A Writer’s Mission Statement

I want to thank my fellow sista-writer, Shon Bacon, for getting me thinking about why I write and my mission as a writer.

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I am a writer. Even more than that, I am a scribe. Much of what I write is the transcription of something so much greater than I could ever imagine. Yes, even the bad stuff. Most certainly the stuff that I or they call good. It is my own journey and my observations of the world around me that provide the context for my words. These stories are the layers between which a message is revealed. These revelations are born from great pain and brokenness which, after much misguided manipulation on my part, still inevitably leak onto the page. Beyond my own intentions, the words I write seem to transform themselves into a kind of divine intervention. Sometimes for the reader. All the time for me.

For me, Writing is Ministry.

Another truth? I write because it is one way for me to demonstrate the fruits of the spirit even when I, in the course of my daily humanity, fall short so frequently. When I write, I have the ability to show and give love in the most splendid ways. I experience the most magnificent joys. I am patient and kind and fearless and disciplined and… so not like the flesh and blood, breath in britches woman that I can be at times. In a way, I can fully become what I am slowly becoming when I write.

The things I’ve written and the things I will write (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) are about restoration and redemption. I allow my characters to do what writer Melanie Clark Pullen says, “cut through the crap and learn to be authentic.” Most of the the time, this is even when I find it difficult to do so. With my words, it is my desire to reveal the heartache and hardships of this world in the most candid and straightforward manner I can. I will compel and confront, if necessary. Yet, I will never do so without offering remedies that work and resolutions that are true. The unfailing love of God. The sacrificial covering of Christ. God’s use of faulty human vessels to accomplish great and extraordinary things.

For me, Writing is a tool for Healing.

A scribe is a servant in the Kingdom whose sole purpose is to translate the words of the King. As I grow as a writer, I realize that this call I have requires me to #1) keep my eyes open to everything and everyone around me, empathizing with great passion the many stories, both foreign and familiar, that I come across and #2) keep my ears close to the heart and desires of my Lord and King.

This is so that what I see and the passion in which I process it can ultimately be transformed by the Holy Spirit; coming together as a blessing on the page. If I do that…which frankly I’m still learning everyday to do…then I know I can trust that God will be pleased.

For me, Writing is Worship.

In fact, my mission as a writer can be summed up by a re-working of a quote by the character, Eric Liddell, in the film, Chariots of Fire.

“I believe God made me for a purpose. He also made me a writer.
When I write I feel His pleasure.”