Tag: create

2021 in Three Words

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chron. 16:34)

Most of us had high hopes that 2021 would be better than 2020. For some people, I’m sure that was true. But for many others, the tragedy, discord, and chaos continued. For me, like many other years, 2021 was a mix of both good and bad.

A few years ago, I started a practice at the beginning of the year where I find three words to describe the previous year. Now, I’m sure you have some choice words for 2021, as we all do, but my words aren’t good riddance, 2021, even though that would be fitting. Instead, I want to focus on the positive. Continue reading “2021 in Three Words” →

A Mother’s Day Tribute

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Prov. 31:31)

During my growing up years, my parents were very hands on. My mom baked and decorated my birthday cakes for many years. Four in particular stand out after all this time—Strawberry Shortcake, a Care Bear, a Cabbage Patch Kid, and Barbie. I remember how she worked for hours to get the icing just right. It looked perfect, and it tasted divine.

I loved watching my mom cook. She made almost everything from scratch. In fact, I didn’t know brownies or casseroles came from a box until I was an adult. Except for Jiffy brownies, which I thought were an exception made just for kids like me whose grandmas kept boxes on hand for them to stir together. Continue reading “A Mother’s Day Tribute” →

A Time to Create

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Eph. 6:10)

In last week’s blog post, I wrote about the difficulty I’ve had lately with being creative. This past weekend, I attended the virtual Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI) conference. Attending the conference, learning from fellow writers, and mingling (even virtually) is always a boon for my creativity.

This year, the conference coordinators took a chance on me and allowed me to conduct two workshops on self-editing practices. I’ve done a lot of speaking over the years, but this was the largest event where I’ve been invited to speak. Continue reading “A Time to Create” →

The Creativity Struggle

Posted on by Staci Mauney

But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jer. 10:12)

My word for the year is “create,” but lately, finding the time or energy to create has been a struggle. I believed God gave me this word because he wanted me to create new things this year. I have two book projects along with numerous small projects to complete. I still believe I’m to create new things, but now I also believe he wants me to learn the best ways to do that and to leave behind projects that don’t help fulfill my mission of reaching people for him with the written word.

When I’m busy, when I’m stressed, my creativity dries up. A migraine or exhaustion results, and I know I have to stop and take care of myself. Rather than hurting my productivity and creativity, taking a break rejuvenates me and gives me the strength I need to finish the project at hand. How quickly I forget this when the pressure of a deadline looms! I would do well to remember it. Continue reading “The Creativity Struggle” →

Create: My Word for 2021

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers” (Ex 35:35).

I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions in a long time. Instead, I choose a word for the year. I use this word to focus on an area of my life where I believe the Lord wants to make changes or have me grow. I’ve chosen words such as “trust,” “focus,” “compassion,” and “bold.” Last year, my word was “renew.” As 2020 began, I felt burned out. I had no idea how much I would need renewal as the year (and the pandemic) wore on.

This year, God revealed my word to me more slowly than usual. I often have my word for the year in November, or the first week of January at the latest. We were halfway through January before I felt comfortable with the word that kept coming to mind: “create.” Continue reading “Create: My Word for 2021” →