Write from the Deep

Thank you, listeners, for over nine years of sharing your writing journey with Write from the Deep! We’ve found such joy in bringing you God’s encouragement and in hearing from you. Join us in this final podcast as we share final truths and insights to help you along your writing journey. And God bless each of you!

But first, thank you to all our patrons on Patreon! You help make this podcast possible! And in particular, thank you to ALL of our 2024 sponsors of the month: Christy Bass Adams, Wendy L. Macdonald, Tammy Partlow, Priscilla Sharrow, and Kimberley Woodhouse! You’ve been such a blessing to us and to all our listeners!

An Important Announcement

Erin Taylor Young: Welcome, listeners, to the Deep. We have some important news to share with you.

Karen Ball: And here it is: the podcast you’re listening to in this very moment is our final episode from Write from the Deep. You see, Erin asked me a while ago if I thought it was maybe time to step away from the podcast because of health issues and other reasons.

At first I was like, no, no, let’s keep going. But as the days went by and I thought and prayed about it, God showed me that I really did need to step back, because of my––and Don’s––increasing health issues. As I came to that decision, I felt such peace wash over me that I knew it was the right thing.

Erin Taylor Young: I asked Karen because I’ve been having a few health issues of my own. And also, I’ve been feeling the need to prune, but I didn’t know which things should go. I took a sabbatical from editing over the summer, which was great. But I learned that I needed to keep praying about the pruning that God wanted to do in my life, and I needed to keep seeking Him about the disciplined pursuit of less.

We talked about this idea back in episode 223 in “Three Essentials for a Christian Writer’s Life.”

So as I sought guidance for pruning and refocusing, God showed me it is time to let go of this podcast. I want you all to know I am not missing the irony there that an episode that I researched and recorded for the show is one of the things that contributed to me understanding that I need to let go of it.

Our Final Gifts for You

Karen Ball: Love the way God works to guide us! How we can make this decision with joy because we know it’s what God is guiding us to do. Now, as you listeners know, we often end our interviews with guests by asking them for final words of wisdom or encouragement. So we thought it would be a fitting end to ask ourselves the same question.

So what wisdom and encouragement do we most want to leave with you to return some of the joy you’ve brought us?

Ground Everything in God’s Word

Erin Taylor Young: Well, the first thing that I want to share is from Psalm 1:1-3.

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law. He meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

You guys, ground everything you do in God’s Word. But more than that, make God’s word your delight. Your greatest joy. It says, our delight should be in the law of the Lord and we’ll yield fruit in its season.

Not before its season, by the way. So be patient. Spend your time soaking in God’s word and loving it and meditating on it. This is how we guarantee that our lives will be fruitful.

Not Overdue a Single Day!

Karen Ball: I’ve mentioned a couple times on the podcast that Habakkuk 2:3 is my life verse:

“Slowly, steadily. surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient. They will not be overdue a single day.”

Not overdue a single day. I love that so much. As you go through your writing journey, remember, it’s all in God’s hands and in his timing. He knows what you need and He will provide, even if it seems like it’s taking forever. Take this verse to heart, so when you start feeling that way, you can remember with a soul-deep joy that God’s plans for you will surely come to pass. They won’t be overdue a single day. Just trust and rest in Him and keep doing what He’s asking you to do.

Wait on God

Erin Taylor Young: My next verse fits right in with Karen’s. It’s Isaiah 64:4.

“Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”

Remember I said earlier that patience is important? This is why. When we wait for God, He acts. I’m not talking about just any old kind of waiting here. I’m talking about expecting. I’m talking about looking to God to hope in Him and believe in him. Think about how astounding it is that the God of the universe acts on our behalf to accomplish His purposes.

This is how God is different from all the other so-called gods of this world. The true God works on our behalf to show Himself great and mighty.

He delights in doing this, He purposes to do this. If only we could all walk every minute of our writing journey fully convinced that God is on our side and that He is always working on our behalf for our good and His glory.

This is the Way

Karen Ball: I love that. I love Isaiah. It holds so much wisdom. For example, Isaiah 30:21 has this powerful message for all of us:.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way walk in it.”

God is so present in your life and in your writing journey, but you’ve got to listen. You’ve got to keep your heart attuned to Him and to His voice. He won’t let you go astray if you do that.

But you know what? Even if you do make a misstep, just take it to Him and He will guide you back to the path He has for you.

Strong Support

Erin Taylor Young: Amen. My next verse is 2 Chronicles 16:9. Just the first half says:

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

I’ve had this first section memorized for a long time because it says God will not only guide us, but “strongly support” us.

And this verse also reminds me we have a part to play. We need hearts that are completely God’s. Thankfully, though, we don’t accomplish that on our own because one of the things God has done for us when we chose to follow Him is He gave us a new heart, a heart of flesh, and not a heart of stone. A heart that can resonate with His joy because of all He’s done for us.

No Divided Hearts!

But even though we know this truth, other desires can come in and divide our hearts. And steal our joy. This world is full of things that just call to us. It may not be our cares and our concerns, but maybe it’s entertainment, money, status, sales, contracts. And let’s not forget stuff like toys and trinkets and all those things.

There is a reason Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart [or the undivided in heart] for they shall see God.” It’s hard to see God with a divided heart.

But look at how this verse talks about God looking. For us. He’s searching the world for people who will look to Him who trust Him and hope in him. God’s not up there grudgingly giving out help if we beg hard enough. It brings Him joy to bless us! He has a master plan for the world and every person on this planet, and we get to be a part of it.

We get to bring His truth to this dark world, and we get to be part of God’s kingdom on earth. So go into every day and know God is there waiting to strongly support you.

Remember to Rest

Karen Ball: Hebrews 4:9-11is a reminder we all need, and it says this:

“There is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest, have rested from their labors. Just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”

As Ecclesiastes points out, there’s a God-appointed time for everything in our lives, which means there’s a God-appointed time for us to rest. We do need to work hard to push ourselves toward excellence in God’s name, but friends, we also need to take time to rest on our writing journey and in life.

I’m not talking about just resting when you’re discouraged or exhausted, but taking regular time to rest your soul and heart and mind as a part of your process in the day, to prepare yourself to receive God’s joy. You’re not being weak or lazy when you rest. You’re being wise and obedient.

Let God Fill You

Erin Taylor Young: Rest is productive. It really is.

Another verse I want to give to you guys is Psalm 81:10: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.”

It’s too easy to forget to ask God to supply all our needs. He wants us to depend on Him. Think about God bringing the Israelites, who are a nation of slaves, out of Egypt, which at the time was the most powerful nation.

Consider how unprecedented this display of God’s sovereign might was when He made Pharaoh release the Israelites! Then Pharaoh changes his mind and comes back after them with the entire army. That was scary. But God showed His might and His power. And the Israelites went from fear to joy!

All of God’s power and provision and miracle working brings to our minds now that He is our protector and provider. He says to us, as He did to the Israelites, “Open wide your mouth ‘cause I’m going to bring all My power and resources to fill it.” Friends, there is nothing you need that God can’t provide.

There’s no situation too hopeless, no problem too impossible. God is simply asking you and me to open wide our mouths and receive all He has for us. Let’s purpose to go through all day, every day, with that posture of open mouths, open heart, open hands. Let God fill you.

The Honor of Sharing God’s Word

Karen Ball: Amen. And then there are the next two verses of Hebrews from what I read before, and that’s verses 12 and 13.

“For the word of the Lord is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.”

You know, words are vital to God. We see that in His Bible, and we see it in the way that He speaks to us and draws us. It’s vital to who He is and to what He wants from us, that He has invited us to use words for His sake and His glory to bring His truth to a weary, lost world. That is such an honor.

Don’t ever look down on where you are in the task He’s given you. It doesn’t matter where you are. It only matters that you’re obedient to the task He’s asked you to take on. Whether you write 90 books or one article or one letter, the wonder of your words is infused with Him and it will reach hearts and minds in ways you never imagined.

Forget about bestseller lists, about sales numbers, fame, earthly rewards. Instead, keep in mind that you are accountable to Him and only Him for being obedient and doing what He’s given you to do.

If you do that, the rewards you receive will come from Him, and they will spark more joy than you’ve ever known.

Learn from the Turkeys!

Erin Taylor Young: The last thing I want to leave you with guys is a story. We’re writers. I gotta leave you with a story! And it’s a true story, by the way. So one day I am looking out my back windows and I see wild turkeys in my yard. I’ve never seen that before!

They’re just walking across the yard, poking around in the grass looking for stuff to eat. Well, once they get across my yard, suddenly they’re completely stymied by my fence. We have this four-foot-high wrought-iron fence. And these turkeys have no idea what to do!

So they start trotting back and forth along the fence. There’s no gate to let them through. So then they’re like, “Hey, we wanna get to the green grass on the other side.” We all know the grass is always greener, right?

They’re trying to get to the other side by squeezing through the rails of the fence! Some of these turkeys are too big to fit through the spaces between the rails.

And I’m watching, fascinated, because they’re so stymied by the fence. They could just fly over, but this doesn’t seem to occur to any of them. Finally, the biggest, older ones flap once and do this giant leap and land on the top of the fence, then sort of jump over.

The younger, smaller turkeys are like, “No problem. We’ll just squeeze through.” And they do. But there’s the medium-sized ones left in my yard. Now they’re panicking because they see most of the flock has made it to the other yard––and they’re even starting to move on!

At this point I’m talking through the window: “ Guys, duh! You can fly. Just fly.” But they continue running up and down the fence, even more panicked. One of them gets stuck trying to squeeze through and I’m wondering if I need to go out and rescue this dumb turkey!

But finally, finally, they do all make it through and they’re all in the next yard, meandering across that yard, and they’re happy again. And then this coyote bursts out of the woods behind the yard and goes after ‘em.

Guess what they did? They all fly! Right up into the trees, thanks to pure God-given instinct. Now this coyote is just left standing all alone in the yard. He’s looking around, like, “What do I do now?”

You Can Fly!

So here’s what I want you guys to take away from this story.

You can fly.

Sometimes we forget. We forget that we have God-given talent and creativity and instincts. And sometimes we panic when we see a fence or when we’re confronted by a difficult edit or a book or an article or blog post. It feels too hard to write and we don’t know what to do. We’re stymied. The problem seems insurmountable.

But friends, you. can. fly. God has made you able. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.”

Don’t forget. You can fly.

You’ve Been A Joy!

Karen Ball: Sharing this podcast with all of you has been a wonder and an honor. You’ve brought us such joy and blessings. We’re grateful for you who have listened and delighted that God has used us to share His truth and encouragement with you. That’s really what we wanted to do from the very beginning. Please know that Erin and I will keep you in our prayers, that we’ll always be grateful you chose to spend time with us.

And as we close this final podcast from Write from the Deep, please take these words from Philippians 1 to heart:

“Every time we think of you, we give thanks to our God. Whenever we pray, we make our requests for all of you with joy. For you have been our partners in spreading the good news about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

“And we are certain that the God who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it’s finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that we should feel as we do about all of you, for you have a special place in our hearts. You share with us the special favor of God…in defending and confirming the truth of the good news.

“God knows how much we love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Jesus Christ. We pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. We want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

“May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation: the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ. For this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Erin Taylor Young: Amen. And thank you all.

Karen Ball: Yes. Thanks for joining us today, and may God bless you His powerful peace and unending joy.

We at Write from the Deep have found such joy in bringing you God’s encouragement. In this final episode, we share our most important truths and insights for your writing journey. #amwriting #ChristianWriter
Share on X

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What have you learned from the Write from the Deep podcast? We’d love to know!

THANK YOU!

Thank you to all those who’ve been patrons on Patreon! You’ve helped make this podcast possible!

A big shout out to anyone who’s been a Patreon sponsor of the month this year! Thank you to: Christy Bass Adams, Wendy L. Macdonald, Tammy Partlow, Priscilla Sharrow, and Kimberley Woodhouse!

Many thanks also to the folks at PodcastPS for their fabulous sound editing!

The post 226 – You Brought Us Joy! appeared first on Write from the Deep.