,
inhabit the virtuous,
live in God’s praise.
Philippians 4:8 prayer-a-phrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, using translations found on Bible Gateway
…
December 31, 2016
Keep Your Eyes On
Learning to play softball, most kids need to hear, “Keep your eyes on the ball,” meaning:
• Pay attention to the ball and every move it makes.
Learning to drive, teens often need to hear, “Keep your eyes on the road,” meaning:
• Be aware of the lines and edges of the road.
• Notice what’s coming toward you and behind.
• Pay attention to signs, lights, and the rate at which you’re moving.
Throughout life, Christians often need to hear, “Keep your eyes on Jesus,” which means:
• Read, read, read God’s Word to get to know The Word.
• Notice how both testaments point to Jesus.
• Observe everything Jesus did as reported in the Gospels.
• Pay attention to everything Jesus said.
• Let the Lord be the road-map for each step to take or avoid.
• Stay focused on Jesus, regardless of those circumstances inclined to make faith swerve.
• Pray like Jesus prayed.
• Love like Jesus loves.
Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2016
...
• Pay attention to the ball and every move it makes.
Learning to drive, teens often need to hear, “Keep your eyes on the road,” meaning:
• Be aware of the lines and edges of the road.
• Notice what’s coming toward you and behind.
• Pay attention to signs, lights, and the rate at which you’re moving.
Throughout life, Christians often need to hear, “Keep your eyes on Jesus,” which means:
• Read, read, read God’s Word to get to know The Word.
• Notice how both testaments point to Jesus.
• Observe everything Jesus did as reported in the Gospels.
• Pay attention to everything Jesus said.
• Let the Lord be the road-map for each step to take or avoid.
• Stay focused on Jesus, regardless of those circumstances inclined to make faith swerve.
• Pray like Jesus prayed.
• Love like Jesus loves.
Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2016
...
December 15, 2016
10 Ways a Writer’s Work Has Changed
Back in the different old days (neither good nor bad) a writer’s life didn’t focus on marketing or building a platform or connecting with other writers.
1. We had no Internet to build a platform. We did no marketing. We “got known” if we wrote well, consistently placed manuscripts with publishers of books and periodicals, then waited for word to get around – mouth-to-mouth or through ads, book-signings, or other events our publishers planned and paid for. For example, one publisher flew me to company headquarters to talk about writing with school children who approximated the ages of my readers. On another occasion, the publisher of my 7-book devotional series sent a make-up artist and photographer to my modest home for a photo shoot! The picture chosen became a huge poster placed beside my books in bookshops and now in my basement.
2. No Internet also meant no social sites, so those of us who lived in small towns or rural areas almost never had contact with other poets and writers except through writing conferences or by reading publications for poets and writers. Basically, we lived in a vacuum, worked in isolation, and, in solitude, prayed a lot.
3. To find potential publishers, we went to libraries, bookstores, or newsstands to see who was publishing what – a task I highly recommend poets and writers continue to do today by visiting Internet bookshops. This still goes on the “different” list, however, because, once we had found potential publishers, we had to write letters via snails (known then as “first class mail”) to ask for writers’ guidelines. If we ever wanted to hear from them, we included an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) to ensure a reply.
4. Few of us could afford to buy each magazine that interested us or every new book a book company published, so we had to request sample copies of periodicals and current catalogs of book titles – again enclosing an SASE with every request. We would then study, study, study each publication to see where we might fill a gap in their line yet stay in line with that particular company’s needs and requirements – a practice I still recommend for anyone who wants to be published by an established publisher, but now, by studying the samples and information on their websites.
5. In the days when libraries had only books, we would read, read, read everything we could find in our favorite genre. If our writing required research, that, too, meant hanging out in a public library, checking the card catalog index to see if the book or journal needed was on file and, if so, where it was located. Since we weren’t always allowed to check out reference materials to take home, we had to ask the librarian to find the publication for us and let us see it long enough to take copious notes and document the name, title, and page number(s) of each source. Another option was to pick up the phone to call on the expertise of an expert, who inevitably lived in another town. Often, this resulted in a horrendous long-distance charge on our next telephone bill, whether the book or article sold or not.
6. Our biggest expenses, though, were office equipment and supplies: a desk, an electric typewriter, well-inked ribbons, reams of 20 lb. paper, carbon paper, and postage.
7. Working on an electric typewriter meant using white-out to correct a mistake then trying (and never succeeding) to erase the same mistake on the carbon copy. If we had too many typing errors on a page, we had to retype. Worse was revision! If we added a full paragraph or scratched through lines, not only did we have to retype that page but those following as the pagination changed.
8. Since most editors wanted an approximate word count, we had to count words – now done by clicking “Review” and “Word Count” in Word software. Then, it meant the ole one, two, three, four, which got tedious if a contract required 100,000 or more words! (Usually, I shortened the process by counting the number of lines and average words per line then multiplying the two.)
9. Writing assignments came with very specific instructions on how many characters were allowed per line. When writing church school curriculum, for example, I had to count – not just the words for the whole manuscript – but the number of letters on each line.
10. Writing freelance also involved querying the editor of the first publishing company on the list, and if s/he wrote back with interest, mailing the article or book manuscript – with SASE – first class. If the editor approved the work, a contract followed – also by mail. If the manuscript was rejected, it came back dog-eared and smudged, which, yeah, meant retyping the whole thing. That alone was an incentive to do the best we could do the first time out. Praise God, I managed to place several books and a few hundred poems and articles that way until my computer and the Internet made my work much, much easier. But working in cyberspace altered everything forever – at least until the next big round of changes.
Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, © 2016
….
1. We had no Internet to build a platform. We did no marketing. We “got known” if we wrote well, consistently placed manuscripts with publishers of books and periodicals, then waited for word to get around – mouth-to-mouth or through ads, book-signings, or other events our publishers planned and paid for. For example, one publisher flew me to company headquarters to talk about writing with school children who approximated the ages of my readers. On another occasion, the publisher of my 7-book devotional series sent a make-up artist and photographer to my modest home for a photo shoot! The picture chosen became a huge poster placed beside my books in bookshops and now in my basement.
2. No Internet also meant no social sites, so those of us who lived in small towns or rural areas almost never had contact with other poets and writers except through writing conferences or by reading publications for poets and writers. Basically, we lived in a vacuum, worked in isolation, and, in solitude, prayed a lot.
3. To find potential publishers, we went to libraries, bookstores, or newsstands to see who was publishing what – a task I highly recommend poets and writers continue to do today by visiting Internet bookshops. This still goes on the “different” list, however, because, once we had found potential publishers, we had to write letters via snails (known then as “first class mail”) to ask for writers’ guidelines. If we ever wanted to hear from them, we included an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) to ensure a reply.
4. Few of us could afford to buy each magazine that interested us or every new book a book company published, so we had to request sample copies of periodicals and current catalogs of book titles – again enclosing an SASE with every request. We would then study, study, study each publication to see where we might fill a gap in their line yet stay in line with that particular company’s needs and requirements – a practice I still recommend for anyone who wants to be published by an established publisher, but now, by studying the samples and information on their websites.
5. In the days when libraries had only books, we would read, read, read everything we could find in our favorite genre. If our writing required research, that, too, meant hanging out in a public library, checking the card catalog index to see if the book or journal needed was on file and, if so, where it was located. Since we weren’t always allowed to check out reference materials to take home, we had to ask the librarian to find the publication for us and let us see it long enough to take copious notes and document the name, title, and page number(s) of each source. Another option was to pick up the phone to call on the expertise of an expert, who inevitably lived in another town. Often, this resulted in a horrendous long-distance charge on our next telephone bill, whether the book or article sold or not.
6. Our biggest expenses, though, were office equipment and supplies: a desk, an electric typewriter, well-inked ribbons, reams of 20 lb. paper, carbon paper, and postage.
7. Working on an electric typewriter meant using white-out to correct a mistake then trying (and never succeeding) to erase the same mistake on the carbon copy. If we had too many typing errors on a page, we had to retype. Worse was revision! If we added a full paragraph or scratched through lines, not only did we have to retype that page but those following as the pagination changed.
8. Since most editors wanted an approximate word count, we had to count words – now done by clicking “Review” and “Word Count” in Word software. Then, it meant the ole one, two, three, four, which got tedious if a contract required 100,000 or more words! (Usually, I shortened the process by counting the number of lines and average words per line then multiplying the two.)
9. Writing assignments came with very specific instructions on how many characters were allowed per line. When writing church school curriculum, for example, I had to count – not just the words for the whole manuscript – but the number of letters on each line.
10. Writing freelance also involved querying the editor of the first publishing company on the list, and if s/he wrote back with interest, mailing the article or book manuscript – with SASE – first class. If the editor approved the work, a contract followed – also by mail. If the manuscript was rejected, it came back dog-eared and smudged, which, yeah, meant retyping the whole thing. That alone was an incentive to do the best we could do the first time out. Praise God, I managed to place several books and a few hundred poems and articles that way until my computer and the Internet made my work much, much easier. But working in cyberspace altered everything forever – at least until the next big round of changes.
Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, © 2016
….
November 28, 2016
31 Women of the Bible
If you like to read books for Christians and have a relevant blog, you might want to sign up (free) to be a B&H/Lifeway Blogger. Broadman published my first books years ago, so I joined their bloggers and soon received a review copy of 31 Women of the Bible by Len Woods.
As the Introduction says, the book includes, “A concise summary of each woman’s appearance in Scripture, viewed through the lens of our modern culture.” In addition, the hefty, slick-paper pages in this quality edition present “Helpful prompts for applying the principles of each woman’s story to your own life” and “Thought-provoking questions to help you find common ground with heroes of the Christian faith.”
For example, a quick study of the first woman Eve offers “The Takeaway” of how “life works best when we trust and obey the explicit Word of God.” Then, a sidebar entitled “Food For Thought” asks questions related to the text such as “We’ve all experienced loss, but Eve lost paradise. What do you think that was like?”
Those of us who had an idyllic childhood have probably felt the same way, especially in preteen and teen years when we were caught between being little kids and grownups. (No wonder that age group often has a hard time!)
Christians in general, however, often have a hard time dealing with difficult Bible people or situations. Because of this tendency, the book’s goal of viewing Bible people “through the lens of our modern culture” could add fuel to disturbances that already inflame, rather than helping us to understand more about where Bible people were coming from in a particular time and place.
For instance, the profile on Hagar, Sarah’s maid and mother of Abraham’s child Ishmael, ends with a takeaway that offers no insight into the situation yet states the obvious way this story is now viewed: “As a servant and concubine, she was treated like property…. And she was sent into the desert by the father of her child.” Although it’s true for most of us that “You can’t study Hagar’s life without wincing,” many of us want to get beyond that tragedy and find out things like why were women in Egypt sold into slavery in the first place or why did Hagar think it would be okay to make Sarah feel worse about being childless or why is Hagar – a woman from the continent of Africa – illustrated as an overwrought white woman?
Indeed, almost every beautiful painting used as an illustration in this book shows tones from stark white to ruddy skin but does not feature women who look like they’re from countries in Africa or the Middle East. Also, I recognized some of the paintings from ones I’ve seen in art books or museums, so I tried to find acknowledgements of the artists and titles, but the “Art Credits” in the back matter merely point to stock photo companies found online.
Regardless of these shortcomings, the book makes an interesting one-month devotional to help readers see how human nature hasn’t changed, nor has our need for God. Each woman portrayed in this book comes with a unique personality and strong character from which we can learn more about ourselves or the women in our lives.
However, I’d most recommend this book as a 31-week (or more) guide for a Bible discussion group where members are encouraged to read the text, consider the questions prior to meeting, and come up with questions of their own. Then, oh, what lively discussions would most likely occur!
Reviewed by Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible reviewer, ©2016
31 Women of the Bible, hardback with ribbon bookmarker
…
As the Introduction says, the book includes, “A concise summary of each woman’s appearance in Scripture, viewed through the lens of our modern culture.” In addition, the hefty, slick-paper pages in this quality edition present “Helpful prompts for applying the principles of each woman’s story to your own life” and “Thought-provoking questions to help you find common ground with heroes of the Christian faith.”
For example, a quick study of the first woman Eve offers “The Takeaway” of how “life works best when we trust and obey the explicit Word of God.” Then, a sidebar entitled “Food For Thought” asks questions related to the text such as “We’ve all experienced loss, but Eve lost paradise. What do you think that was like?”
Those of us who had an idyllic childhood have probably felt the same way, especially in preteen and teen years when we were caught between being little kids and grownups. (No wonder that age group often has a hard time!)
Christians in general, however, often have a hard time dealing with difficult Bible people or situations. Because of this tendency, the book’s goal of viewing Bible people “through the lens of our modern culture” could add fuel to disturbances that already inflame, rather than helping us to understand more about where Bible people were coming from in a particular time and place.
For instance, the profile on Hagar, Sarah’s maid and mother of Abraham’s child Ishmael, ends with a takeaway that offers no insight into the situation yet states the obvious way this story is now viewed: “As a servant and concubine, she was treated like property…. And she was sent into the desert by the father of her child.” Although it’s true for most of us that “You can’t study Hagar’s life without wincing,” many of us want to get beyond that tragedy and find out things like why were women in Egypt sold into slavery in the first place or why did Hagar think it would be okay to make Sarah feel worse about being childless or why is Hagar – a woman from the continent of Africa – illustrated as an overwrought white woman?
Indeed, almost every beautiful painting used as an illustration in this book shows tones from stark white to ruddy skin but does not feature women who look like they’re from countries in Africa or the Middle East. Also, I recognized some of the paintings from ones I’ve seen in art books or museums, so I tried to find acknowledgements of the artists and titles, but the “Art Credits” in the back matter merely point to stock photo companies found online.
Regardless of these shortcomings, the book makes an interesting one-month devotional to help readers see how human nature hasn’t changed, nor has our need for God. Each woman portrayed in this book comes with a unique personality and strong character from which we can learn more about ourselves or the women in our lives.
However, I’d most recommend this book as a 31-week (or more) guide for a Bible discussion group where members are encouraged to read the text, consider the questions prior to meeting, and come up with questions of their own. Then, oh, what lively discussions would most likely occur!
Reviewed by Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible reviewer, ©2016
31 Women of the Bible, hardback with ribbon bookmarker
…
October 27, 2016
How to tell a story
In poetry, words with multiple connotations can bring an air of mystery. However, in a short story or novel, that ambiguity doesn't work well – and even less so in science-fiction. Sci-fi needs to be grounded in realism to be plausible and interesting.
Generally speaking, clarity comes by briefly identifying each person, situation, and setting as you introduce them in your fiction. Keep in mind though, the story is the point. Then keep the action in each scene moving without interruption.
Details can be woven between scenes with story movement occurring as it happens. In other words, show movement in the moment, rather than telling about it before or after the event. This develops your story in a logical time sequence, which helps to clarify what's happening, when, and to whom.
Generally speaking, clarity comes by briefly identifying each person, situation, and setting as you introduce them in your fiction. Keep in mind though, the story is the point. Then keep the action in each scene moving without interruption.
Details can be woven between scenes with story movement occurring as it happens. In other words, show movement in the moment, rather than telling about it before or after the event. This develops your story in a logical time sequence, which helps to clarify what's happening, when, and to whom.
August 20, 2016
What’s on your writing desk, Mary Sayler? | Karla Akins
Thanks, Karla, for our chat! I appreciate your interviewing me. God bless.
What’s on your writing desk, Mary Sayler? | Karla Akins
December 19, 2015
Tips on writing nonfiction
• Pick a subject that clearly relates to the theme and purpose of the publication or blog for which you would like to write.
• List the points you want to make. [Hint: Give your ideas time to surface.]
• Select the most significant, timely, and/or freshest points.
• Arrange those points in order of importance.
Next, evaluate how long your article will probably need to be.
If you have one main point or fresh perspective you want to discuss in, say, 200 to 300 words, that would be about the right length for a blog post.
If you have 3 to 5 points you’d like to develop in, say, 1500 to 3000 words, that could be a magazine article.
If you have a long list of points that will require research and/or take time to explain, you might have the makings of a book!
If you’re interested in suggestions on ways to develop each point, let me know in the Comment space below, and, Lord willing, we can talk about that next time.
Besides a couple dozen books in all genres for Christian and educational markets, Mary has placed over 1,500 articles, devotionals, and other short manuscripts with traditional and indie publishers. She also wrote the Christian Writers Guide e-book on writing, revising, and publishing to help you in your Christian writing life.
...
November 3, 2015
Jesus the Storyteller
In Part 1 of Jesus the Storyteller, academic author Stephen I. Wright gives an overview of respected writings on the parables, which I recommend for biblical scholars and Bible teachers interested in a serious study of the good stories Jesus told. To be honest though, those opening pages provided more information than I wanted!
When the publisher WJK (Westminster John Knox Press) kindly sent me a free copy of the book to review, I didn’t expect such a scholarly approach. As a narrative poet and writer, I mainly wanted to know what made the stories work as a form of entertainment used to reveal spiritual truths. But then, I also saw how the book can help our Christian writing lives.
Although the text continues on an academic level, subsequent sections delve into the aspects of story that narrative poets and writers need to study and employ: theme, purpose, characters, plot, and setting.
For example, chapter 6 “Hearing the stories through Luke” points out that “Luke recounts more stories from the lips of Jesus than either Mark or Matthew. Most of these occur in the ‘travel narrative’ of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem….”
Since I’d never thought of the stories as being set in a larger story on the way, I read with interest:
“We may best outline Luke’s performance of these stories by noting the way he has woven them into his travel narrative as explanations, illustrations, clarifications or expansions of teaching and situations that arise ‘on the way’,” where, “Interaction with others is a constant.” It’s sort of like a travelogue with stories accentuating passage from one place to another.
In chapter 7 “Hearing the stories in Galilee,” the author points out that “Stories have a setting that may be a combination of geographical, cultural, temporal and religious aspects, and more…. This is part of what we mean when we say they invite us into a ‘world’.”
For example, the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8, and the apocryphal book, Thomas 9 was set in a world where “the great majority of the population scraped a living together off the land.” And so, the author asks, “what would be the force of the parable’s promise of a harvest?” Although we might typically expect our gardens in the U.S. to do well, farmers in Jesus’ time and locale would have been less certain of a favorable outcome.
Besides this, “For Jewish people, the land had considerable spiritual significance. It was God’s trust to his people, to tend and care for. Israel’s care for her land came to be seen, in the developing tradition, as a mirror of the way humanity had been called to care for the earth….” Therefore, “God’s blessing on the land was a sign of his favour and the fact that the people were acting in obedience to him and justice towards each other, while drought, famine, plague and conquest were a sign of his displeasure and their rebellion.”
Additional chapters consider other parables and places, but sticking with Luke’s presentation of The Sower in chapter 7 might give you a better idea of what you’ll find in this book. For instance, headings include:
Setting
Character
Point of View
Plot
Reflection
The character in The Sower is the only person presented and is also anonymous. The plot is brief and “loss of seed is real. But so is the possibility of great fruitfulness.”
Speaking from that single character’s point of view, Jesus “reveals himself as one who knows and understands his hearers’ situation well.” And, “By drawing a specific scene, however mundane, a whole world of truth may be evoked.”
In the “Reflection” on the parable, the author insightfully points out how “It sounds almost like a narrative rendering of a song, Psalm 126.” More importantly, “It invites thought and encourages hope. The identification of seeds with people in the parable’s application draws out the personal challenge that a careful listener might have received from the story itself, but it does not close down the ongoing signifying power of that story,” which unlike a straight telling or listing of events causes listeners to continue to listen, consider, and hear God’s living word.
© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer and life-long student of the Bible, is poet-author of numerous books in all genres.
Jesus the Storyteller, paperback
…
September 8, 2015
Christian poets, writers, and ministry gifts
My decision to write a new post today came about as one godly thing led to another and another, which then led me!
First, God led some members of our Christian Poets and Writers group on Facebook to remind us this morning how our lives in Christ have a purpose and how God has a plan for each of us.
Another member said this is National Suicide Prevention Week, which connects with the theme of God’s plan and purpose, too, in that people who consider taking their own lives usually can see no plan, no purpose, and no reason for living.
Another member gave suggestions about ways to hear God’s word to us and, therefore, become more aware of a divine plan for our lives.
In addition to those factors, the reading for my next Bible Study group discusses the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12 – gifts that inform, edify, and guide our Christian writing lives.
If you have no idea what ministry gifts you have, type “Ministry Gifts test” in the search box on the Internet, and you’ll get a variety of sites to visit. After you have responded to each question, you’ll get an assessment of your gifts, along with their ranking. That’s important to know because, unlike natural God-given talents, which might be used for your own pleasure and enjoyment, your ministry gifts have been given to you to help uplift and strengthen the church.
That needs highlighting:
The Holy Spirit gives each of us ministry gifts to build up, nurture, and encourage the whole Body of Christ.
You’ll want to do that locally, of course, as you serve and minister to your church family, but as a poet or writer, your ministry gifts will help to guide the type of writing you’re meant to do.
For example, if the Lord has given you a gift of teaching, you might be led to write nonfiction books, articles, or Bible study guides.
If God has given you a gift of encouragement and empathy for others, writing spiritual poems, devotionals, and children’s books could be just right for you. Or, perhaps, you'll show loving relationships, realistically, in a novel.
Regardless of your ministry gift and writing talent, these tips might help too:
• Believe God’s promise to you of gifts from the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.)
• Pray for God to reveal your gifts and God’s unique plan for you.
• Expectantly await the results!
• Let the Bible, that “inner knowing” given to you by the Holy Spirit, and, often, the affirmation of Christian friends, lead you into God’s plan and purpose for you and your writing life in Christ.
© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler. If you need prayer about this, post your request in the Comments below.
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