Seeds of Truth – Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28, NIV

How have you seen God work through all things? How has He used circumstances in your life for your good? How did you see that in suffering? How did you see that in trials? How did you see that in the joys of life? What good things have you seen through pain? How did it change you? How did you grow? How did you learn to praise God even in trials?

How can you use your experiences and insights in a meditation/devotional? In a personal experience piece? In a how-to article? In fiction? In poetry? How can you explain this to children through a children’s story?

From the Idea Garden – Memorial Day

What does Memorial Day mean to you? Do you know someone who gave their life for their country? How did it affect you? How did their life inspire you? Why did they serve?

How can you use your memories and insights in a personality profile? In a how-to article? In a personal experience piece? In a meditation/devotional? In poetry? In fiction? In a children’s story?

Seeds of Truth – Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

How have you learned to trust in the Lord with all your heart? What happened when you followed your way and ignored God’s way? How do you acknowledge Him in all your ways? How do you commit everything you do to the Lord? How does He guide you? When was a time when God guided you and you saw blessings? How have you seen this verse touch your life?

How can you use your insights in a personal experience piece? In a how-to article? In fiction? In a meditation/devotional? In poetry? In a children’s story?

How can you use it in a piece about prayer? About trusting God? About God’s guidance?

Random Trails

Here’s a writing prompt from Writer’s Digest. It just might inspire you.

Creative Writing Prompt: Why Are You Digging That Hole? | WritersDigest.com.

Picking Writing Blossoms from the Mother’s Day Garden

Mother’s Day is one of those sentimental holidays that’s all about love, family and memories. It’s also full of endless writing ideas. What writing ideas can you glean from Mother’s Day?

Personal Experience Pieces

How did you celebrate Mother’s Day? Did your children do something special for you? Did you do something special with your mom? How can you share these things with your readers?

Are you a new mom? How does that change the way you view Mother’s Day? Are you a grandma? How does that make Mother’s Day unique for you? If your mom is no longer with you, how does that change Mother’s Day for you?

Take all the emotions from Mother’s Day and use them in your writing. Tell stories. Offer a spiritual application.

How-To Articles

What memories did you create on Mother’s Day? What about traditions? How do you make it a unique experience for the mothers in your family?

What did you learn about being a mom from your own mother? What did she do right? What mistakes did she make?

How did you tell your mom you were pregnant? How did you include her in your pregnancy? How did you help your own children during their pregnancies? How did you know when to step back and allow them to learn on their own?

How do your children show you love throughout the year? How do you show your own mother love during the year?

If your mom is no longer with you, how do you cope with her loss? How did you learn to live with that loss? How do you honor her life?

Your experiences will help other mothers and children.

Other Writing Avenues

Fiction is always a good way to work through or honor your relationship with your mom. How can you use your experiences in fiction? How can you use your experiences in a children’s story?

Poetry, too, offers an outlet to expressing the mother/child relationship. How does your relationship with your mom inspire your poetry? What about your relationship with your children?

Our relationship with our moms can be complicated. But, it also offers blossoms of writing ideas—both beautiful and not-so beautiful—that we can gather into a multi-faceted writing bouquet.

© Deborah Christensen

Seeds of Truth – 1 Timothy 4:10

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

1 Timothy 4:10, NASB

How have you fixed your hope on God? What impact has that had on your life? How has it changed you? What have you learned from fixing your hope on God? How can you use your insights in a how-to article? In a personal experience piece? In a meditation/devotional? In fiction? In poetry? How can you explain this to children in a children’s story?

From the Idea Garden – Cooking

Food creates memories: special family celebrations, times with our spouse, dinners with friends. What is your favorite recipe? What is the story behind it? Is it part of your family history? Think of times when you served that meal. What are those stories?

Can you use the recipe as part of an article for a food magazine? Can you use it in a health article? How can you use the recipe in a personal experience piece? In a how-to article? How can you use the memories that it creates in a personal experience piece? In a how-to article? In fiction? In poetry?

From the Idea Garden – Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. What have you learned about prayer? What answers to prayer have you seen? How has God changed you through prayer? How have you seen God’s faithfulness as you pray? What does it mean to you when others pray for you? What role does praise play in your prayers? What role does confession play in your prayers? What about thanksgiving? How do you make your requests known to God?

How can you use your insights in a how-to article? In a personal experience piece? In a meditation/devotional? In fiction? In poetry? In a children’s story?

Seeds of Truth – 1 Thessalonians 2:19

After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you!

1 Thessalonians 2:19, NLT

Have you ever taught a Sunday School class, led a small group or pastored a church? How have you seen God at work through the group? How did you deal with conflict in the group? What did you learn about forgiveness? How did you encourage the people you led to grow in their relationship with Christ? What did you learn about group dynamics? How did the group grow in love? How does this verse apply to your group and to you, as a leader?

How can you use your insights from this verse in a how-to article? Personal experience piece? Meditation/devotional? Fiction? Poetry? Leadership article? Can you interview someone in your group and use their story in an article?