A writer's glorious blues

Musing over a blog post? Re-writing an article for the umpteenth time? Discouraged about a book-deal gone wrong? Well... most of us have been there. We procrastinated. We failed and tried again. We cried and picked up the pieces... again.

And so the story of our writing journey continues. 👉Who knows we are writing life stories for a next generation that is growing up with smart phone language and emoticons. Although some people will never read a book in their life, let alone write one, one day someone will be inspired and motivated by the words we are putting on paper.

I must have been 5 or 6 years old when I knew I loved reading and writing. I ran up and down to the local library several times a week to get new books. I wrote little journals, diaries and short stories at a very early age. God put it in me, I just know that for sure.

Back in 2006 my first book was published in the USA. It has been a long and bumpy road ever since. I have doubted my calling. I have had writer's block. I have been discouraged a thousand times. I wanted to quit several times. But you know what? I am still here and I am still writing. Even if no one would ever read my stuff, even if no one would ever buy one of my books... I would still write. Simply because it is what I love to do.

I am getting used to the up's and down's this journey brings. I learn from my mistakes and I cherish the highlights.

I entered my latest book In My Name in the Reader's Favorite 2018 Awards. Knowing that they receive thousands upon thousands of entries in more than 140 categories I knew I needed God's favor to be noticed. But a girl can ask, right?

My book did not win an award. But I am thankful to announce that In My Name was a finalist in the category Christian - Devotions and Bible Studies. Such moments make the writer's blues glorious again. We get pushed forward, we believe we can do one more article, one more blog or yet another book :)

Thank you readers, thank you bloggers. Let's continue to encourage one another!

My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer [Psalm 45:1]

Paid to preach?

In most churches it is common practice to pay the speaker (preacher, teacher, evangelist or pastor) for his speech.

This custom originates from the apostle Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians 9:14 where he states: the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. So far, so good.

Although Paul endorses this custom, he never made use of it himself. He continues in verse 15 with the following personal statement: Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge.

Wow, strong words. He would rather die than preaching for money. So what is it? Should preachers get paid or should they deny payment? It seems a very personal choice, Paul is sharing with us. He made a living as a tent maker (see Acts 18:3) and probably did not need anyone to pay him for sharing the Good News. I wonder, however, why he uses such strong words to explain his choice... I mean, to rather die than getting paid for a good sermon... come on! (his comment made me think though... here's a radical preacher!)

Personally, I was able to make my choice as well. When I get invited to speak somewhere I do not ask for a honorarium. I do not make use of my rights, so to speak. Why not? Because I consider myself a 'tent maker', just like Paul. I work for a living and as long as I get to do that, I can freely speak everywhere. If the host insists in giving me something, I propose an offering for our non-profit organization Traveling Light.

When someone has no income from a secular job, it would be wise to receive payment for preaching/teaching, right? Maybe one day I will make use of my rights, who knows.

I am curious to hear your take on this... Do you get to speak at conferences, in churches or at women's meetings? Do you get paid to preach?

PS: I teach on paper as well 😀If you haven't done so already, you can order my latest e-book IN MY NAME on Amazon for just 2.99.

Value your readers!

In my previous blog post I wrote about my different kind of give-away: 'It is my greatest joy to see the messages God gave me, touch people's lives. If it helps them to grow in their faith, if they are encouraged and inspired... I am happy.'

Whether you are a blogger, writer or author... you have a story to tell and if what you write touches a person's heart... you did not write in vain.

In this picture I am giving a copy of my latest book In My Name to Zhenya Venidyktova. She is one of my lovely interpreters when visiting Ukraine. She speaks Russian and English fluently and it is such a joy to hang out with her. Oh, how we love to minister together to those who are hurt and in need of a touch of God.

I wish I could visit Ukraine more often and hang out with people like Zhenya.... talking about God, books, history and the future of our nations. She finished reading In My name and she wrote me a note:

"Your latest book gives a fresh look at one of the 10 commandments, not to use the Lord's Name in vain. I liked that it shows us how to really use the Lord's Name for His glory, how we can do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. I also liked the examples from your life & ministry. It helps me to hear the Holy Spirit & to obey Him."

I thought I 'd honor her, one of my many readers, with this blog post because I truly value her!

Do you have precious comments from readers that you would like to share?

PS: If you haven't done so already, you can order the e-book on Amazon for just 2.99.

I am looking forward to your comments!

A book: the best gift!

In my previous blog post I promised to give away a free copy of my newest book: In My Name. That post received a lot of comments on FB... yeah, like more than one hundred!

But since no one really shared the give-away, I decided to give 5 books to people I hand picked 😉

Last week we were in Ukraine, we participated in a summer camp for people from faith-based drugs- and alcohol rehabilitation centers. 230 men and women and children were present, we had a fantastic time. My husband and I taught several classes on 'the new life'.

See our non-profit blog for more pictures!

We were very grateful for the team of interpreters that stood by our side, without them we could have done nothing. They helped us with the classes, with counseling sessions and personal talks throughout the whole week. I gave several books away as a thank you. Julia (in the picture) was very excited to receive a book. She loves the English language and she loves the Lord!

Another interpreter, Zhenya, emailed me the other day... "Marja, I am already in chapter 10. I love it!" It is my greatest joy to see the messages God gave me, touch people's lives. If it helps them to grow in their faith, if they are encouraged and inspired... I am happy.

So my dear blogger and author friends, keep writing if that is what you love to do. We never know how, when and where readers will be blessed by the very words we penned down.

You can order your Kindle book on Amazon for just $2.99.

Giveaway 'In My Name'

When my latest book came out, I promised to set up a giveaway on this blog. Well, since you're all in a festive mood celebrating the 4th of July (which happens to be my wedding anniversary)... let's do it!

In My Name is the 7th book in a series about the Ten Commandments in the 21st century and the back matter reads:

‘Lord’ is not a word to end our sentences with when we talk to Him, nor is it a filler to make our prayers sound more holy and authentic. ‘Lord’ is His personal revelatory name and He gave it to us for use on a daily basis.

It is one thing to claim we don’t use the Lord’s name in vain, but what do we do? Are we bringing honor to His name? Do we have a genuine love for His name? And most of all, is everything we do and say then, done in His name? The letter of the Old Testament law says ‘do not use the Lord’s name in vain’, Jesus however urges every believer to ‘honor His holy name’. We will find out how such a commandment can become practical and applicable for believers today, not by focusing on what we cannot and should not do, but by focusing on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us and through us. The Holy Spirit desires to change us from the inside out.

May we all discover a new and fresh way to bring honor to His name. May we use God’s name with power, purpose and reverence in effective ministry all over the world and in doing so be a generation that fulfills the ancient scriptures right here and now in the 21st century.

So, if you would like to win a free copy of In My Name:

• leave your comment on this blog and
• share this post on social media.

That's all! I'll be drawing a name when I come back from my travels after next week. In the meantime you can check out reviews here:

Jeanette's blog : "A life changing book.."

Cecelia's blog : "Another outstanding book..."

Amazon : "Marja has an uncanny ability to make a difficult biblical truth both simple and profound."

Reader's Favorite : "An excellent read..."