As I put together this post on Wednesday, I'm getting ready. The Mustang is gassed, soon to be cleaned. A case of clothes soon to be filled, then all packed in securely so cruising the coast with the convertible top down won't blow anything out--except worries and cares and stress. As you read this, starting Monday, the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference will come close to its conclusion.
Set in the redwoods just above Santa Cruz, the conference changed my life with my first visit a few decades back. I had wanted to write in my 20s, only to realize I had nothing significant to say. With a mid 40s sabbatical, another attempt arrived when a friend told me about the conference. Mount Hermon blends learning the craft of writing and the publishing trade with a chance to meet editors. In between wandering through the redwoods and learning and talking to editors, I sold a book that first conference. The total has now reached nine, and I have six concepts that I'm taking up. Pray for a good reception for them, please.
So why did I share a pic of the Mount Hermon redwoods and this story? Some of you write, others have no interest at all, so this isn't the point. But MH allowed me to identify and realize a passion, a passion whose depth I hadn't realized until then. My earlier interest grew to a point of not being able to not write, in one form or another.
What's your passion about serving God and people? Do you have one? Let me suggest that we benefit with a passion to not just know but to serve God. When you consider how we've been shaped: our spiritual gifts, our heart, our abilities, our personalities, our experiences, our very DNA, not one can serve God and others as we can. So, what gets you excited? I encourage you to explore that some. What have you done in serving that genuinely touched others? What needs catch your attention?
Try the toad-kissing process: before meeting the handsome princess, you have to kiss a lot of toads. Attempt a lot of kissing! See what resonates in your soul. And then, follow the advice David gave to his son, "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought" (1 Chronicles 28:9).
For me, writing plays a key role in serving God wholeheartedly. Discover what area allows you to do the same