THE WRITER’S CALENDAR OF MONTHS
I was overjoyed as the biblical shepherd who found his lost sheep when I found my notes on Paul Karensa’s ‘Calendar pattern’. It’s designed to plan a story plot by fitting in characters, locations, conflict, climax and resolution around the 12 months. It gave me the idea to imagine what each month offered Christian writers like us. A kind of best fit. So here we go!! January: The month of New Year/ new beginning. You see yourself in a new light; You mentally make new resolutions with God; Life happens but, ‘The One who calls you is faithful’ gives you resilience; Time to declutter stuff ; You begin to think of your new/existing writing projects; Put in sight your writing paraphernalia… February: The month of Valentine. You share love and prayers to loved ones; You do your writer duties around social media, ACW, work, family, etc; You give off time to be you but Life happens; ‘The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue’ and strengthens you; You plan to start goals not achieved in January; You write ideas … March: The month of the year’s first quarter; You reassess yourself ; You feel imposter syndrome; The season of Spring offers a fresh start and inspiration; You work on edits, blogs, reviews, newsletters, book launches etc; Word counts begin to swell; Life happens but ‘your soul rises and praises the Lord’… April: The month ushers Easter; You self-rebirth ; You are inspired from the bloom of new life in nature; You introduce humour in your writing ; You write to commemorate the Easter season; Life happens in the midst of your family, work and personal stuff committments; You are reminded ‘to be of good cheer’… May: The month brings warmer days; Your chapters may have started or increased; Your word count may look healthy or still discouraging; You encourage yourself in the Lord for feelings of discouragement, writers block or not being on the writing board; It is proper spring; You may spring to a big or little action; ‘Peace be within you’… June: The month that is half year; You are jolted by the Holy Spirit; ‘You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you’; You are inspired to make huge strides of progress in your writing career; You update your blogs, Get active on marketing, ACW posts, decrease your ‘to be read pile’; You enjoy success/ good news on publishing/review July: The month of vacations, sunshine and school holidays; You are inspired to write a romance, historical, adventure or a thriller; Your word count is healthy. You go on holidays; You are refreshed to engage in career exploits, podcasts, audio books, author interviews; You share your author skills on social media; You taste the Lord and He is sweet… August: The month of the long hot summer; Your energy is breathing hot sparks which you pour into your writing; You call on Him and He tells you hidden things; You may consider professional service / publishing routes; You may revisit social media /writing classes; You may go on a retreat or make a start on your writing and finally crucify procrastinations… September: The month of the last quarter; You have been busy with life and writing; You write despite when life happens; ‘In this world you have tribulations’; You fall seven times but rise to write;’ Those who will rebuild you are coming soon’; You have reached an impressive word count; You are encouraged… October: The month of perfection is true for you; You ‘encourage yourself in the Lord’; You acknowledge God called you to write; You overcome writer’s block and imposter syndrome; You finish your draft; You begin to slow down and think of Christmas, family and life outside being a writer… November: The month of winter; You are inspired to write for advent; You make publishing decisions; Your writing goes on a low key; You do a cover reveal; Life happens and you say, ‘Father take this cup from me’; He says He has ‘armed you with strength for every battle’. You experience some writing miracles… December: The month of Christmas and the year’s end; You wonder where time went; You join in the yuletide celebrations; You deserve a break; Your birthing a book[s] intoxicates you; You spoil yourself; Or was the birth wishful thinking all along? You ‘encourage yourself in the Lord’ for the new year…
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THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
Various MTW posts have triggered the title of my post for this month. When King Belshazzar, the son of King Nebuchadnezzar, saw the handwriting on the wall, during a feast, he was troubled. Fortunately, Daniel got him out of his misery and gave the interpretation. Here in ACW, God is talking to us to through many ‘Daniels’ just like there was a Daniel for the king at his point of need. There is a popular saying, ‘What you are looking for very far away is right there where you are!’ I feel great about myself when I consider what I have achieved since joining ACW, in uly 2020. I learned the value of editing and finally mustered up to having my current works edited. I have plans for past published works. I have learnt to upload my stuff to KDP. I learnt to veer into social media and truly enjoying it. I dropped layers of timidity and boosted my confidence by joining a variety of ACW groups. As for my writing skills, reviewing, supporting others in various ways, God has given me the grace! I make it a point of duty to try to read every MTW post. I have purposed it in my mind. It might be any time of the day and sometimes a day or two after but I ensure I read each one. I consider it ‘ the handwriting on the wall’ and thank God for His Holy Spirit in us. It is like ‘a Daniel’ helping interpret the handwriting on the wall’! There is so much to be garnished from the nuggets of wisdom shared. It could be gaining ideas in our crafts, genres, skills, wisdom, support, encouragement, knowledge, you name it! This post aims to encourage us all to read ‘the handwriting on the wall’ through the daily MTW posts. The writers may not write your kind of genre, or be your chum, but we are all one in Christ and united through ACW. MTW posts writers have taken the pains and sacrifice to research, prepare what God has laid in their hearts to share. Many members are going through needless stress by not making time to read MTW posts. Iron sharpeneth iron. Our people perish in ignorance for lack of wisdom! What a great way to show support, to give encouragement, to hone our crafts, to bless God, to motivate the writers of MTW posts and gain wisdom through feedback. Writers of MTW posts need to read people’s comments, feedbacks and suggestions to their posts. The hand writing on the wall is a 2 way communication process, for both the writer and the reader! Tell the Holy Spirit there, within you to guide you in ALL truths to understand and reap the benefits from the handwriting on the wall. You don’t need to go far to search for Truth! May you be blessed! THE SHEPHERD KING [1 Samuel 16:6 -7; 10 – 12] ICB
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. Samuel thought, “Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is. Don’t look at how tall he is. I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse answered, “I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was a fine boy, tanned and handsome. The Lord said to Samuel, “Go! Appoint him. He is the one.” In [vs 6 -10] God sent Prophet Samuel to Jesse’s family, to anoint a king for Israel from amongst his eight sons, but Jesse presented seven! He hoped that God would choose one of them. They were tall, handsome and brave warriors in the king’s army, unlike his eighth son, David, who was a mere shepherd. Samuel picked the first born, Eliab, and like Jesse, was disappointed, when God said, ‘No’, to all seven brothers! God told Prophet Samuel not to get carried away by outward appearances [looks, strength, status, wealth, skills etc]. David with no military training, armour or spear faced Israel’s worst enemy, Goliath, a giant, who was heavily armoured and holding a spear! Yet, David trusting God, put his life in danger for Israel, and killed the giant! [1 Samuel 17: 34 – 52 ICB] As a shepherd, he had learnt to trust God fighting off lions and bears from attacking his sheep. This prepared him for defeating Goliath. Similarly, Lord Jesus defeated the world’s greatest enemy, Satan, the devil, when He arose from the dead, three days after being killed! His victory over death gives believers Eternal Life [John 3:16]. Satan tried to prevent this. Lord Jesus trusted God the Father [John 10:17 – 18 ICB]. Also, Bethlehem, the city, where Lord Jesus, the messiah, and David were born was the smallest in Israel! [Micah 5:2] In [vs11 - 12] David, like Jesus, was a shepherd and God saw his caring and good shepherd heart. Lord Jesus gave His life for us, His sheep. [John 10:11, 17 -18] David, like Lord Jesus, was not valued by his family, yet anointed king of Israel. ‘He is the one’. Likewise, Lord Jesus rejected by the Jews became our king! ‘This is my son… I am pleased with Him.’ [Matthew 3:17] The WAITING ROOM by Sophia Anyanwu
Have you ever had the experience of waiting in anxiety for a promotion, an interview, an exam result or even waiting for the blessing of the womb or a spouse for ourselves or for family members? You will agree with me that it is a place of unsettlement within our spirit. As Christians, we know that waiting for answers to prayers is a place that tests our faith. It is easy to weave in between doubt and our trust in God. I was blessed by a message on the theme of waiting on the Lord’s hope. The biblical examples of Zechariah and Elizabeth from the New Testament and Abraham and Sarah from the Old Testament were cited as having waited for so long in agony for their children. The traumatised waiting of the Jews for so many years for a deliverer from slavery in Egypt was based on a hope that never deemed. I was conscious of the irony in celebrating the anniversary of the coming of the Lord Jesus in festivity with that of the Jews waiting in despair and anguish for their freedom. We are all in the waiting room awaiting the New Year 2024 in hope knowing that as we commit our work to the Lord, all our plans will be established. [Proverbs 16:3] For many of us, this past year has been challenging in terms of our expectations on our health, our age, our family, our writing and other issues but we will continue to wait on the Lord. Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess because we can trust God to keep His promise [Hebrews 10:23]. No matter how long we wait in the waiting room, we wait in hope and assurance. As we hope to birth new books, gain breakthroughs in our finance and in our careers as writers in the coming New Year, we trust that our God will bring everything together at the right time. 2024 is pregnant and we are all in the waiting room to see what the new arrival will bring us all. May God richly bless you with your heart’s desires in 2024. May He reward you double for all the unfair things that happened to you in 2023. Amen. Finally, as we step out of the waiting room to see what is in store for us, let us go with God’s prophecy in Isaiah 3:10: The righteous will be happy and things will go well for them. They will be able to enjoy what they have worked for. I wish you all a very blessed 2024 in your writing. Be encouraged. Remember that ‘this hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out His love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us. Amen. [Romans 5:5] #NewYear #Hope #Waiting #ACW #Encouragement #Faith The Meek - Matt 5:5
I first got acquainted with the word ‘Meek’ in the song, ‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild’, in my childhood and youth and associated being meek with our Lord Jesus Christ. My concept of the word had also included our Lord Jesus being meek because he was born in a stable. I saw sheep as meek because of their gentleness in comparison to the stubbornness of goats! Being ‘Meek’ is a word that means so many things such as humility, patience, self-control and gentleness. Nevertheless, for Christians, being meek is an evidence of the presence the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Being meek in the Christian context is often a misunderstood concept. It is far from being just a quality that can be seen outwardly in a person exhibiting humility, gentleness or patience. These are definitely desirable for Christians in their everyday walk with God and with their fellow humans in the world. Yet, in Gods eyes, it is much more than this! As Christians, we look to God’s Word for wisdom to guide our knowledge and enable us aspire to become like our Lord Jesus Christ, our model. Matthew 5:5 says, ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’[NJKV] So, it is a blessing that will bless our lives and our inheritance is great. Let’s now start from the Old Testament to see what God reveals about being meek. In Numbers 12:3 –“Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone else on Earth”. Moses birth circumstances differ poles apart from our Lord Jesus. He was brought up in a palace as a prince yet God calls him the meekest man on earth and chose him to lead His people. He spoke to Moses face to face and showed him His form!! God punished his siblings for speaking against Moses in Numbers 12:8. Being meek has to do with a quality only God can see in our heart. Moses as a person and leader always chose to intercede for the Israelites even when under pressure and provocation. He could have instead, for example, allowed God to punish the Israelites when they had pushed Moses beyond his patience and endurance. He chose not to be vindictive. It is very easy for us as humans to want instant justice, revenge or even retaliation to those who wrong us. So, From Moses, we see that he had the ‘power’ to do get even with the Israelites but didn’t. This is meekness. In the New Testament, in Matthew26: 53, when our Lord Jesus was arrested and one of his disciples cut off the soldier’s ear, He put it back and said, “ …Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? And on the cross, after all the humiliation, torture, suffering and finally being crucified, our Lord Jesus on the cross spoke to God and said in Luke 23:34, “ Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” I can imagine in the spiritual realm, our God wanting to destroy those soldiers in some way but our Lord Jesus interceded. This is meekness. Finally coming to what our Lord Jesus said about the meek inheriting the earth, what does He mean? God created and owns the earth. He gifts it to those who have chosen not to assert themselves over others for personal gain, for their inheritance –[ something you don’t have to work for]. They will be blessed with good health, joy, love, peace and everything they will need. No matter how chaotic our world is, they are assured of the Father’s good plans for them. So dear sisters in Christ, let the words in Philippians 2:5 -8 guide us “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God…and became obedient to death…” I pray that God will exalt you as you seek to be meek by His grace. Amen. Olusola Sophia Anyanwu is a novelist, poet and writes Christian fiction. She is a member of the Association of Christian Writers. Find out more about her at: www.olusolasophiaanyanwuauthor.com WHAT WOULD DECLUTERING AS A WRITER LOOK LIKE???
What in the world does that mean you might ask? I gave this thought, got out a pen and wrote out all my commitments, achievements and responsibilities as a writer in 2022. This is what it looked like:
In any case, it is good to look back over your goals achieved and progress in the last year to help you plan better in the next year! I pray that God will continue to meet all our needs according to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Amen – Philippians 4:19 What will they tell you? By Olusola Sophia Anyanwu
I was a Sunday school teacher at my church in Nigeria and in my current church. It was fun getting the kids to recite from memory all the books of the Old Testament or the New Testament. Other times, they were given scripture verses to memorise and recite. There were occasions for quiz to test their knowledge on Bible characters and what they were associated with. Sometimes, the children were asked to write A to Z of Bible characters or to say them alphabetically. It was a fun way to teach children concepts about God and His Word on issues dealing with faith, truth, courage, love, forgiveness, etc. One that drew lots of applause was their wearing the armour of God costume and telling what each part of their garment represented. Here, I have presented some Bible characters in front of you. They all have something to tell us to reflect on: Abraham: “If I had known, I would not have listened to Sarah and taken her maid, Hagar, as my concubine. Today my descendants through Isaac and Ishmael are always in conflict. I pray for their peace. As a Father of Faith, it was extremely challenging and stressful waiting for God’s promise of a child without yielding to temptation to give up. In my old age, God gave me a child at last! So, never give up. Please keep up the faith!” Hagar - “Who would believe my story? From a maid to the concubine of my master, Abraham!!His God appeared to me and comforted and rescued my son, Ishmael and I when we are in danger of death!! God blessed me! Today we are part of Abraham’s family and share in God’s mercy and blessings. El Roi is the God who sees. Speak to Him! He sees you. Amen.” Tabitha - “I was a follower of Jesus, did many good things and acts of kindness but I became ill and died. Apostle Peter used the name of our Lord Jesus to raise me back to life!’ What can I say? I expected to get better and not die because I prayed. Thank God that there is power in the name of Jesus. Use the name Jesus in your prayers. God bless you.” Zacchaeus – “You all know me as the short man climbing a tree! All my years, I hated being short and used it to vent my anger on people. When Lord Jesus called me by my name, I WAS SHOCKED!!He knows my name!! Trust me, I thought I would ask for a miracle to grow taller when he came to my house. After His meal with me, it didn’t matter anymore how I looked. It didn’t matter whether I was rich or poor. I was just happy to be one of His followers. It was a life change for me in my character and state of mind. I will tell you that if you follow Jesus, worldly things will not matter much to you. Thank you.” God: “Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me.”- Psalm 50:15 When people see your name or your book, what do they associate you with? Do you have characters whose lives in your story testify of God’s power, goodness and love? It’s your turn to interview any character below and share what they tell you! Have fun! Ananias, Adam, Boaz, Bathsheba, Cain, Caleb, David, Daniel, Delilah, Elizabeth, Esther, Felix, Festus, Goliath, Gabriel, Hosea, Isaiah, Ishmael, Jephthah, Jonah, Keturah, Lazarus, Mary, Mordechai, Naaman, Nathaniel, Othniel, Peter, Paul, Q -, Ruth, Rachel, Solomon, U -Vashti, W -, X -, Yeshua, Yahweh, Zechariah. #LonglastingrelationshipTips
My relationship with my spouse was 40 years old in July 2023! I would like to share 7 tips from my experience that will enable anyone to enjoy a long loving mutually blessed relationship in marriage, families, friendship and with people in general whom you wish to become close with. There are 7 things: 1. Peacemaker 2. Respect 3. Forgiveness 4. Communication 5. Patience 6. Considerate 7. Love Let me take it up one by one. Remember, I am writing from my own personal experience as a married christian woman but it will apply to everyone. 1. PEACEMAKER You have to purpose it in your mind on a daily basis to be a person of peace when offence comes your way. Offence will come in a number of ways in and outside your home, around your personal space, in the midst of family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives. The way you handle the situation can either create conflict or peace. Remember that it takes two people to quarrel. It requires you to deliberately and consciously be a peacemaker no matter the offence, who brings it and why. You can not do this without your asking for help from God. He will help you through His Holy Spirit. There have been occasion when my spouse, family member, a close friend or a colleague have offended me with the marner they spoke to me or sometimes it could be their taking advantage over me. I don't retaliate, lose my cool, have the last say or argue. I ensure I speak calmly conscious of being a peacemaker. I may withdraw or just remain silent. Most times, the other party will apologise first. Make being a peacemaker part of your daily prayer until , like me, it will become your second nature. It becomes part of you to be a person of peace. Next post, I will be talking about the second tip - respect. What does self-care for a Christian writer mean? In mid-July, I busied myself reading the MTW’s blog posts I had missed in days and noticed a trend in these posts. It was advice on how to thrive and achieve as a Christian Writer. These write ups were backed up with prayers considering what each one of us tries to accomplish in just one day! I looked at my life as a Christian writer. I have a portable calendar that shows what I have to accomplish each day by God’s grace. Some days have book launches, zoom meetings, blog write ups, personal newsletters to read or give feedback, review deadlines, TBR list to consider, things to catch up from my part time job, family commitments, social media, etc. In the midst of all this, there are personal challenges and writing goals to do! Many of us face personal challenging situations such as dealing with loss, health, family or job issues. I used to feel disappointed by the few comments on my blog post but now I understand. It can be easy to think erroneously that some member’s posts are ignored. This attitude can be transferred to reviews, book launches and ACW group meetings attendance. I know better now. Looking at my calendar, I realise that I can try my best to support ACW members as much as I can but I must pace myself and try not to be like the proverbial hunter who carried an elephant on his head and tried to catch a rat with his toes but died in the attempt. The first thing to remember as we are often so advised is to consciously ask God daily for His GRACE to accomplish all He wants us to achieve that day as well as our writing goals. John 11:40 says that ‘If you believe, you will see the glory of God.’ Believe God’s Word about yourself - you can do all things, you are more than able, you are made in God’s image, all things will work together for your good, He will give you the desires of your heart, whatever you touch will prosper and succeed, etc. Also, remember that there is no competition with anyone. God has a time table for us in spite of whatever we are coping with. God uses our situations to move us into His purpose. Whether He moves us like a snail or an hare, His purpose for us and our writing will be achieved. He orders our steps with His Holy Spirit. He will make us ready and move us on as He did for Moses. Let us not be anxious about our pace or accomplishments. God’s time is the best. Finally, as Christian writers, we rely on God’s faithfulness, His love and graciousness to trust Him and be content with how far He has brought us in our writing journeys. We see where He began and ended with Job, Joseph and our Lord Jesus. He will grant us unexplainable strength and favour in spite of our unfavourable circumstances. This has been true in my own case because there have been times when I felt overwhelmed or frustrated. Lacking the technical know-how for self-publishing, books to review, meetings/book launches to attend, school work to catch up etc! I asked God for His grace - and He did and sorted me out! Yet, are there still things that I haven’t done? Of course, like I haven’t put my recent books in the ACW Book shop or put my books on D2D etc but I must learn to pace myself, be content with what I have achieved so far and ask God for grace for the strength and my readiness. This is self-care. Now, at the end of each day, I marvel at what God has enabled me to accomplish and I always thank Him for His grace on my life. May He grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed in Lord Jesus Christ’s name. Amen. [Adapted from Psalm 20:4 NLT] Are there some things that you are hoping to do by God’s grace and timing? Sophia Anyanwu lives in SE London. She is a tutor, writer, poet and Grandma. All of Sophia’s books are available from her website: www.olusolasophiaanyanwuauthor.com , Amazon or local bookshops.
Their Journey On Earth To Heaven | A Nigerian Love Story FEBRUARY 17, 2022 by Troop Atomic Mommy Many books come and go in the romance genre. Some dabble in the secular world and others partake in religious overtones. “Fictional romance novel” is not what one thinks of when you read the title of this book. But do not veer away. This novel is quite appealing, beyond first read. It is a romance-inducing love story that will leave you feeling as though you’ve just been in a coffee house listening to Hemingway. The skilful use of verbiage and tone, evoke perplexing and riveting senses, and is a true credit to the author’s ability to tell a story. And though the story is intertwined with strong religious speak, the tale does not lose its voraciousness for love. The author has built the readers, a new and intoxicating setting to fall in love in. Readers are taken on a journey into a Nigerian love story, where two become one. Over time, the characters ask us to believe in their love, to believe in their sense of family, and to have faith that love truly does conquer all. It is for these reasons that this book was an easy read and has an air of high-value for the souls in need of love, family, and faith. What a truly skilled writer the author is, to be able to deliver such a classically strong love story with the most flattering readability. If you are aching for a new style of writing, deep filling romance, and an emotionally evocative set of characters, then this book is for you. If you are interested in following the author to see what else is in the works, then you can follow the author on Twitter @olusola_anyanwu. You can read the book by clicking on the Amazon link below. |
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April 2024
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