Let’s start at the beginning. I am baptised in the Lord Jesus, and declare myself to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, and joined with Jesus in Sonship of the Father.
And I’m a writer. I’ve written eBooks and paperbacks. So I have been blessed with talent, skills, and – I’ll admit it – what I used to call luck (though I would, now, call it God’s blessing.)
But now I want to be more, as a writer. As a Christian writer. I desire for God to create through me stories of faith that will move and inspire my readers. Move them to re-connect with their baptismal birthright, to see God’s action in their lives, as my characters do in theirs. Move them to seek God and desire His blessing, as my characters do.
What does this call forth from me? I am willing to be of service to Him through my creativity, to share in some small way, in God’s acts of creation, to use words to create narratives that bring forth faith so that a reader will feel, “Why not me? Why don’t I ask the Lord into my life? What might happen if I did?”
To model my fiction on God’s biblical narratives which speak of His redeeming love that overcomes all circumstances so that my and His readers are changed, and their faith – however faltering – is deepened.
And I am doing this so that I can be drawn closer to Him, too.
I believe that He wants this calling to be a yoke that is easy, a burden that is light. No struggling in the garret. He wants to bless my writing.
So who are my readers? People like me. Women (and men) who want to deepen their faith, or perhaps do not know the Lord – yet. But what connects them is a love of reading, and love for a good story. Which means that every time I write, I ask for blessing to write the best story that I can. I believe that the Lord draws my readers to me – that, for the time it takes for them to read my story, they are exactly the right readers for me, and I am the best writer for them.
And – my readers look for, and enjoy, Christian fiction. For me, this are stories that centre on relationships: they may be broken, there may be heartache, but the conclusion will show that God’s hand has always been reaching out, that His Holy Spirit is always present to knot broken hearts, to build trust, to lead people to enduring love.
I am not a “heavy” Christian writer. My readers want to be entertained. Many of Jesus’ parables were funny. People liked listening to him. They were left challenged, and encouraged.
My writing will flow from my relationship with Jesus. So I seek to “listen more nearly” and attune myself to whispers from the Holy Spirit that unblock what seem to be setbacks in my draft. I seek not to get in the way.
God has given me a unique and creative way to express what is in my heart, and I pray to be anointed with a greater ability to take what is in me and relay it to others.
I believe that my creative thoughts are no longer MY thoughts, but those inspired by the Risen Lord.
Submitted by: James Fane-Gladwin
Love this confident declaration James! It is clear that it comes from the heart and I feel your inner man reaching for more of God with every word!
Thanks James, well said and inspiring. You certainly are an anointed writer.
Oh how I love the written word.
I feel like I know so much more about you from this one article. Glory to God.
I love the flow of the wordsmith and how each expression of that flow is unique to the channel through which it comes. Deep waters that require a deep dive to excavate God‘s hidden treasures. Where are the oysters? There are the pearls. No more shallow-wading prophets – they are out where the current is strongest but the challenge most rewarding.
Your writing is pulling us out into the creative ocean of possibility. Thank you.