That I May Publish

“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works” (Ps. 26:7, KJV).

“With the voice of thanksgiving.”

I have had six books published, as well as a few ebooks now out there on the world wide web. Each one has been a thrill and given me great satisfaction. But each time I’ve been in danger of falling into a pit.

There is the pit of pride that tells me I’ve done this great thing and now I’m worthy; the pit of doubt that says it really isn’t that good and no-one will read it; and then the pit of despair that says I’ll never be able to do it again.

I have seen these pits gaping before me each time I’ve held a new book in my hands. They can threaten to drag me in and bury me in darkness, but I’ve found the life-line that keeps me from falling in – it’s that little thing called thankfulness.

The writer of the book of Hebrews said: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. (Hebrews 12:28).

The Greek word used for thankful in this verse is charis, grace. Thanksgiving – gratitude – grace. One leads to the other and all lead to an outpouring that will bless, lift up and encourage others. That’s the pattern of life God has ordained for us all in this world, in His kingdom.

Holding a new book in your hands kind of makes you feel like you’ve just been handed a kingdom – the kingdom of imagination, the kingdom of an audience of readers, the kingdom of purpose and fulfillment. Without thankfulness that feeling would be fleeting. We would indeed be tempted to pride, to self doubt and to despair, because without thankfulness, without recognizing where this gift has come from, we realize in the depths of our soul that it is all just a mirage. Without recognizing the plan and purposes of God in and for our work, there can be no true substance to it.

There would be no charis.

So let us publish with the voice of thanksgiving, pouring out grace. And “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16). 

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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her first novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has two devotional books in print. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded here.

Her most recent release is the second book in a fantasy series,

The Ambassadors

To learn more about her writing and speaking ministry visit Marcia’s Website

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This is Grace

Today's guest devotion, by Cynthia Ruchti, is from: His Grace is Sufficient…Decaf is Not © 2011 Summerside Press

This is Grace

“In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Eph 1:7-8

My first grandchild entered life on a tsunami of pain. A devastating wave of emotional and spiritual concerns accompanied what should have been a joy-filled announcement—“Mom, we’re pregnant.”

The words were couched with shame and embarrassment. My son and his girlfriend weren’t married and faced far more challenges than the fact that she craved fish sticks and FunYums. They both knew they’d made bad decisions. One of those “what were we thinking?” decisions meant that now, rather than ironing out their relationship issues and dealing with a 747-worth of baggage, they—and we—prepared for a baby in the house.

As with most parents of young people in trouble, we were heartbroken over their choice to bypass the divine plan for a husband and wife to bring children into the world in God’s glorious timing. It’s not that we didn’t understand how a thing like that could happen. But my husband and I and everyone else concerned knew that the path my son and his girlfriend chose came laced with difficulties and complications they weren’t prepared to handle, challenges the Lord never intended them to experience.

The young woman was homeless and a legal issue kept them from getting married right away. My son had a home of his own a few miles from ours, but the expectant mom lived at our house. As her belly grew, we tamped our disappointment and chose to love and forgive, taking our cue from the mercy that floods the pages of Scripture. Together we walked through morning sickness and fatigue and community stares and whispers. We traversed a path of embarrassment and concern, and faced challenges that only happened to “other people.” We felt every bit of the baby weight on our own frames and somehow adopted the waves of nausea and the clenching of false labor in our own bodies.

But through it all we counted on the wonder of the Lord’s forgiveness, His redemptive heart, His ability to turn what started out distressing into something of great beauty. It’s what He does. He molds rough clay to make art. He recycles pain to make a place for His joy to land.

As expected, He did just that.

At 4:30 in the morning one day in September, my son came to get us from the waiting room to lead us into the birthing center where a new life had entered the world moments before. Warm and bright-eyed and rose-petal pink, the child was laid into my eager Grammie arms.

“Mom,” my humbled but glowing son said, as if a formal introduction were necessary, “this is Grace.”

I drew that darling baby to my heart, as I imagine the Lord drew me, and answered, “Yes it is. This is grace.”

Today’s Prayer: Father God, how is it that You can make something so incredibly beautiful out of the messes we give you? Yet You do. And we’re grateful. You don’t just forgive, You lavish the riches of Your grace on us.  Thank you for the exceptional and exceptionally well-loved child Grace, and for where-would-we-be-without-it divine grace.

Cynthia Ruchti writes and produces the drama/devotional radio broadcast, The Heartbeat of the Home. She is editor of the ministry's Backyard Friends magazine, the author of a novel and novella recognized with nominations for Reviewers' Choice, Retailers' Choice, and Readers' Choice awards, and speaks for women's groups and writers' events. Visit her website at www.CynthiaRuchti.com

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Here, Wear My Armor!

Today's guest devotion is by Sandra D. Bricker, from: His Grace is Sufficient…Decaf is Not © 2011 Summerside Press

Here, Wear My Armor!

“Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 1 Samuel 17:33

It took a lot of talking for David to convince King Saul that he could slay the giant. Even then, nervous Saul placed his tunic around the boy, and added a suit of armor and a bronze helmet. But David tried to walk around in it and kept falling over from the weight of it. He tossed it all off and went after Goliath armed with just a sling and a stone.

            

How many times have we faced down challenges that look as big as that giant? We stand there, with our sling and stone, wishing we had a king to stand behind us, some armor or a helmet to protect us.

            

As a cancer survivor, I often equate David’s story to my own battle against the disease; although, when that phone call came to identify ovarian cancer as the Goliath now standing before me, my attitude was far more Saul than David. I yearned for dependable armor, or a big old helmet! When I pulled back the band of my sling, I realized I had no little stone to load into it.

            

Then God’s grace sent Dr. Alison Calkins; beautiful, smart, compassionate. She looked me straight in the eye and answered every one of my six thousand questions. She let me cry without judgment and, when my weight was more than the radiation machine would allow, she even figured out how to build a support. Through her and her team, God fashioned the little stone I needed to take one brazen shot at cancer.

            

I’ll never forget the day Dr. Calkins told me, many weeks later, that the giant wasn’t getting back up again. “You and I are going to be together for the rest of your life,” she said with a smile as she explained how she envisioned my post-cancer care. “And I’m happy to tell you…that will be a very long time.”

            

Even now, more than six years later, I still feel queasy while I wait at the light at Martin Luther King Boulevard to turn into St. Joseph’s Hospital for my annual check-up. At first, I remember the loneliness of those treatments, the fear and anxiety and desperation. But as I park in a spot marked for Radiation Therapy Patients Only, and the glass door slides open and I spot Connie or Alex or Ann Marie, my heart starts to beat again. Excitedly, I anticipate getting my first look at Dr. Calkins, knowing she’ll be the reminder God brings that the giant has been slain.

            

I’ll bet, every now and then, David spotted a small stone at the side of the road, and couldn’t help but smile, remembering what he and God had done. If only I could tuck Dr. Calkins into my pocket and carry her with me as a reminder: By the grace of God, giants are slain!

           

Today’s Prayer: Father God, I’m humbled by Your grace as I face the towering giants in my life. You are always prepared for them, and You always provide just what I need for the fight, whether that be a stone or a doctor with a sweet, promising smile. Amen.

 Sandra D. Bricker is an award-winning best seller in the inspirational market with laugh-out-loud novels such as Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas and Always the Baker, Never the Bride from the Emma Rae Creation series. She spent 15+ years in Los Angeles as an entertainment publicist while studying screenwriting. However, when her mother became ill in Florida, she left all that behind to take on a couple of new roles: Caregiver and Novelist. Visit her website at www.SandraDBricker.com

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Stretching

Marcia Lee Laycock is a pastor's wife and mother of three grown daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone, and has published two devotional books, Spur of the Moment, and Focused Reflections. Visit her website - http://www.vinemarc.com/

The Yukon autumn was sliding into winter as my friends and I sipped coffee and stared out the window of our warm log home at the heavy frost on the ground. The conversation turned to the subject of wood. Firewood. We all admitted our woodpiles weren’t quite as high as they could be. We all knew what minus 60 was like, that our stoves would deplete the store of fuel in no time.

Then Anne mentioned a local sawmill was giving away slab wood. The slabs were mostly bark with only an inch or two of wood, but they were dry and made great kindling. Enough of them would be a welcome and needed addition to the stock of wood in our yards. But we also knew our husbands’ jobs left no daylight hours to haul wood. It was Barb who said, “So it’s up to us.” I was the last to agree. I knew how heavy our chainsaw was, having run it once or twice. The idea of spending a whole day running it didn’t appeal to me. But my friends assured me we could do it. Barb rented the truck, Anne packed the lunch and I prayed.

A few days later I found myself staring at our saw as my husband sharpened the chain and explained how to avoid stalling it. For most of that night I considered how I might get out of this adventure, but the next day the first crack of light found me and my two friends stacking slabs on the deck of a five-ton truck. As the pile grew, we took turns climbing on top to trim the ends on the far side. My arms, already aching from tossing the slabs, shook as I leaned over and tried not to think of falling off with a roaring chainsaw in my hands. But the pile slowly grew until the three of us, dirty, exhausted, but smiling, stood back and surveyed the stack of wood, piled as high as it could go on the back of that truck.

The sun was setting and the temperature dropping as we drove home. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on our husbands’ faces when we arrived with that loaded truck. The knowledge that we had made a significant contribution to the comfort of our families that winter made all of us smile. The episode had been a stretch for me, but the accomplishment made me realize with the Lord’s help I was capable of more than I had thought. It felt good.

I once heard a challenging sermon about stretching. “It’s in stretching that faith grows,” the pastor said. “It’s in stretching that we learn to rely on God’s grace.”

Stretching your faith might mean letting go of something you’ve been worrying about. It might mean reconciling with someone who has offended you. It might just mean attending a Bible study group for the first time. It might mean writing a poem or an article even though you’re a fiction writer. It might mean starting that first novel, or hitting the send button to put your words out there for the world to read.

Maybe you’re thinking the same thoughts I did the night before my wood hauling expedition – “I don’t think I can do it.” Maybe you’re right, but God’s grace can do it through you. So pray. Then go ahead and stretch.

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