137: Don’t Just Write Stories, Write Messages That Change Lives.

Who would you be today if you never learned to read? Would you be the same or would you lack the knowledge you’ve acquired over the years? As authors, our number one goal should be to educate, encourage and entertain through the use of words.

In today’s episode, we’re looking at the power of our message and the impact it can have on our reader’s lives. How we can take simple sentences and structure them in a way that makes crystal clear the message that God has placed on our heart. Also, I have a great tip for you this week that should elevate your productivity to the next level and what it takes to make a decision and follow through.

As a Christian, the number one priority in my writing is to convey the message of Jesus Christ. I don’t mince words, and I take seriously the message he has entrusted to my care. The world is falling apart at the seams and people are looking for something tangible and real, therefore, through our words, we can convey two things; the truth of Gods word and to reveal the human condition.

I always desired to be a writer. The simple notion of trying to take a story and craft a lesson, like Jesus did with his parables, thrilled me. One of my favorite authors is Christian horror novelist, Frank Peretti. His use of imagination to convey spiritual truths astounds me even today. This is what I desired for my life. What about you?

Today’s Christian Concept:

Have you needed to make a choice and wondered if you made the right decision? Life is full of choices, deciding this or that and waiting to see the results of your course of action.

Some decisions are easy to make; what sandwich do I want at Subway, what movie should we watch, do I repair the whole deck with new boards or just fix the rotten ones? Each action we take has either a positive or negative reaction.

But what does Jesus say?

Matthew [16:24]-26; “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (ESV)

Jesus is saying that when we follow him and die to our flesh, we find true life and success. But if we hold onto our lives, we end up losing it and forfeiting our soul.

We love to be in control and make our own decisions but to decide means to kill off the other choice.

The word Decide can be broken into two words:

• De = to strike and be firm and unbending
• Cide = to kill off and destroy. (example – Pesticide)

The Lord is calling us to choose or decide him above all that life offers. We like control and to sit in the driver’s seat, yet, Jesus is asking us to take up the cross and follow him. If we follow Jesus to his death, we will be resurrected in mind, body, and spirit.

He’s asking us to:

1. Lay down our desires for this life in exchange for the life he offers.
2. Be unbending in service to the King in all areas of life.
3. To kill off our flesh and daily desires so we can be resolved.

What are you willing to do?

Paul says in Ephesians [4:29]-32; “And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them. The Holy Spirit of God has sealed you in Jesus Christ until you experience your full salvation. So never grieve the Spirit of God or take for granted his holy influence in your life. Lay aside bitter words, temper tantrums, revenge, profanity, and insults. But instead be kind and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love.” (TPT)

That’s what it means to lay down our life, decide to follow Christ and see him work in the lives of those we influence every day.

Tip of the Week:

Everyone agrees that writing is hard work. In fact, it’s harder than most would admit. But what if I were to tell you that a simple thing called planning what you’re going to write will help you immensely?

Last week, I returned to Podcasting and blogging with the idea that using a paper planner will help you achieve your goals. Goals are the driving force behind your success and if you want success in your writing, you have to plan it out.

Take the time and listen to last week’s episode to learn how to use a paper planner to get more done in less time. Trust me, you’ll love it. jbsisam.com/136

Don’t Just Write Stories, Write Messages That Change Lives.

Let’s dive right into today’s topic about writing stories or books that can change lives.

When I started writing my first book, it was going to be something simple, just for my family, but the more I wrote the more I realized that I had something I wanted to share with the World. I sat down and really hammered out what the overall message of the book would be. The message ended up becoming a message of trusting in the Lord with everything we have.

You see, writing needs to contain some kind of a message. Here are some examples:

• Rocky movies: Being an overcomer and never giving up.
• Star Wars: Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
• Avatar: Taking care of our planet.
• Ayn Rand’s, Atlas Shrugged: Standing up to a socialistic and a government that has become too large.
• Frank Peretti’s, This Present Darkness: The power of prayer to change the spiritual realm.

Books, movies, and television all write within the confines of a message. Sometimes that message is simple, other times, like Atlas Shrugged, is a little more complex. But the fact remains, we need to be writing with a message, not just writing for the sake of writing. We should desire to change lives.

1. Your writing can shape lives and change hearts.

This is especially true in the self-help area of writing. People are looking for answers and looking for a book to help them sort out their life problems and a book is the best solution they can find. Think of it as becoming a personal life coach without leaving the confines of your writing space.

Using your own life examples and lessons learned will help you help others achieve the same success that you have found. One of my favorite examples of this is Michael Hyatt. He set out to help people start and establish their blogs. But the more they learned from his blog the more they wanted. So, Michael wrote a book called, “Platform”.

This single book teaches you the strategies and tools needed for creating a thriving blog. He changed the lives of thousands of people. Then they started asking him how he maintains his blog while doing everything else needed in his business. He created a whole line of books and self-help tools to create leaders who are organized and goal driven.

This has impacted my life significantly. I now use a paper planner in conjunction with my digital calendar and I am getting more done.

2. Helping readers discover their moment of truth.

Books are powerful. They have the ability to change lives and allow us to see ourselves through a different lens. As writers, we have to learn to become stronger at what we’re not good at. It’s all about learning and growing to become a better writer.

When I wrote, Divine Providence, I had a father contact me and say he appreciated my book. His words, that my book helped him connect with his family and children more, left me feeling filled and satisfied.

After I wrote my book, “Grace”, an early reader of the book mentioned to me she learned more about grace in 5 weeks than in 20 years of being a Christian.
This is the power of words. They impact and help draw the reader to their own moment of truth. Our job is to get them to the moment because this is the reason we wrote the story.

3. Finish your work strong.

Goals, dreams and the future are things that we all want. They elude some, but those who keep their eyes on the prize will cross the finish line with success. But so many people are focusing on the wrong thing that their dream begins to die.

Remember the craze of Pokémon Go? People would bury their heads in their phones and tablets trying to catch the rarest Pokémon. I downloaded the game and found it was not worth the hype. But all I saw were people with their heads down, staring at the wrong thing. They are not walking toward a successful future or goal.

Stop focusing on the wrong things and begin looking at the message that God has placed in your heart. The message is there but you have to pull it out and call it forth.

When I was a kid a former minister mentioned to me to pull up in the spirit and look at what God was saying. What is God saying to you? Where is your faith and where is your message?

If we don’t actively pursue our dreams they will begin to decay like garbage thrown in a ditch. I mentioned in a blog post from 2016, that dreams don’t happen, they are born and created. But because so many focus on life circumstances and the struggles they face, their dreams seem like an impossibility.

To see success, stop navel gazing and look up. Tell your story, write your message and see lives changed through your words.

[reminder]What is your message? What are you willing to do to help change lives?[/reminder]