Standing Up for What You Believe
Recently, a senator claimed that a nominee was unqualified to serve in the government because he believed in “Christ alone” for salvation. Business owners took their case all the way to the Supreme Court and won the right to only offer health insurance that complied with their faith. Christian florists, bakers, photographers and calligraphers have been sued because they refuse to do work for same-sex weddings. These weddings go against their deeply held beliefs that God designed marriage for one man and one woman.
How can you, as a Christian writer, support fellow believers who take a stand for their faith? How can you encourage other believers to stand strong when their faith comes under fire? What do Christians need to know about the law and their freedom of religion?
Devotions
To stand strong for their faith, Christians need to be strong in their faith. What verses can you use for your devotion? What anecdote can you share? How can you remind Christians that we will face persecution? How can you help them stand strong in the face of persecution?
How can you remind your readers to love their enemies? What does that look like? How would Jesus respond? How can they react in Christlike ways while refusing to back down?
How-To and Personal Experience
Share your own story or someone else’s story. What takeaway value can you give them? What worked? What didn’t work? Where can they find the resources they need to protect themselves when they face opposition? What practical steps can they take? How can they build a support group during their trial?
What experts can you interview? What organizations can you research? Share the insights these specialists offer.
Writing for Children
Children and teens are told they can’t pray in school, use school facilities for Bible meetings or mention God in graduation speeches. What does the law say? How can you help children and teens stand strong when “authorities” deny their rights? How can you encourage them to demonstrate Christ’s love in the face of trials?
The Founders of this country wanted to protect our religious freedoms from the government, not protect the government from people of faith. As writers, we can help them stand up for what they believe.
© Deborah Christensen
Heading Into Summer
Memorial Day has come and gone. The summer season is in full swing. It’s a time for pool parties, barbecues, family vacations, summer camp, and all the other fun that summer brings. It also inspires a lot of writing ideas.
What’s different about summer? What does it inspire?
Parenting
How can you help parents prepare for their children’s summer break? How can you help working parents juggle their children’s summer schedules? How can you help families build stronger relationships during the summer?
What do parents need to know about summer camp? How can they choose the right one for their child? How can you help parents prepare their children for summer camp? What can parents do if their child become homesick?
How can parents make the most of a summer vacation? How do they choose the right vacation spot for their family? How do they budget for a vacation? How do they handle a child who doesn’t want to go on vacation? How can they take creative photos that capture the essence of their family vacation?
Summer Parties
How can your readers throw a fun summer party? How can you help them cook great food? What can you tell them about decorating for a summer party? How can they help their guests have fun? How do you build relationships through a summer party?
Summer Activities
What can you write about gardening? Hiking? Bicycling? Cooking on the grill? How can you help your readers protect themselves from ticks? Mosquitoes? How can they recognize poisonous plants?
What health issues arise from summer activities? How can they prevent injuries? What do they do after they incur an injury? What about allergies? How can they keep themselves healthy in the summer?
What can you write for kids? How can you help them embrace summer activities? What stories can you write for them? What devotions can you write? What kind of personal experience article can you write? Who can you interview?
Enjoy the summer. But, always look for writing ideas. Most publications work several months out. Have fun. Gather ideas. Then, write when the weather gets colder.
© Deborah Christensen
Friday Fun Facts: Some Everyday Words
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, F. Scott Fitzgerald was the first to use the word “wicked” to mean “cool” in his novel This Side of Paradise. Many believe he coined the word “T-shirt.”
Random Trails: How to Be Creative and Find Your Brilliance | Write to Done
This piece contains links to articles that will help boost your creativity.
Seeds of Truth: Proverbs 3:6
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:6, NLT
What does this verse mean to you? What does it say about God’s will? What does it say about following His guidance? How do you find God’s will? What role does His Word play? What role does prayer play? How do you know if it’s God’s will or your own will? How do you hear His voice? How do you live each day for Him?
How Can You Use This Verse in Your Writing?
- What kind of nonfiction piece can you write?
- What tips would you offer in a how-to article?
- What story can you tell in a personal experience piece? What takeaway value can you give?
- How can you use this verse to inspire fiction?
- How can you use this verse to inspire poetry?
- Do you know someone who lives out this verse? Can you interview them and write a personality profile on them?
- How can you explain this verse to children? What kind of children’s story can you write? What kind of nonfiction piece can you write for children? For teens?
- What kind of devotion can you write on this verse?
- How can you apply this verse to writing about trusting God, God’s sovereignty, prayer, healing, illness, salvation of loved ones, marriage, parenting, pregnancy, singleness, family relationships, relationship struggles, work, finances, unemployment, current events, fear, discouragement, weakness, courage, hope, forgiveness, anger, anxiety, patience, grief, persecution, trials, etc.?
- What other issues can you apply this verse to?
Practicing Civility with Freedom of Speech
In the last six months, people have shut down the freedom of speech of others simply because they disagreed with it. They protest, riot, destroy property, shout others down, and attack people who hold opposing views. The most recent example occurred this weekend at Notre Dame. Vice President Pence spoke at the commencement. Supposedly, he holds the same values as the students of the Catholic university. Yet, dozens of students rudely walked out, disrupting his speech.
As writers, we thrive on the freedom of speech. It fuels our writing. It enables to do what we do. So, what can we write to protect the freedom of speech?
Opinions are Everywhere
How can we encourage our readers to respect the opinions of others, even if they disagree with them? How can we show them how to be respectful when they express their own opinions? How can we help them “agree to disagree”?
If you’re a conservative, you probably won’t write for Mother Jones. If you’re an atheist, you won’t submit your work to Christianity Today. However, the readers of all publications span a wide array of opinions. What can you write about civility? What opinion do you want to share? How can you do it in love? How can you treat your readers with respect while you practice your free speech?
Conflict at the Core of Fiction
Conflict drives fiction. What conflicts can you include in your fiction? How can you show your characters resolve it civilly? What personal opinions do you want to convey through your fiction? How can you gently persuade your readers to come to your side?
Turn to the Bible
What does the Bible say about loving one another? How can we love one another even when we disagree? How do we prevent anger and disagreements from destroying relationships? What kind of devotion can you write? What Bible verses can you use?
We can lead the way to civility. We can encourage our readers to listen to each other instead of shutting down opposing opinions.
© Deborah Christensen
Friday Fun Facts: Don Quixote
Don Quixote is the best-selling novel of all time. Since it was written in the early 1600s, it has sold over 500 million copies. However, the best-selling book is still the Bible.
