“He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” (Dt 10:21)

If you’ve followed me very long, then you know about my twisty writing journey. As a child, I enjoyed writing and even started a book called Just Say No when I was about eight. Apparently, I had taken to heart the message about staying away from drugs and wanted to convince others to do the same. As a teenager, I joined the school newspaper staff as a writer and then an editor, and I went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in mass communications. If there was something to be written, whether an article, academic paper, or novel, I wanted to know how to do it.
Eventually, I wrote several short stories that were subsequently published and started a devotional blog. I joined local writing and critique groups, started an editing and writing company (Prestige Prose), and served on the board of the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI).

Writing is both one of the most rewarding and most frustrating things I’ve ever done. It’s more than a hobby. Now that I write for a living, it’s more than just a job.

It would be easy to make writing all about me: what I want to accomplish, awards I’d like to win, and the message I want to convey to people. What’s hard is reigning in my ego so that God can use my writing ability for his glory. To do this, I focus on the following:

• Writing as worship. Worship begins in the heart of the believer, and in this way, is a private matter. I write to express my adoration for the God who created us. Worship also reflects the image of God, and in this way, is public. When you read the things I’ve written, my hope is that you will see God. I want my writing to glorify him, not me.
• Writing as a ministry. As a writer, I want to get people’s attention and arrest their hearts with God’s truth. I look at the world around me and the circumstances in which I find myself, and I look for the lessons God wants me to share.
• Writing as both art and craft. As art, I write to use the gift God gave me. As craft, I work to improve and learn how to accept constructive feedback. This is the reason I’ve joined local writing groups and critique groups and served on the board of OWFI.
• Writing as an act of giving. When I write, I give to others (my readers), to God, and to myself.

I want my talents and the fruits of my labor to reflect the presence of God in my life and to point others to him. With his help, I can accomplish this.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the ability to write. I pray that others will always see you first when they read my words. Please continue to use my talent for your glory. Amen.